The hystorye, sege and dystruccyon of Troye
Lydgate, John, 1370?-1451?, Colonne, Guido delle, 13th cent. Historia destructionis Troiae., Benoît, de Sainte-More, 12th cent. Roman de Troie.
¶Howe durynge a Trewes of thre Monthes Ector walked into the Grekes hooste / And of ye cōmunycacyon of Achylles & hym. Ca. xxv.
[illustration]
∴ ∴ ∴
tHe trewes affermyd / as ye haue herd deuyse
On outher syde / of them yt were full wyse
And full assentyd / of them euerychone
Tyll thre monthes / come be and gone
Lyke as I rede / on a certayne daye
Whan agreable was / the morowe graye
Blandysshynge / and pleasaunt of delyte
Ector in herte / caught an appetyte
Lyke as Guydo / lyketh for to wryte
The same day / Grekes to vysyte
Full well besene / and wonder rychely
With many worthy / in his company
Of suche as he / for the nones ches
And to the tent / firste of Achylles
I fynde in sothe / this Troyan knyght
Vpon his stede / toke the waye ryght
Full lyke a man / as made is mencyon
Nowe hadde Achylles / great affeccyon
In his herte / bothe day and nyght
Of worthy Ector / for to haue a syght
For neuer his lyfe / by none occasyon
He myght of hym / haue none inspeccyon
Nor hym beholde / at good lyberte
For vnarmed / he myght hym neuer se
But wonder knyghtly / as well in porte & chere
They had them both / as they mette in fere
And right manly / in theyr countenaunce
And at the laste / they felle in Dalyaunce
But Achylles / firste began abreyde
And vnto hym / euen thus he seyde
Ector quod he / full pleasynge is to me
That I at leyser / naked may these
Syth I of the / neuer myght haue syght
But whan thou were / armed as a knyght
And now to me / it shalbe full greuous
Whiche am to the / so inly enuyous
But thou of me / there is no more to sayne
Be slayne anone / with my handes twayne
For this in sothe / were hoolly my pleasaunce
By cruell deth / to take on the vengeaunce
For I full ofte / in werre and eke in fyght
Haue felte the vertue / and the great myght
Of thy force / thorugh many woundes kene
That vpon me / be full fresshe and grene
In many place / byshedynge of my blode
Page [unnumbered]
Thou wre on me / so furyous and wode
Aye com•assynge / to my destruccyowne
For many• mayle / of myn haber•owne
Thy shar•e swerde / racyd hath a sonder
And cruell• seuered / here and yonder
And mortally as / I can sygnes shewe
My plates stronge / percyd and yhewe
And my ha•eys / forged bryght of stele
Myght neu•r / assured be so wele
In thyne Yr• / whan thou lyste to smyte
That thy sw•rde / wolde kerue and byte
Into my flesshe / full depe and full profounde
As sheweth ye• / by many mortall wounde
On my body large / longe and wyde
That yet appere / vpon euery syde
And day by day full sore / ake and smerte
For whiche thynge / me semeth that my herte
Enbolleth newe / nowe whan I these
Of hye despyte / auenged for to be
So am I fret / of enuyous rage
That it may neuer / in my breste aswage
Tyll the vengeaunce / and the fatall sute
Of cruell deth / be on the execute
And of one thynge / moost is my greuaunce
Whan I haue / fully remembraunce
And in my mynde / consyderyd vp and downe
Howe thou madest / a dyuysyowne
Of me alas / and of Patroclus
So yonge so manly / and so vertuous
Whom I loued / as it was skylle and ryght
Ryght as my selfe / with all my full myght
With as hole herte / and inly kyndenesse
As an tunge / may telle or expresse
Now haste thou made / a departysyon
Of vs that were / by hole affeccyon
Yknet in one / of hertely allyaunce
Without partynge / or disseueraunce
So entyerly / our faythfull hertes twayne
Ylaced were / and locked in a chayne
Whiche myght nat / for none aduersyte
Of lyfe nor deth / a sonder twynned be
Tyll cruelly / thou madest vs departe
Which thurgh my herte / so īwardly doth darte
