shirt that hanged on the pearch and was drie and commaunded her that shée should folde it and winde it in a handkerchiefe At the commaundement of Deianira the damosell folded and wrapped the shirt But so doing she was serued with the poyson in such wise that she lost her speech and died anon after This notwithstanding Deianira that thought on nothing but for to come to her intention took the shirt and deliuered it to Lycas and charged him that he should beare it to Hercules praying him in her name that he would weare it Lycas that was ready to accomplish the will of his mistresse tooke the charge of the dolorous shirt and departed from thence and went into the mountaine whereas Hercules was and there hee found him in a forrest whereas was the temple of Diana Hercules hadde no man with him but Phylotes which made ready for him a great fire for to sacrifice an hart that Hercules had taken running at a course Lycas then finding Hercules in the temple hee kneeled downe lowe to him and said Sir here is a shirt that your waiting woman and seruaunt Deianira sendeth vnto you Shee recommendeth her humbly vnto your good grace and praieth you that ye will receiue this present in good part as from your wife Hercules was ioyous of these wordes and anon vnclotheth him for to doe on this cursed shirt Saying that verily she was his wife and that he woulde for her sake weare this shirt In doing on this shirt he felt a great dolour and paine in his bodie This notwithstanding he did on his other clothes aboue as hee that thought none euill When he was clothed and the shirt was warme his paine and sorrow grew more and more Then he began to thinke and knew anon that his maladie came of his shirt and feeling the pricking of the venim without long tarrying he tooke off his robe supposed to haue taken off his shirt from his backe and to haue rent it and spoiled it But he was not strong enough for to doe so for the shirt held so sore and cleaued so fast and terribly to his fleshe and was so fastened to his skin by the vigour of the sharpe poyson in such wise that hee tare out his flesh and bare away certaine péeces thereof when he would haue taken off his shirt c. Hercules knew then that hee was hurt and wounded to the death Death began to fight against him he began to resist by drawing of his shirt from his body with péeces of his flesh and of his bloud but al might not auaile He al to rent and tare his backe his thies his body vnto his entrailes and guttes his armes his shoulders vnto the bones and still his dolour and paine grewe and inlarged to be more and more Thus as he returned in the force of his great dolorous paine hee beheld Lycas and another fellow that he had brought with him that were all abashed of this aduenture Then he went to them and said vnto Lycas Thou cursed and vnhappie man what thing hath mooued thée to come hither vnder the false friendship of Deianira to bring me into the chaunce of this misfortune What thinkest thou that thou hast done Thou hast serued mee with a shirt intoxicate with mortall venim Who hath introduced thee to doe this thou must needes receiue thy desert And saying these wordes Hercules caught by the head poore Lycas that wist not what to say and threwe him against a rocke so fiersly that he to frushed and all to brake his bones and so slew him The fellow of Licas fledde and hid him in a bushe Phylotes was so afraid that hee will not what to do At the houre that Hercules was in this case much people came into the temple The entrailes of Hercules were troubled His bloud boyled in all his veines the poison pierced vnto his heart his sinowes shrunke and withdrewe them When he felt himselfe in this miserie and that death hasted his end by terrible paine as hee that coulde not take away the repugnance of his vertuous force striuing against the malice of venom hee began to runne ouer hill and ouer valey vp and downe the forrest and pulled vp the great trees and ouerthrew them After he began to rent off his shirt with the flesh that was sodden and broiled When he had long lead this life he returned vnto the temple all assured of death lift vp his hands and eies vnto the heauen and said Alas alas â—ust it be that fortune laugh at me for this miserable destinie comming of the accusation of mad ieâ—â—dulle and sorcerie of that woman that in the worlde I helde and reputed most wise and most vertuous O Deianira vnnaturall woman without wit without shame and without honour with an heart of a tyrant all besotted with iealousie how hast thou been able to contriue against me this fury and treason enuenomed false feminine will vnnatural out of rule and out of order thou hadst neuer so much honour and worship as thou now hast deserued blame not onely for thee alone but for all the women that do or euer shall be in the world For if it happen that kinges or princes acquaint them with ladies or gentlewomen for the multipliance of mankinde they will neuer haue credite nor affiance in their proper wiues O Deianira what hast thou done The women present and they that bee in the wombes of their mothers all shall spit at thée in thy face and shall curse thée without end for the reproche by thée turning vppon them infinite and men will haue dread for to be ferued with the like shirt c. Alas Deianira what shall Calcedonie nowe doe that glorified her in thy glory and put and set thee in the front of their honour as a carbuncle for the decking of their pretious thinges In stéede to set thee in the front they shall cast thee vnder féete and in steed to haue glory of thee they shall haue shame hereof they may not faile for by impietie and diuerse engines and by conspired and swollen crueltie thou hast conspired my death and hast broched and vnfolded not recurable misfortune for thée and me and for our friendes and kinsmen O Deianira thy malice as an vnhappie and most cursed serpent hath wrought this malicious and reprochfull murder Thy false ielousie hath more power to extermine my life then haue had all the monsters of the world By thine offence and by thy mischieuous sleight hid and couert where from I could not keepe mee I must die and passe out of this world Since it is so I thanke fortune and aske of the Gods no vengeance of thee but certes to the end it bee not said that the vanquisher of man he not vanquished by a woman I will not passe the bitter passage of death by thy mortall sorceâ—ies full of abhomination but by the fire that is neat and cleere and the most excellent of the elementes These dolorous and
would make them to leaue their siege And then Achilles by the counsell of Palamedes assembled all the kinges and noble men of the hoste in parliament and said to them in this maner My friendes that be here assembled for to bring this warre to the end thinke yee not other while on your selues how by great rashnesse lightnesse and folly and for to recouer the wife of Menelaus we haue left our countreies and landes our wiues and our children and be come into this so straunge land where wee haue dispended the houres foolishly and put our bodies in daunger of death and in great infinite labour and since wee haue been come hither there be right many kinges and princes dead and I my self haue shed much of my bloud that neuer should haue happened if wee had not begunne this folly Helene is nothing of so great price that there behooueth to die for her so many noble men there bee enough in the worlde of as noble and as faire women as she is of whom Menelaus might haue one or two if hée would And it is not a light thing to ouercome the Troyans as they that haue a strong Citie and well furnished with good fighters on horse back and a foot and it ought to suffise to vs that we haue nowe slaine Hector and many other of their nobles by the which we might now returne with our honour and worship and if wee leaue Helene haue not we Exione to whome Helene may not compare in noblenesse Then arose the duke of Athens and the king Thoas and contraried strongly the wordes of Achilles and so did all the other and said that hee spake neither reason nor well Whereat Achilles had great sorrow and commaunded his Mirmydones that they shoulde not arme them any more against the Troyans that they shoulde giue no counsalle nor aide vnto the Greeks Among these thinges vittailes beganne to faile among the Gréekes and they had great famine Then assembled Palamedes al the most noble of the hoste to counsell and by their counsell was the king Agamemnon sent vnto the City of Messe to the king Thelephus that charged and laded his shippes with vittaile and came safely againe into the hoste of the Greekes where he was receiued with great ioy Among these thinges Palamedes did cause their shippes to be repaired to the end that they might be more readie if they had need c. CHAP. XXI ¶ Of the death of Deyphebus the sonne of king Priamus and how Paris slew Palamedes and how the Troyans draue backe the Greekes into their tentes and set fire on their shippes and how for all these thinges Achilles would not go to battaile for the loue of Polixene WHen the truce were passed they began to fight as they had been accustomed Deiphebus assailed in his comming the king Cressus of Greece and hee addressed to him gladly and iousted the one against the other but Deyphebus beate the king Cressus dead downe to the ground whereat the Greekes were sore troubled and put them to flight But Palamedes and Diomedes came with fiue and twentie thousand fighting men that resisted the Troyans with them was the noble king Thelamon Ayax that addressed him against Eufronius one of the bastard sonnes of the king Priamus smote him so hard that he beate him downe dead to the ground in sight of Deiphebus that in his great furie ranne vpon Thelamon and beate him and sore hurt him When Palamedes sawe the stroke hee tooke a great speare and addressed him to Deyphebus and smote him so hard in the brest that the speare entered into his body and the speare brake and the truncheon abode in the body of Deyphebus When Paris sawe his brother so hurt to the death hee tooke him and lead him vnto the gate of the Citie and tooke him to his men to keepe And as Deyphebus opened his eyes and saw Paris his brother he said to him Brother wilt thou let me descend into hell without auenging of my death I pray thee as earnestly as I may that ere this truncheon bee taken out of my body thou doe so much by thy hand that thou slay him that hath slaine me Paris promised him that he would doe his best and returned into the battell right angry for his brother and sayd in himselfe that hee desired no longer to liue but vntill hee had auenged the death of his brother and sought Palamedes all abouts and found him that he fought against the king Sarpedon that had assaied for to slay him and Palamedes defended himselfe valiantly and in his great fury gaue so great a stroke with his sworde to the king Sarpedon that he cut off his shoulder from the body and anon king Sarpedon fell downe dead Paris séeing the great damage that Palamedes did to them and how with his prowesse he had put the Troians to flight and ceased not to slay and smite downe alway he bent his strong bowe and aymed well at Palamedes at leasure and shot to him an arrow enuenimed and smote him in the throat and cut in two the maister veine and Palamedes fell downe dead to the earth for whose death the Gréekes made much sorrow and left the battell and went vnto their tents and there held a parle against the Troyans and defended them strongly Then descended the Troyans afoote and entred into some of their tents and tooke all that they found that good was Then Paris and Troylus went by a side way vnto the Port and did put fire into their ships and burnt so great plentie that men might sée the flame farre To the rescue of the ships came the king Thelamon with a great company of fighting men and beganne the battell horible so so that there was great killing slaughter on both sides and verely the ships had beene all burnt had it not beene for the prowesse of king Thelamon that did marueiles with his bodie for whatsoeuer he did there were more then fiue hundred ships burnt There was great slaughter of the Greeks many were hurt There was Ebes the sonne of the king of Trace sore hurt with a speare and bare the truncheon in his bodie in that point he went to the Tent of Achilles where hee rested him that day and had refused to goe to the battell for the loue that hee had to Polixene Ebes reproched greatly Achilles that he suffered so to destroy the people of his countrey and to die villainously and saying that he might well helpe them if he would And assoone as he had finished his words one tooke the truncheon out of his body and anon he fel down dead in the presence of Achilles Anon after came from the battell one of the varlets or seruants of Achilles and Achilles demaunded him tidings of the host Ha sir sayd he it is this day mishapped to our folke for the great multitude of Troyans that be come vpon them and they haue slaine all that they coulde â—éet with
