University of Virginia Library

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.

“Sirs,” quod he, “schortly to expresse,
Þe cause is kouþe to ȝour worþines,
Whi my fader in-to Grece vs sent;
For, as ȝe knowe, þe chef of his entent
Was to recuren his suster Exyoun
Out of þe hondis of kyng Thelamoun.
Þe whiche þing, for ouȝt I can espie,
Is impossible sothly in myn eye,
Be any weye, as fer as I can se,
He is so gret & strong in þis contre
Of his alyes about on euery syde,
And in hert so inly ful of pride,
To ȝeld hir vp he haþ nat but disdeyn,
Þer-of to trete it wer [nat] but in veyn.
Wherfore, þe best þat I can devise,
Sith our power may nat now suffise
To werreye hym in þis regioun—
We be nat egal of myȝt nor of renoun,
For lak of men with hym to holde a felde;
We may not semble with spere nor with schelde
Tencountren hym with al his multitude—
Wherfor, þe best þat I can conclude,
Is, sithe Fortune haþ vs hider brouȝt,
And þe goddes han eke for vs wrouȝt
So graciously to make vs for to londe
At Venus temple, fast[e] by þe stronde,
Whiche haboundeþ with ful gret riches
Of Grekis offeryng vnto þe goddes,
Be lond & se, fro many sondry port,
Of men and women þat han her resort
To þat place in worschip of Venus,
So þat þe wif of kyng Menelaus
Is þer present, ful riche & wel be-seyn—
And ȝif þat we by manhod myȝt atteyn
To rauisch hir, and þe temple spoyle,
And of her tresour chesen oute & coyle
Þe chef Iowellis, & chargen our somers
With gold & siluer, and take prisoneris,
And maugrey hem to our schippis bring
Þis same nyȝt with-oute tariyng,
We may nat faille, who-euer þat sey nay,
Ȝif ȝe assent, of a riche pray.
Wherfore, in hast þat ȝe ȝou redy make,
And euery man anon his harnes take,
And arme hym wel in his best array.”
And þei assent, with-oute more delay,
And in hir schippis þei bid[e] til at nyȝt,
Whan Phebus chare withdrawen had his liȝt
Vnder wawes, & sterris dide appere
On þe heuene with her stremys clere,
Or þe mone þat tyme dide rise,
Þei schop hem forþe in ful þrifty wyse,
The manly Troyans in steel armyd briȝt,
To þe temple holdyng her wey[e] riȝt.
For þei cast no longer for to tarie,
But prowdely entre [in] þe seintuarie,
In-to þe chapel callid Cytheroun,
With-oute reuerence or deuocioun
Don to Venus in hir oratorie;
For it was clene oute of her memorie,
Honour and drede & alle obseruaunce:
For fynally al her attendaunce,
As myn auctor sothly can diffyne,
Was to riȝt nouȝt but only to ravyne.
Þei token al þat cam to her honde,
Riches & tresour þat was in þe londe,
Gold & siluer, stonys and Iowellis,
Reliques sacrid, þe holy eke vessels,
With-out abood oute of þe sacrarie,
And al y-fere to her schippis carye—
It is a wonder, to þenken on þe good!
Þei kille & sle al þat hem withstood—
It was a pite for to seen hem blede.
And many Greke þei to schip[pe] lede,
Þat after liveden in captiuite
Ful many ȝer in Troye þe cite.
And þer-whyles goth Paris to Eleyne,
And hir enbrasiþ in his armys tweyn,
Ful humblely & with gret reuerence,
In whom he fonde no maner resistence;
It sat hir nat, sche was so womanly,
For to Paris sche ȝalde hir outterly;
Hir hert in hap was ȝolde or sche cam þere,
Þerfor to ȝelde hir sche had lasse fere;
Sche can nat stryue, nor no woman scholde.
And he anon, as gentilnes[se] wolde,
Counforteþ hir as he best can or may,
And lad hir with hym, with-oute more delay,
To his schippes; and þer ful bysely
He sette wardis to kepe hir honestly,
Whil he returneþ to þe temple ageyn
To spoyle and robbe & to make al pleyn
Þoruȝ þe temple with his wallis wyde.
Now stood a castel faste þer be-syde,
I-stuffid wel with Grekysche sowdyours,
Þe whiche a-woke with noise of þe pilours
Þe same nyȝt, & gan make a schout;
And þer-with-al anoon þei issen out,
Armyd in stel, þe temple to reskewe,
And manfully after hem þei sewe.
And so be-fil whan þei to-gydre mette
With speris scharp & swerdis kene whet,
Þei ran I-fere as tigres al vnmylde,
Liche wode liouns or þis boris wylde;
Þer was no feynyng founden in her fiȝt,
Al-be þe felde departed nas a-riȝt,
For þe Troyans doubled hem in noumbre,
Þat outterly þe Grekis þei encombre,
And at meschef maden hem to fle,
Purswe after and cruelly hem sle
With-oute mercy to þe castel gate.
Ther was [no] reskvs, for þei com[e] late,
Of þis skarmysche, for þe fyn was deth;
Now her, now þer, þei ȝelden vp þe breth,
So myȝtely Troyans hem assaille,
Þat to withstond it wold[e] not availle:
For of manhod þei þe felde han wonne,
And after þat, cruelly be-gonne
In al hast to spoillen þe castel;
And to schip þei brouȝten euery-del,
Tresour & gold, & what þat þei may wynne,
And on þe morwe to seille þei be-gynne,
Stuffid with good, be þe Grekische se,
Toward þe costis of Troye þe cite.
Þe se was calm and fully at her wille,
Boþe of tempest and of stormys ille,
And clere also was þe briȝt[e] heuene,
Þat in space almost of dayes seuene
At a castel callid Tenedoun
Þei aryve vj myle fro þe toun;
And glad and liȝt þei to lond[e] went.
And after þat, I fynde, Parys sent
His messanger streiȝt vn-to þe kyng,
Þat hym enformeþ of his hom commyng;
Of her expleit he tolde hym euery-del.
And Priamus likeþ wonder wel,
Þat so manly þei han born hem oute,
And made puplisched in þe toun aboute
Þis tydynges with gret sollempnite,
To hiȝe & lowe, þoruȝ-oute þe cite,
Þat for Ioye þe most[e] and þe leste
For remembraunce halwe [and holde] a feste,
And þanke her goddes in ful humble wyse,
With obseruaunces and with sacrifyse
On her auteris, with gret deuocioun.
And al þis while, he at Tenedoun
Holdeth soiour with þe quene Eleyne,
Þe whiche gan ful rewfully compleyne
Hir vnkouþe lyf, to dwelle with straungers,
Al dissolat among[es] prisoners,
Fer sequestrid a-weye from hir contre,
Solitarie in captiuite.
Sche wepiþ & crieþ with a pitous chere;
Þe burbly wawes of hir eyen clere
Liche welle stremys by hir chekis reyne;
And for constreint of hir inward peyne
Ful ofte a day hir song was weylaway,
With sobbyng vois, þat sche so fer a-way
Departid is from hir Menelaus.
For whos absence in rage furious,
Hir lif sche hateþ & curseþ eke fortune;
And in þis wo sche euere doth contune
With-oute soiour, alwey more and more;
And for hir breþer Pollux & Castor,
And for þe loue of hir douȝter dere,
Now pale and grene sche wexeþ of hir cher,
Þat whilom was frescher for to sene
Þan þe lillye on his stalke grene.
Allas! chaunged is hir rosen hewe!
And euere in on hir wo encreseth newe,
Þat like no woman sche was to beholde;
For ay sche wept as sche to water wolde.