That it wyll neuer / in soth out of my thoughte
And truste well / full dere shalbe boughte
The deth of hym / and be no thynge in were
Parauenture / or endyd be this yere
For vpon the / oonly for his sake
Of cruell deth / vengeaunce shalbe take
I the ensure / without other bonde
If I may lyue / with myn owne honde
I shall of deth / do execucyon
Without abode / or longe delacyon
For right requyreth / without any drede
Deth for deth / for his fynall mede
For I my selfe / theron shalbe wroke
That thorugh ye worlde / hereafter shalbe spoke
How Achylles / was venged on his foo
For Patroclus / that he loued soo
And though that I be / to the enuyous
And of thy deth / inly desyrous
Ne wyte me nat / nor put on me no blame
For well I wotte / thou arte to me the same
And hast my dethe / many day desyred
And therupon / inwardely conspyred
And thus shortely / as atwene vs two
There is but deth / without wordes mo
Whan Fortune hath / the tyme shape
I hope fully / thou shalt nat escape
Truste none other / I say the vtterly
To whom Ector / nat to hastely
Answerde agayne / with sobre countenaunce
Auysed well / in all his dalyaunce
As he that was / in nothynge rekles
And euen thus / he spake to Achylles
Syr Achylles / without any fayle
Thou oughtest nat / in herte to meruayle
Though with my power / and my full myght
With herte and wyll / of very dewe ryght
Day by day / I thy deth conspyre
And euer in one / compasse it and desyre
And do my laboure / erely and eke late
To pursue it / by full cruell hate
Thou oughtest nat / to wonder in no wyse
But fully knowe / by sentence of the wyse
In no maner / who so taketh hede
Of rightwysnesse / it may nat procede
That outher I / or any other wyght
Shulde hym loue / that with all his myght
My deth pursueth / and destruccyon
And ouer this / to more confusyon
Hath layde a sege / aboute this Cyte
On my kynred / and also vpon me
And therupon / felly doth presume
With mortall hate / of werre to consume
Vs euerychone / I wysse I can nat fynde
In my herte / as by lawe of kynde
Suche one to loue / of right nor equyte
Nor haue hym chere / sothly in no degre
For of werre / may no frendlyhede
Page [unnumbered]
Nor of debate / loue / a right procede
For sothly loue / moste in specyall
Of faythfulnesse / hath his Orygenall
In hertes ioyned / by conuenyence
Of one accorde / whom no difference
Of doubylnesse / may in no degre
Nouther in ioye / nor aduersyte
For lyfe nor deth / a sondre nor disseuer
For where loue is / it contynueth euer.
But of hate / all is the contrarye
Of whiche sothly / from hertes whan they varye
Procedeth rancour at eye / as men may se
Debate / enuye / stryfe / and Enmyte
Mortall slaunghtre / bothe nye and ferre
Moder of whiche / in sothfastnesse is werre
The fyn wherof / longe or it be do
Seuereth hertes / and frendeshyp kut a two
And causeth loue / to be layde full lowe
But for all this / I wyll well that thou knowe
Thy proude wordes / in herte nor in thought
In very sothe / agaste me right nought
And if I shall / ferther more out breke
Without auaunt / the trouthe for to speke
I say the playnely / hense or two yere
If I may lyue / in this werres here
And my swerde of knyghthode / forth acheue
I hope in sothe / so mortally to grene
The grekes all / whan I with them mete
That they and thou / shall fele full vnswete
If ye contynue / and the werres haunte
I shall your pryde / and surquedye adaunte
In suche a wyse / with my handes two
That or the werre / fully be a do
Full many greke / sore shall it rewe
For well I wote / of olde and nat of newe
That the Grekes / gaderyd here in one
Of surquedye / are founde euerychone
Oonly for lacke / of discrecyon
To vndertake / of presumpcyon
So hye a thynge / a sege for to layne
And your selfe / to ouer charge in vayne
With Empryses / withoute fable
Be of weyght / to you importable
And the peys / of so great heuynesse
That fynally / wyll you all oppresse
And your pryde / auale and enclyne
The berthone eke / enbowe backe and chyne
And vnwarely / cause you to falle
Or ye haue done / I say to one and alle
And ouer more / be full in suerte
Thou Achylles I speke / vnto the
That fatall deth / firste shall the assay•
Tofore thy swerde / in any thynge auiyle
Agaynst me / for all thy worthynesse
And if so be / that so great hardynese
Courage of wyll / vygour force or m•ght
Meue thy herte / by manhode as a kiyght
To take on the / as in derrynge do
For to darreyne / here betwene vs two
Thylke quarell / how so that befalle
For the whiche / that we stryue all
I wyll assente / playnely to Iupa•te
Tyll that the deth / one of vs departe
There is no more / that these lordes here
Kynges / prynces / wyll accorde yfere
That it be do / fully by one assent
And holde stable / of herte and of entent
Whiche in a felde / oonly that we tweyne
As I haue sayde / this quarell may darreyne
And it fynysshe / by this condycyowne
That if it happe / thorugh thy hye renowne
Me to venquysshe / or put at outtraunce
I wyll you make / fully assuraunce
That firste my lorde / Pryamus the kynge
Shall vnto grekes / in all maner thynge
With sceptre & crowne / hoolly hym submytte
And in a poynt / varye nouther flytte
Fully to yelde / to your subieccyowne
All his lordshyp / within Troye towne
And his lyges / in captyuyte
Shall go theyr way / out of this cyte
And leue it quyte / in your gouernaunce
Without stryfe / or any varyaunce
And therupon / to make suerte
To deuoyde / all ambygnyte
Tofore the goddes / by othe and sacrament
We shall be swore / in full good entent
And ouer more / our fayth also to saue
To assure you / in pledge / ye shall haue
The mene whyle / and kepe them on your syde
At your choyse / hostages to abyde
From Troye towne / of the worthyeste
That ye lyste chese / and also of the beste
So that ye shall / of no thynge be in were
Of all that euer / that I saye you here
And Achylles / without wordes mo
If that thou lyste / accorde full therto
That I haue sayde / thy honour to encrease
To make this werre / sodaynely to cease
That lykly is / for to laste longe
Page [unnumbered]
Betwene Troyans / and the Grekes stronge
Thou shalt nat oonly / wt honour & with fame
Thorugh out the worlde / gette the a name
But therwith all / and that is nat a lyte
Thorugh thy knyghthod / to many man {pro}fyte
That fro the deth / shall escape a lyue
And to his countre / hole and sounde aryue
That lykly are / by cruell aduenture
For to be dede / if the werre endure
Come of therfore / and let nat be prolongued
But let the day / at wene vs two be ioyned
As I haue sayde / in condycyowne
If in diffence / oonly of this towne
I haue victorye / by fortune on the
I axe nat / but anone that ye
Breke vp sege / and the werre lete
And suffre vs / to lyue in quyete
Into Grece / home whan ye are gone
To whiche thynge / Achylles anone
Hote in his Ire / and furyous also
Brennynge full hote / for anger and for wo
Assentydis / with a despytous chere
And gan anone / to Ector dresse hym nere
And sayde he wolde / delyuer hym vtterly
Fro poynt to poynt / his axynge by and by
And there in made / none excepcyon
But of hole herte / and entencyon
His requeste / accepted euerydell
And as it semed / lyked it right well
And for his parte / he caste a gloue downe
In sygne and token / of confirmacyowne
For lyfe or deth / that he wyll holde his day
Agayne Ector / happe / what happe may
Vnto the whiche / Ector lyfly sterte
And toke it vp / with as glad an herte
As euer yet dyde / man or knyght
That quarell toke / with his foo to fyght
There can no man / in sothe a ryght deuyse
How gald he was / of this hye Empryse.
Of whiche the noyse / and the great sowne
Ran to the Erys / of Agamenowne
And he anone / came downe to theyr tent
With all the lordes / of his Parlyament
¶Where Achylles and Ector / were yfere
To wytte theyr wyll / as in this matere
Were they wolde / assente fynally
To put the quarell / full in Iupardy
Of outher part / atwene these knyghtes tweyne
As ye haue herde / it fully to dareyne
And with one voyce / grekes it denye
And sayde they ne wolde / of suche a companye
Of kynges / dukes / and lordes eke also
Both lyfe and deth / Iuparte atwene two
Nor to the course / of Fortune them submytte
That can hir face / all day chaunge and flytte
And some of Troye / in conclusyowne
Iuparte ne wold / theyr lyues nor theyr towne
In the handes / oonly of a knyght
To put all / in auenture of fyght
Pryam except / whiche sothly in this caas
Within hym selfe / fully assentyd was
Playnely to a put / and set in Iupardye
Hoolly the honour / of his regallye
Supposynge aye / as made is memorye
That Ector shulde / haue hadde the victorye
Of this Empryse / if he it toke on honde
But for Pryam / myght natwithstonde
Agayne so many / of one entencyon
That were contrarye / to his oppynyon
Bothe of Grekes / and on Troye syde
He helde his peas / and let it ouer slyde
And so the Grekes / parted be echone
And Ector / is from Achylles gone
Home to Troye / where I hym leue a whyle
Whyles that I / directe shall my style
To telle of Troylus / the lamentable wo
Whiche that he made / to parte his lady fro.
ALas Fortune / Gery and vnstable
And redy aye / for to be chaungeable
Whā folk most trust / ī thy stormy face
Lyke theyr desyre / ye fully to embrace
Than is thy ioye / away to tourne and wrythe
Vpon wretches / thy power for to kythe
Recorde on Troylus / yt fro the whele so lowe
By false enuye / thou hast ouer throwe
Out of the ioye / whiche that he was Inne
From his lady / to make hym for to twynne
Whan he best wende / for to haue be suryd
And of the woo / that he hath enduryd
I must nowe / helpe hym to complayne
Whiche as his herte / felte so great payne
So inwarde wo / and so great distresse
More than I haue / cunnynge to expresse
Whan he knewe / the partynge of Cryseyde
Almost for woo / and for payne / he deyde
And fully wyste / she departe shall
By sentence / and Iugement fynall
Of his fader / gyuen in Parlyament
For whiche / with wo and tourment all to rent
Page [unnumbered]
He was in poynt / to haue fallen in rage
That no man myght / a pease nor a swage
The hyd paynes / whiche in his breste gan dare
For lyke a man / in furye / he gan fare
And suche sorowe / day and nyght to make
In complaynynge / oonly for hir sake
For whan he sawe / that she shulde aweye
He leuer hadde / playnely for to deye
Than to lyue behynde / in hir absence
For hym thought / without hir presence
He was but dede / there is no more to sayne
And intoterys / he began to rayne
With whiche his eyen / gan for to bolie
And in his breste / the syghes vp to swolle
And the sobbynge / of his sorowes depe
That he ne can / but rore and wepe
So sore loue / his herte gan constrayne
And she ne felte / nat a lytell payne
But wepte also / and pyteously gan crye
Desyrynge aye / that she myght dye
Rather than parte fro hym out of Troye
Hir owne knyght / hir lust hir lyues ioye
That by hir chekes / the terys downe distylle
And fro hir eyen / the rounde droppes trylle
And all for dewed / haue hir blacke wede
And eke vntrussed / hir heer a brodegan sprede
Lyke to golde wyre / for rent and all to torne
Yplucked of / and nat with sherys shorne
And ouer this / hir fresshe rosen hewe
Whylom ymeynt / with whyte lylyes newe
With wofull wepynge / pyteously disteyned
And lyke Erbys / in Apryll all be reyned
Or floures fresshe / with the dewes swete
Right so hir chekes / moyste were and wete
With crystall water / vp ascendynge hye
Out of hir breste / into hir heuenly eye
And aye amonge / hir lamentaeyowne
Ofte sythe / she fyll in a swowne downe
Dedely pale / for dymmed in hir syght
And ofte sayde / alas myn owne knyght
Myn owne Troylous / alas why shall we {per}te
