Lydgate's Troy Book A.D. 1412-1420. Edited from the best manuscripts with introduction, notes, and glossary by Henry Bergen |
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Howe kynge Pryam made Citeȝens of foreyns, And
[gaf] everich of hem certeyne grounde to belde vpone. |
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 | Lydgate's Troy Book |  |
Howe kynge Pryam made Citeȝens of foreyns, And [gaf] everich of hem certeyne grounde to belde vpone.
And to enhabite þis royal chef cite,Kyng Priam haþ aboute in þe contre
Made for to serche, with al his hool entent,
And in provinces þat werne adiacent,
In borwys, townys, and in smale villages,
I-gadred out of al maner ages,
And of thropis folkys ful diuers,
And swiche as wern vacaunt & dispers,
167
He maked hath to entre in-to þe toun
Gret multitude, what of ȝong & olde,
It to enhabite, as ȝe han herde me tolde.
And hem þat wern afore to hym foreyns,
He hath in Troye maked cit[e]ȝeyns,
Ful discretly, liche as it is founde.
And whan þei gan with peple [to] abounde,
Kyng Priamus, of hiȝe affeccioun,
After þe bildyng of þis myȝty toun,
Haþ in his hert cauȝt a fantasye
His newe cite for to magnyfye.
And it to put þe more in remembraunce,
He cast fully to do some obseruaunce
To myȝty Mars, sterne & ferse of hewe;
And specialy with certeyn plei[e]s newe,
On horse and fote, in many sondry wyse,
To ȝeue his men in knyȝthod excersyse,
Eueryche to putten oþer at assaye
In iustis, bordis, and also in tornay,
To preve her force whan þei happe mete.
Þe whiche pleies wer fondid first in Crete;
And in þat lond, of hiȝe & lowe estat,
In Martys honour þei wer dedicate.
And in palestre, at wakys on þe nyȝt,
Wern [o]þer pleies men tassay her myȝt,
Only on fote with many sotil poynt;
And some of hem wer nakyd & anoynt;
To wynne a prys þei dide her ful entent.
And þer was founde, by clerkys ful prudent,
Of þe ches þe pleye most glorious,
Whiche is so sotil and so meruelous,
Þat it wer harde þe mater to discryue;
For þouȝe a man stodied al his lyve,
He schal ay fynde dyvers fantasyes
Of wardys makyng, & newe iuparties,
168
And it was first founde in þis cite,
Duryng þe sege, liche as seyth Guydo;
But Iacobus de Vitriaco
Is contrarie of oppynioun:
For, like as he makyth mencioun,
And affermeth fully in his avys,
How Philometer, a philysofre wys,
Vn-to a kyng, to stynte his cruelte,
Fond first þis pleie & made it in Calde;
And in-to Grece from þense it was sent.
Also in Troye, by gret avysement,
Þe pleye was first founde of dees & tables,
And of castyng þe chaunces deceyvables,
Þat han be cause ofte of gret debat:
For ȝif þat on be nowe fortunat
To wynne a while be favour of his chance,
Or he be war, with sodeyn variaunce,
Vnhappely he is putte abak,
And anoþer, þat stood vp-on þe wrak,
And of losse was plounged in distresse,
Þei reysed han vn-to hyȝe ryches;
Gladnes of on is to another rage—
Adevaunte, hasard, and passage;
Ȝif on haue Ioye, anoþer suffereþ wo,
Liche as þe bonys renne to and fro;
An hundrid sythe in a day þei varie,
Now blaundisschyng, & now þei be contrarie;
No man with hem assured is in Ioye.
And first also, I rede, þat in Troye
Wer song & rad lusty fresche comedies,
And oþer dites, þat called be tragedies.
And to declare, schortly in sentence,
Of boþe two þe final difference:
A comedie hath in his gynnyng,
At prime face, a maner compleynyng,
169
And it þe dedis only doth expres
Of swiche as ben in pouert plounged lowe;
But tragidie, who so list to knowe,
It begynneth in prosperite,
And endeth euer in aduersite;
And it also doth þe conquest trete
Of riche kynges and of lordys grete,
Of myȝty men and olde conquerou[ri]s,
Whiche by fraude of Fortunys schowris
Ben ouercast & whelmed from her glorie.
| Lydgate's Troy Book | |