The xxxvth Chapitre.
HELENE, ASWELL BY hyr wantonnes as for the cruell batells that ensuede therby, is a woman spoken of thorow oute the worlde. She was the doughter to Tyndarus, the Kynge of Oebalie, whiche he had by Leda hys wyfe of synguler beautie, and maryede to Menelaus, the Kynge of the Lacedemoniens. Thys Helene, as all hystoryens wryte, aswell Grekes as Latynes, was of so exellent a shappe that she passyd all others. For the dyuyne poete Homer it weryde hym in maner to descryue hyr in hys poecye. And besydes thys, peynters and keruers of ymages, they dyd all they coulde to peynte and kerue hyr excedyng beautefull pycture, to leue it to theyr posteryte. Emonge other, Zewcis Eracleotes, in hys tyme the moste famouse peynter, was hyrede of theym of Crotyensis for muche money with hys cunyng pensyll to drawe hyr. Where vnto he put all the science and crafte he had, and hauynge noone other exemplar but onely the verses of Homer and the greate fame that went on hyr, he dyd ymagyn in hys mynde by thys meanes to drawe hyr. Fyrste he behelde all the fayreste chyldren that were in Grece, next all the fayre wyffes and maydens, that of all the heepe perfytly notede he myght make oone Helene. And scante he thought, for all that, to peynte hyr so fayre as she was. And I do not meruell at it. For who coulde with pensell or with toole or with colour drawe the gladnes of hyr eyes, the pleasaunte effabilite of hyr redolente mouthe, the heuenly smylynge, the variable mouynge of hyr delycate face and other innumerable qualytes in hyr, when it apperteyneth oonely to nature so to do? He dyd then what he myght do and, as oone that was moste cuwnynge, left hyr pycture ther, to be seene of his posterite. Of this is feynede a fable — because of the bryghtnes of hyr swete eies, rutylant as the star, of the swetnes of hyr face, hyr golden heere hangynge vnto hyr feete, hyr wellfauowrde forhede, hyr iuorye throote, of hyr swete sounde of hyr voyce, hyr speciall goode grace and gesture, that Jupiter, conuertyde into a swanne, dyd forme hir hymselfe, so that whiche hyr parentes coulde not geue hyr, she had it geuene of God, and for that she coulde not be peyntyde to hyr perfectione. Thys Helene then, for hyr beautie hauynge far and neere greate fame, mouede Theseus to cum where she was, and he, fyndynge hyr playnge emongest other maydens, by force toke hyr a way, albeit he dyd nothynge to hyr, but oonely kysse hyr and beholde hyr, because she was so yonge, all though this was a begynnynge of the losse of hyr virgynyte. But so it was that whether it were by Theseus mother, or, as sum say, by Protheus, Kynge of Egypte, Theseus beynge absent and Helenes freandes demaundynge to haue hyr agayne, she was restorede home to hyr countrie and shortly after, comen to womans yeres, was maryede to Menelaus, Kynge of the Lacedemonyens, and he had by hyr oone doughter callede Herimonia. Now it was so that Parys, Kynge Priamus sonne, callynge to mynde the promysse that Venus had made hym for iudgeynge of hyr to be the fayreste of the too goddessys Juno and Pallas, declared vnto hys father Priamus, if he wolde left hym goo to Grece, he wolde brynge home agayne Exion, whiche had bene rauysshed long before by theym, or ells sum other in her steede, to reuenge hyr takynge. Wherunto, all thoughe the noble Hector sayde ‘Nay’, yet Pryamus agreade with a goodely nauy, as to a kynges sonne aperteynede, to sende hys sunne in to Grece. And, breuely, all thynge made redy, he toke shyppynge and saylede so longe that he arryuyde into Grece; and ther, seynge Helene of a heuenly beautye and full of dalyaunce, taken with hyr loue and she agayne with his, often castynge theyr wanton eyes the tone of the tother, she agreade to goo with hym to Troy. And fortune lackede not to helpe to their purpose, for Menelaus was goone into Crete. And sum say, contrary to thys, that she beynge in the temple, he rauysshed hir by force and caryede hyr with hym to hys shyppes and so saylede to Troy. Of whose cummynge hys father was wondres gladde, supposynge to haue well reuengyde the takynge of Exione, hys sustre. By thys takynge of thys wanton woman all Grece was vpp on a rore, and, demyng more faulte in Parys then in Helene, gatherynge together a thowsande shyppes, they sailed to Troy and, occupiynge the portes therof, besegyde the towne. Now to what ende that Helens fayre beautie came to, it was easy for hyr to see — fyrst Troy besegyde, the countrye all aboute fyrede, the Troyans and the Grekes oone kyllynge another, and all the feeldes full of bloode and deade bodyes. But the seege so cowtynuynge and Hector slayne of Achyles, and Parys of Pyrrus, she thoughte she hadnot synnyde enowghe before, but puttynge oone sywne to another, she maryede the yonge Deiphebus. Now for conclusione, the Grekes assaynge by treasone to gett that whiche they coulde not doo by force, they feynede theym to flye, and the Troyanes, gladd therof, eatynge and drynkynge and makynge greate feaste, sodanly in the nyght the Grekes reuertyde and, fyndynge noo defense, toke the cite and burnte Ilion and all the rest. And the xxti yere of hyr rauyshynge she was deliuerede agayne to hir husbowd Menelaus. Sum excuse and say, because she was rauysshede agaynste hyr wyll, hyr husbonde toke hyr agayne, whiche sayde Menelaus, goynge home, by tempeste was dryuen into Egypte, where of Kynge Polibyus he was well receyuede, and after saylynge in to Lacedemony the eight yere after Troy was burnte, ther with hys wyfe taryede. But how longe Helene lyuede after, or what she dyd, or where she was buryede I do not remembre to haue redde it.