University of Virginia Library

Howe Kynge Priamus, aftire his sorowe was asswagede, Edefyede nowe Troye, and it set in þe same place where þe olde stode, so large & so wyde that tofore ne siche was nevere none it lyke.

The sorwe aswaged, & þe syȝes olde,
By longe processe, liche as I ȝow tolde,
Þis worþi kyng, callyd Priamvs,
Is in his herte nowe so desyrous,
Vp-on þe pleyn, þat was so waste & wylde,
So strong a toun of newe for to bilde,
At his devyse a cite edefye,
Þat schal thassautys outterly defye
Of alle enmyes, and his mortal foon,
With riche tourys & wallys of hard stoon.
And al aboute þe contres enviroun,
He made seke in euery regioun
For swiche werkemen as were corious,
Of wyt inventyf, of castyng merveilous;
Or swyche as coude crafte of gemetrye,
Or wer sotyle in her fantasye;
And for eueryche þat was good devysour,
Mason, hewer, or crafty quareour;
For euery wriȝt and passyng carpenter,
Þat may be founde, owþer fer or nere;
For swyche as koude graue, grope, or kerue,
Or swiche as werne able for to serue
With lym or stoon, for to reise a wal,
With bataillyng and crestis marcial;
Or swiche as had konyng in her hed,
Alabastre, owþer white or redde,
Or marbil graye for to pulsche it pleyn,
To make it smoþe of veynes & of greyn.
He sent also for euery ymagour,
Boþe in entaille, & euery purtreyour
Þat coude drawe, or with colour peynt
With hewes fresche, þat þe werke nat feynt;
And swiche as coude with countenaunces glade
Make an ymage þat wil neuere fade:
To counterfet in metal, tre, or stoon
Þe sotil werke of Pigmaleoun,
Or of Appollo, þe whiche as bokis telle,
In ymagerye alle oþer dide excelle;
For by his crafty werkyng corious,
Þe towmbe he made of kyng Daryus,
Whiche Alysaundre dide on heyȝt[e] reise,
Only for men schuld his fame preise,
In his conquest by Perce whan he went.
And þus Priam for euery maister sent,
For eche keruer & passynge Ioignour,
To make knottis with many corious flour,
To sette on crestis with-Inne and with-oute
Vp-on þe wal þe cite rounde aboute;
Or who þat wer excellyng in practik
Of any art callyd mekanyk,
Or hadde a name flouryng or famus,
Was after sent to come to Priamus.
For he purposeth, þis noble worþi kyng,
To make a cite most royal in byldyng,
Brod, large, & wyde, & lest it were assailled,
For werre proudly about[en] enbatailled.
And first þe grounde he made to be souȝt,
Ful depe and lowe, þat it faille nouȝt
To make sure þe fundacioun;
In þe place where þe olde toun
Was first ybilt, he þe wallis sette;
And he of lond many myle out mette,
Aboute in compas, for to make it large,
As þe maysters [þat] toke on hem þe charge
Devysed han þe settyng and þe syyt,
For holsom eyr to be more of delyt.
And whan þe soille, defouled with ruyne
Of walles old, was made pleyn as lyne,
Þe werkmen gan þis cite for to founde,
Ful myȝtely with stonys square & rounde,
Þat in þis world was to it noon lyche
Of werkmanschip, nor of bildyng riche,
Nor of crafte of coryous masounry.
I can no termys to speke of gemetrye,
Wherfore as now I muste hem sette a-syde;
For dout[e]les I radde neuer Euclide,
Þat þe maister and þe foundour was
Of alle þat werkyn by squyre or compas,
Or kepe her mesour by leuel or by lyne;
I am to rude clerly to diffyne
Or to discrive þis werk in euery parte,
For lak of termys longyng to þat arte.
But I dar wel of trouþe affermyn here,
In al þis world ne was þer neuer pere
Vn-to þis cite, and write it for a soþe,
As in his boke my mayster Guydo doth.
And þat it myȝt in prosperite,
In hyȝe honour and felicite,
From al assaut perpetuelly contune,
It reysed was in worschip of Neptune,
And namyd Troye, as it was to-forn,
Lyche þe firste þat was þoruȝ Grekis lorn.
Þe lenthe was, schortly to conclude,
Thre day[es] Iourne, lyche þe latitude,
Þat neuer I herd make mencioun
Of swiche another of fundacioun,
So huge in compas nor of swiche larges,
Nor to counte so passyng of fayrnes,
So edyfied or lusty to þe syȝt.
And, as I rede, þe walles wern on hiȝte
Two hundrid cubites, al of marbil gray,
Maskowed with-oute for sautis and assay;
And it to make more plesaunt of delyt,
A-mong þe marbil was alabaster white
Meynt in þe walles, rounde þe toun aboute,
To make it schewe with-Inne and with-oute
So fresche, so riche, and so delitable,
Þat it alone was incomperable
Of alle cites þat any mortal man
Sawe euer ȝit, sithe þe world began.
And at the corner of euery wal was set
A crowne of golde with riche stonys fret,
Þat schone ful briȝt ageyn þe sonne schene;
And euery tour bretexed was so clene
Of chose stoon, þat wer nat fer a-sondre,
Þat to beholde it was a verray wonder.
Þer-to þis cite compassed enviroun,
Hadde sexe gatis to entre in-to þe toun:
Þe first of al & strengest eke with al,
Largest also and most principal,
Of myȝty bildynge allone peer[e]les,
Was by þe kyng callyd Dardanydes;
And in story, lyche as it is fownde,
Tymbria was named þe secounde;
And þe þridde callyd Helyas;
Þe fourte gate hiȝt also Cethas;
Þe fyfte Troiana; þe syxte Anthonydes,
Strong and myȝty boþe in werre & pes,
With square toures set on euery syde.
At whos corners, of verray pompe & pride,
Þe werkmen han, with sterne & fel visages,
Of riche entaille, set vp gret ymages,
Wrouȝt out of ston, þat neuer ar like to fayle,
Ful coriously enarmed for batayle.
And þoruȝ þe wal, her fomen for to lette,
At euery tour wer grete gunnys sette,
For assaut and sodeyn aventurys;
And on tourettis wer reysed vp figurys
Of wylde bestis, as beris and lyouns,
Of tigers, bores, of serpentis and dragouns
And hertis eke, with her brode hornes,
Olyfauntes and large vnicornes,
Buglis, bolys, and many grete grifoun,
Forged of brasse, of copur and latoun,
Þat cruelly by sygnes of her facys
Vp-on her foon made fel manacys.
Barbykans and bolewerkys huge,
A-fore þe toun made for hiȝe refuge,
Ȝiffe nede were, erly and eke late;
A[nd] portecolys stronge at euery gate,
Þat hem þar nat noon assailyng charge;
And þe lowkis þikke, brode, and large,
Of þe gatys al of ȝoten bras.
And with-Inne þe myȝty schittyng was
Of strong yrne barres square and rounde,
And gret barre[r]ys picched in þe grounde,
With huge cheynes forged for diffence,
Whiche nolde breke for no violence,
Þat hard it was þoruȝ hem for to wynne.
And euery hous, þat was bilt with-Inne,
Euery paleys & euery mancioun,
Of marbil werne þoruȝ[-out] al þe toun,
Of crafty bildyng & werkyng most roial.
And þe heȝt was of euery wal
Sixty cubites from þe grounde acountid;
And þer was non þat oþer haþ surmountid
In þe cite, but of on heȝt alyche,
In verray soþe, boþe of pore and riche,
Þat it was harde of hiȝe estat or lowe
Hous or palys asounder for to knowe,
So egaly of tymbre and of stoon
Her housis wern reysed euerychon.
And if I schulde rehersen by and by
Þe korve knottes by crafte of masounry,
Þe fresche enbowyng, with vergis riȝt as linys,
And þe vowsyng ful of babewynes,
Þe riche koynyng, þe lusty tablementis,
Vynnettis rennynge in þe casementis—
Þouȝ þe termys in englisch wolde ryme,
To rekne hem alle I haue as now no tyme,
Ne no langage pyked for þe nonys,
Þe sotil Ioynyng to tellen of þe stonys,
Nor how þei putten in stede of morter,
In þe Ioynturys copur gilt ful clere,
To make hem Ioyne by leuel & by lyne,
Among þe marbil freschely for to schyne
Agein þe sonne, whan his schene lyȝt
Smote in þe gold, þat was bornyd briȝt,
To make þe werke gletere on euery syde.
And of þis toun þe stretis large & wyde
Wer by crafte so prudently prouided,
And by werkemen sette so and deuided,
Þat holsom eyr amyddis myȝt enspire
Erly on morwe to hem þat it desyre;
And Ȝephirus, þat is so comfortable
For to norysche þinges vegetable,
In tyme of ȝere, þoruȝ-oute euery strete,
With sugred flavour, so lusty & so swete,
Most plesantly in þe eyr gan smyte,
Þe Cyteȝeyns only to delyte;
And with his brethe hem to recomfort,
Whan þei list walke hem siluen to disport.
And þoruȝ þe toun, by crafty purviaunce,
By gret avys and discret ordynaunce,
By compas cast, & squared out by squires,
Of pulsched marbil vp-on strong pilleris,
Deuised wern, long[e], large, and wyde,
In þe frountel of euery stretis syde,
Fresche alures with lusty hiȝe pynacles,
And moustryng outward riche tabernacles,
Vowted a-boue like reclinatories,
Þat called werne deambulatories,
Men to walke to-gydre tweine & tweyne,
To kepe hem drie whan it dide reyne,
Or hem to saue from tempest, wynde, or þonder,
Ȝif þat hem list schrowde hem silue þer-vnder.
And euery hous cured was with led;
And many gargoyl & many hidous hed
With spoutis þoruȝ, & pipes as þei ouȝt,
From þe ston-werke to þe canel rauȝt,
Voyding filþes low in-to þe grounde,
Þoruȝ gratis percid of yren percid rounde;
Þe stretis paued boþe in lengþe & brede,
In cheker wyse with stonys white & rede.
And euery craft, þat any maner man
In any lond deuise or rekene can,
Kyng Priamus, of hiȝe discrecioun,
Ordeyned hath to dwellyn in þe toun,
And in stretis, seueryd her and ȝonder,
Eueryche from oþer to be sette a-sonder,
Þat þei myȝt, for more comodite,
Eche be hym silfe werke at liberte: