University of Virginia Library

Of the answere that Appollo gave, as welle to fals Bisshope Calchas, as to Achylles.

Of þe prestis þei han her counseil take,
In þe temple to preyen and to wake
Til þei may fynde, vn-to þere entent
To haue answere at hour conuenient
To her purpos and leiser opportune.
And of on herte so longe þei contune
In praying, fastynge, and oblacions,
Wiþ sacrifyse and sondry orisons,
To-fore þe god awayting alwey faste,
Til he to hem answerid at þe laste
Wiþ softe vois and seide: “Achilles,” twye,
“Home to Grekis fast[e] þat þou hye,
Fro whom þou were hidir to me sent,
And seye hem sothly þe somme of her entent
Schal be fulfilled, with-oute wordis mo,
And how þat þei schal to Troye go,
And þer abide many stronge bataille,
But at þe last, with-outen any faille,
At ten ȝere day, þei wynne schal þe toun
And bringe it pleynly to distruccioun—
Wal and touris schal falle to ruyne;
And with al þis, her purpos for to fyne,
Kyng Priamus and Eccuba his wyf
And her sonys, in þis mortal stryf
Schal þer be slayn, broþer after broþer:
Þis is þe fyn, for it may be non oþer;
For þer schal non eskapen in þe place,
But swiche as Grekis likeþ vn-to grace
Of verray rouþe and of mercy take—
Þis al and som, & þus an ende I make.”
Of whiche answere Achilles glad & liȝt
Was in his herte, & with al his myȝt
Þankiþ Appollo of þis blisful ewer;
And soudeynly, of sort or aventure,
Þe silfe tyme be-fil a wonder þing:
For out of Troye, fro Priamus þe kyng,
Was sent a bischop for þe same caas
To haue answere, whos name was Calchas.
And he cam in, sool wiþ-outen prees,
Þe same hour while þat Achilles
Was þer present, a man of gret science—
I mene Calchas—& had experience
Specyally of calculacioun,
Of sort also and divinacioun,
And lernyd was in astronomye.
And whan þat he his tyme dide espie
To haue answere most conuenyent
Of Appollo, like to his entent,
As to-fore makid is memorie,
He entrid is in þe oratorie,
Doyng his ritys & his obseruances,
Like þe custom with þe circumstaunces,
And besely gan to knele and praye,
And his þinges deuoutly for to saye,
And to þe god crie & calle stronge;
And for Appollo wolde him nat prolonge,
Sodeynly his answere gan atame,
And seide: “Calchas,” twies be his name,
“Be riȝt wel war þat þou ne turne ageyn
To Troye toun, for þat wer but in veyn;
For finally, lerne þis of me,
In schort tyme it schal distroyed be—
Þis is in soth, whiche may nat be denyed,
Wherfor I wil þat þou be allyed
Wiþ þe Grekis, and with Achilles go
To hem anon; my wil is it be so:
For þei schal han, as I haue disposid,
Victorie & honour, þat may nat be deposid;
For it is fatal and ne may nat varie,
And þou to hem schalt be necessarie
In conseillyng and in ȝevinge red,
And be riȝt helpyng to her good[e] sped.”
And with þat worde roos him vp Calchas,
And to Achilles he went an esy pace,
And whan þat he cam to his presence,
With gret honour & moche reuerence
He was reseyuyd, like to his estat;
And after sone þei [were] confederat,
Swor to-gidre be bonde & assuraunce
To ben al on, wiþ-oute variaunce;
And þanne in hast þei to-gidre goon
To her schipes, & schope hem furþe anon,
With Pirrodus goyng by her syde.
Þei hale vp anker and no lenger bide,
But seile furþe, Calchas & þei tweyne,
Toward Grece—hem nedeth nat compleine
On wynde nor wawe—til þei arived be
At Athenes, þat stood vp-on þe se,
A large cite of olde fundacioun;
And Achilles to kyng Agamenoun
Hath Calchas brouȝt and also Pirrodus.
And whan þe Grekis, þe story telliþ vs,
Assemblid wern, þei to-gidre wente
To-fore þe kyng, & Calchas represente
To alle þe lordis, and no lenger dwelle.
And riȝt anoon Achilles gan to telle
With-oute abood, in Delos how þei mette
To-fore Appollo, where þei answer fette,
And how þe god hath pleinly determyned
Þe Grekis purpos, how it schal be fyned
Vp-on Troyens, and bad Calchas also
In no wyse þat he to Troye go,
But wiþ Grekis þat he abide stille,
Til þei her purpos fynally fulfille.
Of whiche þing þe Grekis, glad of chere,
Calchas accepte with herte ful entere
For on of hem, confederat be bonde,
To ben al on on water & on londe,
Wiþ-outen chaunge or any variance—
Þe oþe is made & put in remembraunce;
And þei ageyn fully hym assure
To cherisschen hym whil her lif may dure,
For wel or wo, and so þei made an ende,
And after parte & to her loggyng wende.
Til on þe morwe, after þe sterry nyȝt,
Whan Aurora was gladid with þe liȝt
Of Phebus bemys, þe Grekis vp aryse,
And to her goddis with many sacrifice
Þei don honour in what þei can or may,
And deuoutly holdyng a feste day,
After her ritis, meynt with love & drede,
In remembraunce of þe good[e] spede,
And of þe answer þat gooddis han hem sent,
So agreable vn-to her entent,
By Pirrodus and by Achilles.
And aftir þis, amongis alle þe prees,
Is Calchas come to-fore Agamenoun,
Alle his lordis sittyng enviroun
Lik her estatis, eche in his place dewe,
And humblely gan hem to salue
Vp-on his knees with sobre contenaunce,
And prayde hem, it be no displesance
To stynt a while and ȝif hym audience.
And riȝt anoon, as makid was silence
Amonge hem alle, Calchas gan abreide,
And euene þus ful sobirly he seide: