Hic venit Paris ad Insulam Thitharie.
When Paris come fro [MS. to.] Pauonye [folio 41a]
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And broght with him gret chiualrye;
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Thre thousand knyȝtes that were assayed
Broght with him wel arayed;
And alle here schippis were redy dyght
And fraught with vitayles and wel pight.
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¶ And Priamus bad Polimodas,
Antenor, and Eueas,
That thei with Paris to Grece schulde wende,
To brynge this thyng to an ende.
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Thei toke leue as-tyde and ȝede
To here schippis with mechel spede.
Thei sayled euere bothe day and nyght,
Til thei hadde of Grece a syght;
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Thei saw an Ile of Gregeis land—
Het Thitharie, I vndir-stand;—
Toward that Ile drow thei faste.
When thei come there, anker thei caste,
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And tyed here schippis in that porte
And ȝede to londe to take disporte.
IN that Ile of Thitharie
Was a temple of Auncetrie
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Set In honoure of Veneris,
Ther sche hadde mochel worschepe ywis;
For alle the men of that land
Make to here gret offerand
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Off siluer, gold, and tresour;
Ther was richesse with-oute mesour.
For thei truste alle and vndirstode,
That no man myght do but gode,
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The whil thei hadde help of here
Many a lond and many a schire.
For then held thei an hye feste-day
Off that goddesse with gret noblay:
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