haue victorie and that wee shall destroy their Citie albeit that it is strong but onely for our worship to the end that wee be recommended to haue conducted this worke by great discretion and without pride for oftentimes by our too hastie enterprise a thing of great waight without aduised councell may come to a mischieuous end Ye know well that it is long ago that the king Priamus did require vs by his special messengers that we shoulde render to him his sister Exione that by our hautinesse pride we would not deliuer her againe and if wee hadde deliuered and sent her home againe these euilles had neuer happned in the I le of Cythar as they now be And the queene Helene that is of the most noble of Gréece had neuer been rauished nor lead away and also we had not enterprised the paine nor the labour where we nowe be in And there is none of vs that knoweth what shal happen to him good or euil and therefore if ye seeme good that we might returne into our countrey without suffering of more paine with our honour and worshippe wee will send vnto the king Priamus our speciall messengers and bidde him to send and deliuer againe to vs Helene fréely and that he restore vnto vs the dammages that Paris hath done in the I le of Cythare for if he will so do our returne shal be honourable and we may no more aske of him by right And if he refuse this wee shall haue two things that shall fight for vs that is iustice and our true quarrell and our puissance excused and when men shall heare of our offers they will giue the wrong and blame to the Troyans and to vs the laud and praise and we shal be excused of all the dammages that wee shall doe to them after these offers Therefore aduise you among your selues what thing ye will doe Then were there some badde people that blamed this counsell and some allowed it and finally they concluded to do so as Agamemnon had sayde Then they chose for their messengers Diomedes and Vlisses for to goe to Troy and make their legation which tooke their horses and went incontinently thither and came to Troy about midday and they went straight to the Pallace of king Priamus and tooke their horses to kéepe at the gate and after went vp into the hall and in going vp they marueiled greatly of the rich works that they saw in all the pallace and specially of a tree that they sawe in a plaine the which was made by arte Mathematike marueilously composed and of great beautie for the tronchon or stocke beneath was no greater but of the greatnesse of a speare and was passing long and high and aboue had branches of golde and of siluer and leaues that spread ouer the pallace and saue a little it couered all and the fruite of the same tree was of diuers precious stones that gaue great light and brightnes and also did much please and delight them that beheld it They went so farre foorth that they came into the great hall where the king Priamus was accompanied with noble men And then without saluting the king nor the other Vlisses sayd vnto him in this maner King Priamus marueile nothing that we haue not saluted thee forasmuch as thou art our most mortall enemie The king Agamemnon from whome wee be messengers sendeth and commaundeth thee by vs that thou deliuer and send vnto him the queene Helen whom thou hast caused most vilely to bee rauished and taken from her husband and that thou make satisfaction for all the damages that Paris thy sonne hath done in Gréece and if thou so doe I suppose thou shalt shew thy selfe a wise man but if thou doe not beholde what euils may come vnto thee and thine for thou shalt die an euill death and all thy men and this noble and famous citie shall be destroyed When the king Priamus heard Vlisses thus speake he answered incontinently without demanding or asking any counsel I marueile greatly of these thy wordes that requirest of mee that thing that a man already vanquished and ouercome and one that might not defende himselfe no more with great paine would accord to thee I beleeue not that the Greeks haue such puissance to do that thing which thou hast sayd vnto me they require of me amends and I ought to demand the like of them Haue not they slaine my father and my brethren and lead away my sister in seruitude whome they daigne not to marrie honourably but to hold her and vse her as a common woman And for to haue her again I haue sent vnto them Anthenor and woulde haue pardoned them the surplus but yee knowe the villanies and menaces that they did vse towardes my messenger and therefore I ought not to heare anything that yee say vnto mee but had rather die valiantly then to agree to your request And let Agamemnon knowe that I desire neuer to haue peace nor loue with the Greeks that haue done to me so many displeasures And if it were not that ye be messengers I shoulde make you die an euill death Therefore goe ye your way anon for I may not beholde you without displeasure in mine heart Then beganne Diomedes to laugh for despight and sayde thus Ha king if without displeasure thou mayest not see vs that be but twaine then wilt thou not be without displeasure all the dayes of thy life for thou shalt see from hencefoorth before thine eyes great armies of Gréekes the which shall come before the citie and shall not cease for to assaile it continually against whom thou mayest not long defend thee but that thou and thine finally shall receiue bitter death Therefore thou shouldest take better counsell in thy doings if thou wert well aduised Then were there many Troyans that would haue runne vppon the Gréekes and drew their swordes for to haue slaine them But the king Priamus forbade them and sayd vnto them that they should let two fooles vtter their follie and that it was the nature of a foole to shew follie and to a wise man to suffer it Ha ha sir sayd Eneas what is that that yee say men must shewe to a foole his foolishnesse and truely if it were not in your presence this fellow that hath spoken so foolishly before you shoulde receiue his death by mine owne hande It apperteineth not vnto him to say vnto you such vile and venemous wordes nor menaces and therefore I aduise him that he goe his way quickly vnlesse he cease to speake foolishly Diomedes that of nothing was abashed answered to Eneas and sayd Whatsoeuer thou be thou shewest well by thy words that thou art right ill aduised and hote in thy wordes and I wish and desire that I may once finde thee in a place conuenient that I may rewarde thee for the wordes that thou hast spoken of me I see well that the king is fortunate and happie to haue such a counsailer as thou
fiercenesse of Licaon that had Iupiter long time in hatred forasmuch as he had taken from him his Lordship Iupiter followed so eagerly to put Titan to foyle that he brake his Chayre into péeces by the helpe â—â— the Epiriens and with the sword that he smote off his arms he departed the life from the bodie of the vnhappie Titan by a mortall stroke that he gaue vnto his heart 〈◊〉 then bent he his indeuour and prowesse to persecute Licaâ—◠〈◊〉 Egeon that had giuen to him many strokes and 〈◊〉 and he smote with his sword vpon the head of Licaon so fiercely that the sword went to his heart wherat Egeon had so great sorrow and dread that he fled and saued him from the skirmish in which skirmish the Titaâ—ois so vnmeasurably had the woorst that all were put to death and to fight in the fields some here and some there one of the sonnes of Titâ—â— named Tiphon séeing the discomfiture came vnto Iupiter and sayd Iupiter â—e here thine enemie flie not after them that flie it shall be vnto thee more honourable to fight against me that defieth thée then to run after the fugitiâ—es Neuer yet was I found fléeing before mine enemies nor yet will I. Thou hast slaine Titan my father and my brother is slain and vanquished by force and strength and so it behoueth that this Realme must be thine or mine and now let vs sée who shall do best if I may I will vanquish thée and if I ouercome thée certainly thou shalt not â—is by glaiâ—e nor sworde but by the water of the â—ood that runneth all redde and dyed by the blood of my kinne to the end that thou drinke of the blood that thou hast made runne out of their bodyes whereof I have great sorrow and griefe for by the course of nature I ought to take displeasure and annoy thereof and also to turne to great dispight the displeasure that thou hast done to me c. CHAP. XI ¶ How Iupiter vanquished in the field Tiphon and cast him in the Riuer c. THis Tiphon was great and full of presumption and pride when he had saide all that say on his heart Iupiter that had then beheld vnderstood him answered to him vassaile hast thou no knowledge what reason and right the gods fortune haue done for me Thou art strong of members and there procéed from thy heart words more outragious then wise and forasmuch as thou demandest battel thou art welcom make thée ready shortly and do the best that thou canst and hast thee for the cause requireth it With this word Tiphon smote Iupiter so rudly vpon the head of his shield that hee dare away a great â—â—arter made Iupiter to sloupe with the right leg There were by many Epiriens that séeing Iupiter so smitten râ—â— and come for to rescue him but Iupiter would not suffer them that they should helpe him in any case but bad Meliseus and Aâ—chas that they should follow the chase of them that fled And thou he began to assaâ—â— Tiphon by great vertue â—â—â—ce in such wise that he gaue him many wounds in his body and thus began the battell of Tiphon and Iupiter they were both strong and able in the craft of armes they charged one vpon that other â—olorously and eagerly It is no néed that I declare how many strokes the one gaue vnto the other but I must tel how Iupiter so fought and smote his enemie that he tooke from him his sword shéeld and when he was in that point he charged him vpoÌ„ his shoulders by forre of his arms and bare him to the riuer that was all died with the bloud of dead men and there he made him die miserably casting him into the flood with the head downeward for asmuch as he had menaced Iupiter with such a death What shal I saye more of this battaile after the death of Typhon Iupiter weÌ„t agayne to the pursuit of his enemies vntill the sunne began to decline into the west and foâ—â—owed on by great slaughter but in processe of time when he saw that Titan and the more people were so feeble and so dispersed by the fieldes that they might neuer arise againe he sownded the retrayte and assembled his folke in the best wise he might and after he tooke the right way to the Citie hauing great ioye and eâ—â—â—tation of his victorie And he had not taryed long but that foure Cytizens of Crete came vnto him and to tolde him that al they of the party of Titan were fled and that they had taken out of prison his father CHAP. XII ¶ How Iupiter and Saturne reconcyled themselues together and how Iupiter by commaundement of his father weâ—â—â—â—â— to destroy the King Apollo of Paphos and of the â—edicine of Esculapius c. IVpiter receyued these Citizens and their tydings in right great gâ—aâ—â—es and desiring with all his heart to be with his father and mother did so much spéed him that he 〈◊〉 into Crete Saturne and Cibel with Vâ—â—â—â— were at the gaâ—e which receyued him honourably and brought him vnto the Palâ—ato where he was 〈◊〉 with the king Meâ—â—â— and Aâ—â—â—â— in 〈◊〉 â—â—â—â—n that it might be no better At the comming of Iupiter many teares were wept for ioy by dame Cibell and Vesca Cibell kist and beclipt often times her sonne And all they of the countrie came thither into the pallace for to feast and worship Iupiter and also they gaue him many great gifts And it is not to be forgotten how Saturne reconciled himself vnto him and gaue him a state as to his sonne During these things the body of Titan was searched among the dead bodies by the commandement of Saturne and there was made for him his obsequie solemne as it appertaineth to a king and likewise vnto his sonnes that were found dead in the battaile All the sonnes of Titan were not perished and dead in the battaile for among all other Iopetus and Briareus were left aliue and fled That is to say Briareus was fled into an I le of Greece named Nericos and Iopetus fled into a part of Libie where be inhabited And he had with him thrée sonnes that he had by his wife whreof the eldest was named Athlas the second had his name Hesperus and the third named himselfe Prometheus Athlas dwelled in Libie and Hesperus reigned in Spaigne and were both vanquished by Hercules as it shall be saide in the second booke For to hold on our purpose when Saturne and Iupiter had doone the obsequies of the Titanoys tidings came to Iupiter that Apollo king of Paphos had taken part with them that fled from the battel of the Titanoy This said Apollo had made aliances with Saturne and was sonne of Iupiter of Artique When Iupiter and Saturne heard these tidings anon Saturn required Iupiter that be would take vengeance on Apollo that was his allie and that he would destroy his enemies At the request of Saturne Iupiter enterprised the
ships sauing onely that ship where Iupiter was in wherefore he wept outragiously The tempest dured two dayes and two nights They saw not that time in the hauen sunne nor moone nor starres Iupiter and they that were with him thought neuer to haue died other death yet they escaped the death and tooke land on the third day when the tempest was ceased not in Crete nor in the sea of Europe but in the Ocean so far that they knew not the language of them that inhabited the port where they came to ancre When Iupiter and his people sawe the strangenesse of the people dwelling in this port and their maner of doing they knew that they were farre from their region and then was Iupiter discomfited in such wise that he wished that he had not bene there nor come on the sea forasmuch as he knew well that he might not accomplish his promise made vnto Danae his Loue. Hee made many great bewaylings touching this matter and more then I can say and also complained for his men that he had lost in the storme and tempest as well as he complained for the default of his promise But when his companions that is to wit Ixion and the Centaures and Ganimedes had refreshed them and vittailed them and had well put all things in point and had taken all things necessarie for their ship they weighed anchor and departed from the port tooke their way into the East and so laboured day by day and moneth vpon moneth that they entred into the sea Egee And they had not long sailed when Egeon the great theefe and rouer which held at his will all this sea then they disankred from the port of the I le of Desert and accompanied with sixe gallies and with a thousand men of armes came before Iupiter prouiding them to battaile in purpose to haue destroyed them When Iupiter and the Centaures saw the behauiour of the théefe they knew straightway that they might not faile of battel saying each to other they would defend themselues vnto the death they had not long held parliament among them but they furnished them with their armes and displayed the banner with the Eagle of gold And in the displaying they made a great ioy as they had beene in paradise At this time had Ganimedes his wounds healed When he saw that each man prepared him to fight sauing hee which was prisoner hee came and knéeled downe on his knées before Iupiter and required him right humbly that he would commaund to deliuer him his harnesse for to help to maintaine his worship and also to defend his life promising to do his true deuoir Iupiter tooke vp Ganimedes when hée saw him submit himselfe