Rather let deth / with his spere darte
Thorugh my herte / and the vaynes kerue
And with his rage / do me for to stryue
Rather alas / than fro my knyght to twynne
And of this wo / O deth that I am inne
Why ne wylt thou come / & helpe make an ende
For how shulde I out of Troye wende
He abyde / and I to grekes goon
There to dwelle / amonge my cruell foon
Alas alas / I wofull creature
How shulde I there / in the werre endure
I wretched woman / but my selfe alone
Amonge the men / of armes euerychone
Thus gan she crye / all the longe day
This was hir complaynte / wt full great afray
Hir pyteous noyse / tyll it drewe to nyght
That vnto hir / hir owne trewe knyght
Full tryste and heuy / came agaynes eue
If he myght / hir comforte or leue
But he in sothe / hath Cryseyde founde
All in a swowne / lyinge on the grounde
And pyteously / vnto hir he went
With wofull chere / and hir in armes hent
And toke hir vp / and than atwene them two
Began of newe / suche a dedely wo
That it was routhe / and pyte for to sene
For she of chere / pale was and grene
And he of coloure / lyke to asshes dede
And fro hir face / was gone all the rede
And in his chekes / deuoyded was the blode
So wofully / atwene them two it stode
For she ne myght / nat a worde Yspeke
And he was redy / with deth to be wreke
Vpon hym selfe / his naked swerde besyde
And she full ofte / gan to grounde glyde
Out of his armes / as she fylle a swowne
And he hym selfe / gan in terys drowne
She was as stylle / and dumbe as any stone
He had a mouthe / but wordes had he none
The wery spyryte / flyckered in hir breste
And of deth / stode vnder a reste
Withoute menprys / sothely as of lyfe
And thus there was / as it semed a stryfe
Whiche of them two / shulde firste ypasse
For deth portrayed / in herte outher face
With suche coloure / as men go to theyr graue
And thus in wo / they gan togydre raue
Disconsolate / all the longe nyght
That in good fayth / if I shulde a ryght
The processe hole / of theyr bothe sorowe
That they made / tyll the next morowe
Fro poynt to poynt / it to specefye
It wolde me / full longe occupye
Of euery thynge / to make mencyon
And tarye me / in my translacyon
If I shulde / in hir wo procede
But me semeth / that it is no nede
Syth my mayster / Chaucer here afore
In this mater / hath so well hym bore
Page [unnumbered]
In his boke / of Troylus and Cryseyde
Whiche he made / longe or that he deyde
Rehersynge first / how Troylus was contrayre
For to ascende / vp on loues stayre
And how that he / for all his surquedye
After became / one of the companye
Of loues folke / for all his olde game
Whan Cupyde / made hym full tame
And brought hym lowe / to his subieccyowne
In a temple / as he walked vp and downe
Whan he his gynnes / and his hookes leyde
Amyd the Eyen / cerclyd of Cryseyde
Whiche on that day / he myght nat asterte
For thorugh his breste / percyd and his herte
He wente hym home / pale syke / and wan
And in this wyse / Troylus firste began
To be a seruaunt / my mayster telleth thus
Tyll he was holpe / after of Pandarus
Thorugh whose comforte / and medyacyon
As in his boke / is made mencyon
With great laboure / firste he came to grace
And so contynueth / by certayne yeres space
Tyll fortune gan / vpon hym frowne
That she fro hym / must go out of towne
All sodaynely / and neuer hym after se
Lo here the ende / of false Felycyte
Lo here the ende / of wordely brotylnesse
Of flesshely luste / lo here the vnstablenesse
Lo here the double / varyacyon
Of worldly blysse / and transmutacyon
This daye in myrthe / and in wo to morowe
For aye the fyne / alas of ioye is sorowe
For now Cryseyde / with the kynge Thoas
For Anthenor / shall go forth alas
Vnto Grekes / and euer with them dwelle
The hole storye / Chaūcer can you telle
If that ye lyste / no man better a lyue
Nor the processe / halfe so well descryue
For he our englysshe / gylte with his sayes
Rude and boystous / firste by olde dayes
That was full fer / from all parfeccyon
And but of lytell / reputacyon
Tyll that he came / and thorugh his poetrye
