University of Virginia Library

Every wegh, þat will wete of þere werke more,
Listen a litle, & leng here a while:
Let vs karpe of thies kynges or we cayre ferre.
When thies worthy hade worshipped all þere wale goddes,
And the day with deuocioun dryuen to þe end,
The secund day suyng somyn were þe grete
In Agamynons gay tent; gedrit for sothe,
fforto speke of hor spede, whille þai space hade.
This Calcas in company com with Achilles
And Patroclus the pure kyng into the proude tente.
Þai hailset þat hynde & hertely hym welcommyt,
And sithen to sit all somyn þai yode
Among þo kynges in company, as þaire course felle.
When all the pepull were pesit, þe presens full still,
Calcas to the kynges carpes thies wordes:—
“Ye noble men of nome, þat to note wendyn
In þis company clene! kynges & Dukes,
Erles & other men onest of astate,
Þat are aioynet to þis Journey with ioynyng of wer!
Is not the cause of your comyng with company grete,
To turne vnto Troy, þat you tenit has,
And are opunly your enmys, & euermore you noies?
Why tary ye so tomly, & turnys not furthe?
And are redy to þe rode, & restis þus lenge?
Þere-as all thing is ordant, hit angris to abide,
Or tary ouer a tyme, when tulkes ben redy.
Ne hope ye not highly, þat here are sum fals,
And aspies your spede with spit þat þai may,
To write to þat wale kyng your werkes by-den?
Þis fenyond fare is forthoryng to hom,
To assemble on yche syde soudiours ynogh,
And fret hom with fryndes þere fos to withstond,
Of kynges & knightes in contres abowte;
Syn ye haue tarit ouer tyme tomly at home,
And noght hastid with harme your hething to wenge.
Ye shuld haue soght to þe Cité sone oponone!
Mony wekes are went & þis wale somur,
And monythes full meuyt of þe mylde aire,
Of seasonable sailyng of þe salt water,
Syn winter was went & windes were lithe;
The course of the colde see calmyt with all,
Ȝeforus with softe wyndes soberly blew,
Planettes in the pure aire pullishet full clene,
And all softe was the see to sailers þerin.
Why leng ye so long & lose all this tyme,
When ye might soberly haue sailet, & set on your fos,
And haue flayet the freikes with your felle hast?
When tythandes hade ben tolde of soche a tore pepull,
Hit wold haue noyet hom anon þe nomburto here.
Thoche tarying ouer tyme turnys hom to ioy,
And hertis hom highly to hold you for faint.
Ne hope ye not hertely þe hest of your goddes
Wilbe faithly fulfilled, & not faile of.
But if ye tary ouer tyme þai tene hom þereat,
And in case to þe contrary cast your auentur;
Your chaunse for to chaunge & chef yow þe worse.
Þerfore hefe vp your hertis; hast you to saile;
Sette furthe to þe se; sitte no lengur.
Has harnes ouer hacche; highes in ancer;
ffolowe to your fos with a frike wille.
Syn your goddes haue it grauntid þe gre shalbe yours,
Highes you in haste, houes here no lengur.
This is clerely my counsell, kithe if you list!”
When Calcas his counsell had carpit to þe end,
Iche lede hym alowet, þat listnet his wordes;
And his counsell to kepe keston hom all.
Agamynon the gret his gomys did warne,
Iche buerne to be boune at the blast of a trumpe:
fforto pas into port & pull vp hor sailes,
And dryue on þe depe se þe doughti comaundet.
All the company enclinet, cairyn to ship;
Cachyn in cables, knyt vp hor ancres;
Sesit vp hor sailes in a sad hast;
Richet þere rapes, rapit vnto see.
Hokit out of hauyn, all the hepe somyn
Hade bir at hor bake, blawen to þe depe;
Sailyn forthe soberly, somyn but a while,
Noght fyftene forlong fairly to the end.

A STORME ON THE SE.