do to him what he may And thus began the dolorous battaile of Saturne and Iupiter There was the father agaynst the sonne and the sonne agaynst the father There lost nature her fayre and commendable properties The father sought to spill the blood that hee had engendred and promised great giftes vnto them that might take him The battaile was rigorous and hard and then wrought and fought well Iupiter and Archas and aboue all the noble Iupiter imployed so hardilie his Swoorde tempered with stéele that hée smote downe Shéeldes and Helmes and cut off heades and armes and there was no man might resist his prowesse inuincible Hée made to tremble the most hardiest that were there hée made retyre and to go abacke them that had aduaunced themselues more then they had power and vertue to maintaine Hee brake the wings of the battaile and in their most strength he met and encountred manie times Saturne his father and it was well in his power and puyssaunce to gréeue him but though that Saturne layde on him and gaue him great strokes and grieuous horions yet he would neuer smile againe but sayde to him oft tymes Alas my father wherefore séekest thou the effusion of my blood I am thy sonne and thy seruaunt Thou hast no cause to persecute mée I will not lay my hand vppon thée but beware and put no affiance in the Archadiens for if they may haue and get thée in their power thou shalt find in them little pitie nor mercie c. Saturne notwithstanding these fayre wordes woulde neuer refrayne his yre but smote euer vpon Iupiter as fiercely as he mought Iupiter of all his strokes tooke no héede and set little thereby and albeit that he had occasion to fight and smite his father alway he turned his strokes and had no consciens to occupy his sharp sword vpon them of Crete yet somtimes he so laied on that euery stroke without fault was died with newe bloode And this he did meaning to shewe Saturne that he fought against him in vaine and that to him was nothing impossible All these things nothing dismaied Saturne The cry was great aboute Iupiter the armes were greatly exercysed the ground was all couered with the effusion of bloud and the deade bodies lay one vpon an other beheaded and smitten in péeces O right hard and sore battaile Saturne was so intangled in his obstinacie that the bloud of his men wetting his armes by the course of the large woūds that Iupiter made vnto them might not moderate his yre nor heate And his eyes were so blynde in his yre that he sawe not his right euydente dammage nor how he sought the proper meane by which he was put out of his Realme that he doubted and against which he intended to make resistance and eschewe it with his might CHAP. XVII ¶ How Iupiter vanquished in the battaile against Saturne his father and Saturne fled by the sea IN this battayle Iupiter saued oftentimes Saturne among the Swoordes of the Arcadiens and did good against euill many of them of Crete fought against heart knowing that Saturne had begoon and was cause of the warre and notwithstanding they put theyr hands to worke yet the faynte hartednes that they had among them was cause of the losse of a right great number of people They doubted Iupiter and had no power to withstande and fight so well as they woulde haue done if they had felt the quarrell good and by this maner was the batteldemeaned to the great preiudice of the Saturniens Iupiter submitted himselfe to his father and often times cried in his eare that hee should withdraw him or the battaile would be worse or be lost Hee withstoode his stroakes a great while waiting that hee would conforme and conuert himselfe from his euill opinion But then at last when Iupiter tooke héede and sawe that he would in no wise heare him he opened and displayed his valour and the great might of his armes and of his sword and made such affray vpon his aduersaries breaking their helmes and hewing their harnesse not in manner of a man hauing all day sustained the feare of great stroakes and conflicts of the Saturniens but in the manner of a Champion fresh and newe of whome the strokes redoubled Thus then it séemed vnto the Saturniens that in multiplying of the horions and stroakes the strength and puissance of Iupiter beganne to reuiue and grow His well dooing and valliance gaue vnto the Archadiens strength vppon strength and vnto his enemies great losse of bloud and also of life There was the ground bedewed with newe bloud There were dead bodies couered with new dead men There was the chaire of Saturne smitten into péeces Saturne helde a long while the battaile as long as his might would endure and in no wyse would flée But in conclusion whan his men sawe that the warre went with them alway from euill into worse they beganne to retire and turned the backe and fled and then Saturne turned and fled in likewise Then they were followed in the chase so sharpely and deadly that some were slaine in the way and some saued themselues nowe heere and nowe there And among all other Saturne was so nigh pursued by Archas and some of the Archadiens that he had no leisure to returne into Crete but was driuen by force till he came vnto a port of the sea that was thereby where he saued himselfe by meane of a shippe that hee there found and there hee went vnto the sea with some of them that fled so sore gréeued and pensife that hee might not speake c. Thus this battaile ended of the father and the sonne When Archas saw that Saturne was saued in the sea hée returned to Iupiter his father and assembled againe his people and tolde them these tydings and also he assembled his councell for to wete what Iupiter should do And they of the councell were all of the opinion that Iupiter should go into Crete and that they would make him king saying that the gods had shewed clearely that they would that he should succéede as king in the Realme which his father was fled from for as much as they had then no head To this counsaile accorded Iupiter and went to Crete by space of time where hee was receiued for king for the citizens durst not gainesay it for as much as they wist not where Saturne was become And although Cibell and Vesca made great sorrow for the misfortune of Saturne yet they turned their sorrow into gladnes at the coronation of Iupiter and sent for Iuno And then began Iupiter to reigne in distributing and departing vnto the Archadiens the treasures of his father whereof they had great ioy and gladnesse and for this cause say the Poets that Iupiter gelded and cast his genitoyre into the sea of whom was engendred Venus That is to say that he cast the treators of his father into the bellies of his men whereof engendred all voluptuousnesse which
Iupiter oftentimes wished him with his fayre Danae and thought that his long tarying would be irksome vnto her When that the two days were past the day folowing at thrée of the clock they of Crete and they of Troye began to méete togither vpon the sea They of Troye were in great sorrow and they of Crete in great ioye At this time Saturne was not with the Troyans as he that durst not returne with them for his shame that was befallen and was all discomfit in himselfe and in dispayre and passed by the waues of the sea drawing into the East When Ganimedes had espyed the shippes of Crete from far he supposed first that it had bin Saturne and taryed a while at ancre but in processe of time when Ganimedes sawe the shippes coming by great force néere and sawe the banner of the king Iupiter appeare by which he vnderstood verily that it was Iupiter and his enimies and not Saturne that he abode for Then was Ganimedes sore troubled and called his companies and shewed them the banner with the golden Egle and asked them what was best to doo They aunswered to him and sayd that Saturne had abandoned them and giuen ouer and that they ought not to abide and tarry but onelye euery man to saue himselfe Ganimedes would fayne haue abidden the battayle for to proue if they were as fortunate and happye on the sea as they were on land but when he knewe the minde of the Troyans that desired nothing but rest he made to weigh vp ancres and sayle foorth fléeing and withdrawing from them of Crete as much as in them was possible Iupiter and his Centaures then séeing the Troyans lying at ancre began to furnish and fit them with theyr harnesse and when they sawe theyr enimies take vp theyr ancres they began to shoute and folowe The pursuit was strong and dure◠thrée dayes and thrée nightes and in the morning of the fourth daye Ganimedes and his company espying land and that was Troye that they sawe they drewe to the porte with great ioy but that soone was entremedled with sorrow For when they had taken land they behelde and sawe that theyr enemies followed them and came to the porte all prouided and readie to battaile This shame and losse smote vnto the heart of Ganimedes in such facion that he cryed and sayde in this wise vnto his men My brethren and my fellowes fortune hath doon to vs a grace by which we be brought and conducted hither but this grace is to vs little proffit as we may plainly conceyue Lo heare is the King Iupiter which hath doone to vs great shame for to chase vs into our owne territorye and what shame will it be to him that will now flie and more ouer who is he that nowe will not holde the brydle by the téeth now behoueth not to flie but nowe it behoueth for to fight It is méete and necessarie for to reuenge his losses and his bloud and for to recouer worship We be in our owne countrey if we reuenge vs not we shall come into perpetuall dishonour Of succour we cannot faile for now the Troyans be vpon the walles and go vppon the high Edifices of the Citie that beholde our landing And some there be that make them readie to welcome vs. And who that now is not well couragious neuer fare he well let euery man enforce the vertue of his strength For as for me for to be hewen in péeces I will no more flee I pray you that ye take courage and abide with me Two things happened whiles he spake and vttered these spéeches vnto his people the Troyans were aduertised of the coming of their men and of the following and landing of their aduersaries and they disposed them to resist and withstand them And Iupiter and his men approched the port and with that Ganimedes left warning his fellowes and ran vnto the port holding in his hand a strong speare his companie tooke example by his right high courage and followed him Then began both the parties to make their cries that went vp into the aire Iupiter and his Centaures inforced them to take land Ganimedes and the Troyans inforced them to defend and to put them from the land Great and sore strokes were giuen many of them were perished in the sea And many there were that their bloud was shed on the land But Iupiter that had no fellow in the place gat land in a little space and sustained the fiercenesse of the skirmish by helpe of some of the Centaures so that he made Ganimedes to retire backe to his fellowes and so exployted by the hewing of his sharpe sword that he made all his men to take land and had lightly put Ganimedes and his men to the foyle if out of Troy had not come the king Troos and Ilion with a great multitude of people that ranne vnto the reskewe and helpe of the hardie and valiant Ganimedes who for to saue his men offered and put his bodie to incredible trauell and labour The King Troos and Ilion then made a sallie out of Troy in right fayre order and exposed them to beare a part in the trauaile of theyr blood Iupiter with Ixion and the Centaures left then them that he estéemed vanquished and ouercome and directed their forces against king Troos and Ilion and them that followed them notwithstanding that they had béene féebled by the ayre and béeing on the sea which did them little good The Centaures were great and huge and strong as oliphants hardy as lions and eager as Tigers At this time the weather was fayre and cleare the sunne shone faire when they began to skirmish it was a fayre thing to sée the bickerings and a great noyse to heare the cries there was many a speare broken and many an arrow shot and many a staffe and guisarme shiuered helms inogh frushed and many skins of Lions Beares Horses smitten and torne in péeces Troos and Ilion were right asper and fierce in the reskew of Ganimedes Iupiter and Ixion were valiant and desirous to get honour and so fought and layde on the Troyans on the right side and on the left side that before them was no resistance nor order holden c. The Banner of the Eagle of Golde was alway in the most strength of the battaile The King Troos that had neuer séene Banner vsed in battaile was greatlie amaruayled what it should signifie and oft tymes did what hée could to fight agaynst them that helde it and woulde faine haue put it downe and smitten it into péeces but alway he found there so great strokes and so wel laid on that hée was faine to go as farre backe as he came nigh Hee was valiaunt of his bodie and well knewe the Arte of warre Iupiter approoued him many times and often and fought with him in many places and noted him in his minde for a notable man there was in him no feare ne dreade nor also in his sonnes Ilion and
Ganimedes they yéelded vnto armes their deuoirs They did worshipfully deale with their bodies vnto their puissance without ende They wrought and fought with their enemies making their swords red in the bloud of the Cretians They followed with great force in such wise that they fought all that day otherwile afore and sometime behinde And it was so in the ende that when the sunne began to go downe Ganimedes thinking on his great losse and desiring to recouer his worship tooke a terrible and mighty axe and enflamed with right noble courage fought about the baner of the Eagle of gold where was the most strength and smote downe on the one side and other so vnmeasurasurably that his axe changed colour and he cried with an high voyce Troy Troy Iupiter had alway an eye on the banner When he heard the crie of Ganimedes and saw his behauiour he knew him whereof he had great ioy for he sought no man but him he gaue ouer the place where he was in and ioyously adressed him vnto him and saide O valiant Troyan thou hast shewed thy prowesse all the day and now thou manifestest and shewest thy selfe by great feats of armes and of great shouts Thou art onely he that I séeke among the valiants of Troy not onely that I presume to be more valiant in armes then thou but for as much as thou art he that hast assailed Crete and that I haue pursued thee hither Thou hast assailed and fought with me army against armie and nowe let vs fight body against body and he take it that may get it Ganimedes with this word lifted vp his axe and casting his eyes on Iupiter and thinking of that he had heard made him this answere Happie and fortunate king of Crete I know nowe that thou art worthy to haue grace of fortune and that thou art more wise then strong Thou séest that fortune is with thée neuerthelesse now thou enhaunsest not thy selfe aboue me I allow and prayse thée in as much as thou dost worship and honour to thine enemie and dispraisest him not but imaginest that hee hath courage at his heart know thou that thou dost thy selfe honour and worship For to disprayse and blame another man no man ought to aduance himselfe I would that it pleased the gods that thy father Saturn which is wandering on the sea were now here for it is mine intent that by his helpe we would haue reason of thée and I will come thereto if it be for me possible for I should be satisfied for all my hurts and losses if I might conquer and ouercome thée And without mo words Ganimedes let flie his axe and smote on Iupiter Iupiter couered him with his shield which was smitten in two peeces by the cutting of the axe and then Iupiter bestirred himselfe who all that day had abstained and spared from fight and the feats of armes and commanded his folke that they should let him alone with Ganimedes for as much as he was alone And nowe he defended himselfe against the axe of Ganimedes and be laboured him with his sword the most best wise that to him was possible Thus began the battaile of the two champions of Crede and of Troy They were both right expert to do the feats of armes their cries were high and fierce they smote each other fiercely eagerly the fire sprang out of their helmes by the might of their strokes But when fortune was on the part of Iupiter what might Ganimedes do His strokes were great and hee gaue vnto Ganimedes many wounds and indéede tooke away his axe by the meane of a great wound that he had in the right arme might haue put him to death if he would But for to make short processe when he had taken his weapon from him he had pitie on him and saued his life and caused him to be kept by foure Centaureâ—â— Anon after it began to waxe dark for the night tooke froÌ„ the day his light wherefore it behoued them to take their rest and leaue off fighting And so the Troyans withdrew them into theyr Citie and they of Crete vnto the port of the sea CHAP. XXVII ¶ How the King Troos and Ilion his son made great sorrow for Ganimedes for they wist not where he was becom And how Iupiter went to the sea for to go to Argos WHen Troos and Ilion were withdrawen they abode at the gate vnto the time that all the Troyans were come againe into the Citie as they that knew not where Ganimedes was become whome they sore desired to haue found All they that were in the battaile of the Troyans were entred and there was no man that coulde tell the King Troos where his sonne Ganimedes was or whether he was aliue or dead And when hée sawe that he hadde no more men left in the fielde he returned into his Pallace sorrowing and greatlye vexed and sent for them that were come againe from Crete and enquired of them of all the tydings and what they hadde doone with his sonne As touching his sonne they aunswered that in the euening hée was in the prease among his enemyes but they wist not what was become of him And as touching the tydings of Crete they tolde him how they had spedde in theyr Iourney against them and how the Eagle appeared vnto Iupiter and how they were ouercome by the strength of the centaures And how they wist not where Saturne was become These tydings gaue vnto the king Troos sorrowe vppon sorrowe and to Ilion also And the teares fell downe from theyr eyes and in speciall Ilion wept sore bewayling his brother in this manner Alas my brother alas Ganimedes where is become the glorie of Troye by the vnfortunate and vnhappy Saturne which hath failed there in thy néede At the least if thou hadst come againe we togither would haue doon our best to haue bin aueÌ„ged of this losse We would haue assayed our bodies by fraternall loue for to haue recouered thine honour How is it art thou perished by venturing what hard gréefe and sorrowe is thée befallen for to say all thy misaduenture and mishap is too preiudicial vnto the house of Troy Ilion faire sonne answered Troos for one aduersitie it behoueth not to be abashed in the warre in any wise but to haue firme courage War giueth this day victory to one and on the morne taketh it away and giueth it to another and so putteth each out A vertuous and a manly maÌ„ vnto his death ought not to be afraide If Ganimedes he dead in the battaile or if he be taken what remedy it is then expedient eyther to auenge his death or to succour him but our enemyes be in little number we will to morrow fight with them againe and let the gods doo their willes of vs. And if I faile herein I shall be quite discouraged Ilion and the nobles of Troy comforted them with these words of king Troos and confirmed his resolution for to go on the morne
to enter into battell The battell is ready beginne at me and I at you and let vs sight together till more come With these words he lifted his club and discharged the stroke so sore vppon one of the thrée brethren that he cast his shielde before the stroke and all astonied he bare him to the earth When Gerion his other brother sawe their brother so borne downe and beaten they smote with their swords vpon Hercules with great fury and so imployed their strength that they brake part of his armes With these two strokes of their swords Hercules receiued more then an hundred dartes vppon his body howbeit the swordes nor the darts were not so hard tempered that they could pearce enter ne hurt the armes of Hercules ne Hercules left not to worke with his clubbe but he it lift vp on high at that time and strak it vpon the second brother of Gerion so lustily that downe from the top of the helme he all to crushed and bruised him smote him downe to the ground like as an hard and great rockâ— had fallen on his head c. Gerion was all afrayde for to sée so great a stroke and with a wonderfull angry and fierce heate he layde vpon Hercules and gaue him so great a stroke vpon the helme with his sword that he made the fire spring out but the helme was so hard that the sword might not enter Then was Hercules enuironed with his enemies and was smitten in many a place vpon his body The Hesperians desired sore to sée their swordes and glaiues red with the bloud of Hercules but Hercules put himselfe to defence ioyous for that he might employ his strength vpon them And when he prooued him thus vpon one and other and would suffer none come néerer then his arme and clubbe might reach and that his enemies more and more came about him Malion that was nephew to Vlisses issued out of Megidda with a thousand men of the army of Hercules And séeing so great a company of people about Hercules and was assured that he fought there hee and his people addressed themselues thitherward making so great a crie and setting on so valiantly that in bearing downe all afore them they came and founde Hercules that he had slaine more then sixe hundred of his enemies and that he feared yet nothing They that bare ladders and other engines were constrained to cast them downe to the ground and to goe to the battell The battell was there grieuous and hard and there were many knightes slaine Gerion bestirred himselfe terribly His brother that was first beaten after that he was borne out of the prease came vnto the field againe and in his comming he made a great roome among the Gréeks he was strong and puissant and bare a right heauie guisarme the edge of which was thrée great foot long he did maruailes with this guisarme and beate downe so many of the Gréekes that the noise arose greatly about him And this noyse came to the eares of Hercules Then left Hercules them that he fought with and drew to the noise that procéeded by the cause of the giant Assoone as he saw the giant that deall with the Gréekes as he would he was not well content with that guisarme and hee lifted vp his clubbe and smote the giant vpon the shoulder employing his strength in such maner that the shoulder and the side hee all to brake and bare him downe to the grounde not fully dead but in worse estate then dead for he might not relieue himselfe and must néedes die vnder the féet of the men of armes right miserably At this time Theseus and Hispâ—n with the residue of the Gréekes came vnto the battell right ioyfully and finding their enemies without ray and without conclud they skirmished among them fiercely and slewe so many that all the place was couered Hispan and Theseus cloâ— the heads of many knights vnto the téeth they 〈◊〉 right expect in the feats of armes At their comming they made their enemies to retire and wanne vpon them with so good fortune that by their meanes and well doing Gerion lost mo then thirty thousand men In shorte time the battaile was such about Hercules that his enemies wist not where to saue them And Gerion being aduertised of the death of the second brother turned his backe and fled vnto the sea blowing his horne When the Hesperiens heard the horne anon they endeuoured sodainly to commit themselues to flight and they that might saue themselues saued them without delay Hercules Theseus and Hispan with about twelue hundred Greekes followed them swiftly they entered into some of their ships and pursued Gerion but they had not marriners so ready as the other had wherefore they were a little letted Howbeit as farre as they might see Hercules pursued them onely with his twelue hundred men CHAP. XXI ¶ How Hercules pursued Gerion and howe hee went and vanquished him and put him to the death at the port of the Corogne THus hauing finished the battaile for this day to the great damage and dishonour of Gerion and all to the honour and profite of Hercules Malion abode in Megidda by the ordinaunce of Hercules for to keepe the Greekes that abode there and for to take the spoile of their enemies Hercules on the other side sailed and rowed after Gerion Gerion perceiued him and was sore afraid and fled all that euer he might The flight dured three daies Gerion had good mariners who kept them warily from bording of the ship of Hercules And they sayled by the sea Mediterrane from coast to coast from floud to floud nowe before and nowe behinde But the end was such that on the fourth day they were constrained to abide Hercules at the battaile vppon the sea or descend to land at the Corongne in Galicia For to flie alway the death whereof they were in doubt they left the sea and tooke the land at a port imagining that they should well defend them against Hercules for they were ten against one Anon as they had taken land at the port of the Corongne they tooke and tramed them about the port for to defeÌ„d the sea which was strong for to take And then Gerion warned his men saying loe nowheere is the houre or the day that wee must die or ouercome our enemies in Fortune hath done to vs the worst she can She was woont to make all strangers to tremble before our swordes Nowe shee maketh vs to tremble before a right little number of people Alas what shame is this truely the shame is great and wee ought to haue right great reproofe so to do Since we be at this point there is no way but to auenge this shame If we aueÌ„ge vs at this time we shall recouer our worship and honour In our vsage lieth right good hope for fortune hath brought vs into a very good port and me seemeth that shee wâ—ll raise vs againe and make vs conquerours of
then he had done before whereof the cries arose so high there that Hercules then sighting on another side heard the cry and then hee ran thither at all aduenture And anon as he spied Cacus hee went before him and brake the prease and smote downe so sore that Cacus knew Hercules but hee durst not abide him but fled againe with euill hap And then the Greeks made a cry and a ioyfull noyse so that all the Castiliens fledde some heere and some there to the great hurt and losse of Cacus For of all his people there was left no more but 50 which saued theÌ„selues vpon the mount of Monchayo which stoode thereby But that was with great effusion of bloud of them of Castile that thought to haue mounted vp with the other that it séemed that there had been a great spring of bloud that the caues in the valley were replenished with bloud howbeit Cacus for to flie wel saued him selfe and fiftie of his men vppon the mountaines as the chronicles of Spaine rehearse When he was aboue and in sure peace he returned and looked downe to the foot of the hill and he saw there so many Castiliens that without number were dead or in daunger for to die hee hadde great sorrowe then at his heart not for pitie but for despite and for the danger that he sawe ready whereby hee must passe Anon after he sawe from farre in the champaigne and each quarter and place there all couered with them of his part and of their bloud Also he saw them that fled taken and brought to the handes of the other These things considered the desolation of his dominion and the punishment of his tyranny was to him euident he thoght then that Hercules would soone conquere all the country For they obeied him for his tyranny and not for naturall loue This notwithstanding he dispaired not albeit that he saw all the puissance of his men destroied by the clubbe of Hercules and knewe that hee might no more reigne in that countrey for all were slaine in the battaile and then hee returned vnto his Science And thus as sorrowfull as he was he entered into a house that he had there But first appointed twelue of his men to keepe the passage of this mount which was so straite and narrowe that there might go vp but one man at once When then Hercules and his men had put to death all their enemies Hercules began to assaile the rocke and to mount and go vppon the degrees or staires but then sodainly they that kept the passe cast vppon him great stones in so great aboundance that of force hee was constrained to descend When Hercules sawe that hee must withdraw him he obeied fortune but notwithstanding he made there a vowe that hee would neuer depart from the foot of the rocke vnto the time that he had constrained Cacus to descend rome downe by famine or otherwise This vow made Hercules came vnto the foote of the hil where battell and slaughter had been and made the place to bee made cleane and purged of the dead bodies and of the bloud of them that there lay dead After hee did make his tent of dewes and leaues and his bed of freshe grasse and commaunded that each man shoulde lodge there At that time the night came and the day fayled the Greeks were weary for that they had all day laboured in armes and woulde faine haue rest and made good cheere with that they had And after that they had ordeined and set their watche aswel for to keepe the coast as for to keepe the rocke that Cacus should not come downe they layd them downe vpon the grasse in such wise as they were accustomed when they were in war and so slept and passed that night On the morrow Hercules parted the hoast in twaine and sent Hispan with one of them into Arragon and Nauarre and hee abode there with the other Hispan in the name of Hercules was ioyfully receiued of the Nauarroys and of the Arragonoys And they made to him all obeysance acknowledging Hercules to be their Lord and the most vertuous prince that was in the West When Hispan had all subdued as is said hee returned vnto Hercules Hercules lay yet still before Monchaio and there held Cacus in such subiection that he might not issue Cacus and his folke were then in great want of vittaile and they wist not what to eate nor to drinke They deferred as long as they might hoping that Hercules woulde bée weary to be there so long But in the end when their vittaile failed and they saw that they muâ—t néeds aduenture themselues to come downe Cacus by his science made certaine secret things to go downe into their stomackes and after put thereto the fire and taught all the other to do so and then sodainly as they felt the fire issue out of their mouthes and the fume and smoke in such aboundance that it seemed all on a light fire then by the counsaile of Cacus they aduentured themselues to descend downe in running and casting fire and fume so impetously that Hercules and the Greeks thought that it had been a tempest of lightning of the heauen and had burnt the mountaine so they made him place for it was a thing for to make men sore abashed and thus they escaped the daunger of Hercules at that time For during all that day the rocke was full of smoke and fume that Cacus had made and the smoke was so material that it séemed darknes When Cacus and his folk were thus escaped and passed the hoste of Hercules and of the Greekes Hercules was then the most wise clerk that was in the world and all his pastimes hee emploied in study hee tooke his bookes and began to muse howe and by what reason hée was descended from the rocke he read and turned many leaues but all thing well considered hee found not that this fume came of naturall thinges wherof he had great maruel Then he sent for Athlas that alway was lodged behinde the hoste for to be solitary When Athlas was come he shewed him the smoke and fume that yet dured Then he told of the lightning that was passed by the hoste and demaunded of him his opinion Athlas knew incontinent the fume and answered to Hercules Certes my sonne thou art more sharpe in science then I for mine age may not attaine to so high things as thy youth Howbeit forasmuch as I know the growing of this thing long time past I will tell thee that I shal say thou shalt find true as I suppose Thou shalt vnderstaÌ„d that this fume is a thing artificiall and made by the craft of Vulcan that was father of Cacus which was an excellent maister in this science and was the inuenter thereof he made certaine mountaines in Cicille to burne and shall alway continually burne vnto the end of the worlde Cacus which can the arte and craft of his father hath made this fume and
was so hurt that the truncheon of her speare abode within his bodie wherefore the crie arose greatly among the Greekes and they ranne vpon Penthesilea with great strength and brake the lase of her helme and then Pirrhus that in his great furie tooke none heede to his wound set not thereby that hee had the truncheon in his body but assailed strongly Penthesilea that had then her helme broken and shee weend to haue smitten him but Pirrhus raught her first gaue her so great a stroke with his sworde that hee cutte her arme off by the body whereof the saide Penthesilea fell downe dead to the earth and Pirrhus that was not yet content smote the body and cut it in two peeces and anon for the great effusion of bloud that ran from his wound he fell downe as dead among his people and they tooke him vp layed him vpon his shield and bare him into his tent Then the maidens of Penthesilea for to reuenge the death of their Quéene smote in among the Mirmidones by great furie and slew many and hurt but it profited but little to the Troyans as they that were but a few against a great multitude of Gréeks And so there were slaine of them of Troy that day in the battell more then tenne thousande men and the other withdrewe themselues into the citie for to saue themselues and shut closed fast their gates and had no more intention to issue out to battell against their enemies c. CHAP. XXV ¶ How Anthenor and Eneas spake together among them for to deliuer the citie vnto the Greeks by treason and did it vnder colour of peace and howe the king Priamus gainsayd them with some of his bastards by great and rude words THe Troyans had very great sorrowe when they sawe them in this distresse for they had no more hope to haue any succours from any place and they endeuoured to nothing but to keepe well their citie and to furnish them well with bitaile for they feared nor dreaded nought of any assault Among these things the Gréeks would haue cast to the dogs the bodie of Penthesilea forasmuch as she had slaine so many noble men of Gréece but Pirrus gainsayde it for the honour and credit of noblenesse and finally they concluded that they would cast it in a pond that was nie the citie Anchises with his sonne Eneas and Anthenor with his sonne Polidamas went to counsell together for to aduise them how they might haue their liues saued against the Gréekes and their goodes and rather than they woulde faile heereof they woulde betray the Citie Then they concluded that they shoulde speake vnto king Priamus and counsell him to take a peace and appointment with the Gréekes in restoring of Helene to her husband and the damages that Paris did in the I le of Citharis O if the king Priamus had beene so happy to haue doone this and had pleased the Gréekes at the beginning he had saued his life and his wifes life and the life of all his children and had saued all the Citie and the cittizens and had eschewed all the mischiefes that came to them afterward Therefore say men in a Prouerb that the concorde or peace soone taken is good for it is an hard thing to reappease such manner dammages to him that hath aduantage of the warre For with great paine would the Gréekes haue beene content that were thē at the better hand with these offers forasmuch as they had suffered so many hurtes and damages before Troy for them séemed well that they were at the point for to destroy the Citie and all the inhabitantes But the aforenamed traitours spake not of this matter but to the end that vnder colour of peace they might betray the citie if otherwise they might not saue their liues Then they went before the king Priamus and Amphimacus one of his bastard sonnes and spake there of this matter before many noble men of the Citie and aboue as king Priamus had heard them speake of purchasing of peace with the Gréekes he thought that they spake this thing by great fury and beganne to laugh saying to them that he would be aduised and take counsell first and then they spake vnto him in this manner If thou wilt heare our counsell vpon this thing marke what we shall say and if it please thée not vse the counsell of other The king saide that hee woulde well heare their counsell and would wéete what séemed them good saying vnto them What séemeth you good Then spake Anthenor saying King you may not dissemble but that you and yours be compassed with your ennemies who béene héere by your citie desiring your death and destruction and ye may not issue out there are more than fiftie kings that desire nothing but to destroy this Cittie and you and all them that dwell therein yée may no longer resist them neyther dare ye no more open your gates and thus we let vs then be inclosed héerein We ought of two euill things choose the lesse euill and therefore for to haue peace with the Gréekes if ye séeme good we will render Helene to Menelaus her husband since that Paris is dead and also restore the damage that Paris did doe to them in Gréece rather than we will suffer our selues to be put to the death c. At these wordes arose vp Amphymacus one of the bastard sonnes of king Priamus and reprooued egerly the wordes of Anthenor and saide vnto him what trust or hope may my Lorde my father and wée haue in thée since that thou oughtest to haue firme goodwill vnto him and to this citie and we sée that thus recreant thou oughtest to liue and die with vs and thou counsellest vs now to make peace with the Gréekes to our great dishonour and shame Truely before that the king shall doe that there shall die twenty thousand menne the thing that thou counsellest the king commeth of treason Many other iniurious wordes said Amphimacus to Anthenor and Eneas beganne to interrupt him saying Yée know well that we may not from hencefoorth goe to battell against the Gréekes and we dare no more open our gates wherefore it behoueth vs to finde meanes to haue peace with them Then the king Priamus with great ire saide to Anthenor and to Eneas haue yée not shame in your selues to speake so to mée Yée make me die with sorrow for all that I haue done hitherto I haue done it by your counsel Anthenor at thy return fro Gréece whither I sent thée to require my sister counselledst thou not me that I shoulde send Paris into Gréece for to endammage the Greekes And I had neuer taken vpon me for to haue mooued war against them had not thy false counsell beene which moued me to send thither And thou Eneas alas when I sent thee with Paris into Greece wast not thou principall of the counsell that Paris should rauish Helene and bring her into this realme and thou helpedst