University of Virginia Library

How Cruelly kynge Horrestes, in the Tempylle of Appollo within the Ille of Delos, scleugh Pirrus, for that he had ravisshede quene Hermone, his wyff, and here kept in avoutreye.

But þis was doon while Pirrus of corage
To Delos was goon on pilgrymage,
Havyng with hym but a litel rout,
To Appollo to knelen & to loute,
For þe soule to preyen of Achille,
And his avowes also to fulfille,
And þanken hym with humble affeccioun
Of good expleit he had at Troye toun,
And for wreche, also, þat was take
At þe cite for his faderis sake.
But al þis þing here y-specified
Kyng Horestes warly hath espied,
And to Delos gan hasten him ful riȝt,
Ledyng with hym many lusty knyȝt;
And vnwarly he with Pirrus mette,
And vengably vp-on hym he sette,
Þat finally in þat straunge londe
Horestes slow hym with his owne hond.
I fynde, in soth, he made no diffence,
So sodeyn was þe mortal violence
Of his enmy, he koude nat asterte:
For or þat he myȝt his swerd aduerte,
He was on hym enviroun al be-set,
Þilke tyme it myȝt[e] be no bet;
For þer was nouþer socour nor declyn.
Þus was Pirrus brouȝt vn-to his fyn,
Late crowned kyng of Thesalye.
Lo, here þe guerdoun of avout[e]rie!
Lo, how þe mede and reward is ful rif,
To mysuse anoþer mannys wyf!
It is no drede, folowe shal vengaunce,
Sodeyn deth, or vnwar meschaunce,
Whiche euery man gretly ouȝte charge.
And in Delos in a temple large
Kyng Pirrus was lokked vnder stoon;
And Horestes forthe his weie is goon,
And by force gat his wyf ageyn—
Þer was no wyȝt durste hym þo with-seyn—
And to Methene proudly is repeired.
And Thesalye, pitously dispeired,
Destitut, as þei þat can no red,
Whan þei wist her worþi kyng was ded—
And eyr was noon, by successioun
To gouerne þat noble regioun
Saue Achilleydos, þat but litel a-forn
In Pirrus abscence was in Grece born,
Fully of age nat a quarter clene:
Þe ȝouþe of whom, sothly, was to grene,
Who liste considre, & to tendre of myȝt,
Ful many day, to reioishe his riȝt,
And to gouerne with septer in his hond
Þe large boundis of so gret a lond.
And ȝit þis child, likly and riȝt faire,
In verray soth was born to ben eyre
After Pirrus: þis is þe trouth[e] pleyn—
Þer was no man þat list it with-seyn.
But, I fynde, whan he cam to age
He resigned hool his herytage
To his broþer frely and his riȝt—
Lamedonte, a wonder manly knyȝt,
Þat was discendid of Troianysshe blood,
Doun fro þe stook of hym þat was so good,
Flour of knyȝthod, diffence of Frigia,
Þat hym begat on Andronomeca—
Ordeyned now, who-so gruche or frowne,
Of Thesalye for to bere þe crowne.
And whan he was made lord of þat lond,
And al was frely resigned to his hond,
He hath comaunded, no man dar replie,
Þoruȝ þe kyngdam of al Thesalye,
Þat alle þat wern in captiuite
Or prisoners of Troye þe cite,
For loue or hate, excepcioun was noon,
Þat alle shulde at her large goon,
By ful assent of Achilleydos;
And swiche as wern eke in presoun cloos,
With-oute raunsoun shal deliuered be,
And reioisshe þe fulle liberte
By custom vsid, boþe in borwe & toun,
Of þe liges of þat regioun.
And þus þe folke þat cam þral fro Troye
Restored ben sodeinly to Ioie
By Lamedonte, and I-maked fre.
And he eke regned in his royal se
Ful myȝtely, as I haue made mynde;—
In Troye boke no more of hym I finde,
Nor of Pirrus, nor of his kynred.
Fro hens forþe I can no processe rede,
But incidentes þat bere no substaunce,
Whiche were but veyn to put in remembrance,
—Except myn auctor, I not to what entent,
Here Impeth in a litel incident
I-wrouȝt & doon of ful ȝore a-goon,
Touching þe deth of þe kyng Menon,
Whiche be envie of cruel Achilles
Was slawe, in soth, among Mirundones,
Only for he proudly gan purswe
Vp-on Achilles Troylus to reskwe.
Whom kyng Priam made buried be
Beside Troylus in Troye þe cite,
In a temple y-bilt of marbil olde.