University of Virginia Library

Oylus Aiaxe, certanely,
That with schippes two & thretty
That ine þat Ilk tempest couth fall,
His schippis brynt were and drownede all,
And he hime-self in-to þe flude
Flatterand amange þe wawes wode
With gret force of his armes gane swyme,
Quhill þe tempest had cassyne hime,
Bolnede with wattere, nere deande,
All naked vpone þe sande.
Quhare þare all nycht stone-still he lay,
Quhill one þe morne, þat It was day,
Trowand none vþir thing bot deide.
Quhill one þe morne to þat Ilk steide
Quhare he was lyand, vpone case
Sume of his mene þat liffand was,
Amange þe wallis fast swymmand
Richt as he did, come to þe land,
All nakit. quhene þat þai ware þaire
Sumquhat refettyd, þai gane faire
To seike þare lord and luke gif he
Throw ony case mycht liffand be:
And fande hime richt as aire said I.
Than þai tuke hime wp hastely
And comforted hime with wordis meikly;
Bot þare was no clathis, suthly,
Nor ȝit no mete nor vþire thinge,
To mak hime ony comfortinge.
And sume mene sayis, þis mischeif all
Becauss of þis Aiax cane fall:
For agane hime þe god Mynerve
Gane o richt bittire Ire conserve,
That one hime sche walde wengede be
And one þaime all, becauss þat he
The kingis douchtir Cassandra
Dreuch violently hire tempile fra.
Þocht It be said þat þai sulde tak
The payne þat þe trespass gane mak,
Bot It Is nocht of new certane
That oft happinnit for gilt of ane
A thousand þat trespassit nocht
To be pvnist for It, he wrocht. —
And now forsuth of þire gregois
And lordis passand þus frome Troyes
And hastand to þare awne cuntre,
Of all þire parrellis in þe se
And contrare casis mony-falde,
Ine-to þis nixt buke sall be talde. —