University of Virginia Library

This Ilk tyme þat we of reid,
In Grece þar was withoutine dreid
A king þat Naulus to naime hade,
That had a kynryk longe & braide;
The qulk kynrik strekit throw-out
A gret arme of þe se but dout,
One Ilk syde with craggis hie—
Richt hidowis apone for to se —
And þe wynde wallis duschande ay
Vpone þe craggis nycht & day,
And mony sandy brayis lyande
Outwith þe craggis one þe lande.
And þis kinge Naulus in þe tyde
That grekes one þe sege gan byde,
Had two sonnes withoutine less:
Of þe quhilkis þe eldest Pallamydes
Was called — þe story telleth þus —
And þe othire eke Otheus.
This Pallamydes was richt wicht
And oft wane gret worschipe in ficht,
And flurisand in-to knychthed.
He to þe grekes ost but dreid
Come with schippes gret copy
And mony knychtis in company
And with richt mychti apparele —
For na king in-to Grece but fale
Had so gret kynrike as his was,
Ne so haboundand of ritchess.
This Pallamydes grekes maide
Emperoure of all þe oist but baide
And gud Agamenone þe kinge
Removede, þat had first governynge.
And þis Pallamydes was
In one gret battell slane throw case,
As ȝe haue herd before all how —
So þat It may suffice rycht as now.
Bot sume folk, þat has ony plesaunce
Of vtheris sorow and mischaunce
And has Joye of þare awne malyce,
To kynge Nawlus one vþir wyss
Ande to his sone Oetus alss
Tolde a foule fenȝeit fortoune falss
Of Pallamydes queyntly
With sleked wordis subtelly:
Thai said forsuth Pallamydes
Not slane in-to þe battall wes,
Bot thiftuislie murdred but dreide
Throw Vlixes and Diomeide
Throw counsall of þe grekes hale.
And for to fluriss wele þare tale
And gare þaime haf more ferme credence,
With richt subtell eloquence
Tolde all þe maner how It wes:
Thai said richt þus: (þat) Vlixes
And Dyomeid and Menelay
And Agamenone gart purwey
Two falss lettres fenȝeandly,
Quhilkis contunede þat privaly
Pallamides was hole purpost
For to betraiss þe grekis oist
And þarupone with troyens hade
All trety and full connande maide,
And þai for þis thinge gif hime sulde
A certane quantite of golde;
And þire lettres þai gart be þane
lleyde at þe syde of one deid mane;
And syne þe sowme of golde also
That þe lettres said hime to
Frome þe troyens of þe cite,
Vlixes þe said quantite
Of golde tuke & helde one but mare
To Pallamydes secretare
And þare with him he tretit so,
That with þat golde he gart him go
Richt to Pallamydes tent
And þare withoutine longere stent
Hid It vndere his bedhed sone.
And to Vlixes, quhene he had done,
He tolde how he had hid It þare.
And þan Vlixes foroutine mare
Gert þe secretare pryvely
Be slane for his meid wikkitly.
Sone thire falss lettres, þai gane mak,
Ware schawede; þat grekes gane tak
In-to þare hartis suspicioune
Of Pallamydes falss tressoune,
And helde vnto his tent in hy
To se þe maner certanely
Of þe golde at þe lettere saide,
And socht his bed and fand þare laide
The samyne wecht of gold but more
That þe lettres spak of before.
Thane þai, þat ware before in dout,
Gaf full credence þar-to all-out
And roiss aganis Pallamydes,
As he þat ane falss tratour wes.
And Pallamydes manfully
Aganis þaime & richt stoutly
Profferit hime for to defend,
Aganis quhome evire wolde pretend,
Be battell, he was clene but let
Of þat falss cryme þai one hime set,
And so to purge him by battell.
And quhene his foes saw but fale
That none wald in þat quarell ficht
And so offende hime nocht þai mycht,
Vlixes þane with sle quentyss
Sermoned þe pepill one suche wyss,
Sayand: at þat suspicioune
And all þat falss presumpcioune
That þai one Pallamydes hade,
Was all of cruell malice maide;
So þat It semed Vlixes
Was full frend to Pallamides,
And Pallamydes ȝit ryngande
And hole governour all beande.
And ȝit þire learis to Naulus
Ekit maire to þis & said þus:
That nocht eftire þis thinge full lange
Vlixes and Diomede couth gange
To Pallamydes secretly
And said: It was talde þaime treuly
That in ane alde draw-well, was by,
Thare was a gret hurde, certanely,
That throw þaime mycht þan be lichtly hade,
And full fallow þarof hime maide;
Thare-for, gif It þat lykande was
With þame þe nixt nycht for to pas
To get þat golde and tak hime sume,
Thai said he suld be richt welcume.
And Pallamydes persavande
No fraude, bot fermely þame trowande,
At nycht to þe well with þaime past.
And quhene þai come þare, kest richt fast
Quhilk of þaime thre suld first discend.
Than Pallamydes, þat nocht wende
Bot treuth, tuke of baith hoiss & schone
And syne his vmast clath richt sone,
And lyflie to þe well cane founde.
And quhene þai saw hime at þe grounde
Of þe draw-well, þai boith attones
Kest downe vpone him mony stones
And slewe hime and left hime richt þare;
Syne to þare tentes gane þai faire
That Ilk nycht, but noyiss or sovne. —
This was þe falss relacioune
Of Pallamydes, and mony vthir,
Boith to his fader & his broþire,
And gart þaime trow þat It was þus.
Boith king Naulus & Oetus
Tharfor richt besely þai socht
How to rewenge come þai mocht
Of his deid and raiss michtely
Aganis þe grekis oist holy.
And þai herd say þe grekes ost
In þat Ilk wyntir ware purpost
In þare cuntre to pass but dreid;
And Naulus wist þaime worthide neid
Pass by costes of his londe.
Tharfor his mene he gaf commande
That Ilk nycht þai suld walkand be,
And one þe craggis besyd þe se
He bad Ilk nycht þai fyre sulde haif,
And so þe grekes to dissaif,
That, gif þai come þare vpone nycht,
Thai suld throw þe fyres bricht,
That þar suld seme plane land war by
Quhare þai mycht halde þare courss saifly,
Tharfor with topsall all & sume
Vpone þe craggis sulde cume,
Quhare þare schippes sall periss all
And eke þai drownede gret & small.
And in deid It was done richt so.
For wele two hundreth schippis & mo
And all þe mene þat ine þaime were
Was drowned throw þe fyres thare.
Bot þe laif of þe schippes syne,
That followit nixt in þe navyne,
Come salande to þe samyne place
And herd þe gret ruschinge þat was
Of þe schippes þat ware brekande,
And cryes of þaime þat ware deande:
Persauit þare parrell to be,
Tharfor ine haist to þe rowme se
Thai tornede and helde one þar way.
Amangis þe quhilkis Menelay,
Diomeide and Agamenone
Eschewed þe parrell & passede one. —
This Ilk forsaid Oetus,
That was alss callit Peleus,
Sone to þis forsaid Naulus kynge,
Kest ine his hart saire compassynge:
For to vndo þire two in deide,
Agamenone and Diomeide,
And ine his thocht kest mony way
How he mycht do to þaime, gif þai
Happinnit to cume ine þare cuntre.
And for þat reull (!) purposs he
Gart specialie lettres mak but weire
And by ane subtell messingeire
To Cletemistra send belyve,
That was Agamenonis wyve,
Affermand suthly for certane
That kynge Agamenone had tane
A douchtere quhile of king Pryame
To wyf and was bringand hire hame
And Cletemistra wolde depryve;
Tharfor with counsall attentive
He counsalit hire to seike remeide,
To saif hire-self frome felloune deide.
Cletemistra gaif trowynge
To Oetus and gret tokynnynge (!)
Of his counsall, & privaly
It kepit, & socht besely
How sche mycht (saf) hire frome suche thinge.
Thane sone Agamenone þe king,
Fra all parrell of se maid quyte,
Come home to his kynryk tyte.
And Cletemistra þat was blyth,
Fenȝeand faire chere, met hime rycht swyth
With gret blythnes — bot ȝit scho had
Ane buschement for his slauchtir made.
And þis Cletemistra, þai recorde,
In-to þe absence of hire lorde
Had defouled hire mariage:
For also sone eftir his passage
Sche tuke one Egistus in deide,
Forȝettand all hire womanhede.
And þis Egestus one hire gat
A douchtere, þat Gyrgona hate;
Quhome to þe kynrike hole sche hicht.
This Ilk Egestus was one knycht,
Bot nocht cummyne of duke nor kynge,
Ne was not of so hie ofsprynge. —
Bot It Is said soth langtyme syne:
Quhene womene settis þaime for sic cryme
As for to defoull þare bodyis,
Thai tuke eftir of mony wyss
A semplere, as we may oft se,
Na þare lord & of less degre,
And luffis þe bettir & takkis þe wer,
Settand all schame behynd full fere,
Declynand ay frome honeste,
Takand þe war to such wylte;
Bot me think þat þai sulde of skill
Desyre þe gud ere þan þe Ill,
For to þe warld It war less schame
And less disclander to þare name.
Bot þai may nouþir resonabilly
Exterss (!) þare wikkit adultry,
And namely þat þai sulde not slo
Thare husbandis for þare foull lust so. —
This Ilk quene Cletemistra
With Egestus gane sic trety ma:
Þat þe first nycht þat þe king was cummyne
And in his bed his first slepe nummyne,
Schortlie to say, þis Egestus
Slew hime. and quhene he (ded) was þus,
To sepulture þai gart hime bringe.
And nocht lange eftir his erdinge
This said Egistus tuke to wyf
Cletemistra; and sche belyf
Gaif hime all hole þe governynge
Of þe kynryk and maid hime kyng.
Now þis Agamenone, we of reid,
Had o sone gottine of his seide
One þis queyne and Cletemistra richt,
That to his name Arestes hicht,
And was with-ine elde ȝit suthly.
Quhom to þe king Calabus ine hy,
His cosing, dredand þat with trayne
He sulde be throw Egistus slayne,
Staw hime away & send hime has
To king Ydomeus, þat was
Kyng of Crete and was cosyne
To hime. and þocht he of fer lyne
Was and fer sib to Orestes,
This Ilk Ydomeus but les,
And his wyf eke, Tyrasyse,
Resaued hime thankfully & wyss,
And gart hime with all besyness
Be kepit alswele and no less
Thane Clemana, þare douchtere faire,
That was þare nixt apperande aire;
And ine his kynrik helde hime þane,
Quhill he was to þe elde of mane. —
This Ilk Oetus alswa,
King Naulus sone, to Egra,
Þe qulk was Diomeidis wyf,
Wrote ine lyke maner, to raiss stryf,
That he to Cletemistra wrote:
Effectuislie tellinge quhat-gote
That Diomeid had weddit ane
Of Pryamis douchteris, in certane;
And bad hire trow It out of dreide.
Now was þat Egra in deide
Douchtere to kinge Polemyte,
Kinge of Argew; and alss-tyte
As hir forsaid fadere was deid,
He left behynd him in his steid
This Egra — þe buke sayis þus —
And a sone, callit Assandrus;
And eftir þar faderis deces
The kynrik of Argew but les
Betuix þaime þai couth ewyne depart;
And þis Egra with hire part
To husband tuke Diomedes.
And quhene þis Diomeid bowne wes
And to þe grekes ost to go,
This Ilk Assandrus also
Passed with hime in company
Aganis þe troyens michtely.
Bot or þai to þe ost cume mycht,
In-to one place, þat Berclame hicht,
Thai come, quhare þai purposede to byde
For recreacioune Ine þat tyide.
Bot þe kinge Thelaphus, þat was
Lorde of þat Ilk province, rass
And yrously apone þaime come
With armed mene, as out of home (!),
And ruschit one þaime but abaid.
And þai, seand þai mistere had
For to defend þaime, faucht agayne,
And þis Assandrus fell has slayne
Of þe kinge Thelaphus best mene.
The king Thelaphus, persavand þene
That he mycht nocht sustene þat scaith,
In hand he tuke a gret spere raith
And gane agane Assandrus ryde,
And stroik hime so ine-to þe syde
That he hime woundit thrō þe corps
And straik hime deid downe frome his hors
Diomeide, seand in þat steid
Assandrus, his gud-broþir, deid,
As wode out of his wit, but les,
Gane rusche in-to þe thikkest pres,
Woundand, menȝeand & slaande ay,
Quhill he come quhare Assandrus lay,
And drew him out frome þe horss feit,
In fell teres þat he gane grete;
Syne with his mene tornede agane.
Thus was he slane in-to certane.
Bot It was nocht rehersit þus
To Egera of Assandrus,
Bot It was tolde hire but lesinge
That throw Dyomedis compassinge
Hire broþir was slayne, so þat he
Throw his decess mycht haf all fre
Throw þe richt of his wyf all hale
All þe kynryk but halfyndale.
And þis Egra certanely
Louede hire broþire so tenderly,
That sche had fere levere forgo
Hire owne part & his also
Ne be deprivit of hire broþire.
So, quhat of þis tale & þe toþir
That Oetes also gane tell,
Sche tuke so cruell hart and fell
Aganis þis Diomeide one-ane,
That all þe argives euerilkane
Sche tretede so, þat Diomeide
Suld nocht be thare resaued in deide;
And send hime worde & said þat he
Suld nocht presume in þat degre
To duell a quartare of a day.
And so he strenȝeit passing his (!) way,
Nocht wittinge quhar for to declyne.
And so throw fortoune happinnit syne
In Salamyne to cume percase,
That Tewtere rengand þare was,
Thelamonyus brothire, þai recorde,
And of þe province was hole lorde.
And quhene þat he herd Diomedes
Had conspyred with Vlixes
In Thelamonis his broþeris deide,
And was so cummyne in his steide:
He commandit he sulde be tone.
Bot Diomeid, or euir he fone,
Eschapand his gyrne slichtfully,
And flede and left his land quytly. —
Demephone ande king Aganas
Frome handes of kyng Tewter has (!)
Eschapede out of gret perrile,
That frome þare handes in exile
War put, as Diomeid before;
And to Cartace to Duke Nestore
Come, þat þame richt curtasly
Resauede. and þane In-to hy
Thire two kynges tuke purposs thare
That þai walde in þare cuntreis faire
With armede honde richt michtely,
To fecht ande wyne þare lond wichtly,
To mak one þaime fell martyre
That so agane þaime gane conspyre.
Bot Duke Nestor commendit nocht
Thare counsale, bot said þat hime thocht
Better þat þai send first to trete
With faire wordis and hechtis grete.
And þai haue (done) richt so but hone.
Quharfor all there liegis sone
With meike hartis, boith pure & ryke,
Resauede þame in þare kynryke. —
Eneas, ȝit þat maid delay
At Troy, with all þe haist he may
Maid redy his schippis to faire.
Bot þe meyne-tyme þat he baid þaire,
He persavede and wist but dowt
That syndry folk duelland about
Of þare nychtbouris bownde (!) to anoy
The fewe folk þat remanede ine Troy.
Tharfor he counsalede þaime: sene he
In þare helpe mycht nocht abyde nor be,
That þai for Diomede walde sende,
That was richt wicht, as he wele kende:
Sene he was þane in-to exile,
That he walde cume In-to þe meyne-quhile
And be with þaime in þare subsyde.
And þai did so In-to schort tyde
And eftir Diomeide send richt.
And he with all þe helpe he mycht
Purchesss one all syde besely,
Come vnto Troy richt manfully.
And quhene he come to Troy, he fande
Thame all as ine a sege luckande,
And Eneas ȝit þaime among,
That was blyth; and þai boith gane gonge
Richt hardely with þe troyens,
For battell ordanit all attones,
And sex dayes contynewally
Faucht. quhare þat Diomeid stoutly
Throw his provess richt mony slais
And tuke mony of troyens fais,
And all þat evir he tuke, but let
Gart hangit be one a gibbet.
The auchtane day fechtande richt fast
He provit sa, quhill at þe last
Thai tornede þare bakis ande to go (!);
And he gane mony of þaime slo,
And all þat mycht be tone, Ilkane
Gert þaime be hangit, in certane.
Than vþeris nychtbouris, þat gan duell
About þe towne or in castell,
Herand how þai ware vndone
That þaime assegeit þan, þai alsone
Sesit frome all wexacioune
Of þe troyens. þarfor þe towne
Was in-to pece — gif It mycht be
Said pece ine suche aduersite. —
Eneas, quhene þis was done,
His schippis redy maid but hone
And with þe troyens, þat left was,
And with his fadere Anchises
Enterede in schippes but sudiorne,
To pass in exile but retorne
As þe gregeois hade ordanit It,
And to þe se gane hime commit,
As vnknowene quhare fortoune wolde
That he and his suld resting holde [OMITTED]

»Thai leif all vþire besynes;
So þam emplesit þat swetness
That of þaime-self þai haf na thocht,
Of mete and drink rekande richt nocht,
Bot throw þare swete songe fallis one slepe.
The mermadynnis thane takine (!) kepe,
Seis þaime slepand, þane cummis roth
And drownes þame and þare schippes bath.
Amange þire mermadynnis come we.
And I, dredand my mene suld be
Merrit with þare sle fantasye,
Gart þame þare eris stop In hy
With my craft: so þai herd þaime nocht;
With hole cast syne vpone þaime soucht
And a thousand of þaime cane slo;
And so þat parrell we passit fro.
Thus passede we and tho parrellis left.
Vnhappely þan we fell eft
In-to Carybdis In-to schort quhile,
And wele more of þaime fyftene myle[OMITTED]
That swelt half of my schippis has
Suellede ande all þat in þaime was.
And with þe toþir half away
I gat, bot I gat a fell fray,
And to Phynit come saland þane.
Quhare I fande wikkit tyrand-mene,
That ruschit one my folk & me
And slew most part of my menȝe
And left bot fewe of þaime one lyve,
Syne spulȝeit has my schippis belyve,
And me and þe quheyne folk þat ware
Liffand, tuke and in presoune þare (!).
Bot, throw will of þe goddis, syne
Thai deliuerede out me and myne;
Bot þai restorit nocht of our gud.
Frome thyne in poverte furth we ȝude,
Quhill þat we come to þis cuntre,
Richt misterfull, as ȝe may se.
Now haf I talde ȝw myne anoye
That I had, sene I come fro Troy,
And all þe awenturis I hade.«
Ande so ende of his speche he maide.
The king Ydoneus, þat herde
Vlixes tane how þat he ferde,
Has in his hart of hime pite;
Tharfore oucht þat mycht plesand be
To him in þe kynryke of Crete
He gart hime haue with honour grete.
That, quhene It lykede Vlixes
To pass frome Crete, þe king but less
Gart gif hime two schippes in hy,
And golde and siluere richt plentuously,
To suffice hime in his wayage:
Ande prayede hime at his passage
To þe king Anthenor to wende,
That ȝarnede him to se as frende.
With leif to his schippes þarfore
He passede, and come to Anthenore:
That hime resauit with blyth cheire
And honorede him vpone gret manere.
Vlixes harde þar tell belyve
How þat Penolope, his wyf,
With gret men was assayede in deide
And kepit ay hire womanheide;
And also he was certefyede
That folk his kynryk occupyede
Incontrare of his wyffis will.
And þare come alswa þar him till
Thelamocus, his sone þat was,
That tolde þe certane suthfastness.
Vlixes, þat þis thing herde tolde,
Prayed king Anthenor he wolde
With him In-to his cuntre ga.
And Anthenor said blythlie ȝha,
And, with his knychtis, with hime ȝeide
To schip. and so þai gan proceide,
That Vlixes with subtilte
Come vpone nycht to his cite.
And at þe traytouris he begynnis
And enteris first in-to þare Innes,
And fande þaime fast slepand Ilkone,
And slewe þaime all — eschapit none.
Syne, quhene þe day was dawyne licht,
In his palace he enterit richt
With þe kinge Anthenor: quhare he
Was resauit as kyng sulde be.
O, how blyth was Penolope
That longe desyred sicht to se!
O, how in haist þe citeȝanis
Come for to se þare kynge attanes,
Brynging so mony giftis ryke!
And hime agane to his kynryke
Thai gane richt hartfully restore.
Thane tretit he with Anthenore
That Thelamocus, his sone, cane ta
To wyf his douchter Nausica;
And maid a ryall brydale sone.
Kynge Anthenor, quhene þis was done,
Passed home agane, & Vlixes
Bode in his lande with rest & pece. —