University of Virginia Library

Here folowynge is declarede the grete noumbre of shippes that the Grekys assamblede in the havene of Athenes, bysidis a grete navye that kame to them whene þay wer at Troye.

The tyme neiȝeþ aftir þis nat ȝore,
Þat breme wynter with his frostis hore
Gan taswagen of his bitter colde;
Whan Appollo passid was þe holde
Of þe signe þat we calle Aquarie,
And in þe Fissche, fer in Februarie
I-ronne was to-ward þe Ariete;
And þat sesoun, with his feynt[e] hete,
On hillis hiȝe gan his bemys smyte,
Makyng þe snow with faire flakis whyte
In-to water kyndely relente,
Whiche from aboue to þe valey went,
Þat newe flodis of þe sodeyn þowe
Þe grene mede gan to ouerflowe,
And þe yis gan stoundemele distille
Doun fro þe hil þe brokis for to fille
With fomy stremys of þe wawes smale,
By broke bankis as þei dide avale;
Whan lusty ver, with his ȝonge grene,
Is recounforted by þe sonne schene,
Whiche lite and lite his hewes ay amendeþ,
Vp in his spere as Titan vp ascendeth;
Whan Marche aprocheþ, & branchis oueral
Gynne buddyn out, & þe equinoccial
Of wer is halwed, þe sesoun amerous,
Whan þe Grekis, proude & coraious,
With hool þe flour of her chiualrie
Assemblid werne, & holly her navie
In þe hauene þat was most of fame,
And of Atthenes þat tyme bare the name,
Y-gaddred was, by assent echon
Towardis Troye to seilen & to gon—
So gret [a] noumbre, þat syth þe world began,
Is nat remembrid of no maner man,
Þat to-gidre in a companye
Was met y-fere so passyng a navye
Of manly men, who so liste take hede,
In þis story as ȝe schal after rede.
And by and by to make discripcioun,
Myn auctor telleth howe Agamenoun,
Þe worþi kyng, an hundrid schippis brouȝt
With worþi knyȝtis stuffid as hem ouȝt;
And Menelaus, on whom lay most [þe] charge,
Hath with him brouȝt sixti schipes large
Out of his londe þat callid is Sparten;
And from Boece, ful of manly men,
Cam fifty schipes, þe story telleþ þus,
With Prothenor and with Archelaus;
And from þe lond, callid Sycomenye,
Cam xxx.ti schipes in þe companye
Of þe duke þat hiȝte Achalapus,
With whom was eke, ful fresche & desirous,
Helymux þe erle, þe worþi knyȝt;
And fifty schipes, ena[r]med for to fyȝt,
With him brouȝt þe kyng Epistrofus,
Only with helpe of kyng Cedyus;
And Thelamoun, whom Aiax som men calle,
Ful renomed, for to reknen alle,
Hath fifty schipes brouȝt to þis Iourne
From Solemyne, his royal chef cyte,
With erlis, dukis, & many worþi knyȝt,
Eueryche of hem in stele armyd briȝt.
And duke Teuter, with Amphiacus,
Erl Darion, and noble Theseus—
Þis ilke foure, ful worþi of renoun,
In þis viage cam with Thelamoun.
And olde Nestor, cruel of hert & þouȝt,
Oute of Pilon haþ fifty schipes brouȝt.
Þe kyng of Daymes, þat ful worþi was,
And eke þe kyng þat hiȝt also Thoas
Brouȝten with hem in her companye
An C schipes knyȝtly for to guye;
And Thelamoun, y-callid Cilleus,
Þat was in armys fel & dispitous,
With him brouȝt from his londe so ferre
Sixe & þritty schipes for þe werre.
Amphimacus & kyng Polibete
Þritti schipes brouȝt[e] to þe flete
From Calcedoyne; and Meryoun, þe kyng,
Wiþ Ydumeus hadde in her ledyng
Foure score schipes with hem oute of Crete;
And Vlixes wiþ Grekys dide mete
With fifti schipes stuffid oute of Trace,
Towardis Troye proudly for to pace.