and began to set his loue on him in such wise that it endured vnto the death and that more is he made that his harnesse and armes were yéelded to him saying that from thenceforth they would be brethren and fellowes in armes And Ganimedes answered to him that he would alway abide and dwell his seruant During these spéeches Egeon and his galleis borded the ship of Iupiter and fought with them hardly Egeon was in the front before as captaine Iupiter beheld him and knew him by his armes that he bare and yet that any stroke was smitten he called to him and sayd Théefe and rouer and pyrate how darest thou pursue to death him that made thée tremble and flie before him at the battaile of Crete by séeing of his sword dyed and made red with the bloud of the vnhappye Tytanoys Beholde and see mee I am Iupiter the mortall enemy of all thy linage Thou in likewise art my enemy and now art come to battaile against me It maye be well sayde that we shall run each vpon other by great force and that this conflict shal be right damageable for thée or for mée and let the goddes doo their pleasure When Egeon vnderstoode what Iupiter had sayde to him and that he was the destroyer of his linage he had his heart so incensed with yre and impacience that he could not answer one word And grenning with his téeth he began to smyte so hard toward Iupiter that if the stroke of the axe that he smit had bin right there had neuer bin remedy of his life But Iupiter knew the feates of war and when he saw the stroke come he auoyded it and lifted vp his sword and charged it vpon Egeon so surely that he could not auoide the stroke which was so forcible that he was so astonied as it made him fall downe vpon the plankes of the galley Then made the pyrates and théeues a greate crye and fell vpon Iupiter and his fellowes Ganimedes helde his axe in his handes and was not then ydle he fought and wrought valyantlye after his power and so did the Centaures The skirmishe was great and many were deade not of the partye of Iupiter but of the partye of the pyrates and then laboured the Centaures so that they dyed theyr galleyes with the bloud of theyr enemies And that the pyrates albeit they were tenne againste one coulde not nor might not abyde before them c. Thus began the mortall battaile of the pyrates and of the Centaures when the one Galley had fought as long as they might an other came on This Iupiter and Ganimedes had inough to do to fight and they fayled not what to do for the more they smote the more displeasure had the pyrates Each of their strokes was the death of a pyrate In processe of time Egeon came againe into the prease dismayed and fulfilled with impatience he put himselfe forth to fight in the most strength all desperately to winne all or to loose all At this time the battaile was so terrible and so deadly that al the Gallies closed the Ship of Iupiter and smote on it but this was to their mishap and ilfare for the most part of them were slaine and then Ganimedes and Iupiter entered into the galley of king Egeon where he fought so sore on the one side and the other for enuie who should do best that of all them that were within there was not left one man but he was slaine or cast into the sea excepting onely Egeon which Iupiter tooke with his hands and bound him with an hundred chaines of yron c. With these chaines of yron Egeon had a custome for to bind his prisoners vntill the time they had done his will When the pyrats sawe the mischiefe that came vpon them and that their maister was ouercome and bound with the chaines that he was woont to torment the prisoners withal they intended to saue themselues and withdrew them from the ship of Iupiter saying that those that they had fought withall were no men but diuels and that they were vnhappie that came vnto their hands Iupiter had but one ship The pyrates dispersed abroad one here another there And when the Centaures sawe that they sayde to Iupiter that it ought to suffice
fiercely that he made him stagger and go backe two paces Cerberus would haue auenged him of this stroke and smote vppon Theseus a stroke by so great force that if the noble knight had not turned backe Cerberus had borne and smitten him vnto the earth This stroke of Cerberus fell vpon the earth and entred therein and Theseus smote againe vpon his enemie which had the heart so great that he began to rore as an olde Lion and smote Theseus so fiercely with his sworde that hée all to brake his shéelde and all to frushed his helme that hée was all astonied at the stroke But alway Theseus abode in his place and then Cerberus would haue brought him vnto destruction following the euill aduenture of Pirothus if that fortune had not brought thither Hercules which came so fitly to reskew that Theseus knew not else how to saue him At this poynt when that Theseus was so astonished Hercules that was departed from the sea as is said came to stayres that were cut and made in the Rocke and beholding Theseus all couered with blood and Pyrothus dead hée beganne to descende downe crying to Theseus that he should not bée afeard nor take no dread When Cerberus sawe and heard Hercules he beganne to crie againe and rore and assayled eagerly for to be quite of him Theseus might no more howbéeit that hee was recomfortes with the voyce of Hercules but began to run now here and now there before Cerberus So much then hasted Hercules for to go downe the stayres or degrées in entring the place and as hastely as hée might he cryed to Cerberus and sayde to him Tyraunt cruell let the knight run and come to me thou hast put to death vpon the earth my good fréende Pyrothus whereof I am sorye certaine and if I may I will take vengeaunce on thée for him Cerberus hearing the sentence of Hercules ran no more after Theseus but taryed and behelde Hercules with a fierce looke and aunswered to him So weneth he to auenge his shame that so beléeueth I haue destroyed thy fellowe vnto the death and vnlesse thou excéede him in skill of armes and in bodylye strength an hundred folde double it is folye for thée to come hither For I am Cerberus the porter of hell he that at report of my name all the world trembleth Thus ending his answere Hercules was at the foote of the rocke and he had his club vpon his shoulder Cerberus came against him they smote each other lustily and thus they began a right hard battaile and then Theseus that was passing weary sat at one side by out of the way rested him in drying and clensing his woundes of the bloud that had come out of theÌ„ Hercules beheld then on the one side and séeing Theseus purging and clensing his profound and great woundes hée beganne to imploye the force of his strength and might by such meruaile that with a stroke that he gaue him vpon his helme vpon the right side hée made him to bowe and stowpe vnder his club and to knéele to the grouâ—d with his left knée and at the second stroke in pursuing him hastilye hée made his sworde to flye out of his handes and then he made him to fall on his armes to the grounde and with the thyrde stroke as Cerberus wéende to haue reléeued him and gotten his sworde Hercules smote him vpon the bodye that he made his head réele against a great stone that was thereby after that hée sprang vpon him and bounde his legges with the strength and force of his handes maulgre the giant he tare of the helme of his head and would haue slaine him but Theseus prayed him that he would not put him to death there and that he would bring him into Thessalonica for to die by the sentence of the Quéene Hypodamia c. Cerberus was not then put to death at the request of Theseus Notwithstanding Hercules bound his handes behind his backe and after he made him arise and tooke him by the beard and made him go vpon high on the rocke and there he laid him downe and bound his féete his hands and his necke togither in such wise that he might not nor durst not remooue When he had done so he went downe and entred into the gate of hell and leauing there Theseus hée went so farre that he found the pallace of King Pluto and there came into the same hall where Pluto was with Proserpina All they that were there maruayled at him when they saw him entred for they knew nothing of the ouercomming of Cerberus as they that left all the charge and keeping of their Citie to Cerberus without hauing any doubt or suspition and also they were so farre from the gate that they might not heare of the battaile nor knewe nothing what was befall to their porter Then when Hercules had founde Pluto and Proserpina hee had great ioy and knew by tokens and markes of them there béeing that it was hée he addressed him to Pluto and sayd Pluto by thy malice Sicil is now all full of wéeping and of teares for the rauishing of this Ladie which thou hast not willed to yéeld and render againe to her husband Orpheus I wote not what pleasure thou hast therein but I will say to thée that thou shalt receyue great displeasure in following the euill aduenture of Cerberus whom I haue vanquished and ouercome c. With these words Hercules lift vp his club and gaue such a stroke to Pluto that he ouerthrew him to the earth so that he moued neither hand nor foote When he had so beaten Pluto thinking that he had béene dead hée assayled all them that were there that made any murmur and put them all to death lightly with his club in the presence of Proserpina which trembled for feare Then he comforted Proserpina and sayd to her that he was come vnto that place for to deliuer her and for to bring her again to her mother and that she shuld boldly follow him Proserpina assured and resolued was comforted with these words of Hercules and followed him Hercules opened the hall and went out and Proserpina with him After he addressed him vnto the gate of the Pallace and it happened to him that he found there a right great companye of Cittizens that were aduertysed of this affray and they ran vpoÌ„ him vnmeasurably pursuing him to death When Hercules sawe that he willed Proserpina that she should get her a part After that he enhaunsed and lifted vp his club and began to skirmish with his enimies right vertuously and by so high prowesse that he couered all the entry of the Pallace with these miserable tyrauntes that he flewe smote downe and all forfrushed them and put to death more then foure hundred Finally he wrought so that the other fled and gaue it ouer and then when he saw his euil willers dead and scattered he tooke Proserpina by the hand and lead her out of the gate of
