University of Virginia Library

How Thelamon, in presence of Kyng Agamenon, vttred his grugge agayn Kyng Vlixes.

“Sirs,” quod he, “so it ȝow nat greue,
Me semeþ iustly of resoun I may meve,
Touching þe wynnyng & geting of þis toun,
With gold, richesse, and possessioun,
Fully deliuered and taken to oure hond,
With al þe tresour founden in þe lond,—
Þe whiche, me þinkeþ in myn inward siȝt,
Ne hath nat bene departed halfe a-riȝt
Amonges vs, by iust diuisioun,
Nor be egal distribusioun—
Considred first, by title of equite,
Of euery wyȝt þestat and dignite,
Remembrid eke, in þis sharp[e] shour,
Þe worþines, [þe] merite, & labour,
And decertis in þis mortal strif,
Graunting to eueryche his prerogatif
Lik fortune as he hath disseruyd.
But þis ordre hath nat ben obserued,
Amonges vs, with-oute excepcioun,
In delyuerance of Palladioun,
Whiche Vlixes, I seie with-oute drede,
To-fore ȝou alle vniustly doth possede,
On hym vsurpinge by fals oppinioun,
By meritorie retribucioun
And apparence his title for to gronde,
Vnder pretense of colour, falsly founde,
Þat he þis relik reioisshe shulde of riȝt,
Be sleiȝte wonne raþer þan of myȝt,
And vsurpeth, be maner of avaunt,
As it were ȝoue to hym by graunt
Of ȝou echon for a chef guerdoun.
But I wil make a replicacioun,
Þat þis relik is nat to hym mete,
Whiche he shal nat reioisshe in quiete,
Ȝif þat I may disturben hym or lette:
For I it cleyme duely of dette
As for guerdoun to me conuenient;
So þat ȝe list to bene indifferent,
Of resoun only, as it doth ȝou seme,
Atwen vs two egally to deme,
Iustly, first, with euery circumstaunce,
Oure ouþer merit weied in ballaunce,
First considered—ȝif it may availle—
Mi dilligence & my gret travaille
Þat I endured forþe fro day to day
Al þe while þat þe sege lay,
Þat ȝe shulde of plente of vitaille
On no side for no meschef faille.
And ȝif I shal, with-oute avaunt, oute breke,
As of knyȝthod and armys for to speke:
In þe feld by longe contynuaunce
Of manly force and perseueraunce,
Vp-on oure foon, þat wer so fel & kene,
Day by day I was armyd clene—
It nedeth nat to make mencioun,
With my riȝt hond how I slowe Philemoun,
As ȝe wel know, which had in his keping
Þe ȝong[e] sone of Priamus þe kyng,
Freshe and lusti, and of gret fairnesse,
And with hym had infinit richesse,
Of tresour, gold passingly plente,
And euerydel was brouȝt to ȝou by me,
Ȝif ȝe remembre & list take hede,
Þat ȝe were quyte of indigence & nede
By occasioun of þat gret[e] good.
And þoruȝ my manhod shad I nat þe blood,
Merciles, in ful cruel wyse,
For ȝoure sake of þe kyng of Fryse,
And þe tresour in his cofres souȝt,
And al y-fere to þe sege y-brouȝt?
And be my knyȝthod, sith[en] go ful ȝore,
Haue I nat eke awmentid & made more
Þe Grekis lond with possessiouns,
By conquest only of two regiouns,
Þoruȝ my prudence & my labour wonne,
Siþen þat ȝe þe sege first begonne,
With provinces to Troye adiacent?—
To ȝoure encres I was so dillygent!
And with Achilles, þe worþi werrioure,
Ȝe bene expert ful wel of my labour,
Þat we wrouȝt to ȝoure avauntage!
And siþen ȝe so prudent ben & sage,
Nat forȝetil, but fully remembring,
It nedeth nat rehersen euery þing.
And to dispreve, manly as a knyȝt,
His title and cleime þat he hath no riȝt,
—Þe doom committyng to ȝoure oppiniouns—
Be rehersaille of his condic[i]ouns:
He nouþer haþ manhod nor prowes,
Force, knyȝthod, nouþer hardines,
And, at a point for to haue rewarde,
In doring do preved a coward!
Experience hath shewed ȝow, in dede,
How þat he is, whan it commeth to nede,
But word & wynd & sleiȝti compassyng,
And on falshede euere ymagynyng:
For neuere ȝit to þis day was preved,
Þat eny þing was by hym acheved
Whiche myȝt be entitled to his laude,
But þe ende medlid were with fraude.
For vnder colour he can curen al,
Pretende fair, liche a peinted wal,
Diuers hewed, þat nouþer hiȝe nor low,
Þer may no man his pleyn[e] menyng know!
And with swiche sleiȝt compassid be tresoun,
Oute of Troye he gat Palladyoun,
Whiche is gret shame & sklaunder to us alle:
For of oure conquest it is þus be-falle,
More of tresoun we haue þe cite wonne
Þanne of knyȝthod, [as] men report[e] kone.
And crop & rote, ȝif I reherse shal,
Vlixes here is grounde & cause of al,
And gynnynge first of þis vnhappi fame
Þat reboundeth to oure alder shame!
And siþ þe trouþe is platly knowe & wist,
Mi tale is ended,—demeth as ȝou list.”