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BELLA BIS QUINIS. — Metrum 7

"The wrekere Attrides (that is to seyn, Agamenon), that wrought and contynued the batailes by ten yer, recovered and purgide in wrekynge, by the destruccioun of Troye, the loste chaumbris of mariage of his brothir. (That is to seyn, that he, Agamenon, wan ayein Eleyne that was Menelaus wif his brothir.) In the mene while that thilke Agamenon desirede to yeven sayles to the Grykkyssche naveye, and boughte ayein the wyndes by blood, he unclothide hym of pite of fadir; and the sory preest yeveth in sacrifyenge the wrecchide kuttynge of throte of the doughter. (That is to seyn that Agamenon leet kutten the throte of his doughter by the preest, to maken alliaunce with his goddes and for to han wynd with whiche he myghte wenden to Troye.)

"Ytakus (that is to seyn, Ulixes) bywepte his felawes ilorne, the whiche felawes the fyerse Poliphemus, ligginge in his grete cave, had fretyn and dreynt in his empty wombe. But natheles Poliphemus, wood for his blynde visage, yald to Ulixes joye by his sorwful teres. (This to seyn, that Ulixes smoot out the eye of Poliphemus, that stood in his forheed, for whiche Ulixes hadde joye whan he say Poliphemus wepynge and blynd).

"Hercules is celebrable for his harde travailes. He dawntide the proude Centauris (half hors, half man), and he byrafte the dispoilynge fro the cruel lyoun (that is to seyn, he slouhe the lyoun and rafte hym his skyn); he smot the briddes that hyghten Arpiis with certein arwes; he ravysschide applis fro the wakynge dragoun, and his hand was the more hevy for the goldene metal; he drowh Cerberus, the hound of helle, by his treble cheyne; he, overcomer, as it is seyd, hath put an unmeke lord foddre to his crwel hors (this to seyn, that Hercules slowh Diomedes, and made his hors to freten hym); and he, Hercules, slowh Idra the serpent, and brende the venym; and Acheleous the flod, defowled in his forheed, dreynte his schamefast visage in his strondes (that is to seyn, that Achaleous coude transfiguren hymself into diverse liknesse, and, as he faughte with Hercules, at the laste he torned hym into a bole, and Hercules brak of oon of his hornes, and he for schame hidde hym in his ryver); and he, Hercules, caste adoun Antheus the geaunt in the [sondes] of Libye; and Kacus apaysede the wratthes of


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Evander (this to seyn, that Hercules slouh the monstre Kacus, and apaysed with that deth the wratthe of Evander); and the bristilede boor markide with scomes the scholdres of Hercules, the whiche scholdres the heye cercle of hevene sholde thriste; and the laste of his labours was that he susteynede the hevene uppon his nekke unbowed; and he disservide eftsones the hevene to ben the pris of his laste travaile.

"Goth now thanne, ye stronge men, ther as the heye wey of the greet ensaumple ledith yow. O nyce men! why nake ye your bakkes? (As who seith, "O ye slowe and delicat men! whi flee ye adversites, and ne fyghte nat ayeins hem by vertu, to wynnen the mede of the hevene?"") For the erthe overcomen yeveth the sterres." (This to seyn, that whan that erthly lust is overcomyn, a man is makid worthy to the hevene.)