our aduersaries let vs now defend the port Auenge we our bloud auenge we our sorrow auenge we our damage it must needes be done c. In the meane while that Gerion encouraged thus his folke Hercules and his companie rowed so nigh the port that they were come to strokes smiting The Hesperiens cast vpon Hercules then round stones dartes with sharp yrons on the end speares and swordes Against this the Greekes tooke their shieldes and couered them and put them in deuoire for to winne the port But the casting of the Hesperiens was so mortall that it constrained their enemies to abide and not approche the porte They had at this port great aboundance of stones The Hesperiens kept well the entry more then three houres so that the Greeks coulde finde no way nor meane to remedy it At the end of three houres Hercules right sorrowfull to see his men troubled so thought he would enter into a little boat and aduenture himselfe alone to win the port Then he that doubted no stroke of any mortall man entered into the little boate and steared it himselfe with helpe of the winde which he had at his aduauntage and hoised vp the saile and putting all in aduenture as fast as he might he brought the boate vnto the port whither hee came by his hardinesse But this was at such time as he receiued more then a thousand strokes with stones and that his saile that stood ouer end by force of the winde was smitten full of holes and the cordes broken and the mast ouerthrowne and the boate well nigh filled with stones Notwithstanding all these thinges Hercules ceassed not at all from his enterprise but through he passed by al the strokes of his enemies He laboured so that hee tooke land and that he thrust himselfe among the Hesperiens and there he began to smite with his clubbe on the right side and on the left side endlong and ouerthwart with such aboundance of prowesse that all the place was red with their bloud and with their braines Theseus and Hispan and fiftie of the Greekes best armed by the example of Hercules tooke a light boat and aduentured themselues to winne the porte Hercules was euen at the mouth of the porte he saw Theseus come and for to make him haue passage he ran hither and thither and did so great hurt to the Hesperiens that without great danger they tooke land and sprang out of the boate Then was the assault hote and furious Gerion came to the landing of Theseus and fully three hundred of his men that followed him All they smote and layd vpon the Greeks and of the fiftie they slew ten When Theseus and Hispan saw that their heartes began to swell They encouraged themselues and piersed the assembly of Gerion and against one man that was slaine of theirs they slew fiftie of the Hesperians And there they vsed so their prowesses that they did there the greatest marueiles of the world by armes Gerion died for sorrow that he might not come to haue his will on the Gréekes hee and his men were eager as Tygres that had béene famished The Gréekes were very mighty and strong as Elephants their strokes were great they doubted neither death nor sworde but put all in aduenture The battell was strong and the Gréekes receiued many a wound alway Theseus and Hispan by their marueilous prowesses saued them from the death and made passage thorow a great prease where Hercules was Hercules that left not to smite was very glad when he saw Theseus and Hispan and their forty companions Their comming cost Gerion the death of a thousand men more for Hercules for to encourage his men and for to be to them an example of well doing he added to his déeds strength vpon strength and prowesse vpon prowesse confounding his enemies so dreadfully and terribly drawing them toward the sea that they that saw him wished that they had bin in their mothers wombs and in flying they were in such haste so distressed that they beat ech other into the sea and so they slew ech other themselues Then was Gerion smitten to the heart with great ire medled with impatience so hee put himselfe in the prease and smote not only vpon Hercules but also vpon the companions of Theseus he smote the first man vpon the helm so that he cleft his head vnto the téeth After he assailed another and bare him to the earth so astonied that he wist not where he was Consequently he made there a great assault suddenly on the Gréekes so that he died his sword with their bloud and that the Gréekes were constrained to make a huge great crie for to haue succours At this season the Gréeks that were left in the gallies entred into the port and tooke land easily When Hercules and his folke heard the crie that his men made he ran thither to the assault and made about them a newe noise great pitious Gerion knew anon that the noise came because of Hercules For he saw him come and smite in the thickest of the prease for to saue himselfe then he called to his folke and chéered them in encouraging and had there so great mishap that for one stroke that Hercules gaue him with his club by chance he was constrained to depart from the prease to withdraw him apart with them that were weary for to take his breath Gerion afterward fought to his extremitie