Til at þe last, in al hir heuynes,
Paris to hir com of gentilnes,
Hir to comforte and tapese hir rage—
He besyeth hym hir sorwes to aswage,
Seiyng to hir: “what may al þis mene,
Þat ȝe, allas, o goodly fresche quene,
List þus ȝour silfe in sorwyng disfigure?
I wonder gretly how ȝe may endure
So moche water causeles to schede,
Þat with wepyng han dewed so ȝour wede;
For liche a condut þe stremys renne doun,
Lik to a penaunt in contricioun
Ȝe ȝou disraye, allas, whi do ȝe so!
Lat be þis fare and lateth ouer go
Al ȝour wepyng, þouȝt, and heuynes,
And beth no more, my lady, in distres.
Makeþ an ende nowe of ȝour greuaunce,
For al þe ese, comfort, and plesance
Þat men may do, trusteþ ȝe schul haue.
It is but foly in sorwe þus to raue!
Let passe ouer alle þis scharp[e] schowres,
And here my trouþe: ȝe and alle ȝoures,
Of what ȝou list schal haue suffisaunce;
As ferforþe, and more habundaunce
Þan ȝe had among þe Grekis þere,
I ȝou ensure, and beth no þing in fere,
Þat I schal hold al þat I haue hiȝt,
On my trouþe, as I am trewe knyȝt,
In worde and dede with al myn hert entere.”
And sche anon, with a woful chere,
So as sche myȝt for sobbyng þo suffice,
Answerde ageyn in ful lawly wyse:
“I wot,” quod sche, “wher me be loth or lef,
Sith I am kauȝt & take at þis meschef,
Vn-to ȝour wil I may nat now with-seie;
I am so bounde, þat I most obeie,
Vnder ȝour daunger, þat I may nat fle,
In hold distreyned and captiuite.
Ȝe wote also, be nature, oute of drede,
Þat it ne longeth vn-to womanhede
In straunge soille to stryuen or rebelle;
An[d] namly þer, wher as hir querelle
Schal haue no fauour nor sustened be.
But ȝef ȝe list now to han pite
On me or myne, of ȝour goodlyhede,
Ȝe may of God disserue þank & mede,
Þat wil rewarde iustly alle þo
Þat comfort hem þat ben in care & wo.”
“Now lady myn,” þanne quod Parys,
“What þat may like or ben at ȝour devys,
Al schal be do, trusteth me riȝt wele;
For be my trouþe, as fer as I can fele,
In any þing þat may ȝou do plesaunce,
Ȝe schal it haue with al habundaunce:
Þis I ensure of heste not fallible;
Beth nat a-gaste, but fully beth credyble
To my wordis & hestis euerychon.”
And þer-with-al he lad hir riȝt anon
In-to a place of royal apparaille,
To comfort her, ȝif it wolde availle,
And secrely þer atwen hem two,
Þis Paris first, with-outen more a-do,
Spake vn-to hir & seyde: “lady dere,
I feyne nat, but speke of hert entere,
And þat I hope ȝe schal in dede fynde;
Wherfor, I pray, enprenteth in ȝour mynde
What I seie, and in ȝour remembraunce—
Þis is to seien, sith ȝe be puruyaunce
Ben of þe goddis brouȝt as now þer-to,
And Fortune eke wil þat it be so,
I dar afferme, pleinly for þe firste,
Þat þei disposed haue nat for ȝour wirst,
But for ȝour good, & so ȝe most it take.
Wherfor, I rede, to letyn ouer-shake
Al heuynes, and loke þat ȝe be
As glad and liȝt here in þis contre,
As þei ȝe werne in ȝour owne lond.
For feythfully I do ȝou to vndirstonde,
Ȝe schal haue here as moche habundance,
On euery part, with ful sufficiaunce
Of al þat may be to ȝou plesaunt:
For of o þing I dar make avaunt,
In þis contre, as it schal be founde,
Of al plente we passyn and habounde
More richely þan ȝoure Grekis ȝonder;
And þei ȝe ben from hem now assondre,
Out of þe lond þat callid is Achaye,
Ȝe haue no cause ȝow so to dismay,
Sith at worschip and more reuerence,
At more honour and gretter excellence
Ȝe schal be cherisched þan ȝe were a-fore.
And where ȝe pleine þat ȝe haue forbore
Ȝour owne lord and ben as now left sool,
For whom ȝe makyn al þis wo & dool,
Ȝe schal in haste be sette better at ese—
For certeynly, so it nat displese
Nor offende vn-to ȝour womanhede,
In stede of hym, I purpose, out of drede,
To wedde ȝou and ben ȝour trew[e] man,
To loue & serue in al þat euer I can,
With-oute feynyng, to my lyues ende,
And be to ȝou as lowly & as kynde,
As diligent and more laborious
Þan whilom was ȝoure Menelaus,
In euery þing ȝoure lustis to obeie—
Hath here my trouth til tyme þat I deye.
And þauȝ þat I in wordis be but pleyn,
For loue of God, haueþ no disdeyn
Of my request, nor gruchiþ nat at al;
For, at þe lest, of þe stok royal
I am discendid & comme of as hiȝe blood
As Menelay, and of birþe as good;
And can in loue to ȝou be more trewe
Þan he was euer, and chaunge for no newe.
Wherfor, stynteþ þus to pleyn & wepe,
And late som comfor[t] in ȝour bosom crepe,
Ȝour wo apeseth, whiche is not worþe an hawe,
And som myrþe late in ȝour hert adawe:
Þis I beseche, and of womanhede
To my wordis for to takyn hede.”
“Allas,” quod sche, “how myȝt þis be-falle,
Þat haue left my frendis on & alle
In straunge lond, and am here but allone?
How schuld I þan but I made mone?
I haue no cause, God wot, for to pleye,
Nor my chekis for to kepe dreye
From salt[e] teris, allas! it wil nat be,
Þat can noon end of myn aduersite.
For in good feyth, it were aȝen[e]s kynde
So sodeynly to putten out of mynde
Þilke þing þat, for Ioye or smert,
In al þis world sitteþ nexte myn hert—
For whom, allas, so sore I am distreyned.
But, sith goddis han as now ordeyned
No bettre chaunce of hope vn-to me,
I can no more—I mote it take at gre
And humblely accepte also her sonde;
For I am feble her power to withstonde.
Wherfor, I schal ageyn my wil [now] stryue,
Al-be for wo myn hert I fele ryue,
For to concente and lowly to admitte
Þilke þing [fro] whiche I may not flitte,
Maugre my wil, of necessite,
Fully to obeye what ȝe list do with me—
It wil nat helpe þauȝ I seide nay.”
And þus sche peyneth al þat [euere] sche may,
Lite and lite hir sorwe to aswage.
What schuld sche ay lyue in wo & rage,
To lese hir silfe, so tender a creature—
An hert of stel ne myȝt it not endure.
But ay of women þe maner & þe kynde,
Þat þei can nat of sorwe make an ende
Til þei be leiser han y-wept her fulle;
But at þe last, whan þei gynne dulle
To make sorwe, it happeþ hem as faste
Þat by grace þei sone it ouer caste
And liȝtly cache counfort of her smerte—
Þei be so tendre þat men may hem conuerte
From wo to Ioye, & þouȝt from hem disseuere.
Þer is no storme þat may lasten euere,
As clerkis wyse in bokis liste discerne;
Þing violent may nat be eterne;
For after stormys Phebus briȝter is.
And so be comfort & counseil of Parys,
Sche dawed is of hir olde sorwe:
For euene liche, as þe glade morwe,
Of kynde sweþ þe dirke, blake nyȝt,
So be processe hir hert[e] wexeþ liȝt,
And of her wepyng dried is þe welle,
Liche as þe story schal anon ȝou telle.