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University of Virginia Library

Lydgate's Troy Book

A.D. 1412-1420. Edited from the best manuscripts with introduction, notes, and glossary by Henry Bergen

Lydgate, John (1370?-1451?)

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I.

PART I. PROLOGUE, BOOK I., AND BOOK II.

II.

PART II. BOOK III.

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III.

PART III. BOOKS IV AND V, COMPLETING THE TEXT.

IV.

BOOK IV. Her bygynneth the fourte boke of Troyee.

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V.

BOOK V. Her bigynneth þe fifft boke, & þe laste, of Troye.

How Thelamon, in presence of Kyng Agamenon, vttred his grugge agayn Kyng Vlixes.

How Kyng Vlixes vnderstode the maleys of Thelamon, and of þe great stryff, and [how] Aiax was slayn.

Howe Eneas, beyng still in Troy, councelled the Troyans to sende for A[n]thenor, and to make hym their kyng.

Off A grete tempest of thonder & lytenynge that came to the nauye of Greekes, that brente and drowned .ccxxij. of their Shippes.

How Kyng Naulus by treason was caused to sett vpon the Grekes nauye, & draue þem vppon Rokkes.

How kynge Agamenon, by treason of Oetes aforesaide, by his owne quene Clemestra was slayne in his bedde; and how she maried Egistus.

How quene Egra, the wyff of Dyomede, exilede hym when he wolde have reparyde to his owne kyngdam fro Troye, by the fals ymaginacyoun of Oetes, Palamydes brothere.

Howe Horrestes was commawnded by the goddis, that he shulde repayre to his kyngdam, and Cruelly, without pite, scle his moder Clemestra, for the mordere of his Fader, Agamenoun.

Howe kynge Menelay, brother to Agamenon, set a parlement at Athenes, wher he entendyde to haue deprivede Horrestes of his kyngdam, for þe dethe of his moder; bot Horrestes was crownyde.

The wonderfule eskaipis of Vlixes aftire þat he departede fro Troy; and howe he made a soroweful compleynte against fortune to the worshipful kynge, called Ydumye.

Of þe grete comforte that kynge Ydumeus shewed to Vlyxes; and howe kynge Alpheon, for his grete wysdam, ressavyd hym worshipfully, and conveyed hym to his kyngdam.

Howe Pirrus, the sonn of Achilles, scleughe Menalippus and Polistines, sonnes to Atastus, which kept kenge Pelle out of his kyngdam, to þe which Pirrus restoryd him ageyne.

Howe Atastus enquyred of Pirrus if he knewe ought of Pirrus governance, and Pirrus made him a synge to þe Cave wher Pelle was, to thentent to scley hym in lokenge thidere.

Howe Atastus resygnede his parte of the kyngdam of Thesalye to his cosyne Pirrus.

How Cruelly kynge Horrestes, in the Tempylle of Appollo within the Ille of Delos, scleugh Pirrus, for that he had ravisshede quene Hermone, his wyff, and here kept in avoutreye.

Howe quene Menone, longe aftire that she dyed, kam to þe towmbe of here husbonde, & karide away his bones.

Of A wonderful dreme that kynge Vlyxes had, and þe last in his days, which was a[ss]ingede by his clerkes, that one next of his blode shulde gyve hym his dethes wounde.

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Howe the goldesmythes, and aftire, every crafft ware disposyde in strete by strete by hem selff.

Gold-smythes first, & riche Iowellers,
And by hem silf crafty browdereris,
Wevers also of wolne & of lyne,
Of cloth of gold, damaske, and satyn,

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Of welwet, cendel, & double samyt eke,
And euery clothe þat men list to seke;
Smyþes also, þat koude forge wele
Swerdis, pollex, and speris scharp of stele,
Dartis, daggeris, for to mayme & wounde,
And quarel hedis scharp and square [y-]grounde.
Þer wer also crafty armoureris,
Bow[y]ers, and fast[e] by fleccheris,
And swyche as koude make schaftes pleyn,
And other eke þat dide her besy peyn
For þe werre to make [also] trappuris,
Bete baners and royal cote armvris,
And by devise, stondardis & penowns,
And for þe felde fresche & gay gytouns.
And euery crafte þat may rekned be,
To telle schortly, was in þis cite.