University of Virginia Library

Howe Parys yaf þe golden appele to Venus, and howe sche promysed hym to rekyvere Heleyne.

‘Parys,’ quod he, ‘lifte vp þin eye and se!
Loo, þis goddesses here in noumbre thre,
Whiche fro heuene with her eyen clere
So diuersly vn-to the appere,
Wern at a fest, as I þe tellyn schal,
With alle þe goddis aboue celestial,
Þat Iubiter held at his owne borde.
Was non absent only saue Discord;
And for dispit sche was not þer present,
To be avenged sche sette al hir entent,
And in hir wittes many weyes souȝt,
Til at þe last, euene þus sche wrouȝt,
Of poetis liche as it is tolde:
Sche toke an appil rounde of purid gold,
With greke lettris grauen vp & doun,
Whiche seide þus, in conclusioun,
With-oute strife þat it were ȝove anon
To the fairest of hem euerychon.
And of Discord þis lady & goddes,
As sche þat is of debat maistres,
Hath þis appil, passyng of delit,
Brouȝt to þis fest, of malis and despit,
And cast it doun among hem at þe bord
With deynious chere, spekyng not a word;
But on hir weye fast[e] gan hir hiȝe.
And sodeynly so prive gret envie
In-to þe court þis appil hath in brouȝt,
So gret a werre & swiche a contek wrouȝt
In þe hertis of þis ilke thre,
Þat after long may not staunched be;
Among hem silf so þei gan disdeyn
Whiche in bewte was most souereyn,
And whiche of hem haþ best title of riȝt
For to conquere þis bornyd appil briȝt.
And first þei gan þus for bewte striue,
Þat of rancour her hertis almost ryue,
To wit of riȝt who schuld it first possede—
Loo, ȝit envye regneth in womanhede,
Þat on is fayrer þan anoþer holde;
For eche woman of hir kynde wolde
Haue on som part pris a-boue anoþer,
In eche estat, in soth it is noon other.
And eche of hem, in her owne avis,
Hath Ioye in bewte for to han a pris;
For non so foule doth in a myrour prye,
Þat sche is feir in hir owne eye.
But liche a fool he hym silf doth quite,
Þat awmber ȝelwe cheseþ for þe white.
A gowndy eye is deceyued sone,
Þat any colour cheseþ by þe mone;
For som colour is with fir made fyn,
And som encresid with spicis & with wyn,
With oynementis and confeccions;
And on nyȝt, by false illusiouns,
Somme appere wonder fresche and faire,
Þat loke dirke a day-liȝt in þe eyre.
Þer is no pref but erly by þe morwe,
Of swiche as nede no bewte [for] to borwe,
But as Nature hath hir silf disposed.
Þerfore fastyng, or boystis ben vnclosyd,
Make þi choyse, liche as bit Ovide,
Whan euery drogge & pot is set a-syde,
List þat þou be, after his sentence,
Deceyvid liȝtly by fals apparence,
For now-a-dayes swiche craft is ful rife.
And in þis wyse þus be-gan þe stryf
Be-twixe Iuno, Venus, and Pallas,
Þat be descendid for þis sodeyn caas,
By on assent, towching her bewte,
Þe dom þer-of comitted vn-to þe.
I speke to þe, þat callid art Parys,
And holdyn art riȝt prudent & riȝt wys,
Be avysed how þi dom schal fyne;
For þei ne may to nor fro declyne,
But obeie, alle, by oon assent,
With-oute strif to þi Iugement.
But herk[e], frist, or þat þou procede,
Of eche of hem what schal be þi mede,
Considere ariȝt, & take good hede þer-to:
Ȝif þou þe appil graunte vn-to Iuno,
Sche schal þe ȝef plente of riches,
Hiȝe renoun, of fame eke worþines,
With habundaunce of gold & of tresour,
And do þe reise to so hiȝe honour,
Þat þou allone alle oþer schalt excelle,
For þi guerdoun, liche as I þe telle.
And ȝif to Pallas, goddesse of prudence,
Þe liste þe fyn conclude of þi sentence,
Þat sche may lady of þe appil be,
For þi mede sche schal assure þe,
Þat of witte and of sapience
Þou schalt hooly han þe excellence,
And of wisdam and discrecioun,
To discerne by clernes of resoun;
Also fer as Phebus cast his liȝt,
Þer schal nat be a more prudent knyȝt,
Nor in þis world, sith þat it began,
Of iust report a manlier man,
Nor to þi name noon equipolente.
And ȝif to Venus, of trew & clene entent,
Þe list to graunt, in conclusioun,
Of þe appil to haue pocessioun,
Þe fresche goddes, þat sit so hiȝe aboue,
Schal þe ensure to haue [vn-]to þi loue
Þe fairest lady þat is or was to-fore,
Or in þis world euer schal be bore;
And in Grece þou schalt hir knyȝtly wynne.
Now be avised or þat þou be-gynne,
Iustly to deme, and for no þing spare.’
And I anoon gan loken vp and stare,
Gretly astoned what me was best to do,
Til at þe last I spake Mercurye to,
And seide, certeyn, þat I ne wolde there
Ȝeuen no dom, but þei naked were,
So þat I myȝt haue ful[ly] liberte
Eueryche of hem avisely to se,
And consyderen euery circumstaunce
Who fairest wer vn-to my plesaunce,
And goodliest, to speke of womonhede,
And after þat to my doom procede.
And þei anoon, as ȝe haue herde me seie,
To my desyre mekely gan obeie,
In al hast to don her besy cure
Hem to dispoille of cloþing & vesture,
Liche as þe statut of my dom hem bonde:
In a poynt, þei nolde it not withstonde,
Þat I myȝt haue ful inspeccioun
Of forme & schap & eche proporcioun,
For to discerne, as I can remembre,
Avisely by ordre euery membre,
And þanne at erst to iugen after riȝt.
But whanne þat I of eche had a siȝt,
I ȝaf to Venus þe appil riȝt anoon,
Be-cause sche was fairest of echon,
And most excellyng, sothly, of bewte,
Most womanly & goodly on to se,
As I dempte pleynly in my siȝt.
For þe stremys of hir eyen briȝt,
I-liche glade and egal euene of liȝt
Wern to þat sterre þat schewith toward nyȝt,
Whiche callid is Esperus so schene,
Venus hir silf, þe fresche lusty quene.
Þe whiche anon, þis heuenly Emperesse,
After my doom, of hertly hiȝe gladnesse,
Þat of þe appil sche hooly haþ þe glorie,
And wonyn hit iustly by victorie,
Reioysched hir more þan I can telle,
Þat sche hir feris in bewte dide excelle.
And sche in hast, of trewe affeccioun,
Concluded haþ, fully for my guerdoun,
Ful demurly, lowe and nat a-lofte,
To Mercurye with sobre wordis softe,
Devoide boþe of doubilnes & slouthe,
Liche hir behest holde wil hir trouth.
And sodeynly, with-out[e] more Iniurye,
Þei disapered, and þe god Mercurie
Streȝt to heuene þe riȝt[e] weye toke;
And I anon out of my slepe awoke.
Wher-of, my lord, whom I most loue & drede,
Ȝif ȝe aduerte and wysly taken hede,
Þat þis behest, affermyd in certeyn,
Was vn-to me assured nat in veyn
Of goodly Venus, liche as I haue tolde.
Wherfore, I rede ȝe ben of hert[e] bolde,
Me for to sende with strong & myȝty hond,
With-oute abood, in-to Grekis lond,
After þe forme þat I haue ȝow seyde.
And, I hope, ȝe schal be wel apayde,
Whan I haue sped, as Venus haþ be-hiȝt,
And hom retourned with my lady briȝt:
So schal ȝe best, me list nat speke in veyn,
Beschaunge of hir ȝour suster wynne ageyn,
Whom Thelamoun with-holden haþ so ȝore.
Lo, þis is al; I can seye ȝou no more
Towching theffect hooly of myn avis.”
And after þat, stille sat Parys,
As he þat haþ fully hym silf aquyt.
But seye, Priam, allas! where was þi witte,
Of necligence for to take kepe,
Þi trust to sette on dremys or on slepe!
