Lydgate's Troy Book :: :: University of Virginia Library

Howe kynge Priamus, aftire that he had parfytlye parformede and ymade his Cyte, by þe serpente Of Envye was stirede and Inwardly mevede to bygyne A newe werre vpone the Grekes.

Howe kynge Priamus in opyne declarethe þe harmes done to his progenye & hym by the Grekes.

Howe kynge Priam, by the advyce of his lordes, sente Anthenore into Grece for restitucyoun of Exioun.

Howe Kynge Priamus, aftire that Athenore had declarede to-fore hym and his lordes the contraryous answere of the Grekes, lete set his parlament, to wit what was to be done.

Howe Kenge Priam, in opyne parlement toforne his lordes, schewede the answers that Anthenor brought.

Howe Kynge Priamus callede his sonnes to his presence, and in secrete wyse lamentabyly opynyd and declarede his intollerabyle sorowes, askenge þer avyce in avengeinge his cause.

[T]he answere of Ector [t]o his faders demannde.

Aftire that Ector had shewede his entente, Paris declaryde his dreme of þe golden Appyle.

Howe the god Marcurye brought with hym the thre ladys, Iuno, Venus, and Pallas, to-for Paris lyenge in the wod aslepe; and of the thre gyfftis that they promysed hym for þe apple.

Howe Parys yaf þe golden appele to Venus, and howe sche promysed hym to rekyvere Heleyne.

Howe Elenus, þe fourte sone of Priame, tolde & seid þat Troye shuld be subuerted, and Parys went into Grece.

Howe Parys toke þe See with a grete navye towarde þe londe of Grece; and howe of chance he met with Kenge Menelay, Heleyns husbonde, not knowynge what he was.

Howe Parys enterde þe Ille of Citherea, wher he met with the fayre Quene Heleyne.

Howe Quene Heleyne, aftire that she herd of Parys, hasted here to þe Temple.

Howe Parys exortede his pepele for þe spoylynge of þe Tempyle of Venus within þe seid Ille of Citherea, fro whenes he karede to Troye al the Iewellys that he founde þerin.

Howe Paris and Heleyne were ressavyde into Troye, of Pryamus and his lordys; and of þe soroweful lamentacyoun that Cassandra made when she sawe þe weddynge.

Of the sorowe that Kynge Menelay made when he herd that Parys had ravisshede his wyff; and of þe manly comforde and councele þat Agamenon gave hym for to revenge hym.

The descripcion of þe moste part of princes þat kame with þe Grekis for þe destruccyoun of Troye.

Here folowynge is declarede the grete noumbre of shippes that the Grekys assamblede in the havene of Athenes, bysidis a grete navye that kame to them whene þay wer at Troye.

Howe prudently Agamenon coragyde his lordys ageyns the Troyans.

Howe Agamenon, by þe avyce of al þe princes of Grece, sent Achilles and Pirodus into Delphos, to haue answere of Apollo, whidere thay shulde haue þe victory of þe Troyens or no. And here-aftire is declarid, howe ydolatrye and fals godes had ther bygynnenge; And how Calchas kam to þe same Ille.

Of the answere that Appollo gave, as welle to fals Bisshope Calchas, as to Achylles.

How fals Calchas of Troy was conveyede to þe presences of þe prinses of Grece, and howe he innaturelly exortyde them to make mortal were vpon his kynge and kynrede, as folowith.

Howe the Grekis destroyede the Castel callede Sarabona as þey saylede towarde Troye, and it dispoylede.

Howe Agamenon layde his Oste byfore Thenedoun, a stronge Castele vj myle fro Troye, the which he wan, and it bet to þe grounde; and aftire þat, agally made distribucyoun of the godys.

Howe Agamenon rememberde al his princes of the vngodely answeres that Anthenor had of them when he desyerd to haue had restitucyoun of Exiona, wherupon they sent Vlixes and Dyomede to Priamus, to haue restitucioun of quene Heleyne.

Howe wyse Vlixes and Dyomede enterde Ryale Ylion, of the which they marvelde when the byhelde þe beldynge.

Howe Vlixes and Diomede, withoute dewe reverence purposed þere Embassayte in þe presence of Priamus. And here ye shule se þe birthe of Eneas, and howe Agamenoun sent Achyle, and Thelefus to the Ille of Messay for an eyede of vitaile.

