University of Virginia Library

Howe Agamenon, by þe avyce of al þe princes of Grece, sent Achilles and Pirodus into Delphos, to haue answere of Apollo, whidere thay shulde haue þe victory of þe Troyens or no. And here-aftire is declarid, howe ydolatrye and fals godes had ther bygynnenge; And how Calchas kam to þe same Ille.

After þe tyme þat Agamenoun
Concludid haþ fully his resoun,
As ȝe han herde, & his sentence fyned,
Þe Grekis ben of herte ful enclined,
And with o vois acordid pleynly þus,
Þat Achilles and also Pirrodus,
For comoun profit, sith[en] þei wer sage,
Schal take on hem þe charge of þis message,
To Appollo for answere for to goon;
And to schip þei hem haste anoon
And seile furþe be þe large se
Toward Delphos, and in prosperite
Þei ben aryued & I-com to londe.
Þe whiche Ile, as I vndirstonde,
And as myn auctor seith, with-oute les,
Haueth his syyt amonge[s] Cyclades,
Wher men with rokkis haue so moche a-do,
Amyd þe see callid Elespontico.
Of whiche Ile to make discripcioun,
I mote a while make digressioun
Fro my mater, as myn auctor doth;
For in þis Ile, Ysidorus in soth
Reherseþ pleynly how Latona, þe quene,
Appollo firste, and Diane þe schene
I-childid haþe, by Iubiter her lord,
Whan he and Iuno wer[e]n at discord—
As writ Ovide—for a litel while.
And so by-fil, in þis litel Ile
Þer was a temple whilom dedicat
Vn-to Appollo, and also consecrat
In his worschipe, of olde fundacioun,
Þat was honoured with grete deuocioun,
Be-cause Appollo with his bemys clere,
After þe flood, firste þere dide appere
To schewe his hornys, raþer þere & sone,
And Diane eke, þat callid is þe mone.
Of whiche schewyng þis Ile bereþ þe name
In-to þis day, þat is of so grete fame—
Only be aperyng of þis ilke tweyne:
For Delos is in Greke no more to seyne
Þan a schewyng or an apparence.
And þus be-gan þe grete reuerence
To Appollo first, and þe honour eke
To hym y-do of so many Greke,
And to his suster þat callid is Dyane,
Þe pale mone, þat can so wexe and wane,
And callid is of paynymys a goddesse,
Þat whilom was in wode an hunteresse.
And þis lady, with þe sonne her broþer,
Of þis Ile haue lordschip & non oþer,
Only for þei at her natiuite
Schewid her liȝt firste in þat contre.
Þe whiche Ile Grekis also calle
Ortigia, in her language alle,
Be-cause curlews wer þer first I-seyn:
For Ortigias is no more to seyn
Þan a curlew, in grew, I vndirstonde;
For þei were firste engendrid in þat londe.
And Appollo is callid eke Tytan,
Þat in his tyme so moche worschip wan,
Longe to-forne or he was made a sterre,
With Iubiter whan þat he hilde werre.
And he also y-callyd is Phebus,
And of somme y-namyd Phicius:
For of Pheton he hadde þe victorie
Whan he him slowȝ, to his encres of glorie—
Þe grete serpent here in erþe lowe—
Wiþ his arwis and his myȝti bowe.
Of whiche conquest þe gret[e] god Cupide
Had envie, and euene þoruȝ þe syde
He woundid hym, depe to þe herte
With þe arwe of golde, þat made him sore smerte.
And of Pheton, þat Phebus made fyne,
Com Phetonysses, þat konne so devine—
I mene women þat ben devyneresses
Þoruȝ dede men, þis false sorceresses,
As oon whilom reisede Samuel
For loue of Saule, þe Byble can ȝou telle.
And in his temple large, longe, and olde,
Þer was a statue al of purid golde,
Ful gret and hiȝe, & of huge weiȝte,
And þer-in was, þoruȝ þe deuels sleiȝte,
A spirit vnclene, be false illusioun,
Þat ȝaf answere to euery questioun—
Nat þe ydole, dovmbe as stok or stoon.
And þus þe peple, deceyued euerychon,
Were by þe fend brouȝt in gret errour,
To done worschip & swyche false honour,
With sacrifise & cursed mawmentrie.
And in þis wyse began ydolatrie,
As in þis place to tellen I me caste,
And how longe it abode and laste,
Compendiously I purpose to discryve—
Gynnyng & ende, as ȝe schal here blyve,
Wiþ-outen any ambyguite.
For at þe birþe and natiuite
Of Crist Iesu, at þe incarnacioun,
Alle þe ydoles brast and fel[le] doun,
And vanisched, & wer brouȝt to nouȝt,
Whan Herodes þe blisful childe haþ souȝt
Þoruȝ his malis & cruelte horrible,
As holy writ recordeþ & þe Bible.
For whiche pursut and persecucioun,
Þer dide apere, be a visioun,
An holy angel to Ioseph as he slep,
And bad hym ryse & also taken kep
Vn-to þe childe, and also to Marie,
And goon his way, or Herode him espye,
In-to Egypt, þe grete regioun,
Lik as þe gospel makeþ mencioun.
And riȝt anoon, as he cam to londe,
Þer was non ydole vp-riȝt myȝt[e] stonde,
But to-schiuerede vn-to pecis smale—
Þis holy writ, pleinly, and no tale,
As was recorded first of Isaie,
How þat oure lorde on an esy skye
Ascende schulde & holde furþe his weye
Toward Egypt, & þer-wiþ schulde deye
Al mawmetrie, and no lenger duelle.
But as þe Iewes recorde of Ysmael,
Þat he was first þat mawmetrie fonde,
And made of clay an ydole with his honde,
And as peynymys write & tellen vs
Þat aldirfirst was Promotheus
Þat fond ydolis, schortly to conclude;
For simulacrum cometh of similitude—
Þat is no þing pleynly but liknes
Made after man, his ymage to expresse,
Vn-to whiche paynymys in her guyse,
With false honour & cursyd sacrifise,
Be-gonne first þis ryt for drede of man.
And somme seyn, how Belus first began
Swiche fals[e] worschip & suche mawmetrie,
In her bokis as clerkis specefie,
Þat of Assirie was lord & gouernour,
After whos deth his sone in his honour,
Þat Nynus hiȝt, an ymage dide make
To be worschipte only for his sake—
Al of brent gold, be fals affeccioun,
And sette it vp for consolacioun,
And for a mynde and a memorial,
Vn-to þe whiche, with hert[e], wil, and al,
Of ygnoraunce and of fleschly love
He dide honour, as to God above,
In his templis, most of excellence,
And made his peple to do reuerence,
And seide in heuene he was deified,
Þat of no man durst[e] be denyed.
Til after sone but a lytel whyle,
A wickid spirit, folkis to be-gyle,
In þis ydole entrid to abyde,
And ȝaf answer vp-on euery side
To þe peple of what him list demaunde;
And þei ageyn, what he wil commaunde
Obeye fully—þe folke of al Assirie—
Whiche vn-to God dide gret Iniurie,
Makyng þe peple in suche errour falle.
And somme Belus & somme Bel hym calle,
And somme Balym & somme Belphegor,
And fil in errour alwey more & more—
And Belȝebub he named was also,
Whiche name is made of wordis two:
Of Bel & ȝebub, þat þus signefie—
For Bel is god, and ȝebub is a flye—
Þan Belȝebub to-gidre specefies,
Ioyned in on, þe grete god of flyes.
And of þis feyned fals ydolatrie
Gan al þe worlde worschip mawmetrie;
For somme Satorn “god of goddis alle”
Gan in her errour falsly for to calle,
Þat was whilom þe myȝti kyng of Crete,
And ȝaf hym name after þe planete
Þat in heuene haþ so large a spere.
And as poetis in her fablis lere,
Þat he be-forn, þoruȝ his sapience,
Sawe in his dyvyne providence
Howe a sone schulde of hym discende,
And of Iuno þe goddesse, as he wende,
Þat schulde hym pleinly from his regne expelle
And suffren him no lenger for to duelle
In his kyngdam, whan he com to age—
Wher-of Satorn fil in swiche a rage,
Þat he wil schape remedie þer-fore,
Byddyng his wyf, þat whan þe childe wer bore
Þat sche to hym schulde it bring a-noon,
In stede wher-of to hym sche brouȝt a ston—
To saue hir chylde sche dide hir besynes—
And þis Satorn, þoruȝ his gredynes,
Þe ston deuoureþ in his malencolye.
And þus Satorn, but ȝif bokis lye,
Hadde sonys þre, a douȝter, & no mo:
Iubiter, Neptunus, and Pluto.
But Iubiter grattest was of name,
Most renomed & worþiest of fame
Among paynyms, as it is verefied;
For þei so hiȝe han hym magnyfied,
Þat þei hym calle “god of fire & eyr,”
Nexte to Satorne borne for to be heyr.
And nexte to hym, in bokis as I rede,
Is god of bataille, myȝti Mars þe rede;
And nexte Appollo, so cler, so schene & briȝt,
Þe daies eye & voider of þe nyȝt,
Cherischer of frut, of herbe, flour, & corne—
Þe whiche god, liche as is seid a-forne,
In Delos is worschipte and honoured.
And after, Venus, þat often haþ socoured
Many louere, þe faire, lusty quene,
And hem alleggid of hir woundis grene,
Þat first were hurt with hir fyry brond,
As sche þat is goddes of many lond,
And al þe worlde haþe in hir demeyne
Fast enbracid in hir firy cheyne—
I mene þe lady þat callid is Venus.
And nexte in ordre is Mercuryus,
Þat in speche hath most excellence
Of rethorik and sugrid elloquence;
Of musik, songe, and of armonye
He hath lordschipe and hool þe regalye.
Nexte þe mone, þat wexe can & wane,
Callid Lucyna and also eke Dyane,
Þat in Delos hath hir mansioun,
Lik as to-forn is maked mencioun—
Now ful of liȝt, now hornyd pale is sche,
Lady of chaunge and mutabilite,
Þat selde in on halt hir any tyme;
And so fare þei þat ben born in hir clyme,
Þat ay delite in þingis þat ben newe,
Whos hert is clad in many sondry hewe,
So þei be diuers in her affecciouns.
And in þis wyse, in sondri regiouns,
Of mawmetrie is þe venym ronne,
Lik as clerkis wel deuyse konne:
For, as I fynde, þe Mawricyens
Worschip Iulam, and Egypciens
Honouren Ysis, after her konnyng,
Whilom douȝter of Ynachus þe kyng,
Þat tauȝt hem first hir lond to ere & sowe,
And also lettris for to rede and knowe,
And in lettrure to sette her besynes—
For whiche þing þei calle hir a goddes.
And Iubiter honoured is in Crete,
Where he whilom hilde his souereyn sete,
And on hem leyde many diuers charge,
With egles betyn in his baner large;
And he was lord of eyr, of lond, & see,
His royal kyngdam deuidyng in-to þre:
In þe hiest hym silfe doth contune,
And hool þe se he ȝaf vn-to Neptune,
And laste þe erþe, to holde his se royal,
He ȝaf to Pluto, þat god is infernal;
And alderlast, whan he was stellified,
Þis Iubiter was moste magnified
Of hem of Crete, a-bouten ouer al,
To whom þei made for a memorial
A large tombe and a statue a-lofte,
And hym honoured in her ritis ofte
With encens and oþer sacrifice.
And of þis mater ferþer to deuise,
Þe Latynys wiþ besy dilligence
In her rytis dide reuerence
To þe goddis—ȝif it be credible—
I-callid fawny, þat ben Invisible,
And han her duellyng in þe wodis grene,
Al-be þat men her figure may nat sene.
And of Romeyns ferþer to devine,
Þei most in honour han hir god Quyryne,
Þe whiche whilom, as bokis tellen vs,
Amongis hem was callid Romulus,
Þat bilt[e] first þe wallis of þe toun;
And from an hirde he cam to swiche renoun
Þoruȝ his manhod & his worþines.
Þe spere of whom, as bokis seyn expresse,
As he þe hed picched in þe grounde,
It gan anon, lik as it is founde,
To florische & floure & buddyn by myracle,
And of nature had[de] noon obstacle
To wexe grene with fresche blomys newe.
And for þe manhod þat men in hym knewe,
For his knyȝthod and his grete fame,
Þe worþi knyȝtes of Rome bare þe name
After hym, & were querytes callid,
Hiȝe in heuene whan þat he was stallid
Amonge þe goddis, and y-deifyed.
And þus Romeyns han hym glorified,
As for her god, with gold & gret expencis.
And, as I rede, þe Athenyenses
Of hool[e] herte chosen for to serue
To þe goddes þat callid is Mynerue,
And Pallas eke, wiþ hir cristal schelde,
Þat with Neptunus evene amyd þe felde
Helde chaumpartye, with wommen on hir syde;
And he with men, ful sirquedous in pride,
Defendiþ hym for ȝeving of þe name
Of Athenes, a cite most of fame—
Þis to seyn, wheþer he or sche
Schulde of riȝt name þe cite—
Til it be-fil, as þei gonne stryue,
Sodeynly þer sprang a fair olyue
For Pallas part, grene & fair blosmyng,
And þer ageyn, a welle gan to springe
For hym Pluto, with water, large & depe,
Of whiche þing Appollo toke good kepe,
Whiche in his dom was nat rek[e]les;
And for þe olyve tokeneþ loue & pes,
Water trouble, contek, werre, and strif,
He ȝaf sentence anon diffynytif,
How Pallas schulde, þat callid is Mynerve,
Þe palme pleynly of þis strif disserue.
And sche anon ȝaf name to þe toun,
And callid it, be hiȝe discrecioun,
Athenes, þe whiche in special
Is to seyn, a cite in-mortal:
For wisdam first þer be-gan to floure.
And for þis skille, þis cite dide honour
Miȝty Pallas, goddesse of science,
And had hir ay moste in reuerence.
And þei of Pave, in al her regioun,
Worschip moste þe quene of Cytheroun—
I mene Venus, ful of doubilnes,
Of whom aforne somwhat I dide expresse—
And in hir temple, ful solempnely,
Þei sette hir hiest; & moste richely
With gold and aȝure hir statue þei do peint,
And oþer colours þat may neuer feynt,
And set hir vp in þe hiȝest se
Of all þe temple þat al men may se;
And sche stant nakid in a wawy se,
Abouten hir with goddesse þre,
Þat be assygned with besy attendaunce
To a-waite on hir & don hir obseruaunce.
And floures fresche, blewe, rede, and white
Ben hir aboute, þe more for to delyte;
And on hir hed sche haþ a chap[e]let
Of rosys rede, ful plesauntly y-set,
And from þe hed doun vn-to hir foot
With sondry gommys & oynementis soot
Sche is enoynt, swetter for to smelle;
And enviroun, as poetis telle,
Ben douvys whyte fleyng, & eke sparwis,
And be-syde Cupide with his arwys—
Hir blinde sone—for to hurte and dere,
And loseth ofte & smyt he wot not where,
As he mote nede, be-cause he is blynde.
And þus honouryd & most had in mynde
Amonge þis peple is Venus þe goddesse.
And Naxyens don her besynesse
To serue Bachus, þe myȝti god of wyn,
Whos licour is moste precious and fyn
To recomfort hertis and to glade,
And to refresche hewes þat ben fade
In facis pale, and makiþ wittis scharp,
Losnyth tongis, & doth hem loude carp,
And causeth hem to walke at liberte,
And to discure þing þat was secre
Wiþ-oute avys or discrecioun:
For w[h]er as wyn hath domynacioun,
No secrenesse may be kepte in mewe.
And somme of hem þat Bachus serue & sewe,
Amonge to hym haue swiche deuocioun
Þat þei som while ar voide of al resoun,
Hasty and wood, & wiþ-oute al drede;
And somme also so toty in her hede
Þat þei are voide of power & of myȝt,
And haue no foot for to stonde vp-riȝt.
And ȝit þei ben as chargaunt as a pye,
Pale cherid, wiþ a glasy eye,
Ful of resoun til his wynde be spent:
For man or woman þat is vinolent
Is verreyly a beste vnresonable,
And, to my dom, I holde hym eke vnable
To ben acceptid in any companye,
Whan þat her tonge wadeth on þe lye,
Þat þei ne may brynge forth a worde.
And þus Bachus, þe stronge myȝty lorde,
Ful ofte causeth folkis for to erre,
To debate, & to make werre
Of hastynes, wher as is no nede.
Wherfore it is wisdam þat men drede
His sliȝty werkyng, or þei falle in þe snare;
And feble braynys be mesour for to spare
Or þei vnwarly arestid ben & take,
And or Bachus make hem for to schake
In a fevere wers þan tercyen—
Ȝiffe it of custom be quotidien,
Alterat with Bachus myȝty Iows—
And afferde of tornyng of þe hous,
And for-dreynt on þe drye lond,
Whan he hath lost boþe foot & hond,
And with a strawe pleyeth like an ape,
And deuoutly gynneth for to gape,
And noddeth ofte with his Iowsy hed,
As he had on an hevy cappe of led.
And who þat be of þis condicioun,
He entre may þe religioun
Of myȝti Bachus, for abilite.
Þe which[e] lord hath þe souereynte
Boþe of hony and of mylke þer-to,
And of bawme, þat is so riche also,
And lordschip haþe of hiȝe power devyne
Boþe of grapis and of euery vyne,
To ȝif hem norissching by his influence.
Of whom þe honour and þe reuerence
Is reysed most, as I vndirstond,
Among wynteris in euery maner lond,
Be-cause he is to hem so gracious.
And þei of Lewne worschip Wlcanus,
Þe god of fyre, Iubiter[i]s smyth;
Þe whiche forgiþ on his blak[e] stith
Þe gret[e] þonder, hidous & horrible,
And þe levenys, þat whilom be visible
In-to þe west, oute of þe orient,
And gasteth vs with his dredeful dent—
Þis smotry smyth, þis swart[e] Vlcanus,
Þat whylom was in herte so Ialous
Toward Venus, þat was his weddid wyf,
Wher-of þer roos a dedly mortal stryfe
Whan he with Mars gan hir first espie,
Of hiȝe malis & cruel fals envie,
Þoruȝ þe schynyng of Phebus bemys briȝt,
Liggyng a-bedde with Mars her owne knyȝt.
For whiche in hert he brent as any glede,
Makyng þe sklaundre al abrood to sprede,
And gan þer-on falsly for to mwse—
As God forbede þat any man accuse
For so litel any woman euere:
Where loue is set, hard is to disseuere;
For þouȝ þei don swyche þing of gentilles,
Passe ouere liȝtly and bere noon hevines
Liste þat þou be to wommen odyous—
And ȝit þis smyȝt, þis false Wlcanus,
Al-be þat he hadde hem þus espied,
Among peynyms ȝit was he deified;
And for þat he so falsely hem a-woke,
I haue hym set laste of al my boke
Amonge þe goddis of fals mawmetrie.
And in þis wyse gan ydolatrie,
As ȝe han herde, þoruȝ oppiniouns
Of peple erryng in her affecciouns—
Þat al is fals, who þe trouthe cerche:
For by techyng of al holy chirche,
Þe holy doctryne and tradiciouns,
We schal dispise swiche oppiniouns,
Whiche of þe fende wer founde nat of late.
For whan angelis in hevene wer create,
He þat of alle hadde prelacye—
Of whom þe prophete callid Ysaie
Writeþ riȝt þus: how þe cedris grene
Of paradys wer nat so fair to sene,
Planys nor fir in heiȝte, soþe to seyn,
To his hiȝnesse myȝt[e] nat atteyne,
Nor al þe tres, so delicioūs,
Of paradys were nat so precioūs,
Nouþer in siȝt nor in semlynes
To ben egal to hym in fairnes;
But þo[r]uȝ his pride & his surquedie,
Whan he seide to God, þat sit so hiȝe,
He wil be like, and also set his se
Hiȝe in þe northe, passyng his degre,
He was cast doun with alle his legiouns
From þe faire hevenly mansiouns,
Al sodeynly in-to þe pitte of helle,
Perpetuely þer for to duelle.
Of whom was seide, whan he fil so ferre:
“How fil þou so, o þou morwe sterre,
From þe myddis of þe stonys briȝt,
Þat ben so percynge & fyry of her liȝt,
Þat whilom wer for þi gret briȝtnes
Callid Lucyfer,”—of whom Crist seiþ expresse
In his gospel, how he sawe fro hevene
Sathan discende, lik þe fyry leuene—
Þe olde serpent, þat is so lowe falle,
Whom Hebrei in her tonge [c]alle
Be-mowþe, þat doth in latyn plein expresse
A beste rude, ful of cursednesse—
Þe vile serpent, he, Leuyathan,
Whom Ysidre wel discriue can,
Whiche of kynde is euere conuersaunt
In wellis trouble, & haueþ most his haunt
Amongis watris in þe large see;
Of whom seiþ Dauid, lik as ȝe may se,
In þe sauter makyng mencioun
Of þe snake, þe monstruous dragoun,
Ful of venym, and of harde grace,
Whiche in þe se, large & gret of space,
With foule addris haþe his mansioun,
Vn-to mankynde to doon illusioun—
Whom whilom sawe þe holy monke Brandan,
As he seiled by þe occian,
Þrowe & deiect, in a pet horrible,
More foule and hidous þan it is credible,
Þer to abide, þis tortuose serpent,
Vn-to þe day pleinly of Iugement,
Þat of malis envied so mankynde.
Whiche with his gynnes & sleiȝtes, as I finde,
Cam to oure fadir first in paradys;
And to deceyve þe bet at his devys,
More couertly, þis werme in his passage
Toke of a serpent þe liknes & ymage—
Þat is, of chere, of loke, and countenaunce
Like a mayde, & hath þe resemblaunce
Of a womman, as recordeth Bede,
In his deceytis raþer for to spede—
I mene þe hed only, and nat ellis:
For be-hynde, so as clerkis tellis,
Like a serpent of wombe, bak, & taile
He was whan he gan hem to assaile;
And towarde Eue whan he gan to glide,
He first enqueriþ, as he hir toke a-side,
Why God for-bad hem etyn of þe tree,
Whiche ȝif þei ete, sothly schulde be
Like to goddis, knowyng good & ille.
And riȝt furþe-with, as þei gan fullfille
Þe fendis heste, her eyen were vnclosid,
And for her gilt sodeynly deposid
From paradys in-to wrechidnes,
To liuen in labour, sorwen, & distres.
And þus þe fend, first whan þat he toke
Forme of a snake & a woman loke,
And made þe tonge in hir hed to meve,
By fals engyn mankynde for to greve,
So as he doth in hem þat be travailled,
With wicked spirites vexid & assailled,
To meve her tongis falsly oute to breke
In-to blasfemye, what þing þat þei speke—
Þe same serpent, he Levyathan,
Contynvyng ay falsly as he gan
In cursid ydoles dovmbe, defe, & blynde,
Ful ofte spekith be spirites, as I fynde,
Whiche ar but fendis, Dauid writ certeyn,
Þe goddis alle, whom folkis so in veyn
Honour with ritis superstycious,
As whilom was Appollo Delphicus,
Liche as to-forn ȝe han herde deuise,
Whiche as for now ouȝte I-nowȝ suffise.
And, as I trowe, þe verray cause why,
Þat myn auctor rehersith by and by
Grounde & gynnynge of ydolatrie—
Þis þe cause, for ouȝt I can espie,
For þat he sawe þe mater was nat knowe
I-liche wel, boþe to hiȝe and lowe;
Par aventure ȝou to do plesaunce,
He hath þe grounde put in remembraunce
Of false goddis & of mawmetrie,
And moste for hem þat can no poisye,
And to þe story resorteþ sone ageyn,
How Achilles, as ȝe han herde me seyn,
And Pirrodus han þe weye y-nome
To þe temple, and þider ben I-come
To han answere of her embassatrie,
Of gret Appollo, whiche may nat lye.