When sodenly the softe aire vnsoberly rose;
The cloudis ouer cast, claterrit aboute;
Wyndes full wodely walt vp the ythes;
Wex merke as the mydnighte mystes full thicke;
Thunret in the thestur throly with all;
With a launchant laite lightonyd the water;
And a Ropand rayne raiked fro the heuyn.
The storme was full stithe with mony stout windes,
Hit walt vp the wilde se vppon wan hilles.
The ffolke was so ferd, þat on flete were,
All drede for to drowne with dryft of the se;
And in perell were put all the proude kynges.
Then Calcas the curset, þat come out of Troy,
To the worthy þere were warpit anon:—
“The cause of our care I know it right well:
The goddes is greuyt, þat we are gon fro
At honourable Attens,—auntrus Diana:
ffor we soght notto sacrifice, hir seluyn is wrothe,
And has wroght vs þis wedur: þat wete I for sothe.
My counsell is kyndly, kythe if ye list,
Þat we seche to þat same or we sew ferre,—
Into the Ile of Awlida,—all men to gedur,
There Diana the dere ys duly honourt,
Our Emperour, hym owne selfe, offeraund to make.
Be ho plesid with prayers & other pure giftes,
This tempest will turne into tyme faire,
And we haue wedur at our wille, & our way holde.”
Þen keppit was the counsell of Calcas belyue.
All turnyt þaire tacle with trussyng of sailes,
And stird hom full streight withouten stad more
Into Awlida þe yle, to honour Diana,
Þat was fast by the flete but a forlonge.
Agamynon in grete hast gird to the lond,
Turnyt to the Temple, taried no Lengur;
To Diana full derely did his honowre,
With Sacrifice full solempne & mony sad giftes,
And worshippet þat worthy as a wale goddes.
Then the se wex sober, sesit the wyndis;
Calme was the course, clensit the aire;
The derke ouerdrogh, & the dym voidet;
The bremnes abatid; blusshit the sun.
Hade wedur at þaire wille, wentton to ship,
And past fro þat port the pepull in fere;
Halit to the high se in a hond while;
Sailit on soundly as hom self list,
Tyll þai comyn to the cost & countre of Troy;
And þere hyt into hauyn as hom happe felle,
Vnder a castell of þe cuntre, þat cald was Saracbla.
There þai fastnet the flete & the furse shippes,
Cachit hom with cables & castyng of ancres,
And logget hom to lenge in þat le hauyn.
The kepars of the castell caghten þere armys,
Wentten out wightly the water to kepe;
Bowet to the bonke in hor bright geire.
To put of þat pepull pristly þai wend,
And foryn as folis; for þai but few were.
Þai with stode hom a stoure but it stad litle.
The folke were so fele, þat felle to the londe,
Armyt at all peces, angarly mony,
The troiens þai tokyn & tirnyt to dethe,
And fell to the flight in fere to the castell.
But the Grekes on þe grounde grymly pursueyt,
Swappit hom with swordes till the swalt all.
Comyn to the castell, (vnclose were the yatis,
The cuntremen for to kepe as þai cum wold,)
The Grekes Ingird, gripped the warders,
And all the fonnet folke fell to the dethe;
Slogh hom doune sleghly, slang hom to ground;
Robbit þere riches, raght to þere shippes.
Wonen to the walles, walt hom to ground;
Betyn doune the buyldynges to the bare erthe;
Tokyn the tresure; turnyt into hauyn.
When þis castell was caght, kylled the pepull,
And all the shalkes to ship with the shene godes,
Þai past fro þat port with pillage þai hade,
And turnyt vnto tenydon, taryt no lengur.
Þere arof all the rowte with þere Ranke shippes,
Cast ancres with cables þat kene were of byt;
Let sailes doune slide; slippit into botes;
ffestnet with fuerse Ropis the flete in þe hauyn;
And buskit vnto banke, the boldist ay first.
At this tenydon truly was a tried castell,
Wele wroght for the werre with walles full stronge;
Evyn fild full of folke, fuerse men & noble,
And Riches full Rife, Ranke men with in;
Wele viteld, I-wisse, for winturs ynoghe.
(Hit was sothely but sex myle fro the Cité euyn,
As I told haue tomly in a tale here before.)
The folke in þat fuerse hold were ferde of hom selfe,
Arait hom full radly, right to the werre.
In defense of hor fos, þat on flete lay,
Wenton out wightly wale men of armys,
And bateld hom on the banke as hom best thught.
When the Grekes were gethurt & to ground comen,
Mony fightyng folke in a fuerse nowmbur,
The pepull with hor power put hom agayne,
And foght with hom felly, þof þai few were.
Bold was þat biker opon bothe haluys.
Mony deid by-dene of the derfe grekes;
And Troiens with tene tynt of hor pepull,
But not so fele at þe first as of the ferre side.
The Grekes full greatly greuyt þerat,
Oppresset hom with payne & preset þereafter;
ffought full felly, and fele were þere þai slayne:
Of the Troiens þat tyme tynt were þe mo.
The fresshe was so felle of the furse grekes,
And the nowmber so noyous, þat neghed in hast,
That the ffrigies floghen and the fild leuyt;
Turnyt vnto Troy, and the toune entrid.
And þo at fore not to flight, ne of forse were,
The grekes gird hom to grounde with hor grym swerdes,
And brittenit on the bent, þat abide wold.
Comyn to the castell, vnclosit it aboute,
ffoghten with the folke, þat defens made.
Shottyn vp sharply at the shene wallis
With glayues; & gomes girdyn doun toures;
Dryuen vp dartes, gyffen depe woundes.
With alblasteris also amyt full streght,
Whappet in wharles, whellit the pepull.
With speris full dispitiously spurnit at the yates,
Dongen on dernly with mony dede hurtes,
In diffens of þe folke, þat affroi made.
But the wallis the[y] were for all the wo yet,
And fele of hor fos fellyn with out.
Þen gone forthe the grekes, graithet engynes,
Batold hom all abrode vmbe the bare walles;
Layn ladders alenght & oloft wonnen.
At yche cornell of þe castell was crusshyng of weppon;
ffell was the feght þo fuerse men amonge;
Mony grekes in þere gremþ gird on the hed,
Till þai lept of the ladder, light in the dyke,
The brayne out brast & the brethe leuyt;
And mony dongen to dethe with dynttes of honde.
The Troiens full tit were tirghit for fight,
Wondit & weré þat þai were noght;
And the grekes in so grete nowmber gedrit hom till,
Wonyn on the wallis wightly with ladders,
At wyndous on yche syde-wise a wondurfull nombur,
The grete toures þai toke, tirnyt the pepull:
Was no lede opon lyfe þat a lofte stode.
The[y] chefe into chambers & oþer chere hallis,
And yche freke, þat þai found, felly þai slogh,
Old men & other, with ournyng to dethe,
Tyll no lede of þat lynage vpon lyfe was.
All the caves in the castell clenely þai sought,
Robbit the Riches & the Rife goodes;
Prayet & piket þat proffet was in,
And wonnyn it wightly the wallis withoute,
Till all was bare as a bast, to þe bigge woghes.
Mynours then mightely the moldes did serche,
Ouertyrnet the toures, & the tore walles
All dusshet into the diche, doll to be-holde;
Betyn doun the buyldynges & brent into erthe,
Tyll the place was playne & out of plite broght;
And hegh Tenydon with tourys tyrnyt all vnder.
When þai hade wasted the won & wonen the gre,
All the tresour thay toke & turnyt to ship.
This fight is the first and firre vs behouus.