Howe Achilles enterde the Ille of Messay, where Teutram was kynge, whom Achilles gave his dethes wounde. And howe Teutram resyngnede his kingdam to Thelaphus, for the affeccyon that he had to Archules, which was his Fadere, and of olde tyme made him kynge of þat Ille.

Howe Kenge Teutram was buryede in A riche Epethaphye graven with sotele vers.

Here folowyngly be rehersed the namys of þe kyngis that kame to help the Cite of Troye.

Howe the worthy kynge Pallamydes, the secunde parsone of þe Grekes, kame with thirtye shippes to Thenedone, in helpynge of the Grekes. And howe þe famous manful knyght, Dyomede, provokede them to departe fro Thenadon, and to Arryve in þe playne afore Troye.

Howe the Grekes londede in the playne afor [Troye], and howe the Troyans gave theme batayle at the stronde: in whos meteynge were slayne mony A worthy knygh[t] and others.

Here were faste devyces founde in Armes.

Of the pichenge of the Grekes felde; and howe Agamenon reysid his tentes, pavelons, & mansyons.

II.

PART II. BOOK III.

III.

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

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Howe kynge Priamus, aftire that he had parfytlye parformede and ymade his Cyte, by þe serpente Of Envye was stirede and Inwardly mevede to bygyne A newe werre vpone the Grekes.

O hatful harm, whiche most is for to drede!
Kyndled so long, o spark of old hatred,
Rote of debate, grounde of envie and Ire,
With new[e] flawme hertis for to fyre!
O grayn of malys, causer of al offence!
O rancour rustid of inpacience,
Whiche hast of new made festrid soris smerte!
Whan þou art onys rakid in a herte,
Whiche for disdeyn of mercy maist nat lete
A man no while to lyuen in quiete,
But delvist vp by malis many-fold
Debatis new, þat biried wern of olde,
And falsely quikest strives to restore—
Þenvious serpent þat was slaw of ȝore,
Whiche felly hath, þis addre envyous,
Out of his rest awakyd Priamus,
And with his venym, so persyng & so ille,

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Made him wery to lyuen in tranquille,
And mevid hym, of his iniquite,
Vp-on Grekis avenged for to be.
For wher-as he in pes held his reigne,
With his legis in Ioye souereigne,
With-oute anoy or any perturbaunce,
Þis serpent hath with new[e] remembraunce,
With-out avis, or discret arest,
So hoot a flawme kyndeled in his brest
Of old envie with fresche rancour meynt,
Þat likly is neuer to be queynte.
For Priam now in his entencioun
Cast & compaseth, revolvyng vp & dovn,
How strong he was of riches & meyne,
How noble & myȝty was also his cite,
And abundaunte, schortly to conclude,
Boþe of plente and of multitude,
Of men of armys and of chevalrye.
Whiche sterid hym to han a fantasye,
Allas þe while, to his vnhappy chaunce,
Þat to be ded he take wil vengaunce
Vp-on his foon; þe fire of hot envie
So brent hym inward by mallencolye,
Stondyng in purpos, þat no man chaunge may,
Of his damages avenged be som day,
And of Iniuries þat þei on hym han wrouȝt.
And whan þat he had a tyme souȝt
To his purpos moste conuenient,
A-noon he hath for alle his lordis sent,
And his knyȝtes callyd euerychon
To com in hast, excused was nat on,
Namly, of hem þat wern of hiȝe degre.
And þei obeying, with alle humilite,
His biddyng holly, & made no delaye,
To com echon ageyn a certeyn day;

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And his sones wern also present,
Ector except, þat was þat tyme absent
In þe strong and myȝty regioun
Of Panonye, whiche in subieccioun
Kyng Priam helde, þoruȝ his worþines;
And to amende þinges and redres,
Ector was goon in-to þis Panonye,
Certeyn causys for to iustefye,
As in his resoun he þouȝt[e] for þe best,
To setten hem in quiete and in rest.
For he was ay so iust and so prudent,
So wel avised and so pacient,
And so demenyd in his gouernaunce,
Þat hym was loth for to do vengance,
Wher-as he myȝt in esy wyse trete
For to reforme þinges smale & grete;
For lothe he was, þis noble worþi knyȝt,
For any haste to execute ryȝt,
Or causeles by rigour to condempne.
And in þis while, ful worþi and solempne,
Kyng Priamus, of lordis grete and smale,
With-Inne Troye helde a courte royal,
As he þat list for no cost to spare;
And ceryously his menyng to declare,
He in his see, his lordis enviroun,
Gan þus to schewe his hertis mocioun: