by John Lydgate

John Lydgate — monk of Bury St Edmunds, prolific poet, sometime pupil in spirit of Geoffrey Chaucer — wrote The Siege of Thebes around 1420–22 and gave it a startling frame: he writes himself into the Canterbury pilgrimage. In his Prologue, Lydgate arrives at Canterbury on his own pilgrim's errand, is welcomed by the Host of the Tabard among Chaucer's own company of pilgrims, and is pressed into telling a tale on the road home to London. What follows is not a Canterbury Tale in miniature but a full Theban epic in heroic couplets, some 4,700 lines long: the birth and self-blinding of Edippus (Oedipus), the fatal rivalry of his sons Ethiocles and Polymyte for the throne of Thebes, and the war of the Seven against Thebes that destroys the city Edippus once ruled.

No medieval writer took up Chaucer's unfinished frame more directly or at greater length than Lydgate did here — of the several 15th-century continuations and additions to the Canterbury Tales, only the anonymous Tale of Beryn (told, like this poem, on the pilgrims' return journey, and archived elsewhere on this shelf) attempts anything comparable in scale and ambition. Lydgate's source is a lost intermediate version of an Old French prose Roman de Thebes; his handling of it is entirely his own, and the poem became one of the most widely copied works of the century, surviving in twenty-one manuscripts and two early printed editions.

The text given here is Axel Erdmann's edition for the Chaucer Society (1911, reprinting the issue of 1906), Part I: The Text — a critical edition collated from all the known manuscripts and printed editions, based on the Arundel MS. 119. Erdmann's Temporary Preface, his List of the Manuscripts, his Synopsis of the Gaps in them, and his full apparatus of variant readings are preserved below along with the poem itself.

Contents

• Temporary Preface
• List of the Manuscripts and Oldest Editions
• Synopsis of the Gaps in the Manuscripts and Oldest Editions
• The Prologue
• Part I
• Part II
• Part III
• Textual Notes: Various Readings

Temporary Preface

by Axel Erdmann

§ 1. The title of the poem. In the colophons of the MSS. and oldest editions we find "Here endeth the destruccioun of Thebes" or "Here endeth the Sege of Thebes." But in later times the poem has most often been spoken of as "The Story of Thebes." In the text Lydgate repeatedly refers to "(the) story"; but here, with a few exceptions, by "(the) story" he means his Old French original. His own poem he generally mentions as "my tale." As a matter of fact, the question of the title has been decided by Lydgate himself, who in his Falls of Princes calls our poem "The Sege of Thebes":

Al to declare / me semyth it is no nede,
For in the Sege of Thebes ȝe may Rede
The stoory hool / and maad ther mencyoun, etc.

(Mus. Brit. Bibl. Harl. 1766, fol. 49 back.)

§ 2. The Siege of Thebes was written by Lydgate to form an additional link in the famous series of the Canterbury Tales composed by Chaucer. He represents himself as falling in with the pilgrims at their inn in Canterbury, when in mid-April he comes to the town to perform his vow to St. Thomas for recovery from an illness. He is received in the hall of the inn by the host of the Tabard and invited to join the company of pilgrims in their return journey to London. At sunrise on the following morning they all start off, and before they have ridden a bow-shot from Canterbury the host turns to Lydgate and asks him to tell some merry tale. Lydgate obeys, and "My tale I gan anon as ȝe shal here" (l. 176). The prologue is, of course, addressed to the readers of the poem. In the tale itself Lydgate tries, by occasional references (ll. 182, 322 sq., 1043 sq., 1047 sq., cf. also 4522 sq.), to keep alive the impression that he is speaking to the pilgrims en route.

There is no doubt that the Prologue was the first portion written of the poem. And evidently Lydgate keenly enjoys his idea of composing an additional Canterbury Tale, and thus, as it were, taking up and continuing the unfinished work of his admired master. The palpable anachronism involved in this idea did not deter him, and it would not, I suppose, much strike the general reader, nor does it, indeed, essentially diminish the quaint interest of his conceit. But it is obvious that Lydgate, who was about thirty at the time of Chaucer's death, could not at "nyȝ fyfty ȝere of age" (l. 93) have found still remaining at Canterbury the same company of pilgrims with which Chaucer had come there.

§ 3. The poem has 4716 lines. The prologue (ll. 1–176), see § 2. The first part (ll. 177–1046) tells the story of Edippus and Iocasta, the second part (ll. 1047–2552) the disputes of Ethiocles and Polymytes about the supremacy in Thebes, the third part (ll. 2553–4716) the siege and destruction of Thebes.

§ 4. The principal source of Lydgate's Thebes¹ is an Old French prose romance, derived from the Old French poem Roman de Thebes. No known version of this prose romance agrees in all particulars with that used by Lydgate. But the version first printed 1500 and reprinted 1858 in the "Collection Silvestre," with the title "Sensuyt le Roman de edipus fils du roy Layus" (RE), comes very near to Lydgate's original. They differ, however, in some details. In most of these details Lydgate's original corresponded with the somewhat later version of the prose romance represented by that "Hystoire de Thebes" (HT) which is found inserted into a late 15th-century Old French translation, with numerous additions, of Orosius' well-known History of the World. Thus the apparently lost version that formed the basis of Lydgate's Thebes must have held an intermediate position between the two versions just mentioned. But it was decidedly much more closely allied to RE than to HT.

From his Old French source Lydgate has taken about two-thirds of his poem. More than a fourth he has drawn from his own creative imagination or from his general store of knowledge. The rest of the poem, about the twentieth part of the whole, comes partly from the Bible, but principally from such authors as Seneca, Martianus de Capella, Boccaccio, Chaucer.

§ 5. Lydgate treats his original with perfect freedom as regards form, recasting the expressions, enlarging or shortening the tale, not infrequently omitting unimportant particulars. In a few cases Lydgate has left out points the poetic beauty of which would certainly have caught at once the attention of Chaucer. But on the whole it may be said that everything the poem possesses of poetic charm, it owes to Lydgate's work.

The hero of parts II and III is Tydeus, on whom Lydgate lavishes his highest praise. In painting Tydeus' character and extolling his exploits, the author had, no doubt, in his mind's eye England's youthful hero, King Henry V. Here and there in the poem allusions to contemporary political events may be traced (see for inst. § 6).

§ 6. Lydgate probably began his Thebes in the latter part of 1420. It was finished before the death of Henry V (August 31, 1422).² And it seems safe to assume that the poem had been completed so long before that date that copies of it had been made and circulated. For if it had still been in its author's hands when he learnt the irreparable loss his country had suffered, he would certainly have recast the end of it. In writing ll. 4690–4703, and especially the last lines of this passage: "And charitè . . . shal her bryghte bemes sprede . . . in dyuers naciouns Forto reforme atwixe Regiouns Pees and quyet, concord and vnytè," Lydgate clearly had in view certain terms of the treaty of Troyes concluded in May 1420. The 24th paragraph of this treaty says (see Rymer's Foedera, Tom. ix, p. 901):

Item, ut Concordia, Pax, & Tranquillitas inter prædicta Franciæ & Angliæ Regna perpetuo futuris temporibus observentur, & obvietur Occasionibus & Principiis, ex quibus inter eadem Regna, quod absit, Debata, Dissensiones seu Discordiæ futuris possent temporibus exoriri, Concordatum est, quod dictus filius noster Rex Henricus laborabit, . . . ambo Coronæ, scilicet Franciæ et Angliæ, perpetuo futuris temporibus commanebunt & erunt in unâ & eadem Personâ, viz. suâ, etc.

A comparison of the words of this paragraph with l. 4703 shows at once whence have sprung Lydgate's "Pees and quyet, concord and vnytè." See also the 25th paragraph. Cf. Troy Book, v, 3999–3442. The whole passage l. 4690 sq. of Thebes resounds with a jubilant note of hopefulness, and could not possibly have been written or issued after England's hopes of a triumphant peace had been so suddenly blighted by the King's death.

§ 7. The Siege of Thebes is written in heroic couplets. It has long been held up as a specimen of unusually bad metre. This censure seemed to be justified by the character — very unsatisfactory from a metrical point of view — of the old printed texts. The present edition, the text of which is based on the best MS. collated with all the other known MSS., will prove the censure to be unmerited. The five-beat iambic lines of Thebes present the metrical traits peculiar to Lydgate's heroic verse.

§ 8. The great number of MSS. still preserved bears evidence of the popularity once enjoyed by our poem. There are, as far as is now known, 21 MSS. of Lydgate's Thebes in the public and private libraries of England. To this number are to be added the old editions of 1500 (?) and 1561, each of which represents a separate MS. The best MSS. are the Arundel 119 (Brit. Mus.), the Bodley 776, the Additional 18632 (Brit. Mus.), and the MS. belonging to Lord Mostyn, designated by Ar. Bo. Ad₁. M. in the variæ lectiones given at the foot of the pages. As basis of the present edition the Arundel MS. has been taken, every deviation from it being marked by asterisks in the text, or, in the case of pause-bars, only mentioned among the various readings. The Arundel MS. 119 is a small folio, on vellum, bound in calf, and contains only the complete text of our poem. It has 80 leaves. The text is written in single columns, and ends on leaf 79 front.

AXEL ERDMANN.
Upsala, April 6, 1911.

List of the Manuscripts and Oldest Editions

(This table restores the witness's own pairing of siglum to manuscript, which the page-image scan had scattered across three separated columns; the pairing was checked twice — by original list order, and by the mnemonic match of each siglum to its owner's or library's initial, e.g. G. = Gurney, I. = Ingilby, Ro. = Royal, S. = Stow, Lb. = Lambeth, M. = Mostyn, P. = Pepys, Ra. = Rawlinson, Du. = Duleep Singh, T₁./T₂. = Trinity — before being set down here.)

In the foot-notes the manuscripts and oldest editions are given in the following order (cf. the genealogy in Erdmann's Introduction to Part II): Ar. G. Bo. T₁. Du. L₁. Lb. M. Di. Ad₁. Ad₂. I. Ra. Ba. E₁. S. C. T₂. P. E₂. Lg. Ro. Ap.

Synopsis of the Gaps in the Manuscripts and Oldest Editions

Exceeding two lines; the line numbers given are inclusive.

• Ad₁. 785–788.
• Ad₂. 785–788, 4094–4158, 4504 to the end.
• Ap. 1681–1746, 3409 to the end.
• Ba. 2490–2580, 4432 to the end.
• Bo. 1–8, 31–40, 4456–4586.
• C. 1–822, 886–951, 1017–1142, 1403–1468, 1858–1922, 3668–4060, 4386–4515.
• Di. 1–153.
• Du. 111–337, 4284–4340, 4459–4572, 4630–4716.
• E₁. 107–176, 4363–4418.
• I. 785–788, 3935–4116, 4582–4676.
• L₂. 849–852.
• Lb. 65–392, 4597–4658.
• M. 147–222.
• P. 1669–1672.
• Ra. 2099–2294.
• Ro. 513–1130, 1987–2400, 3011–3210, 3407–3590, 3989–4340.
• S. [the witness's own scan gives this entry as "14552-1459¹," which does not resolve to a plausible line-range against the poem's 4716 lines; printed here exactly as scanned rather than silently corrected — a genuine gap in this manuscript is recorded by Erdmann at this point, but its precise bounds could not be recovered from this witness.]
• T₁. 615–726, 1061–1172.
• T₂. 2485–2672, 3634–4209.

Ar., E₂., G., and L₁. are complete.

The Prologue

[MS. Mus. Brit. Bibl. Arundel 119, leaf 1]

Incipit Prologus.
Han briȝte phebus / passed was þe ram
Myd of Aprille / and in-to bolë cam,
And Satourn old / with his frosty face
In virgynë / taken had his place,
Malencolik / and slowgh of mocioun,
And was also in thoposicioun.
/
Of lucina / the monë moyst and pale,
/
That' many Shour fro heuene made avale;
whan Aurora / was in þe morowe red,
And Iubiter/in the Crabbes Hed
Hath take his paleys / and his mansioun ;
The lusty tyme / and Ioly fressh Sesoun
whan that Flora / the noble myghty quene,
The soyl hath clad / in newë tendre grene,
hath Ra. S.
P.
[leaf 1]
Phebus in ariete.
In mid-April,
Saturnus in
virgine.
4
8
Iubiter in capite
cancri.
12
the jolly fresh
season
1-6 cut away in Bo. (7, 8 incomplete, the second half being cut away).

with her floures/ craftyly ymeynt',
bury Tales were
told,-
Braunch and bough / wiþ red and whit depeynt,
Fletinge þe bawme / on hillis and on valys:
when the Canter- The tyme in soth / whan Canterbury talys
Complet' and told / at many sondry stage.
Of estatis // in the pilgrimage,
some moral,
some ribald,
like those of
The Cook,
the Millere,
And the Reve,
also the
¶ Pardonere,
[leaf 1, back]
Euerich man lik to his degrè,
Some of desport / some of moralitè,
Some of knyghthode / loue and gentillesse,
And some also of parfit holynesse,
And some also in soth / of Ribaudye
To make laughter / in þe companye,
(Ech admitted for noñ wold other greve)
Lich as the Cook / þe millere and the Reve
Aquytte hem-silf / shortly to conclude,
Boystously in her teermes Rude,
whan þei hadde/ wel dronken of the bolle,
And ek also with his pyllëd nolle
The pardowner/beerdlees al his Chyn,
Glasy-Eyed and face of Cherubyn,
Tellyng a tale

OG.
PROLOG.] Lydgate's Praise of Chaucer, Flower of Poets.
3
36
16
20
As opynly // the storie kan ȝow lere,
word for word / with euery circumstaunce,
Echon ywrite / and put in remembraunce
By hym þat was / ȝif I shal not' feyne,
Floure of Poetës/ thorghout' al breteyne,
Which sothly hadde / most of excellence
In rethorike and in eloquence
(Rede his making / who list' the trouthe* fynde)
Which neuer shal / appallen in my mynde,
24
But alwey fressh / ben in my memorye*
:
To whom* be ȝouë / pris/ honure / and glorye*
Of wel seyinge / first in oure language,
28
Chief Registrer of þis pilgrimage,
Al þat was tolde / forȝeting noght at al,
written by
Chaucer,
40 the Flower of
Poets,
44
48
(who will be
always fresh in
my memory,)
and told his
Tales
32
nt
0.
n
s]
2.
r.
D.
Feynëd talis/nor þing Historial,
With many prouerbe / diuers and vnkouth,
Be rehersaile of his Sugrid mouth,
Of eche thyng/ keping in substaunce
The sentence hool / with-outë variance,
Voyding the Chaf / sothly for to seyn,
52 with his sugard
mouth,
as L1. Al o. as M.
Echone wreton M.

from the Pil-
grims' meeting
At þe tabarde
in Suthwerk,-
on to Canter-
bury,-
The Hoste.
[leaf 2]
at this time,
while the Pil-
Enlumynyng / þe trewë pikëd greyn
Be crafty writinge of his sawes swete,
Fro the tyme that thei deden* mete
First the pylgrimes / sothly euerichoñ,
At the Tabbard / assembled on be oñ,
And fro suthwerk / shortly forto seye,
To Canterbury/ridyng on her weie,
Tellynge a tale / as I reherce can,
Lich as the hoste / assigned euery man.
None so hardy / his biddyng' disobeye.
And this while*/ that the pilgrymes leye
grims were lodgd At Canterbury / wel logged on and all,
there,
I not in soth / what I may it' call,
I chanst to enter Hap / or fortune / in Conclusioun,
the town,
in a black cope,
¶ Discryving of
the Monk.
on a scraggy nag
with a rusty
bridle.
That' me byfil / to entren into touñ,
The holy seynt / pleynly to visite
Aftere siknesse / my vowes to aquyte,
In a Cope of blak / and not of grene,
On a palfrey / slender / long / and lene,
wiþ rusty brydel/ mad nat' for þe sale,
My man to-forn / with a voidë male;
which of Fortunë / took myn Inne anoñ
56
60
64
68
122
72
76
at

PROLOG.] The Pilgrims' Host asks Lydgate to sup with them. 5
Wher þe pylgrymes / were logged euerichōn,
The same tyme / Her gouernour, the host',
Stonding in halle ful of wynde and bost',
Lich to a man/wonder sterne and fers,
Which spak to me / and seide anoñ, "daun Pers,
Daun Domynyk / Dan Godfrey / or Clement',
ȝe be welcom/newly into kent',
Thogh ȝoure bridel / haue neiþer boos ne belle ;
Besechinge ȝou / þat ȝe wil me telle
First' ȝoure name / and of what' contrè
With-outë morë* shorte-ly that' ȝe be,
That' loke so pale / al deuoyde of blood,
Vpon ȝoure hede / a wonder thred-bar hood,
Wel araiëd for to ride late."
I answerde my name was Lydgate,
Monk of Bery / ny3 fyfty ȝere of age,
Come to this toune / to do my pilgrimage,
As I haue hight' / I haue* therof no shame.'
"Daun Iohn," quod he/ "wel brokë ȝe ȝoure name!
Thogh ȝe be soul / beth right' glad and light!
Preiyng ȝou / soupë with vs to-nyght',
And ȝe shal hauë* / mad at ȝoure devis,
80
84
The Host, the
Pilgrims' boss,
The wordes
of the host to
the Monk.
welcomid me,
and askt me who
I (so pale and
88 seedy) was, and
whence I came.
92 I said I was
Lydgate
Monk of Bery,
near 50,
and had come
on pilgrimage.
96 The wordes of
be host.
[leaf 2, back]
He askt me to
sup with his
pilgrims,

A gret' puddyng / or a rounde hagys,
A Franchëmole*/ a tansey/ or a froyse.
100
To ben a Monk / Sclender is ȝoure koyse;
and ride home
with em to-
morrow.
ȝe han be seke / I dar myñ hede assure,
Or late fed in a feynt pasture.
/
Lift vp ȝoure hed / be glad, tak no sorowe!
104
And ȝe shal hom ride with vs to-morowe !
I seye, whan ȝe rested han ȝour fille.
Aftere soper Slepe wil do non ille.
108
He bade me
drink nutty ale,
Wrappe wel ȝoure hede / with clothes rounde aboute!
Strong' notty ale / wol make* ȝou to* route.
Tak a pylow / þat ȝe lye not' lowe!
ȝif nede be/ Sparë* not to blowe !
112
To holde wynde /, be myñ opуnyoun,
Wil engendre Collikes* passioun
And make men to greuen / on her roppys,
whan thei han filled / her mawes and her croppys.
116
But toward nyght' / ete some fenel Rede,
eat fennel-seed
at night,

PROLOG.] The Host tells me how to get a good Night's Rest.
Annys / Comyn / or coriandre sede!
And lik as I pouer haue / and myght',
I Charge ȝow / rise not at Mydnyght,
Thogh it so be / the moonë shynë cler.
I wol my-silf / be ȝoure Orloger
To-morow erly / whan I se my tyme,
For we wol forp / parcel a-forë Pryme,
A company/pardè / Shal do ȝou good.
What! look vp, Monk / for, by kokkis blood,
120
124
and not get up
at midnight.
He'd call me
early;
and we'd start
before Prime.
7
Thow shalt be mery / who so þat sey nay.
For to-morowe, anoon / as it' is day,
128
[leaf 3]
And that it' gynne / in þe Est' to dawe,
Thow shalt be bounde* / to a newë lawe,
Att goyng oute of Canterbury toune,
And leyn a-side / thy professioun.
Thow shalt not' chesë/ nor pi-silf withdrawe,
ȝif eny myrth / be founden in thy mawe,
Lyk the custom / of this Compenye;
132
For non so proude / that' dar me denye,
136
When we left
Canterbury,
I was to tell a
merry tale,
Knyght nor knauë / Chanon / prest/ne nonne,

as every one
had to,
on the home
journey.
To telle a tale / pleynly as thei konne,
Whan I assigne / and se tyme opportune.
And for that we / our purpoos wil contune,
We wil hom ward / the same custome vse,
And thow shalt not' / platly the excuse.
How oure host Be now wel war / Stody wel to-nyght'!
spak to Daun
Iohn.
140
But, for al this / be of hertë liȝt!
144
Thy wit' shal be / þe Sharper and the bet'."
And we anon/ were to Soper set',
Then we had a
good supper,
went to bed,
and in the
morning
started at sun-
rise,
And seruëd wel/vnto oure plesaunce;
And sone after / be good gouernaunce
Vnto bed goth euery maner wight.
And touarde morowe / anon as it was light',
Euery Pilgryme / bothë* bet and wors,
As bad oure hostë / toke a-noñ his hors,
Whan the sonnë / roos in the est' ful clyere,
meaning to dine Fully in purpoos / to come to dynere
at Ospringe.
148
152
When out of the
town,
our Host said
'let's have some
fun.'
[leaf 3, back]
Vnto Osspryng/ and brekë þer our' faste.
And whan we weren / from Canterbury paste
Noght' the space / of a bowë draught',
156
Our hoost in hast / hap my bridel rauht',
And to me seide // as it' were in game,
"Come forth, daun Iohn / be ȝour Cristene name,
And lat vs make / some manere myrth or play!
160
new f.

PROLOG.] Lydgate agrees to tell the Pilgrims a Tale.
Shet ȝoure portoos / a twenty deuelway!
It is no disport / so to patere and seie.
It' wol make ȝoure lippës / wonder dreye.
Tel some tale / and make ther-of a* Iape!
For be my Rouncy / thow shalt not' eskape.
But preche not / of noñ holynesse !
Gynne some tale of myrth or of gladnesse,
And nodde not' / with thyn heuy bekke!
Telle vs some thyng / that' draweþ to effecte
Only of Ioye / make no lenger lette!'
And whan I saugh / it woldë be no bette,
I obeyed* / vnto his biddynge,
So as the lawë/ me bonde in al thinge;
And as I coude / with a palë cheere,
My tale I gan / anoñ / as ȝe shal here.
P.
om. Ar. G.
Explicit Prologus.
19

Part I

Incipit Pars Prima. Þer &c.
9
164 How oure host
bad Daun Iohan
telle a tale,
not a holy,
168 but a merry one.
172
So I obeyd him,
and began my
176 Tale (which is a
sad one).

[leaf 4]
As I am now one
of your company,
S
Prima Pars.
Irs/quod I sith of ȝour curtesye*
I entred am/in-to ȝour companye,
And admitted / a talë for to telle
By hym þat hap pouer to compelle,
I mene our hoste, gouernour and guyde
180
Of ȝow echon/ridyng her be-side;
Thogh that my wit' / barayn be and dul,
I wol reherce / a story wonderful,
184
I will tell you
a story of the
Siege of Thebes, Towchinge the siege / and destruccioun
Of worthy Thebees / the myghty Royal toun,
a city built by
Bylt and begonne / of olde antiquitè,
Vpon the tyme / of worthy Iosuè,
188
King Amphion.
Be dyligence/of kyng+ Amphioun,
Chief cause first / of his fundacioun,
For which his fame / which neuere shal away,
192
How he raisd
the walls,
In honure floureth / ȝit' vnto this day,
And in story/remembred is and preised.
But how the wallys / weren on heghte reised,
It is wonder / and merveil forto here.
Di. Ad₁. Ad₂. Ej. S. T₂. Ro. E.
curtesy Ra. P. L2. cowrtassy L₁.
Ar. has a pause-bar after pouer.

Amphion's persuasive Words got Thebes built.
But if ȝe list / I shal ȝow platly lere
196
The maner hool / shortly in sentence,
11
Vnder support/ of ȝoure pacience,
As writ' myn auctour / and bochas both two,
Rede her bookes / and ȝe shal fynde it' so,
How this kyng/thys prudent' Amphyoun,
With the swetnesse / and melodious soun

• And armonye / of his swete song'
  The Cytè bylt/ that whilom was so strong,
  Be vertue only of the werbles sharpe
  That he made in Mercuries harpe,
  Of which the strengës / were not touched softe,
  Wherby the wallës / reised weren a-lofte,
  With-outë craft / of eny mannys hond,
  Ful ȝore agon/myd of Grekes lond;
  which is a þing / of Poetes told,
  Neuere yseyn/neither of ȝong nor old.
  But, as Bochas / list' to specifie,
  Cler expownyng / this derkë poysye,
  ¶ Seith Mercurye / god of Eloquence,
  ȝaf, be the myght / of heuenly influence,
  Vnto this kyng / at His natiuitè
  Thorgh glade aspectes /, that he shulde* be
  Most excellent / be craft of Rethorik,
  That in this world / was noñ to hym lik;
  Which signyfieth / to hem that ben prudent',

The significa
cioun of be harpe
of Mercure.
Amphion's song
was his sweet
words,
How kyng
Amphion, be
mediacion of his
soft spech, wan
be loue & be
hertes of the
puple.
whereby he got
folk to build him
Thebes, of
lime and stone,
[leaf 5]
as poets feign.
The Musycal/ the lusty instrument',
¶ I mene the harpë / most melodious,
yove to this kynge / be Mercurius,
And his song/ this auctour can ȝow teche,
was no thyng / but the crafty speche
Of this kyng/ycalled Amphioun ;
Wher-by He made / the contrès envyroun
To han such lust / in his wordës swete,
That' were so plesaunt / fauourable, and mete
¶ In her Eerys / that shortly ther was nooñ
Disobeysaunt' / with the kyng to gooñ,
Wher so euere / that hym list assigne.
224
228
232
His cheer/his port / was outward* so benygne,
That' thorgh his styring / and exortacioun
With hym they went / to bylde* first this toun,
And forsook / ecch man his contrè,
236
Be on assent / to make this Cytè
Royal and riche / that' lich was nowher noon.
And thus the wallis / made of lym and stoon,
Were Reysed first / be syngyng of this kyng',
lich as Poetys / feyne in her writyng',
Passyng Rich and Royal of entaille.
¶ Her may ȝe See / how myche may avaylle
The goodlihed and lownesse of a kyng',
240
244
G. Ad₁.
geven

And specealy in cher and in spekyng',
To his lyeges / and to berñ hym fayre
In his apport/ and shewe hym debonayre,
And nat' to bene / to straungë ne soleyñ
In contenaunce / outward / be disdeyñ;
Which causeþ ofte /, who that Can aduerte,
Grete hatred / in the puples herte,
And ther-vpon / priuely wol rowne,
Whan a pryncë / doth vp-on hem frowne,
Shortly deme for al his excellence,
Among hem-silf / out of his presence,
Euerych conclude / lich his fantasye.
And thus ful ofte / gendred is Envye
In folkes hertes / of soleyntè and pryde,
For swich as list' / nat onys loke a-syde
To Reward hem / whan they lowë loute.
¶ Nota.
13
248 What availeb
to a kyng or to a
prince to ben
goodly and be-
nygne of his port
to his puple.
252
256
260
A prince's
frown
begets Envy
in folks' hearts.
And ageyn kynde / it' is · out' of doute,
That' eny hed / be recorde of the wyse,
Shuld the foot of disdeyn despyse
264
Which bereþ hym vp /, who so can take hede,
And Susteneth / in his mostë* nede
As his Pyler and his sowpowayle.
How be poor
puple supporten
and beren vp þe
estat of a kyng.

For fynaly, ne were the porayle
268
her berer vp / and Supportacioun,
Farwel lordshyp / and domynacioun
Thorgh-oute the world of euery hegh estat!
Wherfor me semeþ / mor is Fortunat
272
[leaf 5, back]
Of Mercurye / þe sootë sugred harpe
Nota.
What the good-
lihede of a prince
avaylleth to
wynne the hertes
of his puple.
Kind words and
looks get more
love than gold
and pride.
Than is this god / with his lokes woode.
For humble speche / wiþ glad contenaunce
May a pryncë sothly mor avaunce
Than Mars/swerd / whetted kene and sharpe,
Mor accepted wiþ asspectis goode
276
Among his puple / Hertës forto wynne
Of inward loue / which that* wol not twynne,
280
Than gold/rychessë/ pride / or tyranye,
Outher* disdeyne / daunger / or surquedye.
For of lordes, as * Clerkës can reporte,
284
Ensample of
kyng Amphioun.
opynyoun of
But that loue / her crownë do supporte,
The fyn ys noght* / in conclusioun.
I Take record of kyng Amphyoun,
That' bylte Thebes be his elloquence
Mor than of Pride / or of violence,
Noble and riche / that lik was nowher noñ,
And thus the walles / mad of lym and stooñ
Were reised first' / be syngyng of this kyng',
lich as Poetes / feyn in her wryting'.
¶ How aftere the ¶ But sothly ȝit / Some expositours,
Groundyng hem / vpon olde auctours,
some auctours
288
292
wer Ar.

Þt. 1.] Cadmus sets out the site of Thebes with bull's-hide strips. 15
Seyn that Cadmvs / the famous olde man,
Ful longe afor/ this Citè first began
And the ground/ of the bieldyng' sette,
And the boundës / be compas out-mette*
With thong out-korve / of a boolys hyde,
Whych envyroun / strecchë myghtë* wyde
To get Inne londe / a ful largë space
Wher-vp-on to byld / a dwellyng' place,
And called was the Soyle/ þus geten Inne,
¶ Whylom Boece / of the bolys skynne.
The name after / into Thebes turned.
But Cadmus ther/ hath longe not' soiourned,
lik in Story as it is compyled;
For shortly he from thennys was exiled,
Neuer after to dwellen* in this toun,
Be the knyghthode of this Amphioun,
Which vp parformeth / riche for the noonys
The Citè Thebes / of myghty square* stonys,
As I ȝow tolde / a litil here to-forn ;
[leaf 6]
Cadmus bilt first
be Cite of
296 Thebes.
He cut a bull's
hide into strips,
300 and enclosed
land as the site
of Thebes.
304
How be contre
of Boece toke
first his name of
a bolys skyn,
After called
Thebes.
308 How kyng
Cadmus was
exiled out of
Thebes be prow-
esse of kynge
Amphyoun.
312
Cadinus Ad₁. I.
Tadmus

I've now told
you all about
the building of
Thebes,
and won't say
more, as my
Tale 'll last for
7 miles.
How be lyne
of Amphioun be
discent was con-
veied to kyng
layus.
[leaf 6, back]
Kyng Layus
and Iocasta hys
wiff.
And Cadmus þus / hath his kyngdam lorñ,
Sceptre and crowne / and his powere Royal.
¶ Now have I told / vnto ȝou / ground of al,
That wel knowe / be Informacioun
ȝe
Cleerly the pith/ and exposicioun
Of this mater / as clerkës can ȝou telle.
It' were but veyn / lenger for to dwelle,
To tary ȝow/ as in this matiere,
Sith my tale / which that' ȝe shal here,
Vpon oure waie / wil lasten a longe while,
*
The space / as I suppose / of vii. myle.
And now ȝe knowe*/ first how Amphyoun
Bylt and began / this Citè and this toun,
Regnyng ther/ long aftere, as I rede.
Of hym no morë /; for I wil procede
To my purpoos / that I first began:
Not tellyng here / how the lynë Ran
From kyng to kyng / be successioun,
Conveying doun / be stok of Amphyoun
Cereously be lyneal* discent;
But leue al this /, pleynly of entent
To telle forth, in bookës as I rede,
How layus be processe / gan succede
To bere the Croune / in this myghty Lond,
holdyng the Sceptre of thebes in his hond,
Manly and wys/ duryng' al his liff.
316
320
324
328
332
336

And Iocasta / called was his wyff',
Ful wommanly / the story seith certeyñ,
For a tyme/thogh she were bareyñ,
Tyl Layusin ful humble wise
*
To haue a child / didë* Sacrifise,
Fyrst to apollo / in his char so briȝt',
And Iubiter/that' hap so gret' a myght',
Besechyng hem / with deuout' reuerence,
To graunt only/thorgh her influence,
That' his request' / may excecuted be;
And specially to Goddesses thre,
He besoughte/ Pallas and Iuno
And Dyane/forto helpe also
340
She is barren.
Layus does
sacrifice to get a
344 child.
348
Layus prays 3
Goddesses to
help him.
352
That he be not defrauded of His bone.
And his preyere / accepted was ful sone,
That' fynaly/thorgh his ryytys olde,
Evene lik / as his herte wolde,
356
The queene Iocasta / hath anoñ conceyued;
Which whan the kyng / fully hath perceyued*
He made in hast' /, hym lyst not' to abide,
Thorgh hys kyngdom / Massagerës ryde
Fro Coost to Coost/ the story can devyse,
For dyvynoures / and phylosophres wise,
For such as weren / famous physiciens
And wel expert / Astronomyens,
To Come in hast / vnto his presence
*
To fynden out / shortly in sentence,
360
364
His wife con-
ceives a child.
He sends for
diviners to find
out the child's
fate.

Astronomers calculate the fate of the child Edippus.
[leaf 7]
How the astro-
nomyens and the
phylisophres of
Thebes calked
out be fate
Edyppus.
They are to
of
discover it by
searching the
heavenly
mansions, &c.
By Craft only / Of Calculacioun,
The Chyldes fate* / and disposicioun ;
And ther-vpon / to ȝeve / a Iugement,
The Root' ytaken* / at the ascendent',
Trewly sought out' / be mynut and degrè
The silfe* houre / of his natyvytè,
Not' forȝete / the heuenly mansiouns
Clerly Cerched / be smale fracciouns,
First' be Secoundës/ tiers and ekë quartes,
372
On Augrym stoonës / and on white caartes
376
ypreued out / be diligent' labour,
In tables correcte / devoyde of al errour
Iustly soght*/ and founde / out* bothe* twoo,
The ȝeerës collecte*/ and expance also,
380
Consydred ek / be good inspeccioun
Euery hour*/ and constellacioun
And eche aspecte / and lookës ek dyuers,
Which were good/ and which also pervers,
3841
Wher they were touard / or ellys at debat',
Nota.
¶ The cursed
Constellacioun
and indisposici-
oun of be heuene
happy, welful/ or infortunat.
And fynaly / in conclusyoun,
in be natiuyte of They founde satourn / in the Scorpioun,
Edyppus.
Hevy-chered/malencolik / and loth,
388

And woode* Mars / furious and wroth,
holdyng his Sceptre / in þe Capricorn,
The same hourë* / whan this chyld was borñ,
Venus deiecte / and Contrarious
392
And depressed / in Mercuryes hous;
That the dome/ and Iugement' fynal
Of thies Clerkes /, to speke in special,
Be Fatal sort/ which may not be wipdrawe,
That with his swerd / his fader shal be slawe;
Ther may no man helpe it' / nor excuse.
On whiche thyng / the kyng' gan sorë muse,
And cast he wolde / on that other side
Agayn her doom/ for hym-silf provide,
Shape a way and remedy to-forñ,
Biddyng the queenë / whan the chyld were born,
With-oute Mercy / or moderly pytè
That he be ded /: it* may noñ other be.
And in al hast / lik as he hath sent',
She obeyed his comaundëment'.
396
Nota.
How the fate*
of Edippus dis-
posed that he
shulde sleen his
owne fadere.
400 Thinking on
this,
[leaf 7, back]
404 Layus bids
408
Jocasta kill her
child as soon as
it is born.
With wooful herte / and a pitous loke
And face pale / her ȝonge sone she toke,
Tendre and grenë/ both of flessh and bonys,
To certeyn men / ordeyned for þe noonys
From poynt to poynt / in al maner þing
To execute the biddyng of the kyñg.
412
She gives her
boy to men,

They durste not delay it / nor abide,
who take him to But to a Forest / that' stood fer besyde,
a forest to kill
him.
They took Her wey and faste gan hem spede
The kyngges wille / to parforme in dede,
Havyng therof/passyng hevynesse.
416
But as he is so
beautiful,
But whan that they / beheelden the fairnesse
Of the Chyld / and excellent beautè,
420
In her hertë/ they hadde grete pytè,
they hang him
up on a tree,
by holes thru
his feet.
And pleynly cast' /, among hem was no stryf,
That the child / shuldë* han his lif.
And anon ful hygh / vpon a tre,
In a place / that no man myght se,
424
They henge hym vp / the story kan reherce.
But first his feet' / þorgh/ they gan to perce,
And on bowës tendre / tough, and smale,
They knet hym vp / shortly þis is no tale,
4218
Hym to preserue / from bestys wild and Rage.
And after that they* token her viage
Toward Thebes / in alle the hast' they may.
¶ But of fortunë / thilke same day
432
[leaf 8]
The same day
King Polibon's
huntsmen
with her houndës / serchyng vp and douñ,
The huntes went / of kyng' poliboun
Thorgh the forest / gamë forto fynde,
Some aforn / and some / cam behynde,
436

And gan serch
and seke wonder sore
Among the hillës / and the holtes hore.
And as they Reenge / the trenchis by and by,
They herde a noyse / and a pitous cry
Of thys chyld/hangyng on the tre;
And all at onys / drowë forto se,
And lefte not til* they han hym founde;
And toke hym doune / and his fete vnbounde,
And bare hym hom / vnto Polyboun,
Kyng of Archadye / the famous Regioun.
And whan that he / first' þe chyld gan See,
Of his woundës/ he hadde grete pytè,
To beholde / his tender fete / so blede;
And called hym / Edippus / as I rede,
which is to seyn/, platly this no phage,
Bored the feete / as in that langage.
*
And first the kyng' in his Royal halle
Made his men an norys for-to calle,
This ȝonge chylde to foster and to kepe
With her Milk / that he nat' ne wepe;
And his leches/he charged ek also,
Til he were Hool / Her deuer forto do :
Fully in purpoos*/ for the child was fair,
After his day to maken hym his hayr;
For cause only /, who so taketh hede,
Sone hadde he noon / be lynë to succede;
A1
rengen Bo. M.
440
21
hear the boy's
cry,
¶ How the hun-
tys of kyng Poli-
boun fonde the
chyld in be
444 forest and pre-
sented hym to
be kynge.
448
take him down
and carry him
to King Polibon
of Arcady,
452 who calls him
'Edippus'
= with bored
feet,
456 has him nurst
and doctord,
460 and means to
464
make him his
heir.

Malencolik' and Contrarious,
22
Edippus grows up proud, and is askt why he is so.
[leaf 8, back]
Edippus grows
up proud and
And Whether* that he had / a wif or noon,
I fynde not/ and therfor lat' it goon.
¶ But by processe / of dayes and of ȝeeris,
This Edyppus / among his pleying feeris
was in his port / passyng' ful of pride,
That' non with hym / myght' in pees abide.
In hert he was / so Inly Surquydows,
Þt. L.
But wh
Thow &
Appart
But in
468
rhan t
And vt
Thy by
This th
472
Whe
disdainful.
Ful of despyt / and of hegh disdeyñ,
And cha
One day a
Til on a day/he gan with oon debate
That no wight' durste* / shortly hym with-seyn;
And ga
Word b
To whoom he hadde / specyaly grete hate,
476
And fell
boy asks him
why he's so
proud:
And vnto hym felly / thus he saide :
Which of Rancour / and of hasty tene,
As he that' myght / His pride.not' sustene,
Gan vpon hym / cruelly abrayde,
And
cas
The trou
And wh
480
And the
Contrarie also / euer / in oure disport',
"wherto," quod he/ "artow so proude of port',
He hym
To his r
Froward and felle / lastyng euere in oon,
As thow were lord / of vs euerichon,
And presumest fully in wyrchyng,
Lik as thow were sone / vnto the kyng,
And descended / of His Royal blood?
that
P.ause-bar
I
membr
Di. Ra. 1
twe
Ro.
Ad.
her

But wher so be / thow be wroth or wood,
468"
472
476
480
48
Thow art no thing /, and thow list take hede,
Appartenyng / vnto his kynrede,
But in a Forest / founden and vnknowe,
vhan thow were ȝonge /. therfor bere the lowe!
And vttrely remembre, ȝif the lyst',
*
Thy byrth and blood / ar bothe two vnwist.
This the fyne/shortly of my tale.
Wherwith Edippus / gan to wexe* pale,
And chaunge also cheer and contenaunce,
And gan a-point / in his* remembraunce
WWord be word/ and forgat* right nou3t',
And felly/mused* / in his owne thouȝt,
And cast he wold / with-oute more tarying
The trouth enquere / of poliboun the kyng'.
And whan he saugh / opportunë space,
And the kyng/ in a* sycrè place,
He hym bysoghte/lowly on his kne
To his request // benignëly* to se,
And that he wolde / pleynly / and not' spare
Of his byrth the trewe ground* declare,
And make hym sure / of this thyng' anon
ȝif he were / his verrey sone or noñ.
488
492
He's not the
king's son,
but was found
in a forest,
and should be
humble.
496
[leaf 9]
500
Edippus is taken
aback by this,
504 and asks King
508
Polibon
to tell him about
his birth and
whether he is the
king's son.

He conjures
Polibon to hide
nothing.
So King Polibon
how he was found,
tells Edippus
but that he'll one
day be King of
the Realm.
[leaf 9, back]
Edippus goes to
a Temple of
Apollo,
¶ And Polyboun / only of gentilles,
whan he beheeld / the gretë hevynesse
Of Edippus / and the wooful peyne,
he
gan dissimule / and in manere feyne,
lik as he had be / verrely his heyre.
But mor and mor / he falleth in dispeir,
And doune on knees / eft a-geyn gan falle,
Hym coniuring / be the goddes alle
To telle trouth / and no thyng to hide;
Affermyng ek/he wolde* nat' abide
Lenger with hym / but ryden and enquere,
Til tyme he may / the verrey sothe lere
In eny part of hap or of fortune.
And for that he/ was so inportune
In his desire, the kyng' with-out' abood
Ceriously / tolde hym* how it' stood,
In a Forest' first / how he was founde
*
Vpon a tre be the feet ybounde,
And how he caste, in conclusioun,
To make hym kyng/ of that regioun
Aftere his day/shortly forto telle.
But Edippus / wil no lenger dwelle,
But took lieve / and in hast' gan ryde
To a temple / faste ther be-syde
512
LE
Of Appolo
Whos statue
wheles
And with-In
De fraude
516
Answere
Ing
Such as to
Rytys
520
here cus
Edy
Appol
Bechyn
524
some
horg E
of what
And w
528
Fynyssh
The fen
With a
Bad hy
532
Toward
He her
And
by has

Þt. I.
512
516
Of Appollo in storie as is tolde,
Whos statue stood / in a char of golde
On* whelës four / boornyd bright and shene;
And with-In a spirit / ful vnclene,
Be fraude only / and fals collusioun,
Answere gaf to euery questioun,
Bryngyng the puple in ful gret' errour,
Such as to hym dyden fals honour
Be Rytys vsed in the olde dawes
Aftere custome of paganysmes* lawes.
And Edyppus with ful humble chere,
To Appollo maked His preiere,
Beechyng hym on his knees lowe,
Be some signe / that he myghte knowe,
Thorg Evidence Shortly comprehendyd,
Of what kynrede / that he was discendyd.
And whan Edyppus be gret' deuocioun,
528 Fynysshed hath / fully his orysoun,
The fend* anoñ / with-Innen Invisybte,
With a vois dredful and horrible,
Bad hym in hast' / taken his viage
Toward Thebes / wher of his lynage
524
532
e] a
om.
une
E2
ou
eiȝe
ekly
did
Lib.
Bara
ow]
u.
Bo.
st'
30.
-p.
ast
1
He herën shal / and be certefied.
And on his way / anoñ he hap hym hyed,
by hasty Iournè / so his hors constreyned
536 whose statue is
540
544
548
552
in a chariot
of gold,
but an unclean
spirit is inside
it.
Edippus prays
to be told of
what kin he is.
The invisible
Fiend
bids him go to
Thebes and there
556 learn his lineage.
E2.

PL. 1.
560
Ben si
By whos
For Elyp
564
Tas
[leaf 10]
On the road,
Edippus stops at
the castle
Pylotes,
Day be day til he hap atteyned
*
Vnto a castel / Pylotes ycalled,
Rich and strong / and wel aboute walled,
Adiacent/ be syyt of the contrè
And perteynent* to Thebes the Cytè:
where his un-
known father,
King Layus, is
holding a Tour-
nament.
¶ kyng Layvs/beyng ther present,
For-to holde a maner tornement'
With his knyghtës/ ȝong and coraious,
and
Cat fo
568
eynes
And other folkes / that were desyrous
To preue hem-silf /, shortly for-to telle,
Who by force / other* myght' excelle,
ey ord
or the f
And lik
Euerich of hem / dyd his bysynesse
Or gete a name / thorgh his hegh prouesse.
572
the cor
nd in
They cl
And aft
576
In The
And ric
The ass
Of th
580
But to
Which
Towar
Brenn
The f
But
On hors-bak / and also ek on foote,
Al be that some founde ful vnsoote,
Rather a pley of werre / than of pees;
Wher Edyppus put hym-silf in prees,
As he that was / ay redy to debat',
Enforsyng hym / to entren at the gate,
How Edippus Maugrè aH tho / that hym woldë* lette.
ignoraunce at be¶And in the pres / of aventure he mette.
slogh his fader of
castel.
Kyng layvs and cruelly hym slogh,
Thow the story / writ' not' the maner howh,
Ne no wight' can / of alle the companye
ycalled] called,
aboue
folke or folk the rest.
569

Be no signë / verrely espye
By whos hond / that the kyng was slawe;
For Edyppus in hast / gan hym with-drawe
And kept hym Coy / of entencioun.
Gret' was the noyse / and the pitous soun
In the Castel/ for slaughter of the kyng',
Dooel and compleynt / sorowe and wepyng'.
But for they segh/hevynesse and thoght'
Ageynës deth vayleth lit or noght',
They ordeyne with Ryytys ful Royal
For the feste called / Funeral.
And lik the custom / of the dayës olde,
The corps they brent / into asshes colde,
And in a vessel / rounde, mad as a bal,
They closed hem in gold and in metal.
UL
·
And after that did her bysy Cure
In Thebes to make a sepulture,
And richëly, hem list no lenger lette,
584
588
592
27
Edippus with-
draws in haste.
[leaf 10, back]
596 King Layus's
corpse is burnt,
and the ashes put
in a vessel of
gold.
600
King Layus's
ashes are put in
a shrine,
580
ed
116
a
a
The asshen dide* they enclose and shette.
Of this matere / ther ys* no mor to seyn.
But to Edippus / I wil retourne ageyñ,
Which hym enhasteþ / ay fro day to day
Towardes Thebes / in al that' euere he may,
Brennyng in herte / hoot' as eny fire,
The fyn to knowe / of his fatal desire.
/
But, for that he failed of a Guyde,
Out of his way / he wente fer be-side,
604
608
Edippus jour-
neys in haste
towards Thebes.

¶ How Edippus
passed by the
hyll wher the
monstre lay that
was called
Spynx.
Thorgh a wylde / and a waast contrè,
By a mounteyn / that' stood vpon the see,
Wher that' monstres / of many dyuers kynde
Were conuersaunt' in story as I fynde;
612
Amonges which / sothly ther was oñ,
So Inly cruel / that no man durst' goñ,
616
For drede of deth / forby that passage.
The descrip-
cioun of the foule
Monstre.
This monstre was so mortal in his rage,
which hadde also /, be descripcioun,
Body and feet/ of a fers lyoun ;
620
And lik a mayde in soth was hede and face,
[leaf 11]
Fel of his look / and cruel to manace,
And odyous of countenaunce and sight;
And as I rede /, Spynx / this monstre hight,
624
Wors than Tygre / dragon / or serpent.
And I suppose / by enchauntement'
He was ordeyned / on the hyl tabyde,
The Sphinx
slays all passers-
by who can't
solve the Pro-
blem he sets
them.
To sleen all tho / that passeden be-syde,
628
And specially / aH that' diden* fayle
To expowne/his mysty dyvynaile,
His problem ek / in wordës pleyn and bare
With-oute avys /opynly to* declare,
632
The
Or with the lif / he myghte not' eskape.
This verray soth platly and no Iape.
Tha
ȝaf ther-vpon / cleer exposicioun,
636
¶ And ȝif that he, be declaracioun,
He shuld in hast/ there was noñ oþer mene,
gh
om.
Ba.
P.

Sleen this monstre / for al his cruel tene.
Ther may of mercy / be / noñ oþer graunte.
But' of al this Edyppus ignoraunte,
This dredful hit / stondyng on a roche,
Er he was war gan ful nygh approche,
More perilous platly / than he wende.
And sodeynly the monster* gan* descende,
To stoppen his way / and letten his passage,
Thus abraydyng with a fel corage:
¶"I haue in herte Inly gret' disport'
That fortune/hap broght' the to my sort',
To make a preef*/ ȝif thow mayst endure,
The fatal ende / of this auenture,
Set at a fyn / sothly be daiës olde."
And by and by / al the caas hym tolde,
harging hym to be wel war and wise,
W
Gete the palme / and bere away the pryse
Touchyng this thyng / sette a-twene vs tweyñ,
with lyf or deth / which we shal dareyñ.
H
And this Monstre / with a despitous chere
his problem gan / thus as ȝe shal here.
"Ther is a beest merveilous to se,
The which in soth at his natiuyte
s of his myght / so tender and so grene,
That he may hym-silue* nat' sustene
pon his fete / thogh he hadde it sworn,
isut ȝif that he/ be / of his moder borñ.
Th
X
E2
befo
born
Ad
E₁.
640
644
648
29
Edippus is
stopt by the
Monster, the
Sphinx, and
charged to solve
the Problem he'll
be set.
652
[leaf 11, back]
656
660
Of the problem
that Spynx putte
to Edippus.
'There's an
animal which, at
its birth, can't
664 walk.

Then it goes on
4 feet;
then on 3;
at last on 2.
And afterwardës / be processe of age,
On fourë fete / he makeþ his
passage;
After on thre/ if I shal not feyne,
And alderlast/he gop vpright on tweyne;
Dyuers of port/ and wonderful of cherys:
Til, be length of many sondry ȝeeres,
Then on 3 again, Naturely / he goth aȝeyn on thre,
then on 4,
and finally goes
back to the
matter it came
from.
And sith on foure, it may non oþer be,
And Fynaly/this the trouthe* pleyn,
he retourneth/kyndely ageyn
668
672
Solve this,
or die.'
Edippus thought
over the puzzle,
To the matere / which that he kam fro.
¶ loo/her is al /. my problem is I-do.
Muse her-vpon / with-oute werre or stryff
It to declare / or ellis lese thy lyff."
676
And whan Edyppus / gan this þing aduerte,
Wel assured in his manly herte,
680
Gan in his wytt' cerchen vp and douñ,
And of prudencë / cast' in his resoun,
[leaf 12]
then cald the
Sphinx a foul
murdering
Monster,
Be grete avis/what' thyng this may be;
Seyng also that he may not flee,
681
and how ther was counsel noon ne rede,
But tellë trouth / or ellys to be dede.
And be ful good / deliberacioun
Thus he answerd / in conclusioun,
'Thowe Spynx' quod he/ 'fals and fraudulent!
Thow foule Monstre / thow dragon, thow serpent'!
which on this hyl / lich as I
conceyve,
lyst in a-waite / folkes to deceyue,

But' truste wel/ for al thy sleghty wit',
Thy false fraudë / shal anoñ be qwyt.
Me list not' nowe whisper neither rowne,
But thy problem / I shal anoñ expowne
So opynly thow shalt not go ther-fro.
loo! this it is /. tak good hede therto!
¶ Thilke best' thow spak of herto-forn,
Is euery man in this world yborñ,
Which may not goñ / his lymës be so softe,
Bot' as his moder / bereth hym alofte
wepe.
In her armes / whan he doth
crye or*
And after that /he gynneth forto crepe
On foure* feet' in his tendre ȝouth,
Bexperience as it is ofte kouth,
A-forn yrekned / his hondës bothë* two.
And by processe / thow mayst consider also
With his two fete / for al thy fellë tene,
He hath a staf/ hym-seluen to sustene,
And than he goth / shortly vpon thre.
And alther-last / as it' most nedës be,
Voyding his staf / he walkeþ vpon tweyñ:
Tl it so be thorgh agë / he atteyn,
That lust' of ȝouthe wasted be and spent';
Than in his hond / he taketh a potent',
And on thre feet / thus he goth ageyn,
696
700
and solvd its
Problem.
How Edippus
expounded the
problem that
Spynx put to
hym.
'The Animal is
every man, who
can't walk as a
babe, but is
carried,
704 then he crawls
on 4 feet, his
hands and knees,
708
then on 3, his 2
feet and a stick,
712 then on 2 feet
only.
[leaf 12, back]
When he gets
716 older, he takes a
staff again, or
goes on three
feet;

And for he may no whyle* here soiourne,
32 Edippus has solved the Problem and will kill the Sphinx. [Þt. 1.
and at last he
crawls on all
fours like a child.
I dar afferme thow maist' it' not' withseyn,
And sone aftere / thorgh his vnweldy myght,
By influence of naturys right',
Bexperience/as euery man may knowe,
Lich a child / on foure he crepeth lowe.
When he dies, he To erth ageyn/he most' in hast' retourne,
goes back to
earth.
720
724
Which he kam fro /, he may it' not remewe*.
For in this world / no man may eschewe,
This verray soth / shortly and no doute,
soth/shortly
Whan the wheel of kynde cometh aboute,
728
And naturely hath his cours y-Ronne
Be circuete/as doth the shenë sonne,
That man and chyld / of hegh and lowe estat',
It' geyneth nat' / to makë/ mor debat',
732
His tymë sette / that he mostë* fyne,
Whan Autropos / of malice doth vntwyne
His lyves thred / by Cloto first compowned.
So your Problem Loo / her thy problem / fully is expowned,
is solved,
736
and I shall at
once kill you.'
At oure metynge / as I took on honde,
To the lawe / that' thow most nedës stonde
And in al hast/ of myn hondes deye,
But of reson / thow can it ought withseye.'
7:00
And so this Spynx / awapyd and amaat',
con
hit

Stood / disamayed / and dysconsolaat',
With Chier doune-cast' / Muët, pale, and ded.
And Edippus anon smote of the hed
Of this fende/stynkyng and vnswete,
And the Contrè sette holy in quyete;
Wherby he hath / such a pris ywonne
That his fame is euery cost' yronne
Thorgh al the londe / that he the monstre hath slawe.
And lynë-right / to Thebes he gan drawe,
Wel receyued for his worthynesse,
383
744 Edippus cuts the
Sphinx's head
off,
748
752
[leaf 13]
is well receivd
at Thebes,
and as the
Thebans have
756 only a Queen,
760
For his manhode / and his grete* * prouesse.
And for they segh / he was a semly knyght',
Wel fauoured / in euery mannys sight',
And sawh also Thebes the myghty toun,
Not only they / but al the Regioun,
Weren destitut / of a gouernour,
Aȝeynst her foon / hauyng' no socour
Hem to defende* / but the quene allon ;
Among hem-self / makyng' ful gret moñ,
For heire was non / as bookës specifie,
The Sceptre / or crownë forto occupie:
For which the lordës aH be on assent
with-Inne the toun / set' a parlement,
Shortly concludyng / if it myghte ben,

they resolve to
ask her to wed
Edippus, and
make him King.
Prudently to trete with the quene,
Namely they that helde hem-silf most sage,
To condescende / be way of Mariage,
She to be Ioynëd to this manly knyght',
Passing prudent / and famous ek of myght',
Most likly man /, as they can discerne,
The worthy Cytè / to kepen and gouerne.
768
772
And thorgh counsayl / of the lordës alle
To her desyre / pleynly / she is falle,
And accorded/with-oute mor tarying,
That' of Thebes / Edippus shal be kyng',
776
[leaf 13, back] By ful assent' /, was noñ that' seidë* nay.
And tymë set / ageyn a certeyn day
Among hem-silf / and finaly devysed,
The weddyng was / in Thebes solempnyzed
Ful ryally, which nedës most vnthryve,
Only for he his moder / toke to wyve,
Vnwist of bothe* / he was of her blode,
And ignoraunt /, shortly, how it' stode,
Edippus marries
his Mother, not
knowing it,
or that he'd slain That he to-forn hadde his fadere slawe,
his Father.
God will not
that blood
touch blood.
780
784
For which this weddyng was ageyn the lawe.
And to-for god / is neiþer feire ne good,
Nor acceptable / blood to touche blood :
Which cause hath ben of gret' confusioun
In many londe / and many Regyoun,
788
It leads to
disaster.
Grounde and roote / of vnhap and meschaunce,
The fyn concludyng / alway with vengeaunce,
As men han seie / by cleer experience;
792
I.

And holy writ / recordeth in sentence
35
How herodes / falsly in his lyff
By violencë toke his brother wyf,
For she was faire / and plesaunt' to his sight,
And kepte her stille / be forcë*/ þorgh his myght,
Al be to her*/ he hadde / title noñ;
And for her sake / the holy man seynt' Iohn
For his trouth in prison lost his hede.
Therfor I rede/ euery man take hede,
796
Herod took his
brother's wife,
800 thru which
John the Baptist
lost his head.
Beware, then,
Wherso he be Pryncë, lorde, or kyng,
That he be war teschewe such weddyng,
Er that the swerde / of vengeaunce hym manace,
lest he lesë/ hap, fortune, and grace;
Takyng ensample/ in al manere thynge
Of Edyppus / in Thebes crowned kyng;
Al be that he wroght of ignoraunce,
804
808
[leaf 14]
by Edippus,
who, tho' he sind
in ignorance.
7
Ful derk and blynde / of his woful chaunce.
And ȝif vnwist / he of Innocence,
As ȝe han herde, fil in such offence,
For which he was punished* and brought lowe,
What' ar* they worthy that her errour knowe,
And fro the knottë / list not to abstene
Of such spousale / to god and man vnclene?
I can not seyn/ nor mor therof devise.
Demeth ȝour-silf that' prudent' ben and wise,
And Edippus / hath among in mynde,
812
was punisht.
816
The wedding
of Edippus

was unhappy.
None of the
Nine Muses
was at it,
Of whom the weddyng, lik as ȝe may fynde,
Vnhappy was and passing odious,
Infortuned and vngracious.
I am wery mor therof to write.
The hatful processe / also to endyte
I passe ouer, fully of entent';
For ymenëus / was not ther present',
Nor lucyna/list' not' ther to shyne,
Ne ther was none / of the musys nyne
By on accord to make melodye;
824
828
T+C
as they were at
Philology's mar-
riage in Heaven
to Mercury:
For ther song not be heuenly Armonye
Neither Clyonor Calyopë,
On of the sustren / in nombre thriës thre,
832
As they dyde* whan philolegye
Ascendid vp hegh aboue the skye
To be weddid/ this lady vertuous
Vnto hir lord / þe god mercurius;
see Martianus de As Marcian ynamëd / de Capelle,
Capella.
In his book of weddyng can ȝou telle,
[leaf 14, back] Ther concludyng in this mariage
The poete, that whilom was so sage,
That' this lady, callëd sapience,
I-wedded was vnto eloquence;
As it' sat wel, by heuenly purueaunce,
hem to be ioyned / be knot' of Aliaunce.
But bothe* two, sothly, of entent'
836
840
844

.
At the weddyng/in Thebes were absent';
That' caused after/grete aduersitè.
For fynal eende / of that' solempnytè
was sorowe / and woo / and destruccioun,
Vtter ruyne / of this Royal touñ.
Ther may no man helpe it' nor socoure,
For a tyme / in Ioyë / thogh they floure.
But' at this weddyng /, platly forto telle,
was Cerberus Chief porter of helle,
/
And herebus / Fader to hatrede,
was ther present' with his hool kynrede,
His wiff also / with her browes blake,
And her doghtren / sorow forto make,
⚫ hydous-chered / and vggely forto see,
Megera / and Thesiphonee,
Allecto ek / with labour and envie,
Drede and fraude / and fals trecherie,
Tresoun⚫ pouerte / Indigence, and nede,
And cruel deth / in his Rentë Wede,
Wrechednesse / compleynt* / and eke Rage,
Fer ful palë/derknesse / croked age,
Cruel mars/as eny Tygre wood,
Brennyng Ire of vnkynde blood,
Fraternal hate / depë sett' the rote,
Saue only deth / that ther nas no bote,
[leaf 15]
37
848 Edippus's wed-
ding brought
about the ruin
of Thebes.
852
856
860
The Infortunat
¶ folk þat weren
at be wed-
dynge.
Cerberus
¶ Herebus
¶ Nyght & her
thre doghtren
¶ Drede
Fraude
Trecherie
Tresoun
864 Pouerte
¶ Indygence
Nede
Deth
868
¶ Cruel Mars
Alle þise folk
weren at the
wedding of

Assuryd othes / at the fyn vntrewe :
Edyppus and
Iocasta
AH thise folk/ weren / at this weddyng newe,
To make the towne / desolat and bare,
872
As the story/after shal declare.
Edippus reignd
long in Thebes,
had 2 sons
¶ But' ay in Thebes / with his wallës stronge
Edyppus regneth / many day and longe.
And as myn autour writ/in wordys pley,
By Iocasta he had sonës tweyñ,
Ethyocles and also Polymyte
876
And, in bokes/as sondry clerkës write,
and 2 daughters Doghtres two/ ful goodly on to se,
by Jocasta,
*
Of which the ton hight Antygonë,
880
And that other / called was ymeyne,
Of her beauté / Inly souereyñ.
884
Edyppus ay devoyde / of werre and strif,
and led at first
with Iocasta ladde a mery lyf
a merry life.
Tyl fortune of her iniquytè
Hadde envie / of his prosperitè.
888
But when Edip For whan he shon / most' riche in his renoun,
þus was most
famous,
From her wheel / she plonged hym a-doun
Fortune cast him out of his Ioye / into sodeyn wo,
into woe.
As she is wonte / frowardly to do,
892
And namely hem/ that setten her affiaunce
Of erthly trust / in her variaunce.
One night
For whan this kyng / passing of gret myght',
Sat' with the quene / vpon a certeyn nyght',
896
Casuelly whan his folk echon
Out of his* Chambre sodeynly wer goñ,

Or he was war / Iocasta gan byholde
The Carectys of his woundës olde,
39
Jocasta sees the
marks of old
wounds on his
900
feet,
Vpon his fete / enprented wonder depe;
Turnyng her facë / brast' out' forto wepe
[leaf 15, back]
So secrely he myght' it' not' espie.
And she anon / fille into a fantasie,
904
Ay on thys thyng' / musyng mor and more,
And in her bed / gan to sighe sore.
And whan the kyng / conceyueth her distresse,
He gan enquere / of her hevynesse
Fully the cause / and occasioun ;
For he wil wite / in conclusioun,
What her eileþ / and why she ferde so.
"My lorde," quod she / "withoute wordës mo,
Parcel cause of this sodeyn rage
and sighs deeply.
908 He asks why she
does so.
912 She says she
Is for that I in my tender age
had a lorde / I-named Layus,
kyng' of this toune / a man riȝt vertuvs,
Be whom I hadde / a sonë / wonder fair,
likly tabene / his successour and hair':
But' by cause/his dyvynours tolde
At his birthe/sothly that he sholde,
ȝif he haue lyf / be fatal destanyè,
Sleen his fader / it may non oþer be;
For which the king / his fate to eschewe,
Bad me in hast' / as hym thoghte dewe,
To sle the childe / and haue therof no routh :
And I anon bad with-outë slouth
916
920
bore a son to
King Layus,
who was told
that the boy
should slay his
father.
924 Layus bade
Jocasta kill her
babe.
But the men she

told to do it,
[leaf 16]
bored the child s
feet,
and hung him
on a tree.
There, hunters
found him.
Certeyn men / vp peyne of Iugëmente,
To execute / the comaundëmente
Of the king/as I gaf hem in charge.
And forth they goñ / to a forest' large,
Adiacent/vnto this contrè,
Percen his fete / and honge hym on a tre,
Nat' parfourmyng/thexecucioun.
On hym they hadde / such compassioun.
lefte hym ther/ and hom resort' ageyñ,
Beyng in doute / and in noñ certeyñ,
At theyre repeire / as they tolden alle,
Of this childe/what' afterward is falle;
Saue they saide/ huntys han hym founde,
Which lad hym forth / and his feet' vnbounde;
But' to what' coost' / they coudë not declare.
928
932
936
940
Which parcel is of myn evel fare,
Grounde and cause / of myn hevy chere,
Considred ek the woundës that' appere
944
Vpon ȝoure fete /, and woot' not' what they mene.
And on thyng/ ay / is at myn herte grene,
Of late, Layus
was slain
My lord, allas? but of newë date :
kyng Layus/slayën* was but late
948

At a Castel/nygh by this contrè,
41
when Edippus
came into the
land.
vpon ȝoure comyng / into this Citè.
Al this yweied/ and rekned into oñ,
Maketh myn hertë/hevy as a stoñ,
952
So that I can counsel / non / nor Rede."
And with that' word the kyng lift' vp his hede,
And abrayd with sharpë sighës smerte,
Edippus sighs.
And al this thing be ordre / gan aduerte,
Ceriously be good avisement';
956
And by signës/ cleer and evident'
Conceyueth wel /, and sorë gan repente,
It was hym-silf / that Iocasta mente.
960
And whan the Quene / in manere segh hym pleyñ,
Jocasta asks
Edippus why
By her goddes / she gan hym to constreyne
To shewën out the cause of his affray,
[leaf 16, back]
And it' expowne / and make no delay,
964
he came to
Crop and root / shortly, why that' he
Entred first/into that contrè,
Fro when he kam / and fro what' regioun.
Thebes, and
whence.
But he hir' put' / in dilusioun,
As he haddë* done it for the nonys.
Til at the* laste/he brak out' atonys
Vnto the queene / and gan a processe make
First' how he was / in the forest' take,
wounded the feet / and so forp euery thyng',
Of his Chershing / with Polyboun the kyng',
And hool the cause / why he hym forsoke,
968
He says he was
taken, with his
972 pierst feet,
to King Þo-
ly bon:

then went to-
wards Thebes
by Apollo's
bidding,
And in what wise / he the weyë toke
Toward Thebes / as Appollo bad,
And of fortune / how that he was lad
Wher that Spynx / kepte the mounteyn,
976
and slew King
Layus.
And how that he slough also in certeyn
980
kyng Layus at the castel gate,
Towardës nyght whan it' was ful* late,
And how to Thebes that he gan hym spede
To fynden oute / the stok of his kynrede:
984
He now finds
that Jocasta
is his mother
as well as his
wife.
Both sorrow.
[leaf 17]
Tragedia
Senece de Edippo
Rege thebarum.
which vnto hym gan to wexë* couth;
For by processe / of his grenë ȝouth
he fonde out' wel, be reknyng of his lif,
That she was both / his moder and his wif.
So that' al nyght and sving on þe morow
A-twene hem* two / gan a newë sorowe:
Which vnto me were tedious to telle;
For ther-vpon //ȝif I shulde dwelle,
A long space it wolde occupie.
But ȝe may reden in a Tragedye
Of Moral Senyk fully his endynge,
Seneca's Tragedy His dool, his meschief / and his compleynyng,
of Edippus
tells how he
lost his wits,
How with sorow / and vnweldy age
This Edippus/fille into dotage,
988
992
996
lost his wit/ and his worldly delit',
And how his sonës* / had hym in despit',
1000
And of disdeyn / tok of hym no kepe.
And bookës seyn/ his eyën out he wepe.
om. G.

And as myn auctour liketh to devise,
As his sones rebuke hym and dispise,
Vpon a day in a certeyn place
Out' of his hede / his eyën he gan race,
And Cast' at hem /, he can noñ other bote,
And of malice/ they trad hem vnder fote,
Fully devoide / both of loue and drede.
And whan Edippus / for meschief was thus dede,
with-Inne a pytte / made in the erthë* lowe,
Of crueltè / his sonës / han hym throwe,
Wers than serpent/ or eny tigre wood.
Of Cursid stok/ cometh vnkynde blood,
As in story/ȝe may rede her to-forñ;
Al be the Roose*/ grow / out of a thorn.
Thus of Edippus /, whan he was blynd and old,
The wrecched ende / I haue* ȝou pleynly told.
For which shortly / to man and child I rede
To be wel war / and to taken hede
¶ Of kyndely riȝt / and of conscience
To do honur* // and due* reuerence
To fader and moder / of what estat thei be,
Or certeyn/ellis/ they shul neuere the.
1004
1008
1012
1016
and tore his eyes
out;
and how his
corpse was
thrown into a pit
by his sons.
From cursed
stock comes un-
natural child.
¶ Nota.
¶ How euery
1020 man oght of
dieute to do
reuerence to
Fader and
modere.
Or ellis ther
wil folowe
vengeaunce
1024
[leaf 17, back]

For who that is not to hem debonayr
In spech, in port/ for to trete hem fair,
Hem to obeye / in honestè and drede,
And to cherissh*/ of what they han nede,
I dar afferme exceptyng noñ astat',
That he shall first be infortunat
In alle his werk / both on see and lond,
1028
They who don't
honour parents,
1032
And of what thyng that he take on hond
Fortune froward / to hym and contrayre*,
Waast* of his good /, pleynly and appaire,
shall end badly. Fynde plentè / of contek / werre, and striff,
Vnhappy ende/ and shortnesse of liff,
And gracëlees of what he hath to do,
Hatrede of god / and of man also.
Let no man be
reckless;
but be you warnd
by Edippus's
sons.
When we're out
of Blean Vale,
I'll go on with
my Tale.
¶ Therfor no man / be herof rekkëlees,*
But make ȝoure myrour of Ethiocles
And his brother / called Polymyte,
Which in such thyng / gretly* were to wite,
As
/
ȝe shal here of hem how it fil.
And whan we ben / descendid doune this hil
And ypassed/her/ the lowë vale,
I shal begynne the remnant of my tale.
¶

Part II

Explicit Prima pars istius Codicilli.
Incipit Secunda Pars Eiusdem.
Secunda pars.
1036
1040
1044
nede] drede L. (from 1027).

After Boughton, the Tale goes on.
45
Secunda Pars.
Assed the throp / of Bowtoun on þe ble,
P
By my chilyndre / I gan anoñ to se,
Thorgh þe sonnë / þat ful cler gan shyne,
Of þe clok that' it drogh to nyne;
And saugh also þe siluer dropës shene
1048
Of þe dewe / lich peerlys* / on þe grene, 1052
Vapoured vp in-to the eire* alofte,
whan zephyrus / with his blowing' softe
þe wedere made lusty / smoth / and feir,
And right attemprè / was the hoolsom eir*;
The same hour / aH the hoolë* Route
Of the pylgrymes / rydyng round aboute,
In my tale / whan I gan procede,
Rehercyng forth / as it was in dede,
Whan Edippus / buryed was and graue,
How his sones / the kyngdam for to haue,
Among hem-silf / be ful mortal hate
1056
1060
[leaf 18
When we'd past
Boughton
it was near
9 a.m.
All the Pilgrims
rode round me
when I went on
with my tale.
After Edippus's
death,
his sons strove
for the Crown.

For the crowne / gonnë to debate
which of hem / Iustly / shal succede,
1064
And the Sceptre / of the toune possede;
Advertyng nought / neither to right' ne wronge,
But eche of hem/ to make her partie stronge,
1068
Each lookt to
his own interest
only.
And his querele / proudely to sustene :
From whoos hertës / was devoyded* clene
Of brotherhode / the faithful alliaunce.
Fals Couetise/so made hem at distaunce,
Fully worchyng into destruccioun
And Ruyne of this noble touñ.
So hootë brente the hatred and envie
1072
Neither of
Edippus's sons
would give way
to the other,
[leaf 18, back]
so the citizens
of Thebes
Of bothe two/thorgh pompous Surquedye,
1076
That' nowther wolde* / pleynly in a poynt
Other forbern* /, they stod in such disioynte
*
as thow they hadde / of berthe* be foreyns.
Tyl of the toune / the noble Citezeyns,
settled that the knyghtës, Barounes / with many worþi lord,
Shope a way to mak' hem of accord,
elder, Eteocles,
And to set hem / in quyete / and in pees.
But for his part / this Ethiocles
Alegge gan that he was first yborñ;
1080
1084

Þt II.] Eteocles, as the elder, is to be crownd first.
For which he oght of resoun go to-forn
In the Citè / to be crowned kyng',
Sith be lawë/ ther was no lettyng'.
For vnto hym / longeth / the heritage
Be discent/ and be title of age.
But polymyte / of ful hegh disdeyñ,
Al opynly gan replie ageyñ
And for his part / seide, in special,
Reson was non / that he shuld haue alle
Regaly and domynacioun,
And the lordship hooly of the toun,
And he right' nought, out of the Cytè
But* lyve in exile / and in pouertè,
Ful concludyng', with-oute feer and dred,
Rather than suffre that /, he wil be ded.
And thus, allas / thorgh her envious strif,
At the ende / euerich loste his lif,
At' gret' mischief / as ȝe shal after here.
But thylke tyme the lordës al yfere
Ful bysily did her dyligence,
By gret' avis/ and ful high prudence,
To setten hem in quyete and in Reste;
Conseylyng' hem pleynly for the beste,
To leve her strif/ of wisdam and resoun,
And condescende / to some conclusioun
should be
crownd.
1088 The contro-
uercy of the
breberen.
47
But the younger,
Polyneices,
1092
1096
said he'd sooner
die than let his
1100 brother have all
1104
In the end, each
kild the other.
1108
[leaf 19]

The Theban
lords get them
to agree that
each brother
shall reign for
a year;
and while one
reigns,
the other shall
go away and do
warlike deeds.
of the breberen.
Which to bothe* / myghte most' availe;
That' fynaly/thorgh her gouernaile,
The lordës allë / beyng tho present',
They han hem broght / to be of on assent',
Of on hertas brother vnto brother,
Euerich of hem/ to regnen* after other,
ȝeer
be ȝeer / as it' cam aboute,
So that the ton / shal absent hym oute
Fully that' ȝeer, and hym-siluen* guye
Be his manhode / and his chyualrye,
The conuencion haunte hym-self/in Dedys marcyal;
whil his brother / in his See Royal
Holdeth his sceptre / the Citè to gouerne;
1112
1116
1120
And whan the ȝeer / his cours hap ronnë ȝerne
1124
And is come out' /, he shal haue* repair
To Regne in Thebes / lik as lord and hair,
There to receyue / fully his dignytè;
1128
They shall
change yearly.
Both Eteocles
whil the tother voideth the Citè,
Paciently taking his auenture
Til* he ageyn/ his honure may recure.
1132
1136

Polyneices rides from Thebes.
Ful knet vp / be gret avisement',
To-for the goddys / be oth of sacrament',
Neuer after to grochë* ne to varye,
But' a-complisshen Shortly / and not tarye,
lich as thaccord / enrolled in the toune,
From poynt to poynt / made mencioun.
But alderfirst / be reson of his age,
Ethyocles/hadde thauauntage
To regne aforn / and to were a croune,
Polymytë/ hym hastyng out' of toune
Duryng that ȝeer /, it may non other be,
Whil his brother /sat' in his Royal See
Ful richely vpon fortunes wheel;
And rode hym forth / armëd briȝt in stele,
This Polymyte / sothly as I rede,
Hym-silf allone / on a Ryal Stede,
With-oute guyde / al the longë day,
Beyng' aferd / to kepe the heghë* way,
In his herte / hauyng suspecioun
To his brother / of malice and tresoun,
49
and Polyneices
swear to this.
1140
[leaf 19, back]
1144
1148
But Eteocles is
to reign first.
So Polyneices
rides out of
1152 Thebes,
suspecting
Eteocles,
1156
lest' he pursued / thorgh fals vnkyndë* blood
To haue hym ded/ for couëtise of good,
That he allon/myght' haue* possessioun
I.

Polyneices comes to a Forest by the Sea.
Duryng his lif/ fully of the touñ.
1160
For which in hast' /, havyng no felawe,
Polymytë a-side gan hym drawe
to a forest by
the sea,
By a forest / Ioynyng to the See,
knowyng right nought the syyt of the contrè,
1164
Ful of hillesand of hegh mounteyns,
Craggy Roches and but fewë playns,
wonder dredful and lothsom of passage,
full of wild
beasts.
[leaf 20]
the rain pours
down.
And ther-with-al / ful of beestis rage;
holdyng his way of herte* no thyng light,
Maat' and wery / til* it drowe to nyght.
And al the day / beholdyng enviroun,
He neyther saugh castel, toure, ne toun;
The whiche þing / greuëd hym ful sore.
A tempest rises; And sodeynly the se began to Rore,
wynde and tempest / hidously tarise.
The Reyn doune bete / in ful grisly wise,
That' man and beest / therof were adrad,
And negh for fere*/ gan to wexe mad,
As it semptë/ by the wooful sownes
Of Tygres/berës / boorës / and lyounes,
which for refut / hem-silue* forto saue,
Euerich in hast / drogh vnto his Caue.
But Polymyte / in this tempest' huge,
Allas the while* / fyndeth no refuge,
1168
1172
1176
1180
1184
with-

Polyneices comes to Argos, whose King Adrastus has 2 Daughters. 51
Nor hym to schrowde / saugh nowher no socour
Til it was passed / almost mydnyght hour
A large space that the sterres clere,
The clowdes voyde /, in heuene did appere;
So that this knyght / out of the forest' large
Gan approchen / to the londe of arge,
Seyng a palays myghty of beeldyng',
Of which Adrastus / called was the kyng,
A manly man / riche and wonder sage,
And ronne was / somdel / into age,
Born of the Ile / which called is Chysoun,
And whylom sone / of the kyng Chaloun;
And for his witt /, in story as is kouth,
he chosen was in his tendre ȝouth,
1188
Near midnight
the clouds clear
off.
How Poly-
mytes cam into
the lond of
Arge.
1192 Adrastus is king
of Argos,
1196
Of alle Argëto be crowned kyng',
Chief of alle Grece / by record of wryting,
1200
Not be dissent / nor successioun,
But al only of fre eleccion
[leaf 20, back]
To* holde of Arge / the sceptre in his hond,
As most worthy / of alle* grekës lond,
loued and drad / for wisdam and Iustice.
And as the story / pleynly can devise,
This worthy kyng hadde doghtres two,
1196.
1204
and has 2 fair
daughters,

Adrastus dreams of his two Sons-in-law.
Passyng fair and right good also.
It were to longe / her beautè to discryve.
And the eldest / called was Argyve,
Deyphyle (and) Deyfyle ynamed the seconde.
¶ Adrastus
but no son.
And Adrastus, lich as it is founde,
This worthy kyng/ haddë sonë noñ,
To succede after he be goñ;
For which he was duryng al his lyff
Trist in hert and passingly pensif.
But hool his trust' / and his hope stod,
Be Aliaunce of some worthy blood
Adrastus hopes Brou3t Inne by mene / of his doghtres tweyñ,
to marry his
daughters well.
That he shal be relesed / of his peyne,
1212
1216
1220
The drem of
kyng Adrastus
of A bor and A
lyoun.
But he dreams
*
Thorgh recomfort / of some hie mariage.
And sothly yet ful high in his corage
He troubled was be occasion
Of a sweuen and a vision,
Shewed to hym / vpon a certeyn nyght.
For as hym thoght/ in his inward sight
whyl he slept, by cleer inspeccioun,
that a wild Boar A wylde boor / and a fers lyoun
and a Lion shall
wed them.
[leaf 21]
Possedë shal, thise bestës in her Rage,
His doghtres two / be bond of mariage
In shorte tyme/with-In a certeyn day;
which broght his herte / in ful grete affray.
But þing in soth / that destinè hath shape,
1224
1228
1232

Her in this world / ful hard is to eskape;
Eke merveylous / a man teschewe his faate.
And Polymyte / of whom I spak late,
With the tempest / bete / and al be-reyned
Be grace only the Citè hath atteyned,
¶ Wher Adrastus / ful statly of degrè,
Thilke tymë/ helde his Royal see.
The troubly nyght / myrk, and ful obscure,
hath brought this knyght / only be auenture
Thorgh the Citè, enclosed with a wal,
Vnto the paleys/chief and principal,
Wher as the kynge / in his chambre alofte
lay in his bed / and slepte wonder softe.
Eke alle his folk / hadde her chambres take,
lik as Fortune / peraunter hadde shape,
The silfe* tyme / be-cause it was so late;
And Casuelly no porter / at the gate,
As it hadde be right for the nonys.
And in a porche* / bilt of squarë stonys,
Ful myghtëly enarched envyroun,
wher the domys / and plees of the toun
1236 Polyneices
1240
1244
1248
1252
enters Argos
city,
53
and goes to the
palace
where Adrastus
and all his folk
lie asleep.
The porter is
at the gate.
weren execut/ and lawes of the kyng',
And ther this knyght/ without* mor tarying,
Wery and maat / from his stede alight',
1256 Polyneices ties
his horse up in
a porch,

himself.
Hangynge the rene / in al the hast' he myght',
vppon his arme / surer hym to kepe,
and sleeps there and leyde hym doune / and gan anoñ to slepe,
As hym semptë/ that tyme for the beste.
And whil that he lay thus forto reste,
Of aventure / ther cam / a knyght' ryding',
The worthiest in this world lyvyng',
Curteys, lowly / and right vertuous,
Then, in rides a
manly knight,
[leaf 21, back]
Tideus,
who's been
banisht from
Caledonia
1260
1264
As seith myn autour / Called Tidyus,
Eurous in Armes and manly in werkyng,
Of his byrthe /sone vnto the kyng
Of Calydonye / a londe of gret' renoun.
1268
And he, allas / out' of that' Regioun
Exiled was for he his* brother sclowe,
As Stace of Thebes / writ the manere howe,
1272
Al be that he to hym no malys mente.
For on a day as they on huntyng wente
In a forest / for herte / and for hynde,
1276
for accidentally
shooting his
brother Mena-
lippus.
So as he stod vnder a grenë* lynde,
And Casuelly / lete his Arow Slippe,
he slough his broder / called Menalippe,
Thorgh mortal sort / his honde was begyled:
For which he was / banished* and exiled,
As the lawenarowe / sette his charge.
1280

And for this caas / he cam first to Arge,
55
¶ Into the porche / wher polymytë slepe,
Of auenture/ere he toke eny kepe,
1284
The same nyght' hidously beseyň
With the tempest / of thonder / wynde / and reyñ;
And filt also anoy / and gret' damage,
1288
He, batterd by
the storm,
Thorgh the Forest' holding his passage,
As Polymytë hadde* do to-forn,
In peryl ofte / likly to be lorn,
With beestes rage / set on euery side,
Til of grace with-outen eny guyde
He rode thorgh Arge / the grete myghty touñ,
Streght to the paleys / and the chief dongoun,
Lich as I tolde / wher polymytë lay;
And at his comyng / made a gret' affray,
For he was blynde / þorgh derknesse of the nyght',
And hym to gwyë* / he ne fonde no liȝt'
whan he cam Inne / of priket nor of torche,
Til he vnwarly / entred the porche,
And wold han take ther/ his herbygage.
But Polymytë/ stert vp in a rage,
Sodeynly awaked as I rede,
1292
rides thru
Argos,
[leaf 22]
1296
and into the
Porch where
1300 Polyneices lies.
Polyneices
wakes,
with the nyinge / of his proude stede.
And first of al / whan that he byhelde
1304
A knyght' y-armed / vpon his brest' a shelde,

leaps on his
horse,
and abuses
Tideus,
who answers
gently,
and says he was
And gan the maner / of his aray aduerte,
Of verrey Ire/vpon his hors he sterte,
And cruelly gan tydingës enquere
Whennys he cam / or what he dede there,
And bad in hast / his answer to devise.
And Tydeus, in ful humble wise,
Answerd ageyn/of verrey gentillesse,
And seid in soth / that of hegh distresse,
1308
1312
driven in by the
tempest,
Of the tempest / and the derke nyght',
he dryven was/lich an erraunt knyght,
Of nede only and of* necessitè
1316
And high constreynt / of his adversitè,
and that he
means no harm.
Polyneices de-
clares he shan't
stay there.
[leaf 22, back]
Tideus says
Polyneices
To take loggyng / wher so that he myght';
And in that courte / therfor he alight
With-outë morë*, thenkyng non outrage
Nor to no wight / noyeng* ne damage.
Than Polymyte / of malys / and hegh pride
Tolde hym shortly / he shulde* not abide,
Nor loggë ther/thogh he had it' sworn.
"For I," quod he/ "toke it vp to-forn
And wil it kepë during al this nyght',
I seie the platly / maugrè al thy myght."
Quod Tydeus/'that is no curtesie
1320
1324
1328

Polyneices challenges Tideus. They fight.
Me to deuoyde / but rather vileynye,
ȝif ȝe take hede / that' seme a gentil knyght.
And I suppose / ȝe han / no title of right
To this loggyng / be way of heritage,
More than haue I, for alle ȝoure fellë rage.
And parde/ȝit it' shal be no desese,
Til to morowe thogh ȝe do me ese,
1332
1336
has no more
right to the
porch than he
has,
57
and asks leave
to stop.
Of gentillesse / only with ȝoure leve;
To suffre me it' shal litil greue.'
¶ But ay the morë Tydeus spak faire,
Polymyte was froward / and contrayre,
And shortly seide/ it' geyneth not to stryve;
That' of force he shal devoide blyve,
Or vttrely/a-twen hem bothe two
This thyng to Trië / he most haue ado.
¶ And Tydeus, seyng / no bettre mene,
But Polyneice
1340
says they must
fight.
1344
Ful lik a knyght' / in steel y-armëd* clene,
With-out' abood / faste gan hym spede
Wonder lyvely / forto take his stede,
1348
And thus thies knyghtës/ pompous and ellat,
For litil cause / fillen at debat'.
And as they ranne to-gider on* horsbak,
Euerich on other / first his sperë brak.
And after that/ ful surquedous of pride,
With sharpe swerdës/ they to-gyder ryde
Ful yrously / thise myghty champiouns,
In her fury / lik' Tygres or lyouns.
1352
1356
They charge
one another,
break their
spears,
How Tydeus
and Polymyte
strif for her
loggyng.
and attack with
swords.

[leaf 23]
Adrastus stops Polyneices and Tideus fighting. [Þt.. II.
And as they hurtle / that all þe paleis shoke,
Adrastus wakes, kyng* Adrastus / out of his slep awoke,
And made in hast his chamberleynes calle,
and sends his
men to them.
Adrastus's folk
tell him two
knights are
fighting in his
palace.
And þorgh the courte / his worthy knyghtes alle,
Comaundyng hem to descende and se,
And reporte/what it myghte be,
This wonder noyse / in his courte be nyght.
1360
And whan they saugh two straungë knyghtës fight 1364
In platys bright' / and in thikkë* maile,*
with-outë lugë, they hadde grete mervaile*;
And disamayed / of this vnkouth þing,
As they fond / tolde* to the kyng.
And Adrastus / for derknesse of the nyght,
From his Chambre with many torchë* light
He comes down, Into the courte / is discended doun,
AH his meynè/ stondyng en-vyroun,
bids them stop
fighting,
takes their
swords away,
and tells em
they're great
fools.
Of thyes knyghtës having ful gret wonder.
And of manhode / he put hem first' a-sonder,
Hem comaundyng / lich a gentil kyng',
1368
1372
To leuen her strif and sesen of her* fighting;
And entred Inne with, a knyghtly loke,
1376
And first fro hem / her swerdes both he took,

Polyneices and Tideus submit to Adrastus.
59
Affermyng ek, as to his fantasie,
It was a Rage/ and a gret' folye
1380
So wilfully her lyves/ to Iuparte,
with-oute Iuge / her querel to departe,
And specialy in the derke* nyght'
Whan neither myght of other han no sight,
Charging* hem vpon peyne of her lif
To disseuer and styntyn of her strif.
And Tydeus in al the hast' he myght,
1384
Tideus
[leaf 23, back]
1388
*
Ful humblely from his stede alight',
And right mekely / with cheer and contenance
Put' hym hooly in the gouernance
Of Adrastus/in al maner þing'.
And Polymyte / mad ek no tarying+*
To light also and wolde* not' wipsey
The kyngges biddyng / lowly to obey,
So as hym ought' / with duë* reuerence.
And as thei stoode* / both in his presence,
He gan enquerë first / of her estaat',
The cause also why they weren at' debat',
Of her cuntrees / sothly and her age,
I-axed ek/touching her lynage,
Be discent of what' stok þei were born.
And Tydeus his answer / gaf to-forn ;
Tolde pleynly / and made no lesyng',

60 Polyneices says he is Jocasta's son. Adrastus knows his Father.
donia's king,
he's son to Cale- How that he was / sonë to the kyng
1404
and is banisht.
Of Caledoyn / and riȝtful heir therto;
And of his exile / the soth he told also,
As ȝe han herde/ in the storye rad.
Polyneices
And Polymyte / with cheer and facë sad,
vnto þe kyng / touching his contrè,
Seyde he was born / in thebes þe Citè,
1408
his mother,
but holds his
tongue about
his father.
says Jocasta was And Iocasta, the gretë famous quene,
his moder was / with-outen* eny wene.
But of his fader / whilom kyng' and lord,
For verray shamë he spak not a word,
Only for he/ ȝif I shal not' feyne,
his fader was and brother bothë* tweyñe :
The which, in soth / he was ful loth to telle.
And eke the kyng / wold hym not' compelle
Of gentillesse / but bad, with-oute blame,
Of his birthe*/ forto haue no shame;
For hool the caas / and maner euery deH,
Still, Adrastus
knows all about
it.
Touchyng his kynne / he knewe þe ground ful wel,
lich as it was, by ful clier report';
Enforsyng hym forto do comfort',
1412
1416
1420
1424
with at his myght / and his bysy peyne,
This manly kyng / to the knyghtes tweyne,
And to hem seide/ aforn hym as they stood,
He wiste wel þat of ful worthy blood
1428
They were dyscended / touchyng ther kynrede.
He has the
princes
And made in hast / his officerës* lede
Ro.
sonne
1405.

The straungë knyghtës / beyng' at' debat',
Thorgh his paleys / to chambres of estat',
Eche by hym-silf / forto take his ese.
And euery þing, in soth, that myght' hem plese,
was offred hem/ lich to her estates.
And whan they weren / disarmed of her platis,
Cusshewes / Greuës/ and her sabatons,
her harneys voyded / and her habergons,
Tweyne mantels/ vnto hem wer broght,
Frett with peerle / and richë stonys, wroght
Of cloth of golde / and veluyt cremysyñ,
Ful richëly furrëd with hermyñ,

• arise.
  To wrap hem Inne / ageyn the colde morowe,
  After the rage of her nyghtës sorowe,
  To take her reste / til* þe sonne
  And than þe kyng/ in ful prudent' wise,
  First of alle was not rekkeles
  be knyghtës hertes / for* to sett' in pees,
  that euer after, I dar afferme it wel,
  Eche was to other trew as eny stele
  During her lif/ both in word and dede,
  vnder a knotte / bounde of broperhede*.
  And Adrastus / be worthy kyng famous,
  A feeste made riche and plenteuous,
  1432 led to state-
  rooms.
  1436 Tideus and Poly-
  neices disarm,
  1440
  are clad in rich
  garments
  and furd wraps,
  1444
  and then rest.
  1448
  1452
  Adrastus makes
  them friends,
  and each is then
  true to the other.
  [leaf 24, back]
  Adrastus feasts
  them,

62 Polyneices and Tideus are charmd with Adrastus's Daughters.
To thise knyghtës /, hym-silf ther-at' present.
and sends for his And after mete / ful goodly he hap sent,
daughters,
who come in
like the glad
morning star,
heavenly fresh
and pleasant to
the strangers.
This noble kyng / for his doghters dere,
Of gentyllesse / forto make chere
To the knyghtës/ come fro so ferre.
And lik in soth / as lucyfer the sterre
Gladeth the morow/ at his vprysing',
So thoo ladies / at her In-comуng',
With the stremës / of her eyën clere,
Goodly apport/ and wommanly manere,
Contenaunce* / and excellent fayrnesse,
To alle the court / broghten In gladnesse.
1456
1460
1464
Tideus and
Polyneices think
the girls celes-
tial beings,
For the fresshnesse*/ of Her heuenly cheres
So agreable was to the straun-gers,
At her Entrè/that' in especial*
1468
hem thoght' it lik a thyng Celestial;
Enhastyng hem / in ful knyghtly wise
ageynës hem/goodly to arise.
1472
And as they mette / with humble contenaunce,
Ful konyngly did her obseruaunce,
Hem conveying / to her sitting-place.
But sothly I haue* leyser non nor space
1476
To reherce / and put in remembraunce,,
Hooly the maner / of her daliaunce.
It' were to longe / for ȝou to abide.

But wel I woot / that the god Cupide,
1480 and at once
By influence of his myghty hond
And the feruence / of his firy brond,
Her metyng' first / fortunëd hath so wel,
That his arowes* / of gold, and not' of stiel,
Iperced han / the knyghtës hertës tweyn,
Thorgh the brest / with such a lusty peyn
That' ther abood / sharpe / as spere or launce,
Depe yfiched / the poynt of remembraunce,
which may not / lightly / racëd ben away.
And thus in Ioye / they dryve forth þe day
In Play and Reuel/ for the knyghtës sake.
And towardes nyght / they her chambres take
At duë* tyme / as her fader bad,
And on her way / the knyghtës han hem lad
Reuerently vp be many staire ;
Takyng lieve/gan anoñ repaire
To her logging / in a ful statly toure,
Assigned hem/ be the harberioure.
And after spices / pleynly, and the wyñ
In Coppes gretë / wroght of gold ful fyñ,
With-oute tarying / to beddë* streght' they goñ.
Touchyng her reste /, wher thei slepte or noñ,
Demeth ȝe
louers that in such maner thing
Bexperience han fully knowlecchyng';
1484
1488
1492
1496
1500
[leaf 25]
fall in love with
them.
They have
games and fun
all day,
and then take
the ladies to
their tower.
The 2 lovers
drink wine,
and go to bed,
but of course
can't sleep.
1504

Adrastus lies
awake,
For it is nat declared / in my boke.
But as I fynde / the kyng al nyght' woke,
Thoghtful in herte / the story specifies,
Musing sore/ and ful of fantasies;
1508
First aduerting / þe gretë worthynesse
Of this knyghtës/ and the semlynesse,
[leaf 25, back]
Her lusty ȝouth / her force / and her manhode,
And how thei weren y-come of Royal blode.
1512
Al this he ganne / to reuolue aboute,
doubting
whether he shall
Ay in his herte / hauyng a maner doute,
A-twenë two / hangyng / in balaunce
wed his girls to
Tideus and
Polyneices,
where he shulde* / maken an aliaunce
1516
because of his
Dream of the
Wild Boar and
the Lion, p. 52.
Next day he
sees these Beasts
painted on the
knights' shields,
A-twene his doghtren / and the knyghtës tweyn.
For on thyng/ ay / his hertë gan constreyn,
The remembrance / of his avisioun,
Of which to-forn / I made mencioun,
Touchyng/þe lyon / and the wilde boor,
It' nedeth nat' / to reherce it mor,
Casting alway/ in his Fantasie,
What it' myghte / cleerly signyfie,
This dirke dreme /; this was hid and cloos.
But on the morowe / Adrastus vp aroos,
And to the temple / the riȝte way he took,
And gan preie/ deuoutly on his book.
To the goddes / his dreme to specefie.
And they hym bad homward forto hye,
And to beholde / in the knyghtës sheldys
1520
1524
1528

The felle beestys / peynted in the feeldys;
Which shal to hym /, be cleer inspeccioun,
Ful pleynly / makë declaracioun
Of his dreme which he hadde in the nyght.
And Adrastus / enhasted hym ful riȝt
In her Sheldes wisly to beholde.
Wher that he saugh / as the goddes tolde,
In the Sheldës / hangyng' vpon hokys,
The beestes rage/with her mortal lokys*.
And to purpos, lik as writ' Bochas,
Polymytë / ful streght' enbraced was
In the hyde / of a feerce lyoun.
And Tydeus/ abouen his haberioun.
A Gypon hadde/hidous / sharpe and hoor,
wroght of the bristels / of a wylde boor.
The whiche beestis / as the story lerys,
wer wroght/ and bete / vpon her banerys,
Displaied broode* / whan they shulde fight.
wherof the kyng / whan he hadde a sight
Att hys repeir/in herte was ful glad,
And with a facë / ful demur and sad
with his lordes, that he about hym hadde,
To the temple / he thys knyghtës ladde.
And whan they hadde / with all circumstaunces
Of Rytys olde / don her obseruaunces,
S. writh Ra.
1532
1536
and they explain
his dream,
1540 as Boccaccio
says.
[leaf 26]
Polyneices's
shield has a
lion's hide;
1544 and Tideus's
1548
gipon is of wild-
boars' bristles.
1552 Adrastus
1556
takes Tideus
and Polyneices
to the temple,

Hom to the court / they resort' ageyñ.
And in an hallë / riche and wel beseyn,
This worthy kyng of herte lyberal,
then feasts them Made a feeste / solempne and Royal,
in his court,
and has a talk
with them.
Which in deyntees*/ surly dyd excelle.
But it' were veyn / euery cours to telle,
her straunge sewes / and her sotyltees,
Ne how they sat / lik to her degrees;
For lak of tyme I lat it* ouerslyde.
And after mete / Adrastus toke a-syde
The knyghtës two / and lik a prudent man
In sykrè wise/thus his tale he gan.
1560
1564
1568
"irs," quod he/ "I ne doute it nouȝt
hat it is fressh/ and grene / ay in ȝour tho3t
[leaf 26, back]
How that first / by goddys ordynaunce,
And after next/thorgh fatys purveaunce,
1572
And be workyng / of fortunës hond,
How that ȝe werën brouȝt into this lond
Bothe tweyn / But now this laste* nyght:
Of whoos comyng / I am ful glad and light
First in my-self /, shortly to expresse,
whan I considre / and se the liklynesse
Of ȝour personys / with the Circumstancys
And hool the maner / of ȝour gouernancys;
Seyng ful wel /, wherto shuld I feyne,
ȝe likly be her-after to atteyn
1576
1580
1560.

To* grete estat / and* habundaunce of good,
Thorgh ȝoure birth / and ȝour Royal blood;
ȝe may not faylë / but' ȝe hauë wrong',
For ȝe are bothë* manly / and right' strong'.
And forto sette ȝoure hertës mor at' reste
My purpoos is / I hope for the beste,
So that' in ȝou be no variance,
To make a knotte / as be allyaunce,
Atwixe ȝow and my doghtres two,
ȝif ȝoure hertes / accorde wel therto.
¶ And for I am fully in dyspeyr
To succede for to han an heir,
Therfor ȝe shal han possessioun,
ȝe
Duryng my lyf / of half this Regioun,
Forthwith* in hond / and hool after my day.
Ther is no man / that therto shal sey nay.
And sothly after / whan that I am graue,
Eche of ȝow/ shal his party haue
Of this kyngdam, as I haue provided;
This to seyn/ it' shal be devyded
A-twen ȝow two, euerich to be crowned,
ȝoure pourparties / be equytè compowned
So egally in euery mannys sight',
That' ech of ȝow / reioysë shal his ryght'.
And by ȝour wit / ȝe shul the lond amend,
And of manhode / knyghtly it diffend
Ageyn oure enmyes / and oure mortal foñ.
As Tideus and
Polyneices are
1584 of Royal blood,
1588
Adrastus pro-
poses that
1592
they shall wed
his daughters,
have half his
land during his
1596 life,
and all after.
1600
[leaf 27]
1604
Each shall have
an equal share,
1608 and defend the
land against its
foes.

They shall
reign;
Adrastus will
abdicate,
hunt, and
take his ease.
Tydeus accepts Adrastus's offer.
And for the daies / passed ben and goñ
Of my desyrës/ and my lusty ȝouth,
I am ful set/forto make kouth
That'
ȝe shal han / lik myn opynyoun,
The gouernaunce / of this Regioun.
To this entente / me semeth for the beste,
ȝe to gouerne / and I to lyve in reste,
Fully to folowe / the lust of my desyris,
Hunte and hauke / in wodes and Ryvèrys
whan so euer I haue* therto plesaunce,
And for to han / noñ other attendance
Vnto no thing / but vnto myñ ese.
For which shortly / ȝif it agrè and plese
1616
1620
That I haue seid / to ȝou / that be so wis,
And be according / vnto ȝoure avis,
1624
Tideus
[leaf 27, back]
accepts Adras-
tus's offer,
Delaieth not but in wordes pleyñ,
What' ȝow semeth / gif answere ageyn."
semeth/gif ageyñ.”
A
nd whan Adrastus / hadde his tale fyned,
Tydeus with hed / ful lowe enclyned,
As he that was a verray gentyl knyght,
With al his power / and his fullë* myght
Ful humblely thankëde* the kyng
Touchyng his profre of so high a thyng'.
And for his parte / seide he wolde assente
Fully of hertë /, neuere to repente,
To all that' euer the kyng hap sayd.
1628
1632

And Polymyte / was also wel apayd,
In the story as it is conprehendid.
69
1636 and so does
Polyneices,
And so they ben / bothe* / condescendyd
The kyngges wille / to fulfille in dede
From poynt to poynt / and ther-vpon procede,
wherso euer/ that they wynne or lese.
And Tydeus/made / his brother chese,
Of gentillesse and of curtesye,
which that was / most / to his fantasye
Of the sustren / for to han to wive.
And he in soth / chosen hath argyve,
which eldest was / ful wommanly to se.
And Tydeus/tok than* Deyphylee,
Of her beautè / most souereyn excellent.
And Adrastus /thorgh-oute his lond hath sent
For his lordës/ and his baronage,
To be present' / at the mariage
Of the knyghtës/ and make no lettyng.
And they echon cam at his bidding,
In goodly wyse / meke and ful benygne,
Ageyn the day / that he dide assigne.
And thyder cam ful many lusty knyght',
Ful wel beseyn/ and many lady briȝt',
1640
who, by Tideus's
courtesy,
1644
chooses Argeia,
1648 while Tideus
takes Deïphyle.
1652
Adrastus sum-
mons his lords
to the wedding
of his daughters;
1656
and they and
their ladies
come.
From euery Coost/ and many frecssh sqwyer',
be Story seith and many comunere,
1660
1641.
1647.

[leaf 28]
But I really
can't describe
all the feasting
and love-making
that went on.
To byholde the gretë Ryaltè
And the maner of thys solempnytè.
But to telle at the circumstances
Of Iustes / Reuel / and the dyuers daunces,
The feestës riche /, and the gyftes grete,
The pryvè sighës/ and the feruent hete
of louys folk/brennyng as the glede,
And devyses of many sondry wede,
The touches stole / and the* amerous lookes,
By sotyl craft / leyd oute* lyne and hokes,
The Ialous folk / to traysshen and begyle
In their awayt/with many sondry wile:
Al this in soth / descryven I ne can.
1664
1668
1672
The news of
the marriage
But' wel wote I/ the newë famë ran,
This menë while* / with ful swift' passage
Vnto Thebes of this mariage.
1676
And by report' trewe and not' yfeyned,
The soune therof the eeres hath atteyned,
reaches Eteocles Myn auctour writ' /, of Ethyocles,
in Thebes,
Touchyng thonour / and the gret' encres
Of Polymytë / heghly magnyfied,
And how that he / newly was allyed
and troubles
him.
With Adrastus / in the londe of Arge.
The whiche thyng/ he gretly gan to charge,
1680
1684
bi

Eteocles fears Polyneices will attack him.
Dredyng Inly / that' this mariage
Shal after turne/vnto his damage,
Sore* musyng / and castyng vp and doun
The grete pouer / and the hegh renoun
Of Adrastus / the which of grekës land
Hadde al the power / soget' to his hand :
Lest that he/ for Polymytës sak
wold vpon hym / a newë werrë make,
But if that he, lik the conuencioun,
At tymë sette/delyuered the toun
To his broder by bond of oth* I-sworn*,
Be couenauntes* / assured her to-forñ,
ȝif ȝe remembre / late as I ȝou told:
which he was nat/ in purpos forto hold,
But' from his heste / Caste forto varye.
And ther-vp-on list' no lenger tarye,
Lich his desire to shapë remedyes.
And first' he sente for his next allies
In whoom he hadde / most his affiaunce,
For his lordës/ that hadde gouernaunce
Of his kyngdom / to come to hym anoñ.
And whan they weren present' euerichon,
he seidë pleynly /, wenyng' for his best,
That his hert / shal neuer lyve in rest',
But in sorowe / and in a maner drede,

till his brother
is dead.
Tyl his brother / outrely be dede;
That he in Thebes / in his Royal sete
Myght' allonë/ regnën in quiete ;
1712
he mente hym-silf / shortly, and noñ other,
Vnperturbed of Polymyte his brother.
And at this counsayl / diuers of entent',
men are present.
But three sorts of ¶ I fynde writ / thre folkes were present.
Some in soth / that' feithful were and trewe,
And some also that can chaunge of newe,
And other ek that be-twixe* tweyn
Couertly kowde/ vnder colour feyn.
The firste seide, abouen* alle* thyng
[leaf 29]
Comendacioun
of Trouthe.
The first tells
Eteocles that a
King mustn't
lie.
The
Trouthe* shulde* / longë to a kyng',
Of his word not be variable,
But pleyn / and hool / as a Centre stable.
1716
1720
1724
¶ Nota.
Thow trouth is
preferred in the
book of Esdre/
aforn kyngges/
wymmen and
wyn.
¶ For trouthe* first / with-outen* eny wene,
Is Chief Pyler / that may a kyng' sustene,
In Ioye and honour / for to lede his lyff.
For trouth whilom / hadde a prerogatiff,
As of Esdre/ the book can specyfie,
Record I take of Prudent' Neemye,
That' worthy kyngges / for al her grete pride,
Wynand wymmen / ben ek set' a-syde,
1728
1732

Many Kings have been overthrown by Falseness.
With all her pouer / and domynacioun,
havyng reward / in comparisoun
To trouthes myght/ and trouthes worthynesse.
For as Esdre/pleynly / doth expresse,
Who taketh hede /, in the same place,
Be* the Influencë / sothly / and the grace
Of trouthe allon / this olde Neemye
Gat hym licencë / to rëedifie
The wallys newe / of Ierusalem.
Which trouth is tresour/ chief of euery rewme,
For Salamon writ / how that thyngës tweyne,
Trouth/and mercy / lynked in a cheyne,
Preserve a kyng / lik to his degrè,
From al meschief / and aduersitè.
Allas therfor/ that' eny doublenesse,
Variaunce or vnsicrenesse,
Chaunge of word / or mutabilitè ,
fraude / or deceyte / or vnstabiletè ,
Shuld in a kyng / han domynacioun,
To causen after / his destruccioun.
Of kynggës /redeth the story doune be rowe,
And seth / how many / han ben ouerthrowe
Thorgh her falshede / fro fortunes whel.
For vnto god / it* pleseth neuer a del,
A kyng to ben / double of entent';
For it may happë / that the world is blent
1736
1740
73
Truth is above
all.
By truth, Nehe-
miah got leave
to rebuild the
walls of Jeru-
salem.
¶ Trouth and
mercye preseruen
1744 a kyng from al
aduersyte.
Chaunge nor
doublenesse shal
1748 not be in a kyng.
[leaf 29, back]
1752
See how many
overthrown by
falseness!
1756
kings have been
and

Eteocles wouldn't be True, and so destroyd Thebes.
Ful ofte sith be sleght of her werkyng'.
God sees all.
But this the trouthe* / god seep euery thyng
1760
Right as it is for ther may be no cloude
/
To-forn his sight' / trouthe* forto shrowde.
Tho' Truth may¶It may be clipsed / and derkëd be disceyte,
for a time be
darkend,
it will shine
By fals engyñe / liggyng in a-weyte,
As a serpent/forto vndermyne;
But at the last / it wol clerly shyne,
1764
clear at last.
Who that' seith nay /, shew his briȝte bemes.
For it in soth/of kyngdames and of Reawmes
1768
It is the pre-
server of
kingdoms.
Is berer vp / and conseruatrice
From al Meschief / sothfast' mediatrice
To god abouë/ who so list' to se,
To kepe a kyng / in Prosperitè
1772
On euery side / as I afferme dar.
Kings should
keep their troth.
But, by Eteo-
cles's falsness,
Thebes was
destroyd.
For which ȝe kyngges and lordës beth wel war
ȝour bihestës / Iustly forto holde !
And thenk how Thebes / with his wallës * olde
1776
Distroied was platly / this no les,
For doublenesse / of Ethiocles,
Which his puple / after sore abouht':
Only for he nat' by counsel wroght'
1780
[leaf 30]
Of hem that wern / bothe trewe and wis:
sleght Bo. Du.
scleghet Ro.
wyrkynge

hym lyst' nat' worchen / after her devys;
But' lefte trouthe/ and sette his fantasye
To be gouerned / by fals flaterye ,
That bad hym thenke / how he was a knyght',
And to holde of forcë /, morë* than of* right',
Duryng his lyf / lordship of the toun,
And not to lesë his possessioun
For no bond/nor heestës mad toforò;
But lete his brother / blowën* in an horn,
Wher that hym lyst' / or pypen in a red.
This was the counsail / platly and þe Reed
Of swich as liste nat' / to seyn the soth,
But' falsly flater / with her wordës smoth.
¶ And whan they hadde / hool her talë fyned,
Ethyocles/ fully is enclynyd,
Who so euer ther-at / laugh or wepe,
lik' her counsayl · possessioun to kepe,
who that' sey nay / or gruche ther-ageyn;
hym to contrarye / he thoght' was but' veyñ.
Out in this whyle* hath the shenë sonne
But
The tweluë signës / round aboutë Ronne
Sith Ethiocle / be Iust' rekenyng+*,
In Thebes was crowned / lord and kyng',
holdyng the sceptre / and the dyademe;
That' be resoun / as it wolde seme,
The tyme was ful complet / and the space,
lefte Bo. Ad₁.
thenk Ar. Adı.
1784
1788
1792
He gave up
Truth,
75
¶ the counsayl
of Flatareres.
and followd
those who bade
him stick to
Thebes
and let his
brother whistle
for it.
1796 Eteocles decides
to stick to his
crown.
1800 How the ȝeer
1804
was come out
that Ethiocles
regnyd.
His first year's
reign in Thebes
is ended,
more
avise Ad„. I. 1783.

and he ought
to give up the
crown to Poly-
neices,
[leaf 30, back]
Of couenaunte/he shulde voide his place,
And Polymytë ek / his iournè make
Toward Thebes /, pocessioun to take
1808
Of due* titte / But he hadde wronge :
Which thoght in soth / the ȝeer was wonder longe
Of his Exiler it' kam aboute.
1812
who, doubting
his brother,
And for he hadde / in hert' a manere doute
Lest in his broder / ther wer falshed* found
Taquyte hym-silf / lik as he was bound,
1816
asks Adrastus
To Adrastus/he gan declar his herte,
Beseching hym / this mater' to aduerte,
to advise him
whether he
shall sit still
And ther-vpon / to ȝiue a counsayl sone,
Touchyng his right / what was best to done,
wher it was bet' to goñ / or to abyde,
1820
Or liche a knyght' manfully to Ryde
hym-silf allone / and makë no massage,
or claim Thebes. For to Chalaunge / his rightful heritage
with-Inne Thebes / outher* be pees or stryf,
Adrastus says
Polyneices
may be trapt
1824
And ther-vpon / to Iuparte his lif.
Thus was he set / for al his ferce brother.
But' Adrastus/sothly/thoght' a-nother
1828
Bet' was to sende / than hym-silf to gon
Lest he were trapped among his mortal foñ;
Havyng' his brother / suspecte in this cas
That' be fraude / or be some fallas,
1832
er Bo.
He wolde* werk / to his destruccioun,

Tideus resolves to claim Thebes for Polyneices.
ȝif he wer hardye to entren in-to toun.
For which he bad hym / prudently tak hede,
Ful concludyng / how it was mor spede
That' some other be / to Thebës sent,
To apparceyve fully the entent'
¶ Of Ethiocle/ outward / be some signe,
And wher that he / his croune* wil resigne
For thilke* ȝeer/, lik as he made his ooth:
And whan he knewe / how his purpoos gop
Ther-vpon to werken / and procede.
Thus Adrastus / wisely gan hym rede.
¶ And whil they trete / vpon this matere,
Tydeus with a manly chere
Saide* vttrely for his broder sake,
This massage/he wold vndertake
with hool them pris / of thenbassyat,
wer it wilful / or infortunat':
He wil not' sparë / what' so that betide.
¶ But Adrastus / on the toper syde,
And Polymyte / in conclusioun,
Weren contrarye / to that opynyoun,
And seide sothly / as hem thoghte right',
Sith that he was / so wel / a preuëd knyght'
And discended of so worthy blood,
T2
1836
1840
1844
if he goes to
Thebes:
he must send
some one else
there.
[leaf 31]
77
Tideus at once
undertakes to
go.
¶ Tydeus took
vpon hym to don
be massage of
1848 Polymyte.
1852 Adrastus and
Polyneices
1856

try to stop him
but in vain,
Tideus rides to Thebes, and goes to the Palace. [Þt. I-
That they nolde / for non erthly good,
For at Thebes / with the regalye,
Put his body in such Iupartie.
ut all this thyng / auayled hem* riȝt noȝt;
But
1860
For he wol forth / how dere that it be boȝt,
Takyng lieve / first of all thestatys,
And armëd hym in Mayle / and surë platys,
1864
The sorowe of
Deyphile whan
Tideus went
toward Thebes.
And Shope hym forth / vpon his Iournè.
who made sorowe / but Dëyphylë,
with bitter teerës / dewed al her face,
Ful ofte sith/swownyng in the place,
Trist and mournyng / in her blakë* wede,
Whan she saugh / that he took his stede;
[leaf 31, back] So inwardly gan encres* her mone,
Tideus rides
to Thebes,
goes to the
palace,
and into the
hall
Seyng her lord / so ride forth allone
Vpon his way this worthy Tydeus.
And in al hast, the story telleth vs,
He spedde hym so, makyng' no delayes,
That' in space of a fewe daies
The heghe toures of Thebes / he gan se,
And entred is into the Citè,
Wisly enqueryng / wher the Paleys stood;
And lik a knyght / thidere streght he* rood,
Markyd ful wel/ in many mannys sight',
lich Mars / hym-silf /, in stiel y-armëd* bright,
Til he atteynëd hath the chief dongoun,
wher as the kyng / helde his mancyoun.
And thorgh the paleys / with a knyghtly look
Into the hat the righte way he took,
1868
1872
1876
1880
1884
1858-1922 lost in C. 1861. hem Bo. G. M. Ad₁. hym Ar.
om. Ra.

Tideus meets Eteocles and his Lords.
79
From his stede/whan he lighte doun,
Not afered / but hardy as lyoun,
1888
Wher as the kyng / with lordës a gret' route
In the hallë sittyng / rounde aboute,
he entred Inne / most manful of corage,
To* execute / the fyn of his* massage.
And as hym thou3t / conuenient' and due
Ful konnyngly / he gan the kyng salue
Requiring hym /, of kyngly excellence,
In goodly wise / to* ȝeve hym audience,
And not disdeyne / neither in port ne cheer,
Sith he was Come / as a massagere
From Polymyte / his owne brodere dere;
Gynnyng his talë / thus, as ȝe shal here.
"Sir," quod he, " vnto ȝour worthynesse
My purpoos is breefly to expresse
Theffecte only, as in sentement,
Of the massage why that I am sent'.
It were in veyn / longe processe forto make.
But of my mater / the verrey ground to take,
In eschewyng of prolixitè,
And voyde away / al superfluytè,
Sith ȝoure-silf best ought to* vnderstond
The cause fully / that we han on hond,
And ek conceyve / þentent of my menynge,
Of rightwisnessë / longgyng to a kynge:
First considred/, ȝif that' ȝe tak hede,
1892
1896
where Eteocles
sits with his
lords,
1900 and speaks to
them.
[leaf 32]
how wisly and
how knyghtly
1904 Tideus did his
1908
1912
massage,
Tideus reminds
Eteocles

whan Edippus the olde* kyng' was dede,
of his agreement how that ȝour-silf / and ȝoure brother blyve
For the croune / contagiously gan stryve
As mortal foon / by ful gret' hatrede,
which of ȝow two / shulde* first succede:
Til that ȝe were / be meenys reconcyled,
ȝe to regne / and he to be exiled
Out of this towne / for a ȝeerës space,
that he should
reign for one
year only,
and then give
place to Poly-
neices,
And than ageyn/resorte to his place,
1916
1920
To regne as kyng', and ȝe to voyden oute,
So as ȝour tourne / be processe kam aboute;
1924
Euerich of ȝow / paciently tendure
Thenterchaungyng / of his Auenture,
Who were put out / or stood in his estat,
Ther-vpon to make no debat,
1928
Lich the Couenaunt / and conuencioun,
Enrolled vp / by lordys of this toun,
[leaf 82, back]
¶ The request
þat Tideus mad
in be name of
Polymyt vnder
the title of be
Conuencioun.
Which of reson may not be denyed.
And sith ȝe han/ a ȝeer / y-occupied,
¶ Polimytës/requereþ ȝow of riȝt,
Taqwite ȝou/ lik' a trewe knyght,
1932
who now re-
quires him to
keep his oath.
In eschewyng of mortal werre and strif;
Sith ȝe han had a Prerogatif
1936
As eldest brother / forto regne aforñ :
Truth should
be more
And thenketh eke / how that' ȝe ar sworn
ȝour oth to kepe / and make no tarying',
Holy aduerting / lich a prudent' kyng',
That trouth is mor / in conparisoun,
old Ar. 1916. gan Bo.
1918. shulde Bo. shuld Ar.
this] his Lb. ȝeeres] yere Bo.
to resorte Ad₁. Ada. I.
Ad2.
1940
gonne Ad,.

Eteocles at first dissembles and remonstrates.
Than at the tresour/ of ȝour Regyoun,
to a king than
treasure.
81
Mor acceptable / vnto god and man
Than al richessë / that' ȝe rekne kan.
Wherefor in hast' / and lat' ther be no slouthe,
Quyteth ȝour-silf / Iustly of ȝour trouthe
Vnto ȝoure brother / avoyding this Cytè,
And lat hym regnen / in his Ryaltè,
¶ The croune of Thebes / a ȝeer to occupie.
Than wol al Grecë / preise and magnyfie
ȝoure hegh renoun / and may sey non other
But' ȝe han quytt' ȝou / Iustly to ȝour brother.
ȝe
Wha
This hool theffecte / of al that I wil seyn,
Answer expectaunt' / what' ȝe list' sende ageyn."
han Tydeus / hadde told his tale,
Ethiocles, trist' and wonder pale,
his conceyt first' in maner* hath refreyned,
Dyssimulyng/vnder colour feyned,
Shewyng a cheer / in maner debonayre,
To his entent/ wonderly contrayre,
Inward in herte / wood and furious,
Turnyng his face / towarde Tydeus,
he gan abraid / and at the last' out-brak,
And euen thus / vnto hym he spak.
1944
1948
1952
Eteocles
should then
quit Thebes,
and let Poly-
neices reign his
year.
1956 Eteocles turns
pale
and dissembles.
1960
[leaf 33]
1964
"I haue* gret mervaile /" quod he, "in my thoght'
Of the massage / which* that thow hast' broght',
That my brother / as thow hast' expownyd,
S.
The answer of
Ethiocles.
He wonders
that Polyneices
wants Thebes,

seeing that he
has so much
in Argos.
Desyreth so in Thebes to be crownyd,
Havynge reward / to the habundance,
1968
The grete plentè / and the suffisaunce
That he hath nowe / with the kyng of Arge :
That' me semeth / he shuld lityl charge
1972
Eteocles
To han lordship / or domynacioun
In the boundis / of this lytyl toun,
Sith he regneth / so fresshly in his flours,
Surmountyng at his predecessours
says he hoped
Polyneices
would have
helpt him,
1976
Be newe encres/thorgh fortunis myght';
wherof in hert' / I am right' glad and light':
Fully trustyng/ȝif I hadde nede
To his helpë, that' with-outë drede.
1980
lik a brother than* I shuld hym fynde
To meward feithful, trewe, and kynde:
Supposing pleynly euermor
Of this regne he set / but' lityl stor,
1984
Nor cast' hym not / for so short a while
not wanted
to banish him
into poverty.
As for a ȝeer, his brother to exile,
To lyve in pouertè / and gret' distresse.
he wol not suffre it' / of his high* noblesse.
1988
It were no token as of brotherhede *,
But a signë rather of hatrede,
[leaf 33, back] To interruptë my possessioun
Of this litil porë Regioun."
Al that he spak /, who that' couth aduerte,
Of verrey scorn, Rooted in his herte;
1992

As it' sempte, the story can ȝou teche,
By the surplus/ sothly of his speche :
¶ He myghte nat' no lenger hym refreyne
But platly seide/ "as a-twene vs tweyne,
I menë thus / Polymytes and me,
*
Ther is no bonde / nor no surëtè,
Nor feith y-made / that may hym avaylle,
As he cleymeth / to haue* the gouernaylle
Of this Citè, nowther ȝere nor day.
For I shal lette hym, sothly, ȝif I may,
That he shal not be title of no bond,
Reioysse in Thebes / half a foot' of* londe.
¶ late hym kepe all that he hath wonne !
For I purpoos/as I haue* begonne,
To regne in Thebës / enforth al my lyve,
Maugrè al* hem/ that ther-ageynës stryve,
And in despit of his frendës all,
Or the counsaylle / that hym list' to calle.
lat hym be sur/, and knowe* this right' wel,
his manacyng I drede* neuer a del.
And sikerly, as to my devis,
1996
2000
And he flatly
declares that
2004 Polyneices
shan't have 6
inches of land
in Thebes,
83
2008 as he, Eteocles,
means to reign
there all his
life.
2012
As to Tideus,

Eteocles is sur-
prised at his
presumption in
bringing Poly-
It' scheweth wel / that thow were not wis,
But supprised with a manere rage,
To take on the / this surquedous massage,
neices's message. And presume/ to do so hegh offence,
So boldely / to speke in my presence.
But al yfere / avaylë* shal right' noght'.
For the tyding* / that thou hast' ybroght',
Shal vnto hym / be but disencrees.
[leaf 34]
2020
T
2024
I
He better were / to ha ben in pees,
Than of foly/and presumpcioun
Ageynës me to seke occasioun.
While Eteocles
lives,
For whil I lyve and thereto her myñ hond,
As I seide erst he wynneth her no lond,
whyl the walles/ of this toune may stond.
For Fynaly I do the vnderstond
2028
Polyneices shall
have nothing to
do with Thebes.
Lo! her is al. retourne and sey him so!"
That they shal first / be bete doune ful lowe,
And alle the tourës / to the erth ythrowe,
2032
Er he in Thebes / haue eny thynge ado.
Tideus is silent
Wh
han Tydeus saugh the feruent Ire
Of the kyng with angre set a-fire,
/
Ful of despit/ and malencolye;
Conceyuyng eke / the grete felonye
.
2036

In his apport, lik as he wer wood;
This worthy knyght a lityl while* stood,
Sad and demur / or oght he wolde seyn.
But' at the laste thus he spak ageyñ.
¶ "Certes," quod he/ "I conceyve of newe
Aboute the, thy counsel is vntrewe,
2040 a while,
2044
but then tells
Eteocles
I dar it seyn and vowen at the best*,
85
Nor thow art' not' feithful of thy behest',
Stable of thy word / that' thow hast seid to-forñ,
But' deceyveable / and falsly ek forsworn,
And ek periur / of thyn assured ooth.
"But wher so be / that' thow be lief or loth,
2048
he is unfaithful.
The knyghtly
answere ageyn of
Tydeus.
Tideus says
I seye the shortly / hold it for no fage,
Al shal turn/vnto thy damage,
[leaf 34, back]
2052
Trust it wel/ and in ful cruel wyse.
Alle Grekës londe / shal vpon the ryse,
To ben avenged / and manly to redresse
the Greeks
will rise against
Eteocles,
The gret' vntrouth / and the hegh falsnesse
2056
Which that' thow hast / ageyn thy brother wroght.
It shal ful dere / after this be bought.
And verrely in dede, as thow shalt lere,
kyng Adrastus / wil medle in* this matere,
And alle the lordes / about hym envyroun,
That' bounde ben / to his subieccioun ;
Prynces Dukës / and many a noble Knight',
i
In sustenyng/ of thy brotheres right',
Shal on a day / with sper and with sheld,
Ageynës the be gadered in a feld,
2039. appor Ar.
Ad. saien (: ayen) M.
he Ad₁. Ad2. I. Ra. Ba.
2040. while Bo. M. Ad₁.
seyn (: ageyn) Di. 2042.
spak] seide C. T2. P. E2.
vowen] vowe it C. T2. E2. L2. Ap. avowen L. Lb.
2060
and King Adras-
tus and his lords
2064
will make war
on him,
whil Ar.

and prove him
false.
Tideus upbraids, threatens, and defies Eteocles.
knyghtly to preue / al be on assent',
That thow art fals/ and double of entent',
Of thy promys/atteynt and ek outrayed.
And leue me wel it' shal not be delayed,
2068
But' in al hast' / execute in dede.
lik thi desert / thow shalt haue* thy mede.
2072
God will punish For god aboue / of his rightwisnesse,
him.
In Polyneices's
name, Tideus
defies Eteocles.
[leaf 35]
Tideus calls
on the Theban
lords
Swich open wrong / shal in hast' redresse,
And of his myght' / al such collusioun
Reforme ageyn / and al extorsioun.
/
For this the fyn / falshede shal not availe*,
Ageynës trouth / in feeld* to hold batayle*.
Wrong is croked bothen halt and lame.
And here anon / in my brotheres name,
As I that' am next' of his* alye
In his querel / I shortly the deffye,
Fully avysed with al myn hool entent.
And ȝe* lordës/ that' ben her* present',
I ȝow requere / of ȝour worthynesse,
To sayë trouth/ and to ber wittnesse,
whan tyme comëp* / Iustly to recorde
How ȝour kyng / falsly can discorde
From his heest / of fals variaunce.
And thenk how ȝe / of* feith and lygaunce
Ar bounde echoñ / ȝe may not go ther-fro,
proue Bo. M. Ad₁.
2076
2080
2084
2088

Forto obeye and seruë, bothe* two,
This nexte ȝeer / now anoñ folowyng',
As to ȝour lord/ and ȝour trewe kyng',
¶ Polemytes/thogh he be now absent,
By Iust accord/ maad in parlement',
At ȝoure devis / which sitten her a-rowe,
Engrosëd vp as it is wel knowe,
And enrolled only for witnesse
In ȝoure regestres / to voyden al falsnesse,
That' non of ȝou / vary may of newe
Fro that I sayë* · / but he be vntrewe.
For which I redë / ȝour-silf to acquyte.
Lat no tymë lenger / ȝou respit',
But at onys/with-oute mor tarying',
Of manly force / fetteth hom ȝour kyng',
Maugrè his foon /, lik as ȝe ar bounde,
And lat in ȝow / slouthë* noñ be founde,
To put hym Iustly* in pocessioun
This my consayl in conclusioun."
han Tydeus / hadde his massage saide,
Wh
2092 to obey Poly-
87
neices the next
year,
2096 as they agreed
2100
2104
2108
lik to the charge / that was on hym laide: 2112
and at once
fetch him home
as their king.
[leaf 35, back]
As he that list / no lenger/ther soiourne,
Fro the kyng/he gan his face tourne,
Nat' astouned / nor in his hert' afferde;
Tideus turns,
and goes
But' ful proudly / leyde hond on his swerde,
2116
How manly
folwinge Ad₁.

Tydeus de-
parte[d] from
be kyng.
A sternë pas thorgh the halle he goth,
Tideus leaves Thebes. Eteocles is furious.
[Þt. 1.
And in despit/ who that was lief or loth,
Tideus rides
Thorgh-out' the courte / and manly took his stede,
And out of Thebes / faste gan hym spede,
2120
towards Argos.
Eteocles is
furious.
He bids his
Chief Constable
Enhastyng hym / til he was at large,
And sped hym forth / touard the londe of arge.
¶ Thus leue I hym / ridë forth a while,
whilys that I retourne ageyn my style
Vnto the kyng which in the hallë stood
Among his lordës/ furious and wood,
In his herte/wroth and euel apayd
Of the wordes that Tydeus had* said;
Specialy/havyng' remembraunce
On the proude dispitous diffiaunce
Whilys that he sat in his Royal See;
Vpon which he wil auenged be
Ful cruelly, what' euere that befalle.
And in his Irë / he gan to hym calle
Chief constable / of his Chyualrye,
2124
2128
2132
Chargyng hym / fastë* for to hye
2136
with al the worthy Choys* of his housholde,
which as he knewe most' manful and most bolde,
pursue Tideus
In al hast Tydeus to swe
To-forn or* he out of his lond remwe,
2140

Eteocles sends Fifty Knights to kill Tideus.
Vp peyn of lyf and lesyng of her hede,
With-oute mercy / anon that he be dede.
And of knyghtës/ fyfty weren in nombre,
Myn autour seith /, vnwarly hym tencombre
Armed echon in mayle and thikkë* stiel,
And ther-with-al // yhorsed wonder wiel.
At a Posterne forth they gan to ryde
By a geynpath / that' ley oute a-side,
Secrely that no man hem espie,
Only of tresoun / and of felonye.
They haste hem forth / al the longë day,
Of cruel malys / forto stoppe his way,
Thorgh a forest / all of on assent,
Ful couartly to leyn a busshement'
Vnder an hiH/ at a streite passage,
[leaf 36]
and slay him.
Fifty knights
ride to waylay
2144 him.
89
How falsly
Ethyocles leyde
2148 a busshment in
the way to haue
slayn Tydeus.
2152
To falle on hym at mor auauntage,
2156
The same way that Tydeus gan drawe,
Tideus rides on
At thylke mount' / wher that Spynx was slawe.
He nothing war / in his opynyoun,
Of this conpassed / conspiracioun,
2160
But Innocent and lich a gentyl knyght',
innocently,
Rood ay forth / til* that it drowe to nyght',
Sool by hym-silf / with-oute companye,
havyng no man / to wisse hym or to*
¶ But' at the laste / liftyng vp his hede,
gye.
2164
but at last sees

armd men.
[leaf 36, back]
How Tydeus
outrayed fifty
knyghtes þat
lay in a-wayt
for hym.
Toward Eue/he gan taken hede;
Mid of his way riȝt as eny lyne,
poght he saugh / ageyn þe monë shyne
Sheldes fressh and plates borned bright',
The which environ / casten a gret' lyght';
ymagynyng in his fantasye
2168
Ther was treson / and conspiracye
2172
wrought by the kyng / his iournè forto lette.
And of al that he no thyng' ne sette,
But wel assured / in his manly herte,
list' nat' onysa-sydë to dyuerte,
2176
He puts his
But' kepte his way /, his sheld vpon his brest',
spear in rest,
And cast his spere / manly in the rest'.
And the firste platly / that he mette,
and kills the
Theban leader.
·
That he fille ded chief mayster of hem aH;
Thorgh the body / proudely he hym smette,
2180
The rest attack
him.
He fights all.
And than at' onys / they vpon hym falle
On euery part / be compas envyroun.
But Tydeus/thorgh his hegh renoun,
His blody swerde/lete / about hym glyde,
Sleth and kylleth / vpon euery side
In his Ire and his mortal tene,
2184
That' mervaile was he myghte so sustene
Ageyn hem al / in euery half besette.
But his swerde was so sharpe whette,
2188

Þt. 1.]
Tideus defends himself in a narrow Pass.
That his foomen fonde ful vnsoote.
But he, allas! / was mad / alight* a-foote,
Be force grounded in ful gret' distresse ;
But' of knyghthod and of gret' prouesse
Vp he roos, maugrè at his fooñ,
And as they cam, he slogh hem oon be oñ,
lik a lyoun / rampaunt in his rage.
And on this hille / he fond a narow passage,
which that he took / of ful high prudence;
And liche a boor stondyng at his* diffence,
As his foomen/ proudly hym assaylle,
vpon the pleyn / he made her blode to Raylle
Al enviroun, that the soyl wex rede,
Now her now ther / as they fillë dede,
That her lay on / and ther lay two or thre.
So mercyles / in his crueltè
Thilke day he was vpon hem founde.
And attonys / his enemyes to confounde,
wher as he stood / this myghty champioun,
Be side he saugh / with water turned doun,
An huge ston/ largë / rounde and squar;
And sodeynly/er that thei wer war,
As it hadde leyn / ther for the nonys,
Vpon his foon / he rolled it at onys,
That' ten of hem / wenten vnto wrak,
91
2192 Tideus is beaten
to the ground,
2196
but gets up,
seizes a narrow
pass,
2200 and defends
himself.
2204
2208
2212
founde T₁.
18882197
[leaf 37]
He rolls a huge
stone
down on his
foes,
kills ten,
Ad₁.
Bo. or the rest).
vnswhete Lb.
founden
mad] om. E1.
on foote Bo. and

and then all
the 50 but
one.
And the remnaunt amased drogh a-bak;
For on by on / they wente to meschaunce.
And fynaly / he broghte to outraunce
Hem euerychon / Tydeus, as blyve,
That non but' on / was

• left of hem* alyue;
  hym-silf yhurt and ywounded kene,
  2216
  |
  2220
  Thurgh his harneys / bledyng on the grene.
  The theban knyghtes / in compas rounde aboute
  In the vale / lay* slayën* aH the route,
  2224
  which pitously ageyn the monë gape;
  For non of hem, shortly, myght' eskape,
  But dede echon / as thei han deserued,
  This one knight Saue on excepte / the which was reserued
  Tideus kept,
  to tell Eteocles
  [leaf 37, back]
  By Tydeus of intencioun,
  2228
  To the kyng/ to make relacioun
  how his fellows
  had sped.
  how his knyghtes / han on her iournè sped,
  Euerich of hem / his lyf left' for a wed,
  2232
  And at the metyng/ how they han hem born:
  To tellen al / he sured was and sworn
  By which ensample / ȝe opynly may se
  2236
  To Tydeus/ful lowly on his kne.

Ageynes trouthë* / falshed hath no myght'.
with lityl multi. Fy on querilis / nat grounded vpon riȝt',
¶ Hou trouth

•
with-oute which*/ may be no victorye*.
Therfor ech man / haue* this in memorye*,
That' gret' pouer / shortly to conclude,
Plentè of good / nor moche* multitude,
Scleight or éngyne / fors / or felonye,
Arn to feble / to holden Chanpartye
*
Ageynes trouthe* / who that' list' take hede.
tude hath euere
in the fyn vic-
2240 tory of falshede.
2244
For at the ende falshede may not' spede
Tendure longe / ȝe shul fynde it' thus.
Record I take of worthy Tydeus,
2248
which with his hand / thorgh trouthes excellence,
The rest of the
50 Tideus slew
Fyfty knyghtës / slogh in his dyffence,
But' on except / as I late* tolde,
Sworn and assured with his honde vpholde,
2252
The kyng tenformë / how they wern atteynt.
And Tydeus, of bledyng wonder feynt',
Maat' and wery / and in gret' distresse,
And ouerleyd/ of verray feblenesse ;
But' as he myght / hym-silue tho sustene,
He took his hors / stondyng on the grene,
Worthed vp / and forth he gan to ryde
An esy pas with his woundës wyde.
And Sothly / ȝit' in his opynyoun
he was alway affered of tresoun.
But' anguysshous/ and ful of bysy peyne
He rode hym forth / til he did atteyne
Into the boundës/ of lygurgus lond,
A worthy kyng/ and manly of his hond.
2256
Tideus, tho'
bleeding and
weary,
mounts his horse
and rides away.
2260
[leaf 38]
2264
Tideus rides into
the land of King
Lycurgus,

sees a castle,
How Tydeus,
al forwounded,
cam into ligur-
gus lond,
rides into its
garden,
Tideus rides into the Castle Garden,
And he ful paal / only for lak of blood,
Tydeus saugh wher / a castel stood,
Strong' and myghty / belt vpon a roche,
Touard which he faste gan approche,
Conveyed thider / be clernesse of the ston,
That' be nyght ageyn the moonë* shoñ,
/
And Ioyneaunt/ almost to the wal
On heghe* toures / with crestës marcyal.
was a gardyn/lityl out be syde,
Into which / Tydeus gan ride,
Of aventurë / be a gatë smal.
2272
2276
dismounts,
And ther he fond / forto rekne al,
A lusty herbere / vnto his devis,
Soote and fressh / lich a paradys,
Verray heuenly of inspeccioun.
2280
And first of al / he alyghte doun,
The goodly placë / whan that he byheld,
And fro his nek / he voyded hath his sheld,
Drogh the brydyl / from his horses hede,
2284
lets his horse
loose,
let' hym goon /, and took no maner hede,
Thorgh the gardyn / that enclosed was,
Hym to pasture / on the grenë* gras.
2288
In Ad₁. 2268 precedes 2267, but the copyist has marked the lines with b and a;

lies on the grass, and rests till Sunrise.
And Tydeus mor hevie than is led,
Vpon the herbes / grenë,* whit, and red,
As hym thoughte/ that' tyme for the best
he leid hym doune / forto tak his rest',
Of werynesse / desirous to slepe,
And non awayt / his body forto kepe;
And with dremës / grocched euer among',
Ther he lay / til* the larkë song
with notës newë / hegh vp in the ayr,*
The glade morowe / rody and right' fayr,
Phebus also, casting' vp his bemes,
The heghë hyllës / gilte with his stremes,
The syluer dewe / vpon the herbës rounde;
Ther Tydeus lay vpon the ground,
At the vprist/ of the shenë svnne,
And stoundëmele* / his grenë* woundës rvnne
Round about that the soyl was* depeynt
Of the grenë/ with the redë meynt'.
And euery morowe / for hoolsomnesse of eyre*,
Lygurgus doghter / maked her repeyr,
Of custom ay / among the floures newe
In this gardyn/of many dyuerse hwe,
Swich Ioyë haddë /, forto taken hede,
On her stalkës/ forto sen hem sprede,
In the Allures / walking to and fro.
And whan she hadde a litil while*
goo
95
leaf 38, back]
2292 lies on the grass,
2296
2300
and dreams till
the lark sings
and the sun
rises;
2304 but his wounds
bleed.
Hou Ligurgus
doghter fond
Tydeus sleping
in the herber,
al forwounded.
To this garden,
2308 daily comes
2312
Lycurgus's
daughter.

She sees a
sleeping knight
his steed,
and his blood.
[leaf 39]
her-self allone*/ casting vp her sight',
She byheld wher an armed knyght'
1
lay to rest' hym / on the herbes colde;
And hym besydë / she gan ek byholde
his myghty stedë / walkyng her and ther.
And she anon / fille in a maner fer,
Speceally whan she saugh the blood
Sprad al the grene/aboute ther she stood.
¶ But at the laste / she kaught' hardynesse,
And wommanly / gan her forto dresse
Toward this knyght, havyng a manere drede
And gret' doute lest that he were dede.
And of her wille/ sothly this was chief,
That she thoughte forto mak' a prief
2316
2320
2324
2328
how that it' stood / of this man, ful ofte.
She touches him
gently
And forth she gooth / and touched hym ful softe,
Ther as he lay / with her hondes smale.
2332
He starts up,
and begs her to
pity him.
And with a face dedly / bleyk', and pale,
lich as a man adawed / in a swogh,
Vp he stert / and his swerd he drogh,
Nat fully out/ but put it vp ageyñ
Anon as he hath the lady seyn,
Beseching hir only of her grace,
To han pitè /vpon his trespace,
And rewe on hym of her wommanhede.
For of affray / he was falle in drede
lest he hadde / assaylëd ben of newe
Of the thebans / preuëd ful vntrewe;
1
2336
2340
ther] where
Ra. Ba. S.
prief Ar.

For dred of which he was so rekkeles,
Ful humblely / hym ȝelding to the pes,
2344
Tryst in hym-silf / he passed hadde his boundes.
And whan that' she saugh his mortal woundes,
She hadde routh / of verrey gentyllesse
Of his desese / and of his distresse,
And bad he shulde / no-thing be dismayd,
Nor in herte sorouful nor affrayd,
Disconfort hym in no maner thing'.
"For I," quod she / "am doghter to the kyng',
Callyd lygurge / which gretly me delyte
Euery morowe / this gardyn to visyte;
It is to me so passingly disport.”
"Wherfor," quod she "beth of good comfort';
For no wight her / touchyng ȝour viage,
Shal hynder ȝou / nor do ȝow no damage.
And if ȝe list of al ȝour auenture
The pleynë* trouth / vnto me discure,
I wil in soth / do my bysynesse
To reforme / ȝoure greuous hevynesse
with al my myght' / and hool my dylygence;
That I hope of ȝoure gret offence
ȝe shal han helpe in ȝour' aduersitè.
And, as ferforth / as it lith in me,
2348
She bids him not
fear;
[leaf 39, back]
2352 she is the King's
daughter;
How wom-
manly the lady
2356 acquyt hir to
Tydeus in his
desese.
2360
2364
no one shall hurt
him;
she will see him
righted.

Lycurgus's Daughter takes Tideus to a Chamber.
Tideus trusts
her.
Tideus tells
Lycurgus's
daughter
all his story.
Trusteth right wel / ȝe shul no fautë fynde."
And whan he saugh / that she was so* kynde,
So wommanly so goodly, and benygne
In al her poort / be many dyuers signe,
He vnto hir / be ordre wold not' spare
his auenturis fully to declare,
In Thebes first touching his massage,
And at the hil / of the woode* Rage,
Of his woundës/ and his hurtës sore
2368
2372
¶ Hou Tydeus
was refresshed in
the castel of the
lady.
(It were but' veyn / to reherce it' mor)
By and by he told her euery del,
2376
The which in soth / she liked neuere a del,
But hadde routh and compassioun
2380
[leaf 40]
She takes him
to a soft bed,
unarms him,
Of his meschief / wroght be fals tresoun :
Byddyng in hast / that he shuld hir' swe,
And wommanly, as her thoghte dwe,
To a chambre / she ladde hym vp alofte,
Ful wel beseyn/, ther-in a bed right' softe
Richëly abouten apparayled
With cloth of gold /, al the floor yrayled
Of the same / both in length and brede.
And first this lady / of her wommanhede,
hir' wymmen badde / as goodly as they kan,
To be attendaunt' on this wounded man.
And whan he was vnarmed to his sherte,
2384
2388

She made first' wassh his woundës smerte,
And serche hem wel / with dyuers instrumentes,
And made fette / sondry oynëmentes,
2392 washes and
dresses his
wounds,
And leches ek / the beste she koude fynde,
Ful craftely to staunche hem/ and to bynde.
And euery thing / that may do hym ease
Taswage his peyn / or his woo tapese,
2396
Was in the courte / and in* the Castel sought',
And by her byddyng / to his chambre brought.
And for his sake / she hath after sent'
For swich deyntees / as wern conuenyent',
Moost nutrityf/ be phisikës lore,
hem that' wern syk / or wounded / to restore,
Makyng her wymmen / ek to taken kep
And wayt on hym / anyghtës whan he slep,
And be wel war / that' no thing' asterte
That was or myght be / lusty to his herte.
¶ And with al this / she preied hym abyde
Til he were strong / and myghty forto ride,
In the castel to pley hym / and disporte,
And at leysere / hom ageyn resorte
whan he myght by welde hym at his large.
But' al for nought' /: he wil hom to Arge,
Toke his lyeve on the nexte day,
2400
2404
2408
2412
gives him
dainties,
and bids her
women watch
him.
Tideus, tho
askt to stop
at Lycurgus's
castle,
[leaf 40, back]
will go home
to Argos.
With-out' abood / to hast' hym on his way,
lowly thonkyng/ vnto her goodnesse
2416
2394.
2396.

Tideus returns to Argos, to his Wife.
Of her fredam / and bountëvous largesse,
So wommanly that' hir' list taken* hede
Hym to refressh in his grete nede,
Beheestyng hir / with al his fullë* myght',
He wolde* be hir seruaunt / and hir knyght',
Whyl he leueth, of what she wold hym charge.
¶ Hou Tydeus
Arge al for-
woundyd.
And forth he rood / til he cam to Arge
2424
repeyred hym to
In ful gret hast / and wolde nowher dwelle.
But what shuld I rehercen owther telle
Of his repeir the coostes or the pleyns,
The craggy Roches / or the hegh mounteyns,
Or al the maner / of his hoom-comynge,
2428
His wife clasps
Of the metyng/ or* the welcomynge,
Nor the Ioyë/ that Adrastus made,
Nor how his sustre / and his wif were glade?
Nor how that they /, wherto* shuld I write,
him in her arms. Enbraced hym / in her Armës white,
Polyneices
grieves to see
him wounded.
Nor the gadryng/ about hym/ and the pres
Nor of the sorowe / that Polymytës
Mad in hym-silf / to sen hym so forwounded,*
2432
2436
his greuous hurtes / his soorys / ek vnsounded,
His dedly look / and his facë pale?
[leaf 41]
(Of alle this to gynne a newë tale
It were in soth/ a maner ydylnesse)
2440

Adrastus's Doctors soon cure Tideus.
Nor how hym-silf in ordre did expresse
First how that he in Thebes hath hym born,
Nor how the kyng / falsly was forsworn,
Nor of the awayt' / nor tresoun that he sette,
whan fyfty knyghtës / on the way hym mette,
As ȝe han herd/ al the manere howe,
With-oute which / my tale is long' ynowe.
¶ But Adrastus / made* men to seche
In euery Coost/ for many diuerse leche,
To come in hast' / and make no tarying',
Vpon a peyne / be biddyng of the kyng',
To don her craft/ that he wer recured
And of his force / in euery part assured.
And they echon / so her konnyng' shewe
That', in space of a daiës fewe,
He was al hool / maad of his siknesse.
Tho was ther Ioye and tho was ther gladnesse
Thorgh-out' the courte / and thorgh-out' al the toun.
For euery man / hath swich opynyoun
2444
101
2448
Adrastus gets
doctors
2452
2456 who soon cure
Tideus,
to every one's
delight.
2460
In Tydeus for his gentyllesse,
For his manhood and his lowlynesse,
That he was holde / the moste famous knyght'
And best byloued / in euery mannys sight'
Thorgh-oute grece / in euery Regioun.
But now most' I / make a digressioun,
To tellë shortly / as in Sentement',
Of thilke knyght / that' Tydeus hath sent
Into Thebes / only to declare
The grete meschief/ and the euel fare
2464
But I must
now turn to
2468 the knight
whom Tideus
sent to Thebes.

102 Eteocles is furious when he finds Tideus has slain his Knights.
[leaf 41, back] Vnto the kyng / how it is befalle,
Eteocles, on
hearing that
his 50 knights
were slain,
The opyn trouth / of his knyghtës alle,
how Tideus hath slayn hem euerychoñ,
2472
is nearly mad
with rage.
Eteocles
That', sauf hym-silf / ther eskapëd noñ :
which was reserued / from sheding* of his blood,
The kyng to tellë pleynly how it stood.
2476
And whan he hadde rehersëd euery poynt',
Ethiocles stood / in such disioynt'
Of hatful Ire that he wex nye wood.
And in his tene / and his fellë mood,
Of cruel malys/ to the knyght he spak,
says his knights And felly seide* / that it was for lak
were cowards,
¶ How Ethiocles
was asstonyed
whan he herd
be deth of his
knyghtes.
2480
Only of manhood / thorgh her cowardys,
That thei wern slayn / in so mortal wyse.
2484
"And hangëd be he / highë* by the nekke
That' of ȝour deth / or of ȝour' slaughter Rekke,
Or ȝou compleyn/outher* on or all,
Of the meschief / that is ȝowe befal.
2488
I do no force / that' non of ȝou asterte.
But' fye vpon ȝour falsë* couard herte,
That on knyght' hath, thorgh his hegh renoun,
Brought ȝow all into* confusioun,
2492
to let one man
kill 50 of em.
The survivor
answers that
Ful graceles / and ful vnhappy to."
Nay," quod this knyght', "it' is no-thing* so.

It is thyn vnhappe / pleynly, and not oures,
That' so many worthy werreoures,
2496
Eteocles him-
self
Which al her lif / neuer hadde shame,
Except this quarel / taken in thy name,
That grounded was / and rooted on falssenesse :
This was cause/in verray sikernesse,
Of our 'vnhappe / I woot' wel, and non other,
And the vntrouthë* / don vnto thy brother,
And that' thow were / so opynly forsworn:
A parcel cause why that we wer lorn
was fals brekyng / of thyn assurëd oth.”
And tho the kyng/ almost' mad for wroth,
In purpoos was forto slee this knyght,
Oonly for he seide to hym right',
The which allas / both at eue and morowe,
Supprised was with a dedly sorowe,
Renewed ay, in his remembrance,
With the pitous / and vnhappy chaunce
Of the meschief / and mysauenture,
Touching the deth / and disconfiture
Of his feeres/and of hym-silf also:
2500 was the cause of
their mishap:
(leaf 42]
2504
2508
2512
he broke his
oath.
This knight,
in a fit of sorrow
and despair,
That' the shamfast / in-portable wo
2516
So frat' on hym / with such a mortal stryf
That he was wery of his ownë lif;
Hent a swerd and a-side sterte,
And rove hym-silf euen to the herte,
drives a sword
into his own
2520
heart.

The friends of
the dead knights
want to take
vengeance on
Eteocles,
but the lords
[leaf 42, back]
quiet them.
The corpses
¶ The kyng' hym-silf / beyng' tho present';
That the rumour / and the noys is went
Thorgh-oute Thebes / of the woode* rage,
Be swich as werën* / Ioynëd by lynage
To the knyghtës / slayën* at the hille;
That all atonys / of oon herte and wille,
They wold han rysë / thorgh-out' the Citè,
Vpon the kyng / avenged forto be,
Which of her deth / was chief occasioun.
But the barouns / and lordës of the toun
Ful busy wern / this Rumour to dysesse,
Of high prudence / to stynten and appese,
In quyete / euery thyng to sette.
And after that the bodyes hom they fette
Of the knyghtës/ lik as ȝe han herde,
2524
2528
2532
Aforn yslawë/ with the blody swerde
2536
are brought to
Thebes,
burnt,
and buried.
Of Tydeus / ful sharpë whet' and grounde.
And in the felde / so as they hem founde,
Only of loue and affeccioun,
Solempnely* they broght hem into toun.
And, lik the maner / of her rytis olde,
They weren first' brent / into Asshes colde,
Euerich buryed / lich to his degré.
2540

Lo her kalendys / of aduersitè,
Sorowe vpon sorowe / and destruccioun,
First of the kyng/ and at the Regyoun;
For lak oonly / lik as I ȝow tolde,
That' biheestës /trewly wern not holde :
þe Firste grounde / and Roote of this Ruyne,
As the story/shal clerly determyne,
And my tale her-after shal ȝow lere,
ȝif that
/
ȝow list' the remenaunt' for to here.
¶ Explicit Secunda pars
Joh
Lydgate
¶

Part III

Incipit pars Tercia
2544 Ruin is to fall
on king and
realm,
2548 as troth was not
kept.
2552

[leaf 43]
Why, Mars,
were you so
wroth with men
of Thebes,
whose city was
0
¶ Tercia Pars.
Cruel Mars/ful of malencolye,
2553
And of thy kynde hoot / combust', and drye,
In thy spere / as it' aboute goth)
2556
(As the sperkles*/ shewën fro so ferre,
By the stremes of pi rede sterre,
what was cause / that thow were so wroth
with hem of Thebes? / thorgh whoos feruent' Ire
The Citè brent and was sette a-fyre,
2560
As bookës oldë/ wel rehercë konne,
burnt thru hate, Of Cruel hate / rooted and begynne,
And engendred, the story maketh mynde,
Oonly of blood / corrupt and vnkynde,
2564
from Original
Sin?
Bynfeccioun / called Orygynal,
Causyng a strif / dredful and mortal,
Of which the meschief / thorgh al grecë Ran.
King Adrastus
And kyng Adrastus / alderfirst began,
2568
resolves to con-
quer Thebes.
which hath hym cast' / a conquest' for to make
vpon Thebes / for polymytës sake,
In knyghtly wisë / ther to preve his myght',
Of ful entent / to recure his right'.
2572
He calls a
parliament
And first of al he sette a parlement',

And hath his lettres and massagerës sent
Thorgh-oute Grece / to many sondry kyngges,
hem to enhast and make no lettyngges.
And rounde about /, as maad is mencioun,
he sent also to many Regyoun
For Prynces / Dukës / lordys, and barouns,
To taken vp/in Citees and in touns,
And chesen out/ the moste liklyest',
And swich as weren* / preuëd for the best'
As of manhode / and sende hem vp echon,
And in her honde / receyve her pay anon,
with Adrastus to Thebes forto ryde.
And tho lordës/ that' with hym abyde
In houshold stillë / han her levë take,
To ryden hom / her retenue to make
In ther contrees / as they wern of degrè,
To stuffen hem/ and taken vp meynè
And make hem stronge/ with knyghtës and squyers,
with sperës/bowes / and with ablasters,
In al the hast' possible / that they may,
And to retourne / in their best' aray,
At termë sette, ful manly to be seyn,
of kings,
2576
2580
dukes, lords, etc.
[leaf 43, back]
2584 All are to go
to Thebes with
Adrastus.
The grete pur-
ueaunce of kyng
Adrastus touard
Thebes.
2588 The court-lords
go home for
men and arms,
2592
to muster soon

at Argos.
The kings who
come are Pro-
tonolope,
To-forn Argë/ mostren in a pleyn.
¶ And as I rede / ful worthy of degrè
Thider cam first / protonolopë,
2596
The which was, be recorde of wryting',
Of Archada / sonë to the kyng'.
2600
¶ And ful prudent found in werre and pees
Cilmithenes,
Ther came also / the kyng Cylmythenës.
Ipomedon,
¶ And as I fynde / ful famous of renoun
Thyder cam ek / the kyng' ypemedoun.
2604
¶ And passing aH / of knyghthode and of name,
And excellyng/ by worthynesse of fame,
Capaneus,
The noble kyng/callyd Campaneus,
kam ek to Argë/ the story telleth vs,
Meleager, etc.
Proued ful wel / and hadde ryden ferre.
¶ And thider kam the kyng Melleager,
2608
[leaf 44]
¶ The kyngges
and princes
that cam with
Adrastus.
¶ Kyng Genor ek / that helde his Royal sete,
Myn Autour seip / in the lond of Crete;
¶ Kyng Laëris and the kyng Pyrrus *,
And ek the kyng' / called Tortolanus.
And renomed in many regyoun
2612

Tideus sends to Chalcedon for Warriors. Thebans join him. 109
Ther cam the kyng/ynamed palemoun,
Oft assayed and found a manly knyght,
That with hym broght / in steel y-armëd* bright',
Ful many worthy / out of his cuntrè.
¶ And Tideus/ most knyghtly forto se,
That' manly man / that' noble werreyour,
As he that was / of worthynessë flour,
Maister and myrour / by prouesse of his hond,
hath sent also into the myghty lond
Of Calcedoyne / of which he was hayr,
That is a kyngdam / bothe* riche and fayr,
Chargyng his counsale / and officers also,
In al the hast / that' it' may be do,
To seken out the beste werreyours,
/
Of famous knyghtes / and preuëd sawdyours,
Thorgh al the lond / and layde on hem this charge
With-oute aboode / forto come to arge.
*
And they obeye / ful* lowly his biddyng',
Enhastyng hem/ and made no lettyng',
But' spedde hem fast / vppon her iournè.
And fro Thebes / the myghty strong Citè,
kam doune knyghtes with many another man,
Maugrè the kyng' / to helpë* what they Can,
Considred first / his falshed and tresoun,
2616
2620 Tideus sends
2624
2628
into Chalcedon
for its best
warriors
2632 to come to
Argos.
2636 From Thebes
come many
Ymeued only of trouth and of resoun,

to help Poly-
neices,
[leaf 44, back]
as they are
bound by oath
to do.
¶ Polymytes as they were sworn of ȝore,
To his Croune / Iustly to restore :
And whan they weren at large out of the touñ,
Vnto Argë/ they be descendid doun,
And, lik her oth* / and her assuraunce,
As they wern bounde / only of lygeaunce,
2644
To hym they Cam / in ful lowly wise,
Redy to don / what hym list devise.
2648
And whan he hadde / her trouthe* ful conceyued,
He hath to grace / goodly hem receyued,
Assignyng hem / her place mydde the hoste,
Assembled ther/ from many diuerse coste:
2652
In Adrastus's
army is the
flower of the
Chivalry of
Greece.
That' fynaly / in this companye
ygadred was the floure of Chyvalrye
Ychosen out of al grekës lond
The most knyghtly / and manful of her hond:
That I trowe, sith the world began,
2656
Ther was not seyn/ so many manly man,
So wel horsed with sper and with sheld,
To-gydre assembled / sothly, in a feld.
2660
Ther men may see many straungë guyses
Of Armyng newe / and vncouth devyses,
Euery man / after his fantasye;
To tell you all
their new and
quaint arms
That ȝif I shuld / in ordre specifie
Euery pes/longyng to armure,
And ther-vpon / do my bysy cure,
would be a day's It' wer in soth / almost a dayës werk
work,
2642. crowne Bo. M. Ad,.
E. And to L. Ro.
;
2664
hym to C.

Adrastus pays and feeds his Soldiers well.
And the termes also ben to derk,
To reherce hem clerly and to Ryme:
I passe ouer / only for lak of tyme.
And telle I wil/ forth of her loggyng',
How Adrastus / the noble worthy kyng',
Hath euery lord / lik to his degrè,
Receyued wel/ with-Innen his Cytè:
And ther they hadde / lik to her plesaunce,
Of what nedeth / fulsom habundaunce,
For man and hors / plentè of Vitaylle ;
Comaundyng that' no thyng' ne faylle
That alle thise noble worthy werreoures,
Both high and lough · and poorë* soudeoures,
Iseruëd weren of that they hadde nede.
For Adrastus / prudently took hede,
Ful lik a kyng / touching her termë-day,
That' thei to-forn /wer seruëd of her pay.
He was so free / hym list' no thyng restreyñ;
And no man hadde cause to compleyn
For hunger/thrust / nor for Indygence.
And in a prince / it' is ful gret' offence,
2668
so I leave it
alone.
111
2672 Adrastus gives
2676
2680
2684
2688
[leaf 45]
every one good
lodging,
and food for man
ánd horse.
What vayleth
a kyng to payen
his puple trewly
her sowde.
No one could
complain.
It's a great
reproach to a
prince to be full
2692 and leave his
folk empty.
As clerkës seyn/ and a gret' repreef,
Suffre his puple / lyven at mescheef.
It' is ful hevy/ and greuous in her thoght'
ȝif he habound/ and they han right' noght.
he may not both / possede good and herte,
He to be riche / and Seen his puple smerte.

Thought is free.
He may the body of power wel constreyne,
But her herte hath a ful long' Reyne,
2696
Maugrè his myght / to louen at her large.
Ther may no kyng/ on hertës sette a charge,
Nor hem coarten*/ from her lybertè.
Men seyn ful oftë / how that thouht' is fre.
For which eche princë / lord / and gouernour,
And specialy euery Conquerour,
2700
Ivon
[leaf 45, back]
Let kings be
liberal,
or his people
'll fail him.
1
Lat hym be war / for al his hegh noblesse,
That bountè, Fredom / plentè, and largesse,
Be on accord that they his brydel lede,
Lest of his puple / whan he hath most' nede,
He be defrauded /; whan he is but' allone,
Than is to late forto make his mone.
He must banish But in his courte / lat hym first' devise
stinginess;
¶ Hou Loue
Vayleb mor a
kyng than gold
or gret richesse.
then he'll win
his people's love,
which is more
than gold.
2704
2708
To exile scarshed and couetise;
Than is he likly / with fredam ȝif he gynne,
loue of his puple / euermore to wynne,
2712
To regne long in honure, and contune
Ay to encresse / be fauour of fortune,
And his ennemyes manly to oppresse.
For loue is mor / than gold or gret richesse;
Gold faileth ofte / loue* wol abyde
2716

Greece ready for war against Thebes. Eteocles takes counsel.
For lyf or deth / be a lordys syde;
And the tresour / shortly, of a kyng¹
Stondeth in loue / abouen* allë* thyng'.
2720
113
Farwel lordshipe / bothe* morowe and Eve
Specially whan louë taketh his leve!
And who so list/ a merour forto make
Of kyngly fredam / lat hym ensample take
Of Adrastus / the manly kyng famous,
So liberal and so bountevous
Vnto his puple / at al tymës found:
2724
Which mad hym strong / his foomen to confound; 2728
And loue only / his enmyes to werreye,
King Adrastus
was so generous
that his folk
lovd him;
Alle grecë made his bidding to obeye,
Of oon accord / knyghtly be his side,
Al attones to Thebes forto ryde,
and all Greece
was ready to
join him in war
against Thebes.
2732
[leaf 46]
For tavenge sith they were so strong',
The gret Iniurye / and the inportable wrong'
Don to his sone / and his next allye,
But while Grekës / rest' a whil in pees,
As ȝe to-forn / han herd me specifie.
I will resort/ vnto* Ethiocles:
*
which in Thebes warly hath espied,
Be his frendes / as he was certefied,
Of the Grekys/hooly the ordinaunce,
Her purpoos ek and her purueaunce,
/
And therof had in herte a manere drede.
And first he took his counsayle and his rede
2736
2740
In Thebes,
Eteocles
2744
takes counsel
of his lords
For

Eteocles prepares Thebes against Attack.
Of the lordis / and barons / of the toun,
And of the wisest / of his Regioun,
as to his defence. How he myghte maken resistence,
Manfully to stonden / at diffence,
How Ethiocles
made hym strong
ageyn be comyng
of be Grekes.
He sends to his
friends,
To be so strong / that ther wer no doute.
And in the contrees / adiacent' aboute,
And ek also in foreyn Regiouns,
He hath withhold / at the Champiouns;
And ther-vpon / he sent out his espies
And his frendës and his next allies
2752
And alle the worthy / dwellyng' enviroun,
ȝong fressh and lusty/he gadred into toun;
2756
2647
and mans em
with soldiers.
masks his walls, Maskowede his wallys / and his heghë* tours,
And stuffed hem / with manly sowdëours.
Round aboute he settë many Gonnys,
Grete and smale / and some large as tonnys;
And, in his hasty / passing feruent hete,
Eteocles
to knights
gives great gifts He spent his tresour/ and gaf giftës grete
Vnto knyghtes/ and worthy men of name;
And ouermore* / to encres his fame,
[leaf 46, back]
and lords,
to help him.
He lays in store
of flesh and fish,
he ȝaf to lordes / Iuellis many-fold,
Clothes of Veluet / of Damask, and of gold,
To gete hym hertës / sothly, as I rede,
To helpe hym now in his grete nede.
And prudently purveiëd / hym to-forn
Of flessh and fissh / and of wyn and corñ.
2760
2764
2768
barons] of þe barouns

Sette his Capteyns / erly / and ek' late
with ful gret' stuf strong at euery gate.
2772
And mad also be werkmen / that were trewe,
Barbykans / and bulwerkës newe,
Barrerischeynys / and diches wonder depe;
Makyng his Vouh the Citè forto kepe
Whil he lyueþ / despit of all his foon.
And by his goddys of metal and of ston,
Ful ofte he swoor / both of herte and thouht',
That it shal first / ful derë* be abouht',
And many a man with pollex, swerd, and knyff
To-for this toune / shal first lese his liff,
And ther shal ek / many sydës blede,
Or his brother pessibly possede
The toune in pees / lich as Grekës wene.
But at the ende / the trouthë* shal be sene,
lat hym be war and wel to-forn provyde!
For Adrastus on that other side,
For his party was not' necligent',
But on a day / helde a parlement',
AH his lordës sittyng enviroun,
To dryve shortly / a pleyn conclusioun
And vp tapoynt / the fyn of ther entent'.
But some thoughte / ful expedient',
Or they procede / to wirke* be thavice
2776
and builds new
bulwarks.
He swears that
2780
oh yeah - Idul
but f
Amphor
many shall die
2784 before his
brother shall
win Thebes.
2788 Adrastus
2792
2808 et c
whose
paça
with 12
6/2
Conteratro
+J+?
until
holds a parlia-
ment.

It is thought
best to go by
wise old bishop,
Of on that' was ful prudent and right' wyce
A worthy bisshop/ into agë falle,
the advice of the And circumspecte / in his werkës alle,
Amphiorax.
And Called was, sothly / by his name
Amphiorax of whom the grete fame
How the bys- Thorgh al the londe / bothen est' and south,
shope Amphiorax
Amongës* Grekës / passingly was kouth;
was sent for
to come to be
Grekes.
He knew the
secrets of the
Gods,
and could tell
how things
should end.
He knew that
if the Greeks
went to war,
A man, in soth of olde antiquytè
And most acceptid of auctoritè,
First be resoun of his high estat'
And ek for he was so fortunat
In his werkes, and was also secrè
with the goddys, knowyng her pryvetè:
By graunt' of whom / as bookës specifye,
He hadde a spirit / of trewe prophecye,
And cowde aforn ful opynly dyvyne
Thynggës begonnë / how they shulde* fyne,
And eke, be craft/ of Calculacioun,
ȝiue* a dome / of euery questioun ;
And hadde in magik / grete experience,
And fynde cowde / be heuenly influence.
And by mevyng / of þe heghë* sterrys,
A fynal doome of Contek and of Werrys;
And wiste* wel, as his goddys tolde,
that', ȝif Grekës / forth her iournè holde,
It turnë shulde* platly, this no fage,
2812. shulde Bo.
2796
2800
2804
2808
2812
I
2816
2820
B

Amphiorax, foreseeing ill, hides himself.
To gret' meschief / and to gret' damage
Of hem ychon; and in especial
The moste parte / of the blood Royal
Thorgh al Grece, it may not be withdrawe,
In this viagë shortly shal be slawe;
And ȝif hym-silf / with the Grekës wente,
Who that' euer wepte hym / or bymente,
This was the fyn / and may nat' be socoured,
Of the erth/he shuldë* be deuoured,
Quyk as he was, he knewe it in certeyn.
And for he saugh ther was non oþer geyñ
To saue his lif/ nor no* bet diffence,
Than vttrely withdrawen his presence;
¶ Preying his wiff / for hym to provide,
ȝif he wer sought / that she wold hym hide,
And wommanly / for to kepe hym cloos,
And of trouth concelen his purpoos ;
117
[leaf 47, back]
2824 The proph[e]cie
of Amphiorax.
most of its
Kings would
be slain,
2828
2832
and he himself
devourd alive.
To save his life,
he hides himself,
and asks his wife
to keep him
2836 secret.
For al his trust / touchyng his greuaunce,
was fully sette / in hir purvyance.
2840
I hope to god / that he thar not drede
Of no deceyt' / in hir' wommanhede.
She was so trewe / as wommen ben echon,
And also cloos / and mwet as a stoñ,
That' she ne wold / as the matier stood,
Discurën hym for no worldly good.
2844
At first, she
does so,

118 Amphiorax's Wife tells where he is hiding.
[leaf 48]
How the wif
But fynaly the Grekës, of entent',
In al his drede / han* for this bisshop sent';
Thogh it was longer they myght' hym fynde,
For cause his wif / was to hym so kynde,
That ful seurly/ hath lokked vp his cors.
But for she hadde a maner of remors
In hir-silf grevyng+* her conscience,
of Amphiorax of Dreding to falle / in ful grete offence,
conscience to
saue her hoth
discured her
husbond.
2852
Lest her soule/ were in peryl lorñ,
but on being put
to her oath,
whan she be oth* / compelled was and sworñ;
They requeryng / ȝif she coude telle
2856
she sadly tells
them where
Amphiorax is,
in a tower.
wher her lord the bisshop shuldë* dwelle :
Which to discure / hir herte was ful loth,
Til tyme she gan / remembren on her oth*,
And coude a trouth / of Custom not' denye
And hadde also gret' conscience to lye,
Wonder hevy with a sorowful face,
2860
Maugrè hir lust / taught hem* to the place
2864
wher as he was / shet' vp in a toure,
Al alonë / havyng no socour.
They falle on hym / or that he was war,
2868
Amphiorax was
a fool to trust
his secret to his
wife.
And sette hym vp / in a ful riche Char.
A fool he was to Iupard his lif
Forto discure his counsel to his wif;
And ȝit she was ful sory for his sake,
Specially whan she saugh hym take.
Bot' I hope that' her hevynesse
2872

Gan asswage ful, sonë, by processe,
In short tyme / whan that he was goñ.
119
Ther is no tempest / may last euere in oñ.
¶ But this bisshope / be verrey force and myght,
Vnto Grekes conveyed was ful right,
This hoore* gray / in his char syttyng'.
And they ful glade* / wern of his comyng',
havyng' a trust and ful opynyoun
That', thorgh cause and occasioun
Of his wisdam / and his sapience
And by vertue of his hegh presence,
They shuld eschewe / al aduersité
Possible to falle / as in her Iournè.
And, as the story / fully hath devised,
Ful circumspect' / and riht wel avised,
he hath pronounced / in the Parlement,
To-forn the lordes / and the president',
his Cleer conceyte / in verray sikernesse,
Nat' entryked with no doublenesse,
her dysemol daiës/ and her fatal houres,
Her auenturys and her sharpë shoures,
2876
2880
2884
2888
2892
He was taken
to the Greeks,
who hoped,
by his advice,
[leaf 48, back]
to avoid ad-
versity.
But he told em
plainly
of their coming
disasters,
The froward soort / and the* vnhappy stoundys,
The compleyntes / of her dedly woundys,
2896
The wooful wrath / and the* contrarioustè
Of felle Mars in his crueltè,
And howe, by mene of his gery mood,
and how
to swage T2. P.

all the best
Amphiorax urges Adrastus not to invade Thebes.
blood of Greece
would be shed.
Ther shal be shadde / al the worthy blood
Of the Grekes / it' may not ben eschewed,
If her purpoos be execute / and swed.
"Ther is no morë / this shal be the fyñ :
The hegh noblesse shal drawë to declyne
2904
Of Grekes blood / in meschief, sorowe, and woo:
Amphiorax
himself
And with al this I my-silf also,
As my fate hath a-forn disposyd,
will be kild.
He urges
Adrastus not to
fight Thebes,
[leaf 49]
Depe in the grounde / I shal be enclosed,
And lokked vp / in the dirkë* vale
Of cruel deth." / lo! this was the tale
That the bisshope / to Adrastus tolde,
Hym counsayllyng / his purpos to withholde,
In eschuyng' of mor meschief and sorowe.
For alle his goddis he took vnto borowe,
ȝif þe Thebans / and þe grekës mete,
The fyn þerof shal be so vnswete
2908
2912
2916
for all Greece
þat alle grece after shal it' rewe;
shall rue it.
warnyng hem/ȝif þei the meschief knewe
That shal folowe / which no man may lette,
Thei wold abstene / a siegë forto sette
2920
Vnto Thebes and her purpoos leve.
The Argive
lords abuse
Amphiorax,
with whos wordes / the lordës gan hem greve,
And ther-Inne hadde*/ but ful smal delit',
And euerechon / of hertly hegh despit',
They abrayde and seide he was vntrewe,
A controover of prophecies newe,
And ek also for al his longe berde,
/

The Greeks abuse Amphiorax. Youth is rash.
An olde Dotard / a coward, and aferde;
And of Rancour / gonne* to diffye
Both his kalkyng/ and his astronomye,
And shortly seide/þei took therof non hede,
Ne wil no-thyng / gouerne hem after his rede.
This was the clamour | and noyse, in euery cost,
Of hegh and lough / þorgh-out all the hoost,
And specialy of the sowdeours,
And of lordes / regnyng in her flours,
And of thestates / effectuely, I mene,
121
2928 call him an old
dotard,
all too
fami...
and say they'll
not follow his
2932 advice,
specially the
2936
which of age were but tendre and grene,
That' han* not hadde / by martys Influence,
Of the werrë / gret' experience.
Ther, ȝif ȝe list / ȝe may considre and Se
Of conceytes ful grete diuersytè,
How that ȝouth / no peril cast' a-forò
Til he by meschief / sodeynly be lorn*,
Wher as age provydeth / euery thing
Or he bygynne / to casten the endyng'.
¶ ȝouth is gouernyd / be a largë Reyne
To renne forth, and can hym not reffreyñ,
But of hede / set on al attonys,
As he that hurtleth / ageynës hardë stonys
2940
young folk.
But Youth
[leaf 49, back]
2944 is rash,
How age and
ȝouth ben of
2948 diuerse opynyons
runs its head
against stones,

Broseth hym-silf / vnwarly and parbraketh.
But' age experte / no thyng vndertaketh
2952
But he to-forn / be good discrecioun,
Make a due examynacioun
How it wil tourne / outher* to badde or good.
and rushes into
¶ But ȝouth, as fast as stered is the blood,
2956
enterprises that
fail,
Taketh emprises of hasty wilfulnesse,
Ioye at the gynnyng/ the ende is wrechednesse.
while Age looks
ahead,
¶ The olde, prudent / in al his gouernaunce,
Ful longe a-forn / maketh purueaunce;
2960
But ȝouth allas be counsail wil not wyrke,
For which ful ofte / he stumbleth in the dyrke.
Thus selde is seyne / the trouthë* to termyne,
That' age and ȝouthe* / drawë be o lyne.
2964
And wher that foly hath domynacioun,
Wisdam is putte / into subieccioun,
lik as this bysshop /, with al his hegh prudence,
For cause he myghte haue* / no audience,
2968
How that wis-
dam wiþ-oute
supportacioun
avayleb lit or
noȝt.
[leaf 50]
AH his wisdam / and his profecye
Of the Grekes / was holden* but folye.
For thogh Plato / and wisë Socrates,
Moral Senek and Diogenes,
Albumasar and prudent Tholomee,
And Tullius/ that hadde souereyntè
2951. Brosyth Ro.
and vnwarly C. T2. P.
Ra. Ba. E₁. S. as Lb.
S. due] full due T2.
other Ad₁. ou þer Di.
2972

whylom in Rome / as of elloquence :
Thogh all thise /, shortly in sentence,
were a-lyve most' konnyng and experte,
And no man list / her counsel to aduerte,
Nor of her sawës/ forto taken hede,
What myght' availle / and it' cam to nede?
For wher prudence / can fyndë no socour
And prouidencë / haueth no favour,
2976 What's the good
2980
of wise men's
advice
if folk won't
follow it?
Farwel wisdam / farwel discrecioun,
For lakke only of supportacioun.
For vnsupported / with his lokkës hore,
2984
Amphiorax / sighën / gan ful sore
With hede enclynyd/ and many evyl thouht',
whan that he sauhe his counsayl stood for nought. 2988
For vttrely the grekës, as I tolde,
han fully cast/her Iournè for to holde,
Made hem redy / and gonnen to hosteye
Toward Thebes / the Cytè to werreye;
And in Grece / wil no lenger tarye,
And forth with hem/ Amphiorax they carye,
Sette in his Char / with a doolful herte,
Amphiorax
grieves that his
advice is not
taken.
The Argives
and their allies
2992 start for Thebes
with Amphiorax.
Whan he wist / he myghte not' asterte
Of his fate the disposicioun.
And hosteying / into the Regioun
Of lygurgus / Grekës gan approche
A sondy londe with many Craggy roche.
2996
They go thru a
3000 sandy desert,

[leaf 50, back]
and find no
water.
¶ be grete mes-
chief þat Grekes
hadde for watere.
But al the way, sothly, þat þei goñ,
For hors nor man / water was þer noñ :
So dryë* weren the valës and the pleynys.
For al þat ȝeere / they hadden had no reynys
But' ful gret' drouht' / as mad is mencioun ;
And al the londe / Cerchyng enviroun
They nowther fonde / wellë nor* Ryver
hem to refressh / nor water that was cler,
That they allas / no refut' ne konne.
3004
3008
Men suck their
spear heads
of cold iron.
So inportable was the shenë sonne,
1
So hoot' on hem/ in feldes wher they leye,
That' for meschief / man and hors gan deye,
Gapyng ful drye/vpward into south;
And some putten / her swerdës in her mouth
And sperys hedes /, in story as is told,
Taswage her thirst' / with the yren cold;
And of his lif / ful many oñ dispeyred
3012
3016
Tideus and Ca-
paneus
In this meschief / and hom ageyn repeyred:
Tyl on a day / worthy Tydeus,
And with hym ek the kyng' Campaneus,
3020
ride out to search of purpoos rood / þorgh-oute the contrè
for water.
ȝif they myght' eny water' See,
They enter a
garden,
Fro Coost to cost / bothë* fer and ner;
Til of fortune they entred an herber,
with trees Shadowed for the sonnë Shene,
Ful of floures* / and of herbes grene,
3024

Wonder hoolsom / both of syyt and ayr*;
Ther-Inne a lady / which passingly was fayr,
Sittyng as tho / vnder a laurer tre;
And in her Armes / a litil child hadd she,
Ful gracious of loke and of visage,
And was also wondre tendre of age,
Sone of the kyng / born forto succede,
Called ligurgus / in story as I rede,
Whoos hertly Ioye / and worldly ek disport',
Al his myrthë* / plesaunce, and confort'
Was in this child of excellent' fayrnesse.
And this lady / Myrour of semlynesse,
Al sodeynly as she cast vp her sight
3028
3032
3036
in which is a lady
Ipsiphyle,
with a child,
[leaf 51]
son of King Ly-
curgus.
And on his stede / sauh an armed knyght',
Gretely abasshëd / gan anoñ remwe.
But Tideus after gan to swe
And seyde" sustir / beth no-thyng dismayed,"
In ȝoure-silf displesëd nor affrayed!
For we ar come / only to þis place
ȝow to biseche/ of mercy and of grace,
3040
The lady moves
away.
¶how Tideus
compleyned to
be lady in the
herber for water.
3044
Vs to socour / in oure grete nede,
Declaring ȝou how it stont' in dede :
3048
her faste by almost / at the hand,
The worthiest of al Grekës land,
Tideus tells her
what distress the
Argives are in
Kyngges, Prynces / be* logged in the feld,
Ar.

And many other / with pollex / speer and sheld,
which in meschief / peryl, and gret' dred,
3052
for want of
water,
For want' of water / ar likly to be ded.
For ther was non / of hegh nor lowgh degrè
In aH our host' /, now passed daiës thre,
3056
[leaf 51, back]
and begs her to
tell him where
some is.
That' drank allas / excepting' non estat';
Our viage is so infortunat':
Preying ȝow of wommanly pytè,
Benygnely* / and graciously to se
how of Grece alt þe Chyualrye
3060
Of her lyuës/ stont' in Iupartie;
That ȝe wold of wommanhedë telle
ȝif ȝe knowe* Ryver / spryng', or welle,
Specially now in al oure Care,
3064
How the ladye
taught Tydeus to
the welle.
The Lady says
Of gentillesse vnto vs declare.
lo her is alle ȝif ȝe list to here,
That' I wol seyn/ myn ownë suster dere."
And whan this lady / Inly vertuous,
The conpleynt' herde / of worthy Tydeus,
Of verrey pytè / chaungeth cher and hewe,
And in her herte / vpon her woo gan rewe,
3068
3072
And ful goodly / seyng his distresse,
that if it were
not for the child
Seyde vnto hym in al his hevynesse,
66
Certes," quod she /❝ȝif I were at large
Touching this child / of which I hauë charge,
I shuld in hast / of al that' doth ȝow greve
3076

To my pouer/ helpen to releve,
Only of routh and compassioun,
And leue al other / occupacioun,
/
Conveyë* ȝowe / and be ȝoure trewë guyde
To a Ryver / but lityl her be syde.
But I dar not / so moche me assure
This litil child / to put in auenture.
I am so ferdful / from it' to departe.
But' for ȝoure sakë / yet* I shal iuparte
My lif, my deth / of trewe affeccioun,
To provyde for ȝour sauacioun."
Took the child / and laide it' in her lappe,
And richely in clothes / gan it' wrappe,
And Couched it / among the herbës soote,
And leyde aboutë/ many hoolsom roote
And flourës ek / bothe* blewe and rede.
And supprised / with a maner drede
with Tideus/forth / anoñ she wente,
As she in trouthë */ that no treson mente,
And on hir way / woldë neuere dwelle
Til she hym brouht / to a right' faire welle
And ta Ryvere / of water ful habounde.
*
3080
3084
3088
127
she'd guide them
to a River near.
The Lady lays
the child
in the herbs,
3092
[leaf 52]
3096
and takes Tideus
to the River.

128 The Greek troops rush to the River, drink and bathe. [Þt. III
He sends to
Adrastus,
and all the host
run to the River.
But who was glad / and who was tho Iocounde
But Tydeus/Seyng the Ryver!
which in al hast / sente his messager
To Adrastus / and bad hym nat' abide,
But' doune descende / to the Ryver-syde
with al his host' / recur forto haue
At this Ryver/ her lyuës forto saue.
3100
3104
And þei enhast hem / makyng noñ abood,
AH attonys / to the Ryver rood*
3108
Forto drynke*; þei hadde so gret' lust'
Of appetit'forto staunche her thrust.
Some drink
sensibly;
some too
violently,
and fall dead.
Some bathe.
And some dronk / and fonde it' did hem good;
And some wern / so feruent and so wood
Vppon the water / that in sikernesse,
Thorgh vndiscret' / and hasty gredynesse,
Out' of mesur / the watere so þei drynke
That they fille ded/euene vpon the brynke;
And some naked / into þe Ryvere ronne,
Only for hete of the somer sonne,
To bathen hem /, the water was so cold;
And some also as I haue* ȝow told,
I mene tho that' prudent' wern and wise,
The water drank / in mesurable wyse,
3112
3116
3120
That' of þe thrust / they haue* to-forn endured
They were refresshed / fully and recured.
3124
And Grekës than / of hegh and lowe degrè,
[leaf 52, back]
The Argives
pitch their tents

For high profit/ and gret' commoditè,
Compas the Ryuere / cristalyn of sighte,
Of oon accorde / they her tentys pyhte
To rest hem ther / in relees of her peyne,
Only the space / of a day or tweyne.
3128
on the river-
bank.
129
And whylys Grekes /vpon the Ryuer' lay,
This Tydeus /vpon the same day
3132
Ful knyghtly / hath don his diligence,
This ȝonge lady / with gret' reverence,
To Adrastus / goodly to presente :
At whoos comyng / þe kyng hym-silvë wente
Ageynës hir/ she fallyng doun on knees,
*
AH thestates present and degrees
Of Grekës lond /, absent was nat' oñ;
And in his Armës/ took hir vp anoñ,
Thanking hir' of her bysynesse,
Of hir labour and her kyndënesse,
Behotyng hir / lik as he was holde,
If eny thyng' pleynly that she wolde
That he may don / she shuld it' redy fynde.
And Grekës at /, the story maketh mynde,
Of thestatys / beyng tho present',
Thanked hir / with al her hool entent',
For refresshyng / don to many Grek;
And for her part / they biheght her ek,
With her body / and goodës bothë* two,
What her list' / comaunde hem forto do,
Adrastus
3136
and his lords
3140
thank the lady,
Ipsiphyle,
3144
3148
and promise
that they'll do
anything for her
she tells them
3152 to do.
Bo. have they pight

[leaf 53]
Ipsiphyle
says she had
Why Ipsiphyle had to leave her own Land.
To be redy platly and nat faille.
And her myn autour / makeþ rehersaille
That' þis lady so faire vpon to se,
Of whom þe name was Isyphilè,
To Adrastus told /, as ȝe may rede,
Lynealy the stok / of her kynrede,
to leave her
land because
she wouldn't
agree to join
other women
in killing all
the men,
so that women
might rule.
Ipsiphyle
Whilom how she / a kyngges doghter' was:
Rehersyng hym / hooly al the cas,
3160
First' why þat she/ out of her contrè wente,
Shortly for she woldë* not' assente
To execute / a conspiracioun,
Mad by the wymmen / of that Regioun,
A thyng contrayr / and ageyn al right',
That eche of hem/vpon a certeyn nyght,
Be on accord/shal warly taken kepe,
Fader/brother and husbond in her slepe,
With knyvës sharpe / and rasourës* kene
Kytt her throtës / in that mortal tene;
Vnto this fyn, as bochas telle can,
In al that londe / be not founde a man),
But' slayn echon / to þis conclusioun
That' wymmen / myght' han domynacioun
In þat kyngdam / to regne at libertè
And on no partie / Interrupted be.
But for þis lady / passing debonayre,
To þis mordre/ was froward and contrayre,
saved her father, Kept her fader / þat he was not' slawe
But fro þe deth / preseruëd and wipdrawe,
3164
3168
3172
3176
3180

Ipsiphyle is in charge of Lycurgus's Son.
For which, allas! / she fledde þe contrè,
And of a pyrat / taken in the see,
To kyng lygurgus / brouht In al her drede.
And for her troup / and her wommanhede
To hir he took his ȝonge child to kepe,
which in the herber / alloñë* she left slepe
whan Tydeus/ she broghte to the welle.
And by Iason / some bookis telle
3184
fled,
131
was captured,
[leaf 53, back]
taken to Ly-
curgus, and
had charge of
his boy.
3188 Iason.
That this lady / haddë sonës two,
whan that he/ and hercules also
Toward Colchos / by hir contrè Cam
For tacomplyssh / þe conquest of the Ram.
But who that' lyst / by and by to se
The story hool/ of this* ysyphylè,
Hir fadres name of which also I wante*,
Thouh some seyn/ he named was Thoante,
And some bokës vermes ek hym* calle:
But to knowe / þe auenturës alle
·
Of þis lady Isyphilè the faire,
So feithful ay and inly debonayre,
Lok on the book / that' Iohn Bochas made
Whilom of wommen / with rethorikës glade,
And directe / be ful souereyn style
To fayre Ianë/ the queen of Cecile.
Rede ther the rubrich / of ysiphylè,
fled M. Ad₁.
3192 Hercules.
¶ysyphyle.
3196
3200
3204
If you want to
see Ipsiphyle's
story,
look in Boc-
caccio's Book
of Illustrious
Women.

She is taken
back to the
garden by
Tideus,
[leaf 54]
Of her trouth/ and her hegh bountè,
Ful craftily conpiled for her sake.
And whan that she hap her lieuë take
Of Adrastus, homward in her weye
Tydeus gan hyr to conveye,
To the gardyne / til* she is repeyred.
But now, allas! my mater disespeyred
Of alle Ioye and of alle* welfulnesse,
And destitut of myrth and alle gladnesse,
For now of woo / gynnë þe sharpë shoures.
and finds Lycur. For this lady / fond among the floures
her litil child turned vp þe face,
gus's boy dead,
How be child
was slayn wiþ
the Serpent.
poisond by a
serpent.
Slayn of a serpent' / in þe seluë place,
3208
3212
3216
hyr taile* burlyd / with skalis siluer-shene.
The Venym was / so persyng and so kene,
So perilous ek the mortal violence.
Caused, allas! / thorgh her long absence :
3220
She was to slouh / homward forto hie.
But now can she/ but wepe, wayle, and crye;
3224
Now can she nouht' / but' sighen and compleyñ
And wofully wryng her handys tweyn,
Dedly of look/pal of face and chere;
Ipsiphyle tears
her hair,
And gan to rende / her giltë* tresses clere,
3228

"allas!
And oftë sith she gan to seyn,
O wooful wrech / vnhappy in this cas,
What' shal I don / or whider may I tourne?
For þis the fyn / ȝif I her* soiourne,
I woot right wel / I may it' not' eskape
The pitous fatë/ þat is for me shape.
Socour is non nor ther may be non red,
lich my desert / but that' I mot be ded;
For thorhe my slouth / and my neclygence
I haue, allas! don so gret' offence
3232
133
says she must
die, as, by her
3236 neglect,
That' my gilt, I may it' nat' excuse,
Shal to the kyng / of treson me accuse.
Thorgh my defaute / and slouthë* bothë* two,
His sone is ded/ and his heir also,
which he louëd mor than al his good:
For tresour non / so nygh his hertë stood,
Nor was so depë/ graue / in his corage:
That he is likly to fallen in a Rage
whan it is so, myn odyous offence
Reported be vnto his audience;
So inportable shal be his hevynesse.
And wel woot I in verrey sothfastnesse,
/
That', whan the quenë* / hath this þing' espied,
To myn excus / It may nat' be denyed,
3240
3244
3248
3252
she] om. C. T2. P. E2. L. Ro.
Lycurgus's heir
is kild.
[leaf 54, back]
The Queen too

Ipsiphyle appeals to Tideus for help.
I doute it' not/ther geyneth no pytè,
on her,
will be revenged With-out' respit / she wil avenged be
On me, allas! / as I ha deserued;
and demand
her death.
She runs back
to the Greeks.
Ipsiphyle
tells Tideus
That fro the deth / I may not be preserued
Nowther be bille / ne supplicacioun ;
3256
For the rage of my transgressioun
Requereth deth / and non other mede."
And thus, allas! she, quaking in her drede,
Non other helpe / nor remedyë* kan,
But' dreynt in sorow / to þe Grekës Ran,
Of hertly woo/ face and chere disteyned
And her chekes with wepyng al bereynyd,
In hir affray / distracte and furious.
3260
3264
To-forn alle/she cam to Tydeus,
And fille on knees and gan her compleynt mak,
Tolde pleynly / that for grekës sake
3268
She mot' be ded/ and shortly in substaunce
Rehersing hym the grete of her greuaunce :
First how be traynys of a fals serpent
3272
that a serpent
has kild Lycur-
gus's boy,
peril.
and that she is in The child was slawe / whil she was absent;
In what disioynte / and peril that' she stood.
And whan that he her meschief vnderstood,
[leaf 55]
Tideus promises Vnto hire ful knyghtly he behiht
to help her,
To help and forther / al that euere he myght',
hir pitous woo/ to stynten and appese.
And forto fynde / vnto hir dissesse
Hasty confort', he went a ful gret' pas

To Adrastus / and told hym al the cas
Of þis vnhappy / wooful aventure,
Beseching hym to don his bysy cure,
As he was bound/ of equytè and riȝt',
And aduerten/ and to han a siȝt
How she qwit her to Grekës her to-forn
whan they wer likly / forto haue* be lorn,
The socour voide of her wommanhede :
For which he most of knyghthod taken hede
To remedien þis vnhappy thing'.
And Adrastuslik a worthy kyng
Taquyt hym-silf /, the story makeþ mynd,
To thys lady wille nat be found vnkynd,
Neither for cost / nor for no travaylle,
But bysy was in al þat myght' availle
To hir socour / considered alle þingges,
And by thavice / of alle þe worthy kyngges
Of Grekës lond / þei be accorded thus,
Prynces, Dukës / and worthy Tydeus,
To hold her way / and al at onys ryde
To lygurgus / dwelling ther be-syde,
Of on entent/ȝif they may purchace
In eny wise/forto getë grace
135
3280 and tells
Adrastus,
3284
3288
3292
who resolves to
aid Ipsiphyle.
3296 The Greeks
3300
agree to appeal
to Lycurgus.
For this lady, Callëd ysiphilè;
They wold assayë* ȝif it myghte be.
And to his paleys ful ryal bylt of stoñ,
[leaf 55, back]
3304

The Greeks
ride to Lycur
gus's palace.
Lycurgus promises the Greeks Rooms,
The worthy Grekes / cam ryding euerichoñ,
Euery lord ful fresshly on his stede.
And lygurgus example of manlihede,
3308
Anon as he knewe of her comyng',
Taquyt hym-silf / lich a gentil kyng',
How Adrastus
and all thestatis
of Grekis praiden
lygurgus for be
lif of ysyphile.
Ageyn hem went / to mete hem on the way,
Ful wel byseyn/ and in ful good array,
3312
Receyvyng hem with a ful kyngly chere.
And to Adrastus seid, as ȝe shul here,
He welcomes
them,
¶ "Cosyn*," quod he / and gan hym to enbrace,
"ȝe be welcome / to ȝoure ownë place,
3316
that they've
come.
He'll put the
lords in rooms,
Thank yng hertly to ȝour' hegh noblesse
That so goodly of ȝour gentillesse
Towardës me / ȝe list' ȝou to acquite,
ȝoure-silf þis day / ȝour cosyn to visite,
In this castel to takë ȝoure loggyng';
and is delighted That' neuer ȝit / I was so glad of thyng
In* al my lif/ and therto her my trouth.
And ouermore* / ther shal be no slouth
That the Chambres / and the large tours
Shal be delyuered / to ȝour herberiours;
That euery lord / as he is of degré,
Vnto his loggyng / shal assigned be.
ȝoure officeres*/ lat hem-silf * devise
3320
3324
3328
manlihede] manhede L₁.
manhode Lb. 3309.

ȝif the howsyng / may largely suffise
To ȝow and ȝourës / strecchen and atteyn,
That' non estaat / haue* cause to compleyñ.
And alle ȝour hoost / logged her be-syde,
which in Tentys /vpon ȝou abide,
lat hem fette / be myñ auctoritè,
Vitayle ynoh / her in my Citè.
And alle that may socour hem or saue,
And, at a word /, al that euere I haue
Is ful and hool/ at ȝour comaundëment.”
¶ Quod Adrastus / "that' is nat' our entent',
Nor on no parte / cause of oure comyng'.
For we be come al for anoper thyng',
A certeyn gift of ȝou to requere,
Benygnely / ȝif ȝe list to here,
which may Grekës / passyngly availle,
Of our request / ȝif* that ȝe nat' ne faille,
which we dar not / opynly expresse,
with-oute that' ȝe wold / of gentillesse,
ȝe
ȝoure graunt' aforn / conferme and ratefye.
Than wer we bold / it to specifye."

Lycurgus says
he'll give em
anything but
his life,
his son and his
wife.
Then a man
comes in,
[leaf 56, back]
and says the
King's son
has been stung
to death by a
serpent.
Lycurgus is told of his Boy's Death.
Quod lygurgus / "what-euer thyng it be,
Nouht exceptid / but only þinggës thre:
¶The first is this / it touche* nat' my lif,
My ȝonge sonë, pleynly, nor my wyf;
Take al my good / or what' ȝe list' provyde
Of my tresour/ and sette pies thre a-syde,
Al the surplus/ I count' nat' at a myte."
Than Adrastus / astounyd was a lyte
whan lygurgus / in conclusioun,
Of his sonë / made excepcioun.
And whilis they / entreten þus yfere,.
Ther cam forth on / with a wooful chere,
Of face and look / pal and no-thing' rede,
A-lowde crieth/" the kynges* sone is dede,
Allas the whyl! / that whilom was so fayr,
After lygurgus / born forto ben hayr;
The which, allas! / hath ȝolden vp the breth,
Of a Serpent/ stonge to the deth
And with his wounde* / newë*, fressh and grene,
In therber lith / that pitè is to sene,
3352
3356
3360.
3364
3368
And hath so leyne / almost al this day;"

Lycurgus laments; his Queen swoons.
That whan lygurgus / herde* this affray,
And wist his child was ded and hath no mo,
Lytil wonder/thogh that he were wo.
For sodeynly the inportable smerte
Ran anoñ / and hent* hym by the herte
That, for constreynt of his dedly peyne,
Thorgh-oute he felte koruen euery veyne.
The rage gan myne in hym so depe
That he can not but sighë*/ sobbe, and wepe.
And with the noyse / and lamentacioun
The qwen distrauht / is descendid doun.
3372 Lycurgus
3376
139
weeps for his
son's death.
The sorow bat
be kyng ligurgus
made for the deth
of his child and
3380 the lamenta-
cioun of the
quene.
And whan she knewe / the* ground of al this sorowe,
hit neded* her no teerës/ forto borowe
3384
His queen
But twenty tymë ny* vpon a rowe
A-swoune she fille / vnto þe grounde lowe;
And stounde-mele*/ for this hegh meschaunce,
Stille as ston / she lyggeth in a Traunce.
¶ And whan the child / into the courte was brouht
To-fore lygurgus / allas! I wite hym nought',
Vpon the cors with a mortal face,
3388
swoons,
and lies in a
trance.
The boy's corpse.
is brought in.
he Fil atonys / and gan it to embrace,
3392
herd Ar.
3373.
3374.

Lycurgus's dead Son is buried.
[leaf 57]
Soore* Grype / and ageyn vpsterte;
That' whan Adrastus / gan this thyng' aduerte,
Of kyngly routh / and compassioun
The Greeks weep From his eyen / the teerës fillë doun
too.
Ek kyngges/Dukës, that aboutë* stood,
Only of pitè / which is in gentyl blood,
No power hadde / the water to restreyn
That' on her chekës / doune bygan to reyñ.
But al a day/woldë* not suffise
3396
3400
Alle her sorowes / in ordre to devise,
First of the kyng/ and of the quene also:
To tellen aH / I shulde* neuer ha do,
3404
I should never
have done, if I
tried to describe Not in the space / almost of an hour.
their sorrow.
The boy is
buried.
Adrastus re-
minds Lycurgus
and his wife
3408
3412
and all, except Grype
thyng] om. Ba. E1.
aduerte] advart
routhe Bo. M. Ad.
But whan the stormës / and þe sharpë* shour
Of her wepyng / was somwhat' ouergoñ,
The lytil cors / was grauen vnder stoñ.
¶ And Adrastus / in þe same tide
lygurgus took a litil out aside,
And ful wisely / with his prudent' spech,
The qwenë* present / gan hym forto tech
That' so to sorowe / avayllë may right' noght',
To mordre hym-silf / with his owne thouht,

Sith loos of deth / no man may recure
Thogh he in woo / perpetuelly endure;
Al helpeth nat/whan the soule is go.
"And our lif her, who taketh* hed ther-to,
Is but an exile / and a pilgrymage,
Ful of torment / and of bitter Rage,
Lich a See rennyng to and fro,
Swyng an ebbe / whan the flood is do,
Lytil space abidyng' at the fulle:
Of whos soiour / the popë ȝeueþ no bulle.
For* kyng is non, nor* duk, nor Emperour,
That' may hym shroude / ageyn þe fatal shour
Of cruel deth / whan hym list' manace
To marke a man with his mortal mace.
3416
3420
3424
3428
Ageynes deth
may be no recur.
that our life
is but a pil-
grimage;
[leaf 57, back]
that no one can
avoid death:
Than geyneþ nat' to his sauacioun
Neyther Fraunchysë / nor proteccioun,
And lit / or noght' / may helpen in this caas
3432
all must die:
Sauffeconditor Supersedyas.
For in this world / who so look a-right',
Is non so gret / of power nor of myght',
Noon so riche / shortly/ nor so bold
*
But he mot' dey / outher* ȝong' or old.
And who in ȝouthë* / passeth þis passage,
he is eskapedal the woode* Rage,
Al sorowe and trouble / of this present' lyff,
3436
and those who
die young
are saved from
sorrow.

So Lycurgus
and his wife
should take in
patience what
the Gods send.
Adrastus begs Lycurgus to forgive Ipsiphyle.
Repleneshed with contek / werre and stryff,
which seeld or neuere / stont in Suertè.
Wher-for best' is, as semeth vnto me,
No man gruche* / but, of hegh prudence,
The sonde of goddis / tak in pacience.
And ȝe that ben so wis / and manly to,
ȝoure-silf to drowne in torment and in woo
For loos of thyng / ȝif* that ȝe list to se,
which in no wise may recured be,
Adrastus then
begs mercy for
Ipsiphyle,
3444
3448
Is gret' foly and vndiscreccioun."
And thus Adrastus / hath conveyed douñ
The substaunce hool / of that he wolde seye:
Til that he fond / a tymë forto preye
3452
[leaf 58]
who has not
offended
wilfully.
Conuenyent / for ysyphilee,
Bysechyng hym forto han pitè
Of þat' she hath offended his highnesse,
Not wilfully / but of reklesnesse :
3456
First þat he wold / his doomës so* dyvide,
Mercy preferre / and sette* right a-side,
C.
*
At the request' and preier of hem alle,
Of this vnhappe / and meschief that is falle
3460

.
The Serpent or Ipsiphyle must be kild.
By hasty Rigour / nat to do vengeaunce,
But thynk aforn / in his purvyaunce,
who to wreches / doth mercy / in her drede,
Shal mercy fyndë / whan he hath most nede :
And sith he hath power, myght', and space,
Lat hym tak this lady / to his grace,
For lak of routhë*/ that she nat' ne dye.
¶ But tho the quenë / gan agayn replye
And platly seide / as in this matere,
Avayleth not requeste / nor preyere,
Pytè, Mercy nor remyssyoun,
But ȝif it be by this condicioun
That' the serpent, cause of al þis sorowe,
Thorgh her labour / lay his hed to borowe.
This is fynal/ and vtter recompense
To fyndë gracë / for her gret' offence,
Or ellis Shortly /sheede* blood for blood.
And whan Grekys her answer vnderstood,
Al of accord in her beste wise,
Took on hem/ this auenturous emprise,
For loue only of Ysyphylee;
And gan to ryde / envyron þe contrè,
By hillës, valës / Roches, and ek Cauës,
He who does
mercy, shall
3464 find mercy.
143
Let Ipsiphyle
be forgiven.
3468 How the quen
wil algate han
be serpent dede.
3472
3476
But the Queen
says,
either the ser-
pent or Ipsiphyle
must die.
3480 The Greeks
hunt for the
Serpent.
[leaf 58, back]

In dychis dirk / and in oldë gravis,
3484
Parthonolope
¶ How partho-
nolope saugh be
Serpent.
finds it,
By euery cooste / cerchyng vp and douñ :
Til at the last / ful famous of renoun,
The worthy knyght / parthonolopè
was the first that happed for* to Se
This hydous Serpent / by a Ryver-side,
Gret' and horrible / stern and ful of pride,
Vndere a Rocche* / by a banke lowe;
3488
And in al hast/ he bent a sturdy bowe,
3492
And ther-In sette an arowe* fylëd kene,
shoots it,
And thorgh the body / spotted blew and grene,
Ful myghtily he made it' forto Glyde,
Hent* out a swerde / hongyng' be his syde,
3496
cuts off its head, Smoot of his hede / and anoñ it hent
gives it to the
Queen,
and reconciles
Ipsiphyle to her.
And ther-with-al gan the Quene present',
wherthorgh her sorowe parcel gan aswage.
And thus, of prowesse / and of hegh corage,
3500
This manly man / parthonolopè
hath reconciled faire Isyphilee
Vnto gracefully of þe Quene,
Hir Ire avoided* / and her oldë tene.
And by Adrastus mediacioun,
3504
Kyng lygurgus graunted a pardoun
Adrastus par-
dons Ipsiphyle,
To this lady, that' from al daunger fre,
She was restored to her libertè,
3508
at last M.
happenyde P.
Rocch Ar.

In his paleys/ al her lif to dwelle.
Thogh Iohn Bochas / þe contrarie telle:
For this autour affermeþ /, out of dred
tho' Boccaccio
says she never
That, whan this child / was by the serpent ded,
3512
She durste not for her gret' offence
Neuer after comen in presence
Of lygurgus /, but of intencioun
Fledde anon / out' of that Regioun ;
[leaf 59]
dared face Ly-
curgus,
3516
but fled from
Argos.
Att herte she took the childës deth so sore.
/
what fille of hir* / I fyndë* can no more
Than ȝe han herd/ aforn me specifye.
ȝe
And the kyngdam / but ȝif bookys lye,
Of lygurgus / was ycalled Trace.
And, as I rede in an other place,
He was þe same myghty Champioun,
To Athenes/that' kam with Palamoun
Ageyne his brother / that called was arcyte,
Lad in his chaar / with foure* boolys whyte,
Vpon his hed a wreth of gold ful fyn.
And I fynd ek / how bachus, god of wyñ,
3520
Nota de Li-
gurgo Rege
traccee.
Lycurgus came
to Athens with
Palamon against
3524 Arcite.
(See Chaucer's
Knight's Tale.)
Bachus deus
3528
vini.
with this kyng / was whilom at debat',
Only for he / pompous and Elat',
Destruccioun dide* to his vynys,
As he destroyd
Bacchus's vines,

and put water
in wine,
the God broke
his limbs
And for he first sett allay on wynys,
Meynte water/ whan they were to strong.
And this Bachus / for the grete wrong'
and drownd him. Brak his lymys / and dreynt hym in þe See.
Of lygurgus / ȝe gete no more of me.
¶ Nota de xii
arboribus in libro
Bochacii de
genealogia
deorum.
But the trouth / ȝif ȝe lyst verryfie,
Rede of goddes / the Genologye,
lynealy / her kynrede be degrees,
on the Genealogy I-braunched out' / vpon tweluë trees,
See Boccaccio
of the Gods.
Mad by Bochas / decertaldo called,
He was next poet Among Poetys / in ytaillë stalled,
to Petrarch.
3532
3536
3540
[leaf 59, back]
Next Fraunceys Petrak / swyng in certeyn.
Now vnto Grekys / I wil retourne ageyn,
To telle forth shortly, ȝif I konne,
3544
Adrastus takes
leave of Ly-
curgus.
Of her Iournè / that they haue* begonne :
how Adrastus / hath his lieve* take
Of ligurgus with his browes blake;
And departyng, with seynt Iohn to borowe,
Mad his wardes / on the nexte morowe
So wel beseyn/ so myghty, and so strong,
Wonder erly/whan þe larke* song',
With a trompet/warned euery man
To be redy in al the hast they kan,
Forto remwe and no letting' make.
3548
3552

And so they han / the righte way I-take
Touard Thebes / the grekës euerychoñ,
That' such a nombre / gadred into oñ,
Of worthy knyghtës neuere aforn was seyñ,
whan they in ferë / monstred in a pleyñ.
And they ne stynt by non occasioun
Til they be come euen a-for the toun,
And pight her tentys / proudly, as I rede,
Vnder the wallys / in a grenë* mede.
And whan the* thebans / were besette aboute,
The manly knyghtës / wold han* yssyd oute
And haue* scarmosshed / in her lusty pride,
With her foomen / on the toper side.
But be byddyng / of Ethiocles
Alle þilkë* nyght / þei kepte hem-silf in pes,
Be cause only that it was so late,
With gret' awayt / set at euery gate,
Men of Armys / al the nyght wakyng
On the wallys / be byddyng' of þe kyng,
Lest þer were / treynys or tresoun.
And on the tours / and in the Chief Dongoun
1
he sette vp men / to makë mortal sowns
with brasyn hornys / and loudë Clarions,
Of ful entent/þe wacches forto kepe,
In his warde / that no man ne slepe.
3556 Adrastus and
3560
3564
3568
his Greeks march
to Thebes,
and pitch their
tents.
The Thebans
keep quiet,
3572 but watch at
the gates,
[leaf 60]
3576
3580
and blow horns
to keep the
watchers awake.
The Greeks
weye Di. om. Lb.
I-take Ar.
And Grekys proudly / al þe longe nyght'
kyndled* fyrys / and maad ful gret lyght',

lie all round
Thebes.
Sette vp loggyng/ vpon euery Syde
lik as they shuld/euer ther abyde,
3584
Compas the toune/ther was no voidë space
But al besette / her foomen to manace.
The Forey þat
be Grekis made
in be contre
about Thebes.
And whilys they afor þe Citè laye,
On euery cost/ they sent out to forraye,
Brente townës/ thorpes and vilages,
The Greeks
plunder the
Theban land,
3588
with grete ravyn makyng theyr pillages,
Spoyle and robbe / and brou3të* hom vitaille
And al maner soortes of bestaylle,
3592
Shep and neet/ and in her cruel rage
with houndes slowe / al that was sauage,
kill all the game, Hert' and hyndë* / bothë buk and doo,
The blake beer / and þe wilde Roo,
The fatte swyn / and þe tusshy* boor,
Karying al hom / for the grekës stoor,
whete and wyn / for her auauntage,
and collect all
the fodder.
Hay and Otys / fodder / and forage.
3596
3600
With þis kalendis / as hem thynke* dwe,
Grekys gan the thebans to Salwe,

Mynistring' hem / occisiones* felle,
be sege sette, shortly forto telle,
Of ful entent in their hatful pryde,
For lif or deth / ther-vpon tabide,
who so euer/ther-with be a-greued,
Ther
Til they fully / her purpoos haue acheued;
may therof/ be makëd no relees.
And of al* this / ful war / Ethiocles
Gan in party / gretly to* mervaille
whan that he saugh / þe grete apparaylle
Of the Grekes / þe Citè rounde aboute;
And in hym-silf hadde a maner doute,
Now at the poynt / what was best' to do.
For thilke tyme / it' stood with hym so
That' to some abidyng in þe toun
he hadde in herte / gret suspecioun
list toward hym / that they were vnstable,
And to his brother / in party fauorable;
For in the Citè / ther was variance,
which vnto hym was a gret' meschaunce;
For in his nede / shortly / he ne wiste
Vpon whoom þat he myghte triste;
For they wer not' / alle of oñ entent :
For which he hath / for his counsale sent,
[leaf 60, back]
3604 They mean to
press the siege
3608
3612
3616
to the death.
Eteocles
is in doubt
what to do.
He knows some
Thebans favour
Polyneices.
3620 The variaunce
in Thebes among
hem-silf.
3624 Eteocles asks
the advice of

his lords
and his mother
Jocasta.
Al his lordes / and the olde Quene,
which as he dempte / were* pur and clene,
Hool of on herte / and not variable,
3628
[leaf 61]
Some say
'Fight';
some,
Of old expert and alway founde stable;
Requeryng hem/ be-cause they were wys,
Al openly to tellen/ ther avis
Wher it was bet / pleynly, in her sight',
With his brother / to treten or to fight.
And some gaf a ful blunt' sentence,
which hadde of werrë / non experience:
Seyde it was best' /, and nat' ben afferd,
To trye his right / manly with þe Swerd.
And some also that wer moor prudent',
Spak vnto hym / by good avisement'
'Keep your
promise to your
brother.'
3632
3636
3640
And list nat' sparë* / but their conceyte tolde
how hit was best / his couenaunt forto holde,
And to parforn/his heeste mad to-forn
To his brother / lich as he was sworn;
3644
So that his word /, the wors to mak hym spede,
Be nat' foundë / variant fro the dede,
For non hatred / rancour, neyther pryde.
And tho the queenë* / took hym out aside,
3648
¶Nota
The word of
be qwene Iocasta
to Ethiocles.
Jocasta takes
Eteocles aside,
Tolde hym pleynly / it was ful vnsittyng'
Swich doublenesse / to fynden in a kyng',

And seide hym ek / al-thoh he were strong,
To his brother / how he dide* wrong',
"As al the toune / wil record, in dede,
And bere* witnesse / ȝif it kam to nede.
Wherfor lat vs shape another mene
In this materë / whil that it is grene,
Or this quarel, gonne of voluntè,
Turne / in the fyn / to mor aduersitè.
For ȝif it be darreynëd be bataylle,
who tresteth most / may ful likly faille.
And it is foly / be short avisement,
To putte a strif / in martys Iugëment'.
For hard it is/ whan a Iuge is wood,
To tret aforn hym / with-out' loos of blood.
And ȝif we put our mater* / hool in Marte,
which with the swerd / his lawes doth coarte,
Than may hit happe / wher ȝe be glad or loth,
Thow and thy brother / shal repente both;
And many a-noper / that is her present',
Of ȝoure trespas / that ben Innocent',
/
And many thousand in cas shal compteyn
For the debat / only of ȝow tweyn,
And for ȝour strif / shal fyndë ful vnsoote.
151
and reminds him
of his wrong-
3652 doing.
3656
3660
[leaf 61, back]
¶ How perilous
3664 it is to be go-
3668
vernyd by (short
auisement in)*
any querel.
Jocasta tells
Eteocles
3672
that, as he's the
wrong-doer,
"And for thow art gynnyng, ground, and Roote

To the goddys / that herof han a sight',
he 'll have to
account for all
who die in the
war.
Of this Iniurie / and this gret vnright,
3676
Peace and war,
life and death,
hang in the
balance.
He's at the
stake,
and must fight
or treat.
[leaf 62]

Thow shalt accountys / and a reknyng make
For alle tho that' persshyn for þi sake.
And now the cause / dryven is so ferre,
Sodeyn pees/outher* hasty werre
Moot folwe anon /; for the fatal chaunce
Of lif and deth / dependeth in balaunce.
And no man may be no craft restreyne
That' vpon on* / platly of this tweyne
The soort mot fallë / lik as it' doth tourne,
Who so euer lawgh / or ellys mourne.
And thow art dryve / so narowe to be stake
That' thow mayst' nat' / moo delayës make,
But fight or tret / this quarel forto fyne;
By non engyn / thow canst / it' not' declyne.
And hasty cas /, as folk seyn that' be wys,
Redresse requereth by ful short avys :
For trete longe / now avaylleth noght.
3680
3684
3688
3692
For to the poynt / sothly thou art brouht,
Outher to kepë thy pocessioun
Or in al haste/ devoyde / out of this toun,
wher thow therwith / be wroth or wel apayd."
3696
Jocasta tells
"Now note wel / al that I haue* sayd,
And by my counsayl / wisly condescende
Wrong', wrouht' of olde / newly to amende.
om. Di.
3700

The tyme is come / it may be noñ other.
wherfor in haste / trete with thi brother
And ageyn hym / make no resistence,
But to thy lordys / fully ȝiue* credence:
By whoos counsayl / sith they be so sage,
late Polymyte / reioyse his heritage.
And that' shal turnë / most to thyn avail.
loo! her is hool / the fyn of our counsail.”
And shortly tho / for verrey Irë wroth,
Thouh he therto / froward was and loth,
Accorded is, heryng al the prees,
ȝif he algate shal trete for a* pes,
It moste be/ by this condicioun
That he wol han / the domynacioun
First in chief to hym-silf reserued,
As hym thouht / he hadde wel disserued,
And saue to hym / hool the souereyntè;
And vnder hym / in Thebes þe Citè
he to grauntë / with a right good cher,
Polymytës/ to regne for a ȝer,
Than tavoyde*/ and not resoort' ageyi :
For mor to cleymë / was nat but In veyñ.
This wold he don / only for her sake,
And other-wise/he wil non endë make
with the Grekys / what' fortune euere falle.
And fynally among his lordys alle
Ther was not on / of hih nor lowgh estat',
3704
3708
Eteocles
153
to give Poly-
neices his
inheritance.
Eteocles is
wroth,
3712 but agrees to
treat for peace
if he may
3716
remain King,
and Polyneices
3720 reign under him
for a year.
[leaf 62, back]
3724 If not, he'll
fight.
No Theban lord
will propose
this:

That' wolde* gon / on this ambassyat'
3728
Out of the toune / nouther for bet' nor wors;
so Jocasta will.
Til Iocasta / made sadyl her hors,
And cast her-silf / to gon for this tretè,
To make an endë / ȝif it woldë be.
3732
Jocasta and her
daughters,
And this was don / the morowe right be tyme,
Vpon the houre* / whan it droh to pryme.
Antigone and
Ismene,
And with hyr went / hyr ȝonge dohtres tweyñe,
Antygone and the feyr ymeyne,
3736
Of hyr meynè / ful many on aboute,
At the gate/she was conveyed oute,
And of purpos/ she made first hir went'
ride to King
Adrastus,
On hors-bak / to kyng Adrastus tent,
3740
He and his lordys / beyng al yffere.
who welcomes
her.
And they receyve hyr / with a right glad chere,
Shewyng hyr / lik to hir degrè,
On euery half/ful gret humanytè,
3744
Polyneices
Polymytës rysyng fro his place,
kisses her and
his sisters.
And humblely / his moder gan enbrace,
Kyssede hyr and than Antigonè,
And ek ymeyne / excellyng of bewtè.
3748
And for that they / passyngly were faire,
Gret was the pres / concours, and repaire
Of the ladyes forto han a sight.
Jocasta
And Iocasta procedeth anon ryght
3752

To Adrastus / hir mater to purpose,
And gan to hym/opynly disclose
Thentent and wiH of Ethiocles,
[leaf 63]
proposes Eteo-
cles's terms:
And by what' menë he desireth pes,
3756
To hym reserued /, as she gan specifie,
The honour hool / and the regalye,
with Sceptre and Crounë fro hym not devyded,
3760
that he shall
remain King,
But' hool to hym / as he hath provided;
¶ And Polymyte, be this condicioun,
Vnder hym to regnen / in the toun
As a Soget, be suffraunce of his brother.
But the Grekës / thouhten al another,
And Specyaly worthy Tydeus,
Pleynly affermyng it' shuld nat' be thus:
For he wil haue / no condiciouns,
But' sette a-Syde / att excepciouns,
Nothyng reservid / as in special,
But hool the lordship, Regalye, and al,
Polymytes it fully to possede,
In Thebes Crowned / verrayly in dede,
As Rightful kyng / putte in pocessioun,
lich the Couenauntys and conuencioun
Imad of olde / assuryd, and asselyd,
"which shall not now of nwë be repelyd,
But stable and hool / in his strengthe* stonde.
And lat hym so platly vndyrstonde !
And first that he devoyde hym out' of toun,
3764
3768
and Polyneices
reign under him.
Tideus rejects
them.
The answer
of Tydeus.
Tideus says
Polyneices
must be crownd
3772 King in Thebes,
3776
Eteocles
and Polyneices
must leave the
town.

[leaf 63, back]
No Greek will
depart till this
is done.
If Eteocles
will give up
Thebes for a
year,
the Greeks will
guarantee him
possession of it
again.
And delyuere the Sceptre / and the Croun
To his brother/ and mak' therof no more.
And shortly ellys It' shal be bouht' ful sore
Or this mater brought be to an ende.
For Grek is noñ / that shal hennys wende
Or that our right/ which is vs denyed,
with lif or deth / darreynëd be and tryed:
we wil not' arst fro this towne remewe.
"And ȝif hym lyst/ al this thyng' eschwe
And al meschief / styntyn and appese,
To either part / he may do gret' ese :
Thus I menë/ for his auauntage,
Delyuer vp hool / the trewe herytage
To his brother/ for a ȝeer tendure.
And Grekys shal fully hym assure,
By what bonde that hym list' devise,
ȝeer complet' /, in our beste wise
To hym delyuer / ageyn pocessioun
with-oute strif/ or contradiccioun.
And to this fyn / Iustly hold* vs to.
The
3780
3784
3788
3792
3796
If not, he must
fight.
"And ȝif it fallë / that he wil nat so,
Lat hym not wayte / but only after werre.
The hour is come / we wil it not differre.
3800
¶ lo! her is al / and thus ȝe may reporte
To hym ageyn/ whan that ȝe resorte ;
Fro which apoynt / we cast' vs not to varye."
3804

And it to hym / Amphiorax contrarye
Ful pleynly saide, in conclusioun,
This fyn shal cause a destruccioun
Of hem echon / ȝif it forth procede
To be parfourmed / and execute in dede.
But thilke tyme for al his elloquence
He had in soth / but lytyl audience.
For wherso euer / he ment / good or ille,
kyng Adrastus / bad hym to be stille.
And tho Iocasta / as wisdom did hyr tech,
humble of her port/ with ful softe spech,
Gan sekë menys / in hyr fantasye
ȝif she myght the Irë modefye
Of the Grekes / to make hem to enclyne
In eny wise/hyr rancour forto fyne.
She dyd hyr dever / and hir bysy cure.
But tho byfel a wonder aventure,
Cause and ground of gret' confusioun,
Grekys perturbyng/ and also ek the toun,
And it to tellë / may me not asterte.
For which a whil / my styet I mot' dyuerte,
And shortly telle /, by descripcioun,
Of a Tigre dwellyng in the toun,
which fro a kyngdam / besyden adiacent',
Out of Egipte / was to Thebes sent':
the* whiche* beest by record of scripture
a
Amphiorax
says war 'll be
death to every
3808 one;
3812
3816
3820
3824
but few listen
to him.
[leaf 61]
Jocasta tries
to modify the
Greeks' anger.
But a wonderful
event happens.
3828 A tiger was
sent from Egypt
to Thebes.
3810.

The tiger is
savage,
The wondrous tame Tiger of Thebes.
Is most swift as of his nature,
3832
And of kynd also most' sauage,
And most cruel / whan he is in his rage,
And, as Clerkys makë mencioun,
with a lion's
body,
He of body resembleth the lyoun,
3836
a greyhound's
head,
And lik a greyhound / the mosel and the hed,
red eyes,
And of Eyen as eny fyret red,
Ek of his Skyn /, wryten as I fynde,
and spotted skin. lich a panter / conuersant' in ynde,
with al maner hwys and colours;
And is ful oft/ disceyued with merours
[leaf 64, back] By fraude of huntys and fals apparence
Shewyd in glas / with-outen existence,
whan his kyndles / arn be sleight ytake*,
And he deceyued / may no rescus make.
This tiger at
Thebes was
tame,
3840
3844
And lik a lombe / was this Tygre tame,
Ageynys kynde /, myn autour writ the same.
3848
And this beest', mervaillous to se,
*
was sent to ymeyne and antigone:
which vnto hem / dide* gret confort,
never did any
damage,
and used to
amuse Eteocles.
And Cowde playe/ and make good * disport',
lik a whelp that is but' ȝong of age;
And to no wight didë* no damage,
No mor in soth / þan doth a litil hound;
And it was worth many hundred pound
Vnto the kyng, for ay in his greuaunce

Þt. III. This Tiger, the Greeks kill. Thebans try to avenge it. 159
Ther was no þing / did hym mor plesaunce,
That' for no tresour/ it myght not be bought.
For whan that he was pensif or in thought',
It' putt hym out of his hevynesse.
And thilkë* tyme /, the story doth expresse,
That Iocasta treted* for a pes,
This tame Tygre / in party rekkëles,
Out' at the gates / in sight of many a man,
Into the felde / wildely* out ran,
And Casuelly rennyng to and fro,
In and oute, as doth a tamë Roo;
Grekys wenyng that wer ȝong of age,
That this Tygre / hadde be sauage,
And Cruelly besettyng al the place
Round aboutë/ gan hym to enchace
Til he was ded/ and slayën* in the feld.
The slauhter of whom whan þat they byheld,
The proude Thebans / which on the wallys stood,
They ronne doune ful furious and wood,
wenyng he had / be slayen* of despit'.
Takyng her hors / with-outë mor respiť,
Fully in purpos / with Grekys forto fighte,
The Tigres deth / tavengen ȝif they myghte.
And out they rood/with-oute gouernaylle,
And ful proudly / Grekës gan assaylle,
And of hatred and ful hegh desdayne
3860
3864 Now it runs out
of the gates.
3868
The Greeks,
thinking it wild,
3872. hunt it
and kill it.
[leaf 65]
3876 The Thebans
3880
sally out

160 Many men are slain.
and slay the
Fyl vpon hem that han the tygre slayne,
And cruelly qwitten hem her mede,
3884
Greeks who kild That many Greke / in the grenë mede,
the tiger.
By the force and the grete myght'
Of her Foomen, lay slayëñ* in þis fight.
3888
The Tigres deth / so derë they aboughte,
So mortally the* Thebans* on hem wroughte
That' al the host', in the feld liggyng',
was astounyd / of this sodeyn thyng'.
3892
With them are
Eteocles
And in this whil, of Rancour rekkëles,
Out of Thebes rood Ethiocles,
and King
Tremor.
And with hym ek / the worthy kyng Tremour,
Of his hond a noble werreour,
3896
That made Grekës to forsak her place,
And to her tentys / gan hem to enchace.
Many on both
sides are slain.
And myd the feld / as þei to-gyder mette
On hors-bak / with sperës sharpë* whette
Of verray hate / and of* envious pryde,
3900
Ful many on was ded on outher syde.
[leaf 65, back]
The manhod
of Tydeus.
The whiche* thyng / whan Tideus espieth*,
wood as lyoun / to hors-bak he hieth,
3904
As he that was neuer a del afferd;
But ran on hem/ and met hem in the berd,
Tideus drives
the Thebans
back to their
city.
And Maugrè hem / in his crueltè,
he made hem fleen / hom to her Citè,
3908
hem pursuyng/ of ful dedly hate,

That' many on / lay slayën* at the gate,
Gapyng vprightys / with her woundys wyde;
That' vttrely they durste not abyde
To-for the swerd of this Tydeus.
he was on hem so passing furius,
So many theban / he roof vnto the herte
That' whan Iocasta / the slauhtre gan aduerte,
¶ Polymytës/ she gan prey ful fayre
To make Grekis/hom ageyn repayre,
And that they wolden styntyn to assaylle
For thilke day / and cessen her bataylle.
At whoos requeste / pleynly and preyere,
And at Reuerence / of his moder dere,
Polymytës, her herte to conforte,
Grekës made/hom ageyn resorte
And Tydeus to stynten of his chas.
And they of Thebes hasting a gret' pas,
Ful trist' and hevy / ben entred into toun.
And for the Tygre, in conclusioun,
As ȝe han herd/ first began this stryff,
That many theban / that day lost his lyff
And recurlees hath ȝolden vp the breth,
In thavengyng/ of the tygres deth.
And al this while / duely as she ought',
þe quene Iocasta / humblely besought
wil M.
3912
3916 Jocasta begs
Polyneices
to recall the
Greeks.
3920
3924
He does so.
3928 This tiger-busi-
ness begins the
3932
war.
[leaf 66]
Jocasta prays
Adrastus
atte Bo. Ad,. at M.
vpright L. and the
worthy P. 3915.
roof] rood Ad. I.
preie gan P. E. L.

Jocasta returns to Thebes.
Kyng Adrastus / only of his grace,
Some menë way / wisly to purchace
3936
to make peace;
To make a pees / atwene the bretheren tweyn,
And the tretè so prudently ordeyne,
but he will
do it only on
Tideus's terms.
On eiper party / that no blood be shad.
And this Adrastus / avisè and rigt sad,
For Grekis party / answer gaf anoñ
That' other ende / shortly gete* she noñ,
lich as the lordis / fully ben avisyd,
3940
Than Tydeus hath aforn devisyd.
3944
Jocasta goes
back to Thebes.
¶ And whan she saugh it may non oþer be,
She lieve tok / and hom to the Cytè
King Protho-
nolope rides
with Ismene,
She is repeired, hauyng to hyr Guyde
Polymytës Rydyng be her syde.
And Tideus ladde Antigone,
And of Archadye / prothonolopè,
3948
The worthy kyng', did his bysy peyne
To ben attendaunt / vpon fair ymeyne,
3952
Whos hert' she hath / to her servisë luryd :
And he ageyn hath purtraied and fyguryd
Myd of his brest /, which lightly may not passe,
Hooly the feturis / of her fresshly face.
3956
Hym thouht she was so faire a creature ;
And though that he durst' hym not discure,
ȝit in his hert / as ferforth as he kan,
3960
and in his heart He hath avowed / to ben) her trwë man,
pledges his
troth to her.
vnwist to hir / pleynly and vnknowe

Tideus will not risk an entry into Thebes.
How he was marked with Cupides bowe,
with his Arwe/sodeynly werreyed.
And to the ȝate / the ladyes conueyed
Ben entred In / for it drow* to eve,
Grekys of hem taking tho her leve;
Thogh some of hem wer sory to departe,
ȝit of wisdam / they durste not' iuparte
Vnder a conduit / to entren into toun,
lest it turned to her confusion.
Thouh some bookës / the contrarye seyn:
But myn Autour / is platly ther-ageуñ,
And affermeth/ in his opynyoun,
That Tydeus of hegh discrecioun,
Of wilfulnessë/ nor of no folye,
Ne wold as tho put in Iupartie
Nowther hym-silf / nor noñ of his ferys.
And the ladyes / with her heuenly cherys,
Angelik/of look / and contenance,
Lich as it is put in remembrance,
At her entryng from Grekys into toun,
Polymytes of gret' affeccioun,
163
[leaf 66, back]
3964 Jocasta and her
daughters enter
Thebes.
3968
The Greeks take
leave.
3972 My author is
clear,
that Tideus
3976 would not risk
lives by entering
Thebes.
3980
Polyneices
begs Jocasta
3984 to try and make
Eteocles keep
his word.
drough Ad₁.
drew nye
tho taken Ba.

Jocasta in vain urges Eteocles to keep Faith.
To kepe couenaunt' / as he hath behight
The Greeks go
back to their
Ful ȝore agon / with the surplusage,
List' the contrarie */ tournë to damage,
First of hym-silf / and many an oþer mo.
And thus fro Thebes / grekys ben ago
3988
tents.
[leaf 67]
Jocasta tells
To her Tentys / and rest hem al that nyght.
And Lucyna / the monë shon ful bright
with-Inne Thebes / on the chief dongoun,
whan Iocasta made relacioun
3992
Eteocles that
Vnto the kyng/ and told hym al the Guyse,
they despise
his offer,
How that Grekys vttrely despyse
3996
his profre made be fals collusioun ;
Only excepte / the conuencioun,
Of old engrocyd by gret' purvyance,
and hold to his
old agreement.
which is enrollyd / and put in remembrance,
Vpon which they fynaly wil reste :
4000
to keep it.
She advises him hym counsaillinge /, hir thouhte for the beste,
To conforme hym / to that he was bounde,
lyst' in the fyn / falsnesse hym confounde.
4004
But he is
But al hir counsayl / he set it at no prys,
he dempt' hym-silf / so prudent and so wys;
For he was wilful / and he was indurat',
And in his hert / of malyce obstynat',
4008
resolvd not to.
And outtrely avisëd in his þouht',
with-Inne Thebes / his brother get right' nouht.
tourne] come E2.

Amphiorax sinks down to Hell. 165
The Greeks take the Field.
And in his Errour / þus I lete* him* dwelle.
And of Grekis/ forth I wil ȝou telle,
which al that' nyght' kepte hem-siluë cloos.
And on the morow / whan Tytan vp aroos,
They armyd hem/ and gan hem redy make,
And of assent/ han the felde I-take,
With the Thebans / that day, out' of doute,
Forto fighten/ȝif they yssen oute.
¶ And Adrastus / in ful thrifty wise,
4012
4016
Next morning
the Greeks take
the field.
In the feld his wardys / gan devise,
As he that was / of all deceytës war.
And richëly I-armyd* / in his char
Amphiorax cam with his meynè,
Ful renomyd of antiquitè,
And wel expert / be-cause he was old.
And whil that Grekys, as I haue ȝou told,
4020
Amphiorax
comes out in
4024
[leaf 67, back]
his chariot,
wer bysiest her wardys to ordeyne,
Myd of the feld / bifyl a cas sodeyne,
Ful vnhappy/lothsom, and odyble;
For liche a thing / þat wer invisible,
This olde* bisshop/ with char and hors certeyn
Disaperyd and no mor was seyne.
Only of fate / which no man can repelle,
þe erth opnede / and he fille doun* to helle,
with all his folk / þat vpon hym abood.
And sodeynly the grounde on which he stood
Closyd ageyn/ and to-gydre shette,
4028
¶ How Amphio-
rax fil doune into
hell.
4032 but the earth
opens;
he falls into
Hell;
4036 and the earth
late Du.
closes.

The Devil paid
him his wages,
þat' neuer after Grekis with hym mette.
And thus the devel/ for his old outrages,
lich his decert', paied hym his wages.
4040
For he ful lowe / is discendid doun
Into the dirk and blakë* Regyoun
wher that Pluto* / is crownyd and ystallyd
with his quene / proserpina I-callyd.
4044
with whom this bisshop/ hap made his mansioun
Perpetuelly / as for his guerdoun.
for his idolatry, lo here the mede / of ydolatrie,
Of Rytys old and of* fals mawmetrye.
4048
[leaf 68]
lo what auayllen Incantaciouns
Of exorsismës and coniurisouns ;
necromancy and what' stood hym stede his Nigromancye,
Calculacioun / or astronomye;
astronomy.
4052
what' vayllëd hym / the heuenly manciouns,
Diuerse aspectis / or constellaciouns?
/
The ende is nat / bot' sorowe and meschaunce,
Of hem þat setten / her outre affiaunce
4056
In swiche werkës supersticious,
Amphiorax's
sinking into
Hell
Or trist' on hem /: he is vngracious.
Record I takë, shortly forto telle,
Of this bysshop / sonken doun to helle,
whos wooful ende / about in euery cost
4060
Swich a Rumour / hath makëd in the host'

That the noys/ of this vnkouth thyng'
Is yronne and come to the kyng',
4064
how this vengeaunce / is vnwarly falle.
167
And he anon / made a trumpet calle
Alle his puple/out' of the feld ageyñ;
And euerychon/ assembled on a pleyñ
To-fore the kyng / and also rounde aboute.
Euery man of his lyf in doute,
Ful pitously gan to frowne and loure,
list that the grounde hem alle wil deuoure
And Swalowen hem / in his dirkë* kave;
And they ne can / no recur hem to save.
For nouther force / nor manhode may availle
In swiche meschief/ the valewe of a maylle.
For he that was wisest / and koudë most
To serche and sekë/ thorgh-out' al the host',
Amphiorax / whan that he lest wende,
To helle is sonken / and coude hym not diffende,
(To hym the tyme vnknowen and vnwist')
In whom whilom was al þe Grekis trist,
4068
4072
4076
makes all the
Greeks fear for
their own lives.
As their wisest
man
4080 has gone to Hell
so suddenly,
her hoole* confort / and her affiaunce.
[leaf 68, back
But all attonys / for this sodeyn chaunce
And this meschief / they gan hem to dispeire,
4084
the others
despair,

and want to go
home.
Hom to Grece / that they wil repeyre.
This was the purpoos / of hem euerichoñ.
And on the wallys of Thebes lay her foñ,
4088
Reioysing hem/ of this vnhappy eure,
wenyng therby / gretly to recure.
The Thebans
And on her toures*/ as they loken oute,
chaff the Greeks, They on Grekys / enviously gan shoute,
And, of despit and gret enmytė,
Bad hem foolys / goñ hom to her contrè,
Sith they han lost / her confort and socour*,
her false prophete / and her dyvynour:
wherthorgh/her partie / gretly is apeyryd.
And in this wise / Grekys disespeyryd,
who think that Demptë pleynly / be tokens evidente,
witchcraft works
against them.
This cas was falle / by som enchauntement',
By wichecraft*/ or by* fals sorcerye,
Ageynes which may be no remedye,
4092
4096
4100
Tristy diffence / helpë*, nor socour.
Adrastus sum-
mons his Council
And whan Adrastus herde* this clamour,
4104
he bysy was ageyn this perturbaunce
To provyde / some maner chevysaunce.
to devise
And to hym calleth / such counsayl as he wiste,
For lyf or deth / that he myghte tryste,
Requeryng hem/ but in wordys fewe,
In this meschief / her mocioun to shewe,
4108

And declare by good avisement'
What' to Grekys / was most expedient',
To remedyen, and makë* no delay,
The vncouth noyse / and the gret' affray
That' Grekys made / with clamour inportune,
And newe / and newe / euere in on contune.
¶ And they that wern / most' manly and most wise,
Shortly saide/ it wer a cowardyse,
The hegh emprise / that they han vndirtake
For dred of deth / so sodeynly forsake.
It wer to hem/ a perpetuel shame
And outre hyndryng / vnto grekys name;
And better it' wer / to euery werreyour
Manly to deye / with worship and honour,
Than lik a coward / with the lyf endure.
For onys shamyd / hard is to recure
his name ageyn/of what estat he be.
And sith Grekes / of old antiquytè,
As of knyghthode /, who so list tak hed,
Ben so famous / and so renomëd,
ȝif now of newe / the shyning of her Fame
Eclipsid were with eny spotte of blame,
It' were a thyng vncouth forto here,
169
4112 the best remedy
for this trouble.
[leaf 69]
4116
4120
4124
They say it
would be cow-
ardice to give
up their enter-
prise :
soldiers had
better die
than live as
cowards.
4128 Adrastus's
4132
Council say that
as Greeks of old
were so famd

as conquerors,
Of whoes renoun / the bemës ȝit ben clere
Thorgh al the world / wher as they han passyd,
And ben not' ȝit / dyrkyd nor diffacyd,
By no report/nouther on se ne londe
thyng to forsake / that they tok on honde.
"And by example of our progenitours,
hat whilom wern / so manly conquerours,
To-forn that we into Grecë wende,
4136
4140
[leaf 69, back]
they now will
not leave Thebes
Of thyng bygon / lat' vs make an ende,
And parte nat/nor Seuere from this toun
Til it be brouht' to destruccioun,
4144
wallys/tourrës / Crestyd and batailled
And for werre strongly apparaylled,
Be first' doune betë/ that no thyng be seyn,
4148
till it's laid low, But' al to-gyder / with the erthe* pleyn
Be lowe* leyde / or that we resorte:
That afterward / men may of vs reporte,
they began, they That we bygan / we knyghtly han achieuyd
so that folk
may say
achievd."
"what
To this, all the
Greeks agree.
Vpon our foon, with worship vnrepreuyd."
This was the counsaylle / shortly, and thavis
Of the Grekys that manly wern and wys,
That' neuere aforn wer markyd with no blame,
And specialy/swich as drede* Shame,
And fully caste / what' fortune euer tyde,
On her purpoos / to the ende abyde,
That' on no part / her honure not apalle.
4152
4156
derked Bo. M. derket Ad₁.
dirket Du.

And to this counsaille / Grekys, on and alle,
Ben condescendyd / and, for mor happy sped,
In sted of hym / that was so latë ded,
Amphiorax/buryed / depe in helle,
That' koude whilom / to the Grekys telle
Of thynggës hid / how it' shal falle, aforñ :
In stede of whom / now they han hym lorñ,
They casten hem / wisly to purchace
Some prudent man / to occupye his place,
That' in swich thyng / myght hem most' availle
Thorgh mystery of his dyvynaylle,
By craft of sorte / or of profecye,
ȝif eny swich they couden out espye.
And among al /, her purpoos to atteyñe,
As I fynde/they han chosyn tweyne,
Most renomed of hem euery choñ.
And Menolippus / callyd was the ton,
And Terdymus / ek the tother highte.
And for he hadde most fauour in her sighte,
This Terdymus / was chosen and preferryd.
And in her choys / Grekys han not' erryd;
For whilom he / lernyd / his emprise
Of his maister / Amphiorax the wyse,
And was disciple / vndyr his doctrine.
And of entent / that he shal termyne
Vnto Grekys/thyngës that shal falle,
*As a bisshop mytred in his stalle,
4160
4164
How Grekes
chosen hem/a
4168 new dyvynour
in stede of Am-
phiorax.
4172
[leaf 70]
Of the two candi-
dates proposed,
Melanippus and
Terdimus, the
4176 latter, who was
Amphiorax's
pupil, is chosen
by the Greeks
in his place.
4180
4184
Terdimus is
made a Bishop.