[Sidenote: [The seuende Met{ur}.]]
[Sidenote: Atrides carried on a ten years’ war to punish the
licentious Paris.]
++ÞE wrekere attrides ¶ þat is to seyne agamenon þat 4236
wrouȝt[e] {and} continued[e] þe batailes by ten ȝere
recouered[e] {and} p{ur}ged[e] in wrekyng by þe destrucc{i}ou{n}
of troie þe loste chambres of mariage of hys broþer
þis is to seyn þat [he] agamenon wan aȝein Eleine þat 4240
was Menelaus wif his broþer.
[Sidenote: With blood he purchased propitious gales for the
Grecian fleet, by casting off all fatherly pity, and sacrificing
his daughter Iphigenia to the vengeance of Diana.]
In þe mene while þat
þilke agamenon desired[e] to ȝeuen sailes to þe grekyssh{e}
nauye {and} bouȝt[e] aȝein þe wyndes by blode. he
vncloþed[e] hym of pite as fad{er}. {and} þe sory p{re}st 4244
ȝiueþ in sacrifiynge þe wreched kuyttyng of þrote of þe
douȝter. ¶ þat is to sein þat agamenon lete kuytte{n} þe
þrote of hys douȝter by þe prest. to maken alliaunce wiþ
hys goddes. {and} for to haue wynde wiþ whiche he 4248
myȝt[e] wende to troie.
[Sidenote: Ulysses bewailed his lost mates, devoured by
Polyphemus, but, having deprived the Cyclop of his sight, he
rejoiced to hear the monster’s roar.]
¶ Itakus þat is to sein vlixies
bywept[e] hys felawes ylorn þe whiche felawes þe
fiers[e] pholifem{us} ligginge in his grete Caue had[de]
freten {and} dreint in hys empty wombe. but naþeles 4252
polifem{us} wood for his blinde visage ȝeld to vlixies ioye
by hys sorowful teres. þis is to seyn þat vlixes smot
oute þe eye of poliphem{us} þat stod in hys forhede.
[Linenotes:
4236 _seyne_--seyn
4237 _wrouȝt[e]_--wrowhte
_continued[e]_--continuede
_ȝere_--ȝer
4238 _purged[e]_--purgede
4240 [_he_]--from C.
_wan_--MS. wanne, C. wan
4242 _desired[e]_--desirede
4243 _bouȝt[e]_--bowhte
_blode_--blod
4244 _vncloþed[e]_--vnclothede
_as_--of
4245 _kuyttyng_--MS. knyttyng, C. kuttynge
4246 _lete_--let
_kuytten_--MS. knytte{n}, C. kuttyn
4248 _haue_--han
4249 _myȝt[e] wende_--myhte wenden
4250 _bywept[e]_--by-wepte
_ylorn_--MS. ylorne, C. y-lorn
4251 _fiers[e]_--feerse
_had[de]_--hadde
4253 _ȝeld_--yald
4254 _sorowful_--sorwful
_smot_--MS. smote, C. smot
4255 _oute_--owt
_stod_--MS. stode, C. stood
_forhede_--forehed]
[Headnote:
THE LABOURS OF HERCULES.]
for whiche vlixes hadde ioie whan he saw poliphem{us} 4256
wepyng {and} blynde.
[Sidenote: Hercules is renowned for his many labours, so
successfully overcome.]
¶ Hercules is celebrable for hys
hard[e] trauaile
[Sidenote: He overthrew the proud Centaurs;]
he dawntede þe proude Centauris half
hors half man.
[Sidenote: he slew the Nemean lion and wore his skin as a trophy
of his victory;]
{and} he rafte þe despoylynge fro þe
cruel lyou{n} þat is to seyne he slouȝ þe lyou{n} {and} [[pg 148]]
rafte hy{m} hys skyn.
[Sidenote: he smote the Harpies with his arrows;]
he smot þe brids þat hyȝte{n} 4261
arpijs [in þe palude of lyrne] wiþ certeyne arwes.
[Sidenote: he caried off the golden apples of the Hesperides, and
killed the watchful dragon;]
he rauyssed[e] applis fro þe wakyng dragou{n}. {and}
hys hand was þe more heuy for þe golde[ne] 4264
metal.
[Sidenote: he bound Cerberus with a threefold chain;]
He drouȝ Cerberus þe hound of helle by
hys treble cheyne.
[Sidenote: he gave the body of proud Diomede as food for the
tyrant’s horses;]
he ouer-comer as it is seid haþ
put an vnmeke lorde fodre to hys cruel hors ¶ þis is
to sein. þat hercules slouȝ diomedes {and} made his hors 4268
to etyn hym.
[Sidenote: he slew the serpent Hydra;]
and he hercules slouȝ Idra þe serpent {and}
brend[e] þe venym.
[Sidenote: he caused Achelous to hide his blushing head within his
banks;]
and achelaus þe flode defouled[e] in
his forhede dreint[e] his shamefast visage in his
strondes. þis is to sein þat achelaus couþe transfigure 4272
hym self in to dyuerse lykenesse. {and} as he fauȝt wiþ
orcules at þe laste he t{ur}nid[e] hym in to a bole and
hercules brak of oon of hys hornes. {and} achelaus for
shame hidde hym in hys ryuer.
[Sidenote: he left Antæus dead upon the Lybian shore;]
[Sidenote: [* fol. 33 _b_.]]
¶ And [he] hercules 4276
*cast[e] adou{n} Antheus þe geaunt in þe strondes of
libye.
[Sidenote: he appeased Evander’s wrath by killing Cacus;]
{and} kacus apaised[e] þe wraþþes of euander. þis
is to sein þat hercules slouȝ þe Monstre kacus {and}
apaised[e] wiþ þat deeþ þe wraþþe of euander.
[Sidenote: he slew the Erymanthean boar;]
¶ And 4280
þe bristled[e] boor marked[e] wiþ scomes þe sholdres of
hercules. þe whiche sholdres þe heye cercle of heuene
sholde þreste.
[Sidenote: and bore the weight of Atlas upon his shoulders.]
{and} þe laste of his labo{ur}s was þat he
sustened[e] þe heuene vpo{n} his nekke vnbowed.
[Sidenote: These labours justly raised him to the rank of a god.]
{and} he 4284
deserued[e] eftsones þe heuene to ben þe pris of his
laste trauayle
[Sidenote: Go then, ye noble souls, and follow the path of this
great example.]
¶ Goþ now þan ȝe stronge men þere as
þe heye weye of þe grete ensample ledeþ ȝou. ¶ O nice
men whi nake ȝe ȝoure bakkes. as who seiþ.
[Sidenote: O ye slothful ones, wherefore do ye basely fly!]
¶ O ȝe 4288
slowe {and} delicat men whi fley ȝe aduersites. {and} ne [[pg 149]]
fyȝte{n} nat aȝeins hem by vertue to wynnen þe mede of
þe heuene.
[Sidenote: He who conquers earth doth gain the heavens.]
for þe erþe ouer-come{n} ȝeueþ þe sterres.
¶ þis is to seyne þat whan þat erþely lust is ouer-comen. 4292
a man is maked worþi to þe heuene.