Duke Mellyus, ful of manly men,
Brouȝt eke [wiþ] hym grete schipes ten;
And, ouermore, þe duke Perotacus
And þe duke namyd Prothisalus,
To þe hauene þat callid was Athene,
Brouȝt fifty schipes, enarmid briȝt & schene,
From Philiarcha, þe strong myȝty Ile.
And Methaon, as Guydo doth compile,
Wiþ his broþer Polidris also,
From her contre Trycianyco,
Brouȝt xxiiti schipes, as I fynde;
And from Phices, as it is made mynde,
With Achilles cam fifti ful by noumbre;
And from Rodon, Troyens to encombre,
Cam xxti schippis with kyng Thelap[ol]us;
And with þe duke þat hiȝt Antipus,
Oute of þe londe þat Hesida men calle,
Of whiche þe folke be nyȝe cherlis alle,
With sail crossyd ageyn þe briȝt[e] heuene,
In noumbre cam schipes eke eleuene;
And with hem was, of name ful famus,
Þe worþi duke, callid Amphymacus.
And Polibethes, þe strong myȝti kyng,
Fifty schipis brouȝt at his comyng,
Oute of Richa, þe noble regioun;
And with þis kyng, ful worþi of renoun,
Was Losius þe duke, eke as I rede;
And, as I fynde, þe noble Diomede,
Of schipis grete (I speke of no smal barge)
Hath with hym brouȝt from Calidoyn & Arge
Foure score in noumbre, sothely þis no tale;
And Thelemus and myȝti Euryale,
Two manly men & in armys sage,
Wiþ Diomede cam in þis viage.
And Polyphebus brouȝt[e] schipis seuene,
And Phyneus, þe hardy kyng, enleuene;
And Prothoylus, as I can specefie,
Brouȝt fifty schipis vn-to [t]his navie
From Demenesa, þe myȝti regioun;
And Carpenor, as made is mencioun,
Brouȝt fifti eke from Capadie his contre,
A gret provynce, of whiche kyng was he.
Trearyus, of Beysa lord and kyng,
Brouȝt xxiiti also in his comyng;
And finally, ȝif I schal nat lye,
Ful many schip was in þis navie—
Mo þan Guydo maketh rehersaile,
Toward Troye with Grekis for to saile.
For as Omer in his discripcioun
Of Grekysche schipis makeþ mencioun,
Schortly affermyng, þat man was neuer borne
Þat swych a noumbre of schippis saw to-forne—
Countid þe schipis þat Palamydes
Brouȝt with hym her noumbre to encrese—
Þat whan þese lordis a-forn-seid euerychon,
Kynges, dukes, and erlis alle in on
Assemblid wern, wiþ-outen any wene,
Afore þe hauene þat callid is Athene,
Þe famous kyng, grete Agamenoun,
So wys, so worþi, & of so hiȝe renoun,
As he þat was prince and gouernour
Of Grekis hoste, anon dide his labour,
His besy cure and wakir dilligence,
By hiȝe avis and inward prouidence
To delibre wysly in þis nede
What were to do or þat he procede
In þis mater, castyng vp and doun
And reuoluyng of hiȝe discrecioun,
Þat he may so begynnen þat þe ende
Conclude wel, þat wilfulnes ne schende
Holly her purpos þoruȝ no rakilnes,
Ne þoruȝ noon hast, with-oute avisenes,
So þat þei may a-forn so wysely se,
Þat finally in felicite
Þei may acomplische her purpos in certeyn.
And so þis kyng, vp-on a large pleyn,
Out of þe cite but litel fro þe stronde,
With his lordis wil for no þing wonde
To haue a conseil, þis wyse Agamenoun,
Makyng a-noon a convocacioun
Of swyche as wern most gret in special,
He sittyng first in his se royal,
And his lordis eueryche in his se,
Like as þei wern of hiȝe or low degre;
And al tumulte stinted, and silence
Was þoruȝ þe pres, to ȝif hym audyence,
Þanne he anon, in ful sobre wyse,
Began his tale, as I schal deuyse.