Ful þinne was þi discrecioun,
To take a grounde of fals illusioun,
For to procede liche þi fantasye
Vp-on a sweuene meynt with flaterye!
Allas! resoun was no þing þi guyde!
For Pallas was wrongly sette a-syde,
Nat receyued with dew reuerence;
And Iuno eke, with al hir sapience,
For al hir good & lokyng debonayre,
With hir tresour & hir hestis faire,
Refusid was, allas, of wilfulnes.
And sche þat is of loue þe goddes,
And eke also of Wlcanus þe wyf,
In whos seruise is euere werre and strif,
Preferrid was þe appil to possede,
Ageyn [al] riȝt, for Paris toke noon hede
Saue vn-to lust, & sette a-syde trouþe.
Wher-þoruȝ, allas,—& þat was ful gret routhe—
Þe myȝty, riche, And þe noble toun
Of Troye was brouȝt to confusioun:
Only for he knyȝthod hath forsake,
Prudence and gold, & in his choyse y-take
Only a womman, and holden hym þer-to,
Þat after was rote of al her wo,
As þis story ceryously schal telle.
But I in dremys wil no lenger dwelle,
But write furth how þat Dephebus,
Þe þridde sonne of kyng Priamus,
His tale gan in opyn audience,
And to þe kyng, schortly in sentence,
As he þat list a trouþe nat to spare,
Euene þus his conceyt to declare:
“My lord,” quod he, “ȝif þat euery wiȝt
Aduerten schuld & castyn in his siȝt
Of future þing þe pereil & þe doute,
And cerchyn it with-Innen & with-oute,
From poynt to poynt, alwey in his resoun
To cast[e] doutes & turnen vp-so-doun,
Þanne no wyȝt schulde to no purpos wende
In any mater for to make an ende,
Or dar presvme by manhod in his þouȝt.
Who cast perilles acheveþ litel or nouȝt:
For ȝif þe plowman alwey cast a-forne,
How many graynes in his feld of corne
Schal be devourid of foulis rauynous,
Þat he doth sowe in feldys plenteuous,
Þanne schulde he neuer, in vale nor in pleyn,
For cowardyse þrowe abrod his greyne.
Lat al swyche drede now be leyde a-syde;
I holde foly lengere to abyde,
But þat Parys, my brother, make him strong,
With his schippis for to venge our wrong
Vp-on Grekis, with al his peyne & myȝt,
To preue schortly þat he is a knyȝt.
For of resoun ȝe consydere may,
How þat no man iustly may sey[e] nay,
But þat Paris hath counsailled wele;
For be my trouþe, as fer as I can fele,
It wer errour his purpos to contrarie.
Wherfor, lat hym now no lenger tarie,
But holde his wey with a strong navie,
For to avenge þe grete villenye,
Þat Grekis han, ȝif ȝe taken hede,
Don her-to-forn to vs and oure kynred;
And, for fynal execucioun
Of þe recure touchyng Exyoun,
Whom þei trete in dishonest wyse,
Ageyn al riȝt and title of iustice,
Þat to þink, it ȝewith myn hert a wounde,
Þe schame of whiche so new[e] doth rebounde
Vp-on alle þat ben of hir allye.
Wherfor, þe best þat I can espie,
Is þat Parys take þis viage,
With swiche as ben of fresche & lusti age,
Many to wende in-to Grekes lond;
And by force of her myȝti honde,
Maugre þe Grekis, proude & most ellat,
Ravische þer som lady of estat;
And þanne ȝe may, be knyȝthod of my broþer,
Ȝif ȝe list, chaunge hir for þe toþer.
Þis most redy & schort conclusioun
Þat I can sen for restitucioun
Of Exyoun, ȝif [þat] Parys wende;
And of my conseil schortly þis þe ende.”
And þanne as fast, ful discrete & sage,
Elenus, þe ferþe sone of age,
Ros from his cete with gret reuerence,
Praying his fader graunte hym audience,
Þat he may seyn in presens of hem alle,
Openly what þat schal be-falle,
As he þat most of secre þinges can.
And soburly þus his tale he gan,
With clene entent and trew affeccioun: