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FOREWORD INTRODUCTION John Lydgate’s Troy Book A Note on the Text

PROLOGUE BOOK I.

How the King of Thessaly named Pelias lost all his men by divine punishment, and after by his prayers obtained others How Aeson the King that was old and might no longer govern caused to crown his brother Pelias How Pelias, fearing to be deposed by his brother’s son Jason, a worthy and valiant young knight, counselled him to undertake the perilous and almost invincible conquest of the Golden Fleece at Colchis, who by his persuasion undertook the same How Jason in his expedition towards Colchis, casually with his fellowship arrived in the territories of Troy, meaning only there for a while to refresh and rest them How Laomedon King of Troy sent to Jason commanding him and his fellowship forthwith to depart the confines of his country, and of their answer sent even to the king Of the answer of Jason to the messenger of Laomedon How Jason and Hercules took displeasure with King Laomedon of Troy, giving his messenger knowledge of their next coming to give him battle for his indiscreet commandment How Jason and Hercules departed from the bounds of Troy toward Colchis How King Aeëtes of Colchis worshipfully received Jason and Hercules into his city callèd Jaconites, where the Fleece of Gold was How Jason purposed his instance in the presence of King Aeëtes of Colchis to grant him licence to engage in battle for the Fleece of Gold How King Aeëtes sent for his daughter Medea to cheer his strangers, to his own damage How Medea first loved Jason, and of the insatiate change and mutability of women How women be never content in lust’s ability until they have assayed the appetite of their eye; and that is, from man to man How Medea exhorted Jason not to take upon him this jeopardy to prove his manhood; and how she delivered him three things for to destroy Mars’ ordinance How Medea sent for Jason to come to her in the night, and how he was sworn to wed her, after the law of his Pagan rite How Medea declared to Jason the virtue of her relics, and delivered them to Jason How Jason required the King Aeëtes without delay to grant him to do his arms in vanquishing, if he might, the Fleece of Gold wrought by Mars’ ordinance How Jason, after taking his leave of the king, entered the isle of the Golden Fleece How after his conquest Jason was received by King Aeëtes with feigned cheer into his city How Jason stole away by night with Medea and her father’s treasure and riches How King Pelias received Jason with fair visage, but inwardly he was woeful of his good speed in Colchis; and how Jason required of his uncle a navy to destroy the city of Troy How Jason, Hercules, and all the princes of Greece assembled to avenge the discourtesy done to them by Laomedon in their expedition towards Colchis How the noble King Pelias in his tent declared the end of his landing, for the siege to be laid Of the battle betwixt the Grecians and the Trojans, wherein the Trojans were discomfitted, their king slain, and after their city taken, razed and destroyed

BOOK II.

Of Priam the son of Laomedon, which at the destruction of Troy was besieging a castle; and how many sons and daughters that Priam had How tidings came to King Priam how his city was destroyed, and his father slain How King Priam, after his sorrow was assuaged, edified now Troy, and set it in the place where the old stood, so large and so wide that never before was there such like it How the goldsmiths, and after, every craft were disposed in street by street by themselves How by great craft there was a river called Xanthus conveyed through the city How King Priam made citizens of foreigners, and gave every one of them certain ground to build upon Of a theatre standing in the principal palace of Troy, declaring the fall of princes and others How King Priam, after his city was performed, ordained his palace principal, called Ilion How King Priam, after that he had perfectly performed and made his city, by the Serpent of Envy was stirred and inwardly moved to begin a new war upon the Greeks How King Priam openly declared the harms done to him and his progeny by the Greeks How King Priam, by the advice of his lords, sent Antenor into Greece for restitution of Hesione How King Priam, after that Antenor had declared before him and his lords the contrary answer of the Greeks, let set his parliament, to wit what was to be done How King Priam, in open parliament before his lords, showed the answers that Antenor brought How King Priam called his sons to his presence, and in secret lamentably opined and declared his intolerable sorrows, asking their advice in avenging his cause The answer of Hector to his father’s demand How after that Hector had showed his intent, Paris declared his dream of the Golden Apple How the god Mercury brought with him the three ladies, Juno, Venus, and Pallas, before Paris lying in the wood asleep, and of the three gifts that they promised him for the apple How Paris gave the Golden Apple to Venus, and how she promised him to recover Helen How Helenus, the fourth son of Priam, told and said that Troy should be subverted, and Paris went into Greece How Paris took to sea with a great navy towards the land of Greece; and how by chance he met with King Menelaus, Helen’s husband, not knowing what he was How Paris entered the Isle of Cytherea, where he met with the fair Queen Helen How Queen Helen, after that she heard of Paris, hastened her to the temple How Paris exhorted his people for the spoiling of the Temple of Venus within the said Isle of Cytherea, from whence he carried to Troy all the jewels that he found therein How Paris and Helen were received into Troy of Priam and his lords, and of the sorrowful lamentation that Cassandra made when she saw the wedding Of the sorrow that King Menelaus made when he heard that Paris had ravished his wife, and of the manly comfort and counsel that Agamemnon gave him for to revenge himself The description of the most part of the princes that came with the Greeks for the destruction of Troy Here following is declared the great number of ships that the Greeks assembled in the haven of Athens, besides a great navy that came to them when they were at Troy How prudently Agamemnon encouraged his lords against the Trojans How Agamemnon, by the advice of all the princes of Greece, sent Achilles and Patroclus into Delos to have answer of Apollo, whether they should have the victory over the Trojans or no; and hereafter is declared how idolatry and false gods had their beginning, and how Calchas came to the same isle Of the answer that Apollo gave, as well to false Bishop Calchas as to Achilles How false Calchas of Troy was conveyed to the presence of the princes of Greece, and how he unnaturally exhorted them to make mortal war upon his king and kindred, as follows How the Greeks destroyed the castle called Sarronabo as they sailed toward Troy, and it despoiled How Agamemnon laid his host before Tenedos, a strong castle six miles from Troy, the which he won and it razed to the ground, and after that made distribution of the goods How Agamemnon reminded all his princes of the ungoodly answers that Antenor had of them when he desired to have restitution of Hesione, whereupon they sent Ulysses and Diomedes to Priam to have restitution of Queen Helen How wise Ulysses and Diomedes entered royal Ilion, of the which they marvelled when they beheld the building How Ulysses and Diomedes, without due reverence purposed their embassage in the presence of Priamus; and here ye shall also see the birth of Aeneas How Agamemnon sent Achilles and Telephus into the land of Mysia for victuals, where Teuthras was king, whom Achilles gave his death wound; and how Teuthras resigned his kingdom to Telephus, for the affection that he had to Hercules, which was his father, and of old time made him king of that isle How King Teuthras was buried beneath a rich epitaph graven with subtle verse Here following be rehearsed the names of the kings that came to help the City of Troy How the worthy King Palamedes came with thirty ships to Tenedos, in helping of the Greeks; and how the famous manful knight, Diomedes, provoked them to depart from Tenedos, and to arrive in the plain before Troy How the Greeks landed in the plain afore Troy; and how the Trojans gave them battle on the shore, in whose meeting were slain many a worthy knight and others Here were fast devices found in arms Of the pitching of the Greeks’ field, and how Agamemnon raised his tents, pavilions, and mansions

BOOK III.

How worthy Hector divided his battalions upon a large plain within the city, and how he put the wards discreetly to be under the leading of his brothers and other worthy kings How Hector divided his field into eleven wards How Agamemnon ordained six and twenty wards, and assigned them to kings, princes, and lords of his host How both the wards of the Trojans and of the Greeks first joined in the field; and how worthy Hector, at the first encountering, parted Patroclus in twain How King Meriones saluted worthy Hector as he was about to despoil King Patroclus How a king called Thalpius, of affection warned Hector to beware of a jeopardy that he stood in, notwithstanding this Thalpius was a Greek; and how Hector rescued Polydamas the King How King Priam of Troy knightly entered the field at the request of Hector Of the irous language that Hector had to Meriones the King, and how he slew him How worthy Hector unfortunately left the field at the request of his cousin, Telamonian Ajax How Cassandra the Prophetess lamentably told the Trojans of their destruction, for which they imprisoned her How Palamedes grudged against them that chose King Agamemnon to have domination of the Greeks How Agamemnon committed his wards to Diomedes and others; and Hector prudently, of the other side, was not reckless, them to reconnoitre How King Agamemnon, with all the princes of Greece, compassed and contrived the death and destruction of worthy Hector, the which Achilles unmanly took on hand How Hector, inly desirous to have ado with the Greeks, entered the field himself, with one hundred and fifty thousand of the best chosen of the city of Troy; and the Grecians of the same wise How Diomedes reproved Aeneas as they met in the field, for the answer that he had afore in Troy How King Priam the next day came to the field, and how he would have had King Thoas dead, that was prisoner in Troy Of the horrible and hideous tempest, thunder, and lightning that rose suddenly upon the Greeks How the Grecian tents and pavilions, with stroke of thunder, suddenly were cast out of the field How King Hippothous, of stature like a giant, was slain by his enemy Achilles; for whose death worthy Hector that day, with his sword, wrought marvels, and killed many kings Of the monstrous archer that was half-man half-horse, and was with King Epistrophus How Diomedes slew the Sagittary beside his tent, with a dart intoxicated with venom How the Greeks sent Diomedes and Ulysses to King Priamus for a truce of three months How King Priamus granted to the Greeks their asking, but worthy Hector was thereto contrary How during the truce Antenor was delivered from the Greeks, for King Thoas and Cressida How worthy Hector during the truce came to the tent of Achilles, where they were consented that the quarrels, as well of the Trojans’ part as of the Greeks, should be decided by the hands of them two, if the Trojans and Greeks would thereto consent Of the sorrow that Troilus made when Cressida would depart Of the worshipful recommendation that the Monk of Bury, that translated this book, gave Chaucer the Chief Poet of Britain How Guido rebukes Troilus, and of the mutability and variant change of women How worthy Hector, like Mars himself, took the field with many worthy in his company, and slew sundry kings, and among all others, with his sword parted Merion in twain Of the words of worthy Hector to Achilles; and how Diomedes sent Troilus’ horse to Cressida Of the comfortable answer that double Cressida gave to the messenger that came from Diomedes How King Priam sent to the Greeks for a truce of six months; and of the description of Ilion How King Priam worshipfully buried his natural sons; and how Diomedes was wounded with Love’s dart Of a wonderful dream that Andromache had, which in effect was that if her husband the next day ensuing went armed to the field, that he should die; wherefore she took her youngest suckling son Astyanax, and piteously, on her knees, besought Hector to abstain him from the field that day How King Priamus charged worthy Hector that he should not go armed to the field that day Of the sorrowful death of Margariton, one of the bastard sons of King Priam The lamentation of King Priam for the death of Hector How King Priam made to be wrought an oratory and a college of priests, in which was fabricated a tabernacle, wherein the body of Hector was, in mens’ sight, reserved integral and whole, with his sword in his hand menacing the Greeks

BOOK IV.

How King Agamemnon and all the princes of Greece rejoiced at the death of worthy Hector, and how they sent to King Priam for to have a truce of two months, while Achilles was made whole of his wounds, and other princes How King Palamedes of new laboured to have Agamemnon deposed of the governance of the Grecians How Agamemnon full worshipfully replied against the objections of Palamedes, notwithstanding he resigned the Empire of the Greeks to their own election, as follows How Achilles grudged against the election of Palamedes, and considered the wisdom of Agamemnon How King Priam, with all the worthies of Troy, came to the field in his own person to revenge the death of worthy Hector, and that same day wrought marvels with his sword. How Priam sent to the Greeks for a truce, and in the meantime ordained the corpse of the King of Persia to be buried How Achilles first, in the Temple of Apollo, was smitten with Cupid’s dart, in loving of Polyxena How Achilles, in the sight of Polyxena, caught his death, and so went out of the temple to his tent How Achilles sent his messenger to Hecuba for to have Polyxena, wherefore he would set the Trojans and the Greeks at final peace Of the answer of Hecuba, and how she exhorted Priam to the same intent How Priam disclosed the privity of his conceit and grudging to be allied with Achilles How Achilles, for the love of Polyxena, exhorted instantly the Greeks to make a perpetual peace with the Trojans, the which peace he moved by many a subtle mean How the King Menelaus, Helen’s husband, replied against the exhortations of Achilles Of the death of Deiphobus, slain by the hands of King Palamedes with a spear How Deiphobus required his brother Paris to avenge his death upon King Palamedes How the King of Thrace came to the tent of Achilles, and exhorted him to take the field How Priam buried Deiphobus and Sarpedon, and the how the Greeks chose Agamemnon as emperor How Achilles kept his tent, and in no wise would fight against the Trojans, for the love of Polyxena; for the which, Agamemnon, with the Princes of Greece, came to visit him in his tent Ulysses’ tale to Achilles The answer of fierce Achilles to the motìon of wise Ulysses and the other princes of Greece How the Greeks would have broken their siege, if not for the exhortation of the Trojan traitor Calchas How after the truce the Trojans and the Greeks resumed the field, in the which the Greeks might not sustain against the sword of Troilus, for the which Agamemnon sent for a truce of six months How double Cressida, against the will of her father, went to visit Diomedes in his tent How the Trojans, the truce ended, made such mortal war upon the Greeks that, through the manhood and the bloody sword of Troilus, the Greeks were brought full nigh to utterance How Achilles forgot the love of Polyxena when he saw the Greeks at the point of confusion How the next morrow Achilles resumed the spirit of rancor and envy, and thereupon, against the order of knighthood, traitorously compassed the death of worthy Troilus How the Myrmidons granted Achilles to envelop Troilus, where-through he might the easier slay him How worthy Troilus was beset with three thousand knights, and how knightly he defended him How worthy Troilus was cowardly slain by Achilles How the translator complains of Achilles for his treason, and death of worthy Troilus The misadventure and discomfit that came amongst the Trojans after the death of Troilus How Achilles was slain by Paris in the Temple of Apollo, by the device of Hecuba the Queen How the Greeks, after that Achilles was slain, took their counsel to fetch Pyrrhus his son How the Greeks held a great battle against the Trojans, and how Duke Menestheus wounded Polydamas, a Trojan knight, and how Paris slew King Telamon with an arrow How King Telamon, after that he had his death’s wound of Paris, slew Paris with a sword How King Priam kept within the City of Troy, and dared no longer to hold battle against the Greeks; and how the Queen of the Amazons came, with others of her ladies, to help the Trojans How Penthesilea took Ajax Telamonius prisoner How Pyrrhus, the son of Achilles, was received as King of the Myrmidons How Penthesilea the Queen and her women and the Trojans obtained a great field against the Greeks and put them to flight, the which field endured the space of four weeks and more [How Penthesilea, the Queen of the Amazons, was cruelly slain by Pyrrhus, the son of Achilles; and how the Greeks slew ten thousand of the Trojans, and pursued them to the gates of their city] [The sorrow of the Trojans for the death of Penthesilea, and how the Greeks cast her dead corpse in a lake] [How the translator complains of Mars for his cruelty to the Trojans, and of the treason of Anchises, Aeneas, and Antenor] How King Priam and his son Amphimachus held a great council amongst the Trojans, as concerning the peace between them and the Greeks, at the counsel of Antenor, whereof he made delay The wise and discreet answer that King Priam made unto Antenor The reply of Antenor and Aeneas to the answer of King Priam How King Priam, with his son Amphimachus, devised to bring Aeneas and Antenor to death How Aeneas and Antenor, understanding how the king had conspired their deaths, came to the king with a great multitude How that Antenor, Aeneas, and Talthybius were made ambassadors to the Greeks to treat for a peace, and of the answer of King Ulysses, Diomedes, and the King of Crete, and of their demand How Antenor is confederate with the Greeks, and of his great dissimulation against his prince, King Priam; and of the suspicion of a great noise of armour heard in Troy by night How the translator complains of the transmutation and covetousness of priests Of the marvellous obstacle and wonders perceived in the making of their sacrifice to Apollo, and how an eagle did bear away their sacrifice How Apollo, their god, by many signs and tokens showed unto them his sore displeasure for the pollution of his temple with the blood of Achilles, which by treason was slain in the temple How the traitor Bishop Calchas imagined a large horse of brass, wherein was a thousand knights, feigning a sacrifice to be done to Pallas How the Greeks had license to break the walls of Troy, to bring in their large steed of brass to offer unto Pallas in sacrifice; and how the knights came out in the night and betrayed the city How the Greeks spoiled and burned the city of Troy, and after took to their ships; and of their misadventures on the sea How cruel Pyrrhus, to avenge the death of his father, dismembered young Polyxena, and threw her blood about his father’s grave; and of the sorrowful lamentation that she made to the gods

BOOK V.

How the Greeks returned into Greece after the destruction, and how they perished almost all in the sea; and after, they that escaped died mischievously How Telamonian Ajax, in the presence of King Agamemnon, uttered his grudge against King Ulysses How King Ulysses understood the malice of Telamonius, and of the great strife, and how Ajax was slain How Aeneas, being still in Troy, counselled the Trojans to send for Antenor, and to make him their king Of a great tempest of thunder and lightning that came to the navy of Greeks, that burned and drowned twenty two of their ships How King Nauplius by treason was caused to set upon the Greek navy, and draw them upon rocks How King Agamemnon, by treason of Oeax aforesaid, by his own Queen Clytemnestra was slain in his bed; and how she married Aegisthus How Queen Aegiale, the wife of Diomedes, exiled him when he would have repaired to his own kingdom from Troy, by the false imagination of Oeax, Palamedes’ brother How Orestes was commanded by the gods that he should repair to his kingdom, and cruelly, without pity, slew his mother Clytemnestra for the murder of his father, Agamemnon How King Menelaus, brother to Agamemnon, set a parliament at Athens, where he intended to have deprived Orestes of his kingdom for the death of his mother, but Orestes was crowned The wonderful escapes of Ulysses after he departed from Troy; and how he made a sorrowful complaint against fortune to the worshipful king, called Idomeneus Of the great comfort that King Idomeneus showed to Ulysses; and how King Alcinous, for his great wisdom, received him worshipfully, and conveyed him to his kingdom How Pyrrhus, the son of Achilles, slew Menalippus and Pleisthenes, sons to Acastus, which kept King Peleus out of his kingdom, to the which Pyrrhus restored him again How Acastus inquired of Pyrrhus if he knew ought of Pyrrhus’ governance, and Pyrrhus made him a sign to the cave where Peleus was, with the intent to slay him in looking thither How Acastus resigned his part of the kingdom of Thessaly to his grandson Pyrrhus How cruelly King Orestes, in the Temple of Apollo within the Isle of Delos, slew Pyrrhus, for that he had ravished Queen Hermione, his wife, and her kept in adultery How Queen Menone, long after that she died, came to the tomb of her husband and carried away his bones Of a wonderful dream that King Ulysses had, and the last in his days, which was assigned by his clerks, that one next of his blood should give him his death’s wound

EPILOGUE

Of the most noble excellent Prince King Henry the Fifth Verba translatoris ad librum suum

APPENDIX I.

A Glossary of Names

APPENDIX II.

A Glossary of Middle English, Archaic & Obscure Words

BIBLIOGRAPHY

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