Gan our tunge / firste to magnefye
And adourne it / with his eloquence
To whom honoure / laude and reuerence
Thorugh out this lande / gyuen be and songe
So that the laurer / of our englysshe tonge
Be to hym gyuen / for his excellence
Right as whylom / by full hye sentence
Perpetuelly / for a memoryall
Of Columpna / by the Cardynall
To Petrark Fraunceyse / was gyuen in Ytayle
That the reporte / neuer after fayle
Nor the honour / dyrked of his name
To be regystred / in the hous of fame
Amonge other / in the hyest sete
My mayster Galfryde / as for chefe Poete
That euer was / yet in our langage
The name of whom / shall pallen in none age
But euer ylyche / without eclypsynge shyne
And for my parte / I wyll neuer fyne
So as I can / hym to magnefye
In my wrytynge / playnely tyll I dye
And god I praye / his soule brynge in ioye
And where I lefte / I wyll agayne of troye
The storye telle / and firste how that Guydo
Within his boke / speketh Troylus to
Rebukynge hym / full vncurteysly
That he so sette / his herte folyly
Vpon Cryseyde / full of doubylnesse
For in his boke / as Guydolyste expresse
That hir terys / and hir complaynynge
Hir wordes whyte / softe and blandysshynge
Were meynt with faynynge / & with flaterye
And outwarde farsed / with many a false lye
For vnderhyd was / all the varyaunce
Curyd aboue / with fayned countenaunce
As women can / falsely terys borowe
In theyr herte / though there be no sorowe
Lyke as they wolde / of very trouthe deye
They can thynke on / and a nother seye
As a serpent / vnder floures fayre
His venym hydeth / where he doth repayre
The sugre afore / the galle hydde behynde
As appropryd is / vnto theyr kynde
To be dyuerse / and double of nature
Rathest deceyuynge / whan men moste assure
For vnder coloure / euery thynge they werke
The fayre aboue / the foule in the derke
They hydde so / that no man may espye
And though so be / that with a wofull Eye
They can outwarde / wepe pyteously
The tother eye / can laffe couertly
Whose sorowes all / are tempryd with allyes
And theyr coloure / euer is meynt with rayes
For vpon chaunge / and mutabylyte
Stande hole theyr truste / and theyr suerte
So that they be / sure in doubylnesse
And alway double / in theyr sykernesse
Page [unnumbered]
Semynge one / whan they beste can varye
Lykest to a corde / whan they be contrarye
And thus they be / varyaunt in accorde
And holest seme / whan there is discorde
And Guydo sayth / how there are fewe or none
That in hir herte / apayed is with one
And yet they can / be it to one or twayne
To thre or foure / in theyr speche fayne
Lyke as they were / to one and to no mo
Hole in theyr loue / for well and eke for wo
That eueryche shall / of hym selfe deme
That he be next / lyke as it doth seme
And thus in hope / standeth eche of them alle
The trewest aye / redyest to falle
Who serueth beste / next to be apayred
And thus in chaunge / all theyr loue is fayred
Let no man truste / but catche whan he may
Farewell to morowe / though it be sure to day
The fayre of chaunge / lasteth ouer yere
But it is folye / for to bye to dere
Thylke treasoure / whiche harde is to possede
But flyeth away / whan men therof mostenede
And if it happe / that no chapman be
As sayth Guydo / yet all day men may se
It sheweth out / at large fenestralles
On chaumbres / hye and lowe downe in halles
And in wyndowes / eke in euery strete
And also eke / men may with them mete
At Pylgrymages / and oblacyownes
At spectacles / in Cytes and in townes
As sayth Guydo / and all is for to selle
But after hym / I can no ferther telle
And eke he sayth / in his sentement
There is no fraude / fully equypolent
To the fraude / and sleyghty compassynge
Of a woman / nor lyke in workynge
For who that set / all his faythfulnesse
Wenynge in them / to fynde stabylnesse
He shall them fynde / stedfast as the mone
That is in poynt / for to chaunge soone
If he be yonge / they caste hym in rage
If he be olde / he falleth in dotage
Wherfore my counsayle is / to bothe two
Caste of the brydell / and lyghtly let them go.
