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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.

I.

BOOK I. Here bigynneth þe first boke of Troy: howe Esone resygned þe Crowne of Thesaly to Pellee.

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II.

Of Priamus, þe sonne of Lamedoun which, at þe destruccyoun of Troye, was at the obsydey of A Castel. And howe mony sonnes and doughters that Priamus had.

Howe tydengys kame to kynge Priamus howe his Cite was distroyede, and his Fadire sclayn.

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.

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

Howe by grete crafft ther was a Ryvere called Zanctus conveyede thorough þe Cyte.

Howe kynge Pryam made Citeȝens of foreyns, And [gaf] everich of hem certeyne grounde to belde vpone.

Of a Theatyre stondynge in þe princypale paleys of Troye, declarenge the falle of Pryncys & othere.

Howe kenge Priam, aftire his Cite was parformede, ordeynede his paleys princypal, callyd Yllyoun.

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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211

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

And whan Hector, by ful hiȝe prudence,
Concluded haþ þe fyn of his sentence,
Ful demurly he kepte his lippis cloos.
And þer-with-al Parys vp a-roos,
And gan his tale þus a-fore þe kyng:
“My lord,” quod he, “so it be lykyng
To ȝoure hiȝnes for to taken hede,
As me semeth, we schuld litel drede
In knyȝtly wyse for to vndirtake
Vp-on Grekis a werre for to make,
Al attonys her pride to confounde;
Sith þat we passyngly habounde
Of chiualrie, here with-Inne our toun,
And haue plente and pocessioun
Of eche þing þat may to werre a-veile,
Stuf in our silf and ryal appareile
Of al þat longeth to assautis marcial,
And with al þis, more in special,
Help & socour of many regioun,
With vs to werke to her destruccioun,
Þe pompe & pride manly to abate,
And of Grekis þe malis for to mate;
For al þat þei of hert[e] ben so stoute,
Me semeth schortly þat we dar nat doute,
Nor on no part for to be dismaied.
Wherfor I rede, lat nat be delaied
Our schippes first redy for to make,
And I my silf wil fully vndirtake,
So it to ȝou be lykyng and plesance,
Of þis emprise hoolly þe gouernaunce,
And ȝow assuren & putte in certeyn
Exyona to recure ageyn.
And in what forme þat it schal be wrouȝt,
I haue a weye founden in my þouȝt,

212

Þat likly is here-after to be don,
Whiche vn-to ȝow I wil declare anoon:
First, I haue cast, with strong & myȝty hond
For to rauysche som lady of þat lond,
Of heyȝe estat, and make no tarying,
And myȝttyly in-to Troye hir bring,
Maugre her myȝt, for þis conclusioun,
Þat ȝe may haue restitucioun
Be eschange of hir þat ȝe desyre so.
And here-vp-on schal be no long a-do,
I ȝou behete, for al þe Grekis strong.
And for þat I schal ȝow nat prolonge,
I wil ȝow seyn, excludyng euery dout,
How þis avis schal be brouȝt aboute:
First, how þat I schal þis purpos fyn,
Þe goddis han þoruȝ her power devyne
Schewed to me be reuelacioun;
For þer-vppon I had a visioun
But late agoon, as I ley and slepe,
Vn-to whiche ȝif ȝe taken kepe,
Ȝe may not faile nor be in no dispeire
To han recur of hir þat is so faire,
For whom ȝe haue now so moche care.
And þe maner hol I wil declare
Of þis drem to ȝour magnificence,
Ȝif it so be ȝe ȝeue wil credence
To my tale, for I schal not dwelle
Ceriously in ordre for to telle
Þe trouþ[e] pleyn, & no fable feyn,
To ȝow þat ben my lord most souereyn.