University of Virginia Library

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.

And whil þe Grekis lay at Tenedoun,
Hem to refresche & to reste in pes,
Þe worþi kyng, callid Palamydes,
Wiþ þritti schipes out of Grekis lond,
Stuffid with knyȝtes, ful worþi of her hond,
Þe beste chose of al his regioun,
Arived is vp at Tenedoun.
Wher-of Grekis whan þei hadde a siȝt,
Reioyschyng hem, wer riȝt glad & liȝt,
Havyng rewarde [vn-]to his worþines,
Where þei a-forn hadde had heuynes
For his absence þat he was so longe;
And some of hem grucchid at him strong,
For he nat kepte his moustre at Athene.
But for to schewe þat he was al clene
Of any spot in his conscience,
Ful manfully, in open audience,
Liche a knyȝt he gan hym silf excuse,
Stoppyng alle þo þat þer-on list to muse,
Of his absence schewyng þe cause whi,
Þat for siknes and sodeyn maladie
He was constreyned his presence to withdrawe.
And for þei sawe þat siknes haþ no lawe,
Þei hilde excused fully his absence;
And for he was of most reuerence,
Among Grekis to no wiȝt þe secounde,
And was also ful wys & eke habounde
Of gold and good, avise & prudent,
Þat what-so-euere he set on his entent,
Knyȝtly & wysly he wolde it wel acheue,
And what he gan he ne wolde leue,
Maugre his foon, in no maner wyse,
Til þat he sawe a fyn of his emprise,
And for he was most of oppinioun
Amongis Grekis, and reputacioun,
Þei hym besouȝt þat he wold[e] be
Of her conseil, avisely to se
What wer to do in euery maner þing.
And he assenteth vn-to her axyng,
Benygnely of his gentilles.
And Grekis þan dide her besynes
To procede, with-oute more delay,
Hem to enhaste, in al þat euer þei may,
To gynne a sege and differre it nouȝt.
And sondri weies þei cerched han & souȝt
In her wittes, how fro Tenedoun
Þei may remewe towarde Troye toun,
From þe hauene wher her schippes be.
And somme þouȝt most comodite,
For most expleit, be niȝt priuely
Toward Troye, þat stod fast[e] by,
Proudly to saille with her schipes alle.
And somme seide, gret peril myȝt[e] falle,
Toward niȝt for to take þe se,
List with dirknes þei ennoysed be
In her passage, knowyng not þe way,
Wher-of gret harme after falle may—
And þus diuers of oppinioun,
Procedyng nat to no conclusioun:
For in effect her purpos nat ne held,
But stille lyn, ay loggid in þe felde,
Like as þei had entriked be with drede,
Til on a day, worþi Dyomede,
Of þe Grekis seyng þe cowardyse,
Euene þus his conseil gan deuyse:
“Sirs,” quod he, “þat be now here present,
Ȝif þat ȝe list, alle be oon assent,
Goodly considre, aduertyng prudently
What I schal seyn to-fore ȝow openly,
Whiche of knyȝthod han so noble a name,
Sothly me semeth, we ouȝten han gret schame,
Whiche holde oure silfe so myȝti & so strong,
And in þis lond soiourned han so longe—
Niȝe al þis ȝere—and dursten in no wyse
Remewen hens, for verray cowardyse—
What haue we do?—nat ellis certeynly,
But to oure foon graunted folily,
Euene at her lust, space & liberte
To make hem strong, and oportunyte
Vs to withstond, pleinly, at þe hond—
And so þei wiln, ȝe may wel vndirstond.
For day be day, to oure confusioun,
Þay haue souȝt wayes, ful wisly vp & doun,
To gete hem help in þe mene space,
And hem enforced aboute in euery place,
Her round cite with barreis & with palis,
Her wallis maskued, and ageyn oure skalis—
Trusteþ þer-on—made gret ordinaunce.
And with al þis, of oure gouernaunce
Þei han espied, seyng þat for drede
We han noon hert manly to procede
In oure purpous to hold with hem werre;
And ay þe more þei se þat we differre,
Þe more þei wiln cacchen hardynes
Vs to resiste with al her besines.
Also I se, and trust it verrailly,
Þat ȝif we had afore-hand manfully,
As we began, knyȝtly furþe contunyd,
Oure Iourne hadde better be fortunyd:
Ȝif sodeynly with strong & myȝti honde,
Þei vnavised, we had in-to her londe
With-oute abood afore þis tyme ariued,
Of whiche [a] while we must be depriued
And delaied, where first with victorie,
To oure honour, with þe palme of glorie
We myȝt sothly, nad[de] ben oure slouþe,
Our wil complisched, þis þe pleyn[e] trouþe:
Wher maugre vs, or we to lond aryue,
With strong diffence þei wil ageyn vs striue,
And put vs of or we þe stronde wynne.
For ay þe more we tarie to be-gynne,
Þe more, in soth, for me list nat lye,
We put oure silfe echon in iupartye—
What schulde I feyn or fage fro þe trouþe?
For oure tariyng & oure coward slouþe
Ar likly after to tourne vs to gret sorwe:
Wherfor, erly to-morwe by þe morwe,
My conseil is, oure ankres vp to pulle,
In þis mater no lenger þat we dulle,
But to enarme oure schipes for þe werre;
And at þe vprist of þe morwe sterre,
Late vs ordeyn, with knyȝtly apparaille
Out of þis hauene with þe wynde to saile,
Of manful hert & lusti fresche corage,
Our cours holdyng & our riȝt passage
Toward Troye, & londen horpidly,
What-euere falle: for trusteþ sikerly,
With-out skarmusche we may nat ariue;
For þei fro Troye descende wil as blyue,
Lik manly men, to mete vs in þe berde.
But for al þat, lat vs nat ben a-ferde,
But voide drede, & manhod set a-fore,
Þat cowardyse entre at no bore
For to astone þe manhod of oure herte.”
And with þat word, þe Grekis gan aduerte
Þe manly conseil of þis Diamede,
And in effect to procede in dede
Vn-to þe point, & for no þing spare,
And in what wyse, anoon I schal declare.