University of Virginia Library

Howe Kynge Priamus callede his sonnes to his presence, and in secrete wyse lamentabyly opynyd and declarede his intollerabyle sorowes, askenge þer avyce in avengeinge his cause.

Kyng Priamus, makyng þus his mone,
As I ȝou told, in a chambre alone,
Many weyes castyng vp and doun,
For to parforme his conclusioun,
And to fulfille þe fyn of his entent;
He first of alle prudently hath sent
For his sonys to com to hym in hast,
As wel for hem þat wer borne in bast,
As þe toþer, for tassemble y-fere
For a purpos, liche as ȝe schal here,
To haue a counseil for nedful puruyaunce,
Ageyn[e]s Grekis to maken ordynaunce,
First by hem silf allone priuely.
And whan þei were in ordre by & by,
Eueryche of hem sette in his due see,
Liche as þei werne of age & of degre,
And Hector first, flour of cheualrie,
Repeired hom oute of Panonye,
Moste acceptable in euery wyȝtes grace,
Nexst his fader taken hath his place;
And whan Priam his leiser dide espie,
With syȝes sore, castyng vp his eye,
To hem echon sittyng enviroun,
Gan to declare his hertis mocioun.
But first, or he myȝt his wil expowne,
In-to teris he gan hym silf[e] drowne;
His hertly wo was so outragous,
Þat for wepyng & sobbyng furious,
Vnneþe he myȝt with any word out-breke,
Nor vn-to hem, for distresse, speke,
Nor openly his inward menyng schewe,
Til at þe laste he in wordis fewe
Gan to abreyde, in al his pitous fare,
Euene þus his menyng to declare:
“My dere sonys, so lovyng & so kynde,
As I suppose, þat ȝe haue in mynde,
And remembre discretly, and aduerte,
And enprente ful freschely in ȝour hert,
How þe Grekis, ageyn al riȝt and lawe,
With cruel swerde mordrid han & slawe
Our worþi auncetris, of ful hiȝe renoun,
And distroyed, brent, & bete doun
Þe first[e] Troye, with his wallis olde;
And how vngodly also þat þei holde
Myn oune suster, callid Exyoun,
To ful gret schame and confusioun,
And hiȝe repref to ȝour worþines,
Þat, me semeth, of verray kyndenes,
And of nature ȝe ouȝt to ben agreued,
And inwardly in hert[e] sore ameved,
To suffren hir, in hyndring of hir name,
So to be tretid, for ȝour alder schame.
Allas! why nyl ȝe do ȝour besynes,
Þis hiȝe dispit knyȝtly to redresse,
Ȝow for to avenge vp-on her cruelte,
Recure to fynde of her iniquite,
Sith þat ȝe be so myȝty and so strong!
Certis, me semeth, ȝe byden al to long,
Fro daye to day þat ȝe so differre,
In knyȝtly wyse to gynne on hem a werre,
Ȝour force & myȝt manly to assaye.
I am pure sory þat ȝe list delaye
Ȝow to conferme vn-to my desyre—
Þat in her hate brenne as hoot as fyr—
Vp-on hem, lyche as ȝe may se,
Of fretyng Ire avenged for to be,
Liche her desert to quiten hem her mede.
And ȝe, allas, take list non hede,
Whil ȝour renoun doth so freschly schyne,
Vn-to my lust ȝour hertis to encline;
Consyderyng, liche as it is kouthe,
How I haue fro ȝour grene ȝouthe
I-fostred ȝow & brouȝt ȝou forth echon,
Fro þilke day þat ȝe koude goon,
As tenderly as I koude or myȝte.
To whiche þing, in ȝour inward siȝt,
Ȝe schulde aduerte alweye new & new,
And of nature on my soores rewe,
To remedien myn aduersite,
Whiche toucheþ ȝou al so wel as me,
Sith [þat] ȝe wot how sore it doth me greue,
Ȝe schuld[e] schap myn harmys to releue.”
And sodeynly, as he þus gan morne,
Toward Hector he gan his face torne,
And seid, “Hector, my trust & al my Ioye,
Myn eyr also, likly to regne in Troye
After my day, and be my successour,
And named art þe verray souereyn flour
Of worþines, and of manhod welle,
And alle þi brethre in knyȝthod dost excelle,
And in armys, liche a conquerour,
Callid þe stok of worschip and honour,
I hertly praye, þouȝ þou sitte stille,
Be willy now my purpos to fulfille,
To execute þat I desyre so;
For fynally, in þe and in no mo
Is ful my feith to bryng[e] þis aboute.
Now take on þe, & be no þing in doute,
To be chef prince & also gouernour
Of þis purpos, and outerly socour;
In-to þin hond þis Iourne I committe,
Hooly of hert, so þat þou ne flitte,
Þe to conferme, by good avisement,
To parforme vp þe fyn of myn entent.
For of resoun, best to þe it sitte,
Whiche art so prudent & so ful of witte,
Strong & delyuer, flouryng eke in ȝouthe,
Of whom þe fame þoruȝ þe worlde is kouth,
Ȝong of ȝeris, old of discrecioun,
Ewrous to love, passyng of renoun,
Vn-to whos wille þi breþre schal obeie,
And stond with þe, boþe to lyue & deye!
Now condescende tacomplische my request,
And what þou felist, answere at the best.”
And whan þe kyng haþ schewed his sentence,
Demvre of chere, humble of reuerence,
Þis worþi Hector, example of gent[e]rie,
With softe speche, as techeþ curtesye,
His answere ȝaf, with sobre countenans,
Þeffect of whiche was þis in substauns: