University of Virginia Library

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.

Whan þe quene þat callid is Eleyne
A-dawed was of hir drery peyne,
And þe wawes of hir heuy chere
On hir chekis gonne for to clere,
Paris, in herte fresche and amerous,
In haste haþ sent to kyng Priamus
For hors & men and oþer apparaille,
Clothes of gold ful noble of entaille,
Made for Eleyne & wrouȝt[e] for þe nonys
With riche perle & many sondri stonys,
A-geyn hir comyng in-to Troye toun.
And after þat, Parys fro Tenedoun
Schapeþ hym to lede hir in-to Troye;
And Priamus mette hem on þe weye
Ful ryally, as faste as he may hye,
With many a lord in his companye,
Ful many lady fresche & wel be-seyn,
And many mayde þat riden hem ageyn—
First estatis and after comwneris.
Now had Parys alle his prisoneris
Set be-forn in ordre tweyn & tweyne,
And he rood next with þe quene Eleyne,
And Dephebus vp-on þe toþer syde,
And his knyȝtes enviroun dide ride;
But nexte hym rood þe worþi Eneas
And þe Troyan, callid Pollidamas,
His meyne swyng eche in his degre
So gentilmanly, þat Ioye it was to se—
Eche from oþer kepyng a certeyn space.
And furþe þei ride but a soft[e] pace,
Til þat þe kyng hem mette sodeynly,
And hem receyveþ ful solempnely,
As he best coude, & goodly toke þe reyne
In-to his hond of þe quene Eleyne,
And hir conueyeþ furþe to his cite.
Gret was þe pres þat abood to se,
Of sondri folke, þat schove fast and croude;
Þe schrille trumpettis wern y-reised loude—
Vp to þe skye goth þe blisful sown
Whan al þis peple entreþ in þe toun—
And many a-noþer diuers instrument,
Þat al to-forn in at þe gatis went,
In sondry wyse þat made melodie,
Þat to heren þe heuenly armonye
Be musik touchid vp-on string & corde,
So euen in on & iustly þei acorde,
It wold an hert rauische in-to Ioye.
And whan þei wern entred in-to Troye,
Amyd his paleys kyng Priamus a-liȝt;
And anoon, as fast as euere he myȝt,
In-to a chambre, riche & wel be-seye,
Þe quene Eleyne in hast he doth conueye,
Comaundyng with hert[e], wil, and þouȝt
His officers þat hir faile nouȝt
Of any þing þat sche can be-þinke.
Þe spicis partid, anoon þe wyn þei drink,
And þan þe kyng toke leue til soper,
And sche þer-whiles chaungeþ hir attir.
But of þe Ioye þat was in þe toun,
In eche place wher men went vp & doun,
I am to rude, sothly, al to wryte,
So moche in hert þe Troyans hem delite,
Þat saufe & sounde retourned is Parys—
Þei wende haue be for Ioye in paradis,
Þat he so wel spedde in his Iourne,
And hath nat on loste of his meyne,
Wher-of þei ben in hert[e] glad & liȝt.
And in al haste after þe nexte nyȝt,
As writ Guydo, with-oute tariyng long,
Erly on morwe, a-for þe larke songe,
In Pallas temple, as myn auctor seiþe,
Assured was be oþe & eke be feiþe
Þe bond of wedlok of hym & Eleyne,
For euer-more to last a-twen hem tweyne,
Þe knot is knyt of þis sacrament.
And þis was don fully be thassent,
First of þe kyng, and also be thavis
Of al þe cite in fauour of Parys.
And so þe feste and gret solempnyte
Contwnyd was with moche ryalte,
Of þis weddyng in myrthe & solace,
Þorouȝ-oute þe toun be viii dayes space.
What schuld I write þe reuel or þe daunces,
Þe fresche array or þe countenaunces,
Þe stole touchis, þe lokis amerous,
Þe prevy gruchyng of hem þat wer Ielous,
Þe grete iustis, bordis, or tornay,
Amyd palastre with many sondry play,
Þe diuers coursis eke at euery feste,
Þe large plente don vn-to þe leste,
Þe straunge metis, þe manere of seruyse—
I haue noon englische al for to deuyse—
I passe ouer, for I was not þere.
But whan þis weddyng cam vn-to þe ere
Of Cassandra, and first it dide espie,
A þousand sithe “allas!” sche gan to crye
Of pitous wo with vntressid heris,
And seide þus al be-spreint with teris:
“O wrechid Troye, erryng in þis cas,
With-Inne þi silfe to suffre þis trespas,
For to concent vn-to swyche folye,
In sustenyng of foule auoutr[y]e,
Þat Paris schulde takyn vn-to wyve
Þe quene Eleyne whos husbond is alyve!
O woful Troye, to cruel is þi fate!
For to be war it is almost to late!
The tyme is come, þou schal[t] distroyed be!
For many fader schal his sone se
Hol in þe morwe, þat schal be slawe or eve
Amyd þe feld, þat wil him sore greue,
And many wif sore schal be-wepe
To se hir husbonde with large woundis depe
Girt þoruȝ þe body, pale, cold, & grene!
Allas, howe schal ȝe þe sorwe mow sustene!
A, wrecchid modris! how schal ȝe endure
To se ȝoure childre be cruel auenture
A-fore ȝou slayn with-oute remedie!—
It wil nat help, þouȝ ȝe clepe & crie.
A, moder myn, Eccuba, þe quene,
How schalt þou bide þe scharp[e] stoundis kene,
Þi worþi sones to sen a-for þe slawe,
And in þe feld by cruelte y-drawe!
A, blinde peple, of deth þou taxt non hede,
Why nylt þou werche [and] don after my rede,
And in þis cas more prudent ben & wys,
To take awey Eleyne from Parys,
As riȝt requireth, with-outen any more,
And to hir lord iustly hir restore?
What! trow[e] ȝe his þefte and cruel dede
Schal passe þus?—Nay! with-outen drede,
Þe swerd of vengaunce schal ful scharp[e] bite
For his offence, & we schal bere þe wyte—
Paleis & hous to seen, with-Inne a þrowe,
And touris hiȝe leide on þe erþe lowe!
Allas, allas! I seie to þe, Eleyne,
Vnhappy woman, causere of oure peyne,
Hard & vnȝely, and also graceles,
Vnwelful woman, disturber of oure pes,
Þou haste vs brouȝt in meschef & in were,
Kyndled a brond to sette vs alle a-fere!
Allas, þou art [þe] rote & grounde of al,
Of many drery fest[e] funeral
Þat schal be holde amonge vs in þis toun!”
And in þis wyse Cassandra vp & doun
Aboute ran in subbarbe and in strete,
And crieth euer, whom þat euer sche mete,
Ful ofte syþe: “allas and weillawey!”
Til Priamus, be-cause of hir affray,
And for þe noyse þat sche dide make,
With-oute more, anon he doth hir take
And bynd[e] fast, fetrid in presoun,
With-oute mercy or remyssioun.
Þei take noon hede to hir sadde trouþe,
Nor to hir wordis—it was þe more rouþe—
But schet hir vp in bondis gret & strong,
With-oute pite, where sche abidiþ longe.
And þus in prisoun a while I leue hir mourne,
And to [þe] Grekis I wil ageyn returne.