ARRIVAL AT CYTHERA.

2816 Ay boun to the banke, when hom best thoght, ffor to light on pe londe, & leng on hor ese. Now it felle hom by fortune, as þai fere so, Monolay for to mete, the mightiest of Grese,

2820 Come sayland by syde & the see held;

Purpost vnto Pyle by prayer of Nestor,

To solas hym a season, & soiourne with the Duke. This Menelay, þat I mene, the mighty before, 2824 To Agamenon the graithe was a gay brother;

And had weddit, I wis, & to wif held
Elan, þat afturward angert hym sore.

Of hir feirehede & feturs is ferly to here,

2828 I shall telle you, when I tyme haue, tomly her

aftur.

Ho was suster for sothe, as I said ere,

To Pollux the pert kyng, & his pere Castor,

bat soiournet the same tyme at the Cite Emscor, 2832 As legis in hor owne londes, a louely hom with,—

Ermonia, a Maydon þat þai moche louyt,

A doghter full dere of dame Elan the quene.

Book VII.

93

Menelaus passes the fleet on his way to Pylos.

(MS. has Pire)

He was brother of Agamemnon, and husband of Helen.

She was sister of
Castor and Pollux.

When the Grekes se the grete nauy, þai girdon The Greeks keep

o rowme,

2836 And meuyt fro pere metyng at the mene tyme. Nawther company by course hade Kennyng of

other,

But past to pere purpos & no prise made,

And sailet vpon syde vnto sere costys.

2840 Parys and his pepull past by the stremys,
Hadyn wynd at hor wille, & the wedur calme,
And sailet to Sithera, and set into hauyn;
A ground of the Grekes, as hom grase felle,
2844 And now cald is, by course, of hom pat costes

hauntyn,

Sytrinos forsothe, with Sailers to nome.
There arofe all the rowte, as pai rede toke,
And halit into hauyn, & houyt full stille;

away from the fleet.

Paris and his

company, with favourable winds, reach Cythera, now Cerigo.

(fol. 45 b.)

Book VII.

They land and go

to the temple of Venus,

whose chief festival was then being held by the people.

Worshippers from

all parts came to that festival,

especially

"worthy wemen."

Paris joins a company on their way to the

temple.

(fol. 40 a.)

2848 Caste ancres full kene with cables to grounde; ffestonit the flete, as hom fayre thoght;

Buskys into botys, were borne to pe lond,

To solas hom a season, as hom selfe liked; 2852 And waited vppon hor wirdes for wynnyng of godys.

In Sythera, for sothe, was a solempne tempull,

Of Venus, I wis, þat worthy was holdyn,
ffoundet before, fele yeres past,

2856 And enabit of old þere auntres were sene.
With Riches full Rife & myche Ranke godys,
The yle well enabit & onest with in,

And lyuet after law of pe lell gentils,

2860 þat Venus the worthy worshippit for god,
And most honouret of other with onesté pere.
There auntered hom oft, onsware to haue,
When pai put hom with prayer pat prise for to
seche.

2864 Thus tyd hit pat tyme, as I telle wille,

bat the principall & prise fest of pere pure goddys Was holdyn po high dayes with hom pat pere dwelt;

And other folke vpon fer fell thedur thicke, 2868 With mykull prese of pepull of prouynce aboute, Soght to pat solenité sacrifis to make.

Worthy wemen to wale, wete ye forsothe, bat prist are of pilgrymes to pas ouer lond 2872 To waite after wondres, & wilfull desyre More Janglyng of Japes pen any Juste werkes, And for solas & sight pen sacrifice to do. When parys persayuit had the pepull anon, 2876 He cacchis a compony clenely arayed,

And to the tempull full tyte toke he pe gate. ffull mylde on his maner meuit within.

On a side he hym set, as semyt for a straungior, 2880 In prayers full prist the pepull beheld.

HELEN LONGS TO SEE PARIS.

He offert onestly in honour of Venus,
A gobet of gold, þat gyngys might se;
And sylid for-sothe on the same wise,
2884 ffor solempnite of sacrifice in sight of pe pepull.
Paris was pure faire, & plesaund in sight,

A store man & a stoute, full stithe hym be semyt;
ffairest be ferre of his fre buernes,

Book VII.

He offers "a gobet of gold."

2888 Wemen waited hym well, hade wondur of He is admired

hym one,

That of shap for to shew was shene to beholde,

And clad as a kyng in clothys full fyne.

He was louyt with ladys, lappit in hert.

2892 As course is of kynd & comyn dessire,

Ich on fraynet at his fere pe frekys to know,

95

and loved by the

women.

All wonder and inquire who he

Of what lond were po louely hit list hom to wete, is, &c. And prinsipall of Parys the pepull dessiret, 2896 Of þat comly to Ken, & his cause here.

And o sithen it was said, & for sothe tolde, That Parys was Pryam son, þat prinse is of Troy, By comaundement of his kyng comyn into Grese, 2900 With a company clene his cosyn to gete.

Exiona sothely he soght for to haue,

That Telamon hade takon & with tene held,

And set vnder seruage pat hom sore greuyt.

2904 This speche furth sprede & sprange vppo ferre,
Ouer all into yles, so aunter befelle,
Into the Eres of Elan hit entrid belyue.

The prishede of parys was praisit so mekyll,
2908 With ferly of his fairnes, & his fre buernes,
Sho was lappit in longyng þat louely to se,
And to wete of þat worthy with wilfull desyre.
As wemen are wount in Wantonhede yet,
2912 With a likyng full light in loue for to falle,
That hetys into hertys and hurtes sone after;
So longid this lady with lust to the Temple,
With Sacrafice solempne to seche vnto Venus.

Helen hears of his arrival,

and great beauty;

and longs to see him.

(fol. 46 b.)

Lust impels her to the Temple.

Book VII. 2916 This ho tolde hir entent, as pe tyme asket,

(Holardur, fornication.)

The shameless

ness of women,

and what it ends in.

Fie on him, who first led such

fashions!

(fol. 47 a.) Treason, war, and ruin

arc the fruits,

And to stare o po stoute, & hir astate shewe
To the folke of the frigie with a ffrike wille:
Holdur pen holynes happont so then.

THE POIET.

2920 Hit is wondur to wit of wemen dissyre,
þat shunt not for shame to shake ouer lande,
To glogh vppon gomes at gedering of folke,
And prese vnto playes pepull to beholde,
2924 þat ledis vnto loue with lustes pat folowes.
Yong men & yepe, yenerus in hert,

Rauisshe hom Radly & paire rede turnys;

Puttes hom to purpos pat pynes hom after.
2928 Soche stirrynges ger stumble, pat stidfast wold be.
With sight at assemblis, & sythen with speche,
With flatery, & faire wordys fallyn to gedur,
Acoyntyng hom with kissyng & clippyng in
Armes,

2932 With Sossyngs, & Sotelte, Settyng of cases,
The willes of wemen wightly pai chaunge,

To falle vpon foly & hor fame lose:

Now fey be pe freike þat it first ordant.
2936 Soche Riot & Revell so ryuely to haunt,

Of yonge men & yenerus, þat yurnes to gaumes
To daunse amonge damsels; drawing of glovis,
With comonyng in company, pat comes but to
harme,

2940 Gers maidnes be mart, mariage for done;
Brynges wyues into wondur paire worship to

lose;

And ertes ay to euyll ende & ernyst by the last. Throgh whiche treason betydes, & ternys vn. qwhile

2944 Bolde men to batell and biker with hond:

pat draghes vnto dethe, & deris full mony.

ON IMMODESTY.

Therfore saintes to seche and to sere halowes, And turne vnto Templis atyrit with pride, 2948 pof it be laifull to ladys and oper les wemen, 3et it ledis vnto laithnes and vnlefe werkes ; And shotis into shame as shene has ben ofte.

Book VII.

97

But thou, Helen,

But pou Elan, þat haldyn was hede of all ladys, first of all ladies, 2952 And the fairest of feturs formyt in erthe,

What wrixlit þi wit & pi wille chaunget,

In absens of þi souerayne, for saghes of pepull,
To pas of pi palays & pi prise chamber,
2956 To loke on any lede of a londe straunge?

þat might faire haue refraynit with pi fre wille;
Haue sauyt thy septur & pi selfe alse.

Hade pou holdyn þe at home, hedit þin astate, 2960 And not cayret fro court þere company was gedurt,

To waite aftur wondurs for a worde light.

Hit were sittyng for sothe, & semly for wemen,

what evil spirit possessed thee, &c.

It becomes women to abide at home, and strive to preserve

paire houses to haunt & holde hom with in; 2964 Kepe hom from company & comonyng of folke; their honour.

And, ouer all, pere onesty attell to saue,

Whethir a ship, þat is shot on pe shire wawes,
Shuld drowne in the depe, & it drye stode,

2968 Halyt into havyn, harlit with ropes.

Ne a woman, I wis, þat wisely will gouerne,
Shall not into fame but of hir fre wille.

Thou dissyret full depely, dame Elan, þi seluon But, dame Helen,

2972 To pas fro pi palis & pi priuey chamber,

And seche to Sytheria with solempne Avowe;

In colour of þi cause pou couet to se

bat straunge, þat was stoute & stare hym vppon; 2976 So pou light in vnlefulnes, pat lefully semyt,

Thurgh pi Licrus lust þat Lurkit in pi hert. ffor pe sight of þat semely, sotheli, was venum, pat enfecte pi faire loue to pe fairist of Grise, 2980 And mony Greke with grem vnto grounde

broght

under pretence
of worshipping at
Cythera, you
sought to see
Paris:-

(fol. 47 b.)

what disasters followed.