This techeth Guydo / god wot and nat I
That hath delyte / to speke cursedly
Alway of women / thorugh out all his boke
As men may se / who so lyste to loke
To them he hadde / enuye in specyall
That in good fayth / I am right wroth wt all
That he with them / lyste so to debate
For Yre of whiche / the Latyn to translate
Inwardely / my herte / I felte blede
Of hye despyte / his clauses for to rede
That resowned / in conclusyon
Oonly of malys / to accusacyowne
Of these women / full euyll mote he thryue
So generally / their secte / to descryue
Whiche made nat / thorugh in discrecyon
Of good / nor badde / none excepcyon
He was to blame / foule mote he falle
For cause of one / for to hynder alle
For I dare well / afferme by the rode
Agayne one badde / be an hondred gode
And though some one / bouble be and newe
It hyndreth nat / to them that be trewe
And by example / also though he shewe
That some one / whylom was a shrewe
They that be good / take shall no hede
For it / no hyndrynge / is to womanhede
Though twayne or thre / can be double & fayne
For there agayne / lothely at Colayne
Of virgyns / inly full of grace
A leuen thousande / in that holy place
A man may fynde / and in our kalender
Full many mayde / parfyte and Enter
Whiche to the deth / stable were and trewe
For some of them / with the rosen hewe
Of Marterdome / the blysse of heuen wonne
And some also / as bokes tell konne
With the lylye / of virgynyte
And vyolettes / of parfyte chastyte
Ascended be / aboue the sterrys clere
And the sercle / of the nynthe spere
Wherfore ioye is euer / and gladnesse eterne
Wherfore in sothe / as I can discerne
Though some clerk{is} / of shrewes haue myssayde
Let no good woman / therof be myspayde
For lacke of one / all are nat to blame
And eke of men / may be sayde the same
For to the trewe / it is no reprefe
Though it so be / a nother be a thefe
For what is he / the worse in his degree
Though the tother / be hanged on a tree
Nor vnto women / hyndrynge is it none
Amonge an hondred / though that there be one
Of gouernaunce / that be vycyous
For there agayne / a thousande vertuous
If that ye lyste / lyghtely ye may fynde
And though Guydo wryte / they haue of kȳde
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To be double / men shulde it goodly take
And there agayne / no maner grutchyng make
Nature in werkynge / hath full great powere
And it were harde / for any that is here
The course of hir / to holde or restreyne
For she wyll nat be gyded / by no reyne
To be coarted / of hir dewe ryght
Therfore eche man / with all his full myght
Shulde thanke god / and take pacyently
For if women / be double naturelly
Why shulde men / ley on them the blame
For though myn Auctor / hyndre so their name
In his wrytynge / oonly of Cryseyde
And vpon hir / suche a blame leyde
My counsayle is / lyghtly ouer passe
Where he myssayth / of hir in any place
To hyndre women / outher eue or morowe
Take no hede / but let them be with sorowe
And skyppe ouer / where ye lyste nat rede
Tyll ye come / where that Dyomede
For hir was sent / into Troye towne
Where ceryously / is made mencyowne
Firste how that she / to hym delyuered was
For Anthenor / and for the kynge Thoas
And how Troylus / gan hir to conueye
With many other / to brynge hir on the weye
And after this / how that Dyomede
By the waye / gan hir brydell lede
Tyll he hir broughte / to hir faders tent
And how Calchas / in fall good entent
Receyued hir / lodgyd there he lay
And of hir speche / durynge all that day
And all the maner / hole and euerydele
All is rehersed / ceryously and wele
In Troylus boke / as ye haue herde me sayne
To wryte it ofte / I holde it were but vayne
But Guydo sayth / longe or it was nyght
How Cryseyde / forsoke hir owne knyght
And gaue hir herte / vnto Dyomede
Of tendernesse / and of womanhede
That Troylus / wexe in hir herte as colde
Without fyre / as ben these asshys olde
I can none other / excusacyon
But oonly / kyndes transmutacyon
That is appropryd / vnto hir nature
Selde or neuer / stable to endure
By experyence / as men may ofte lere
But nowe agayne / to my matere
I must resorte / though that I be ferre
As I began / to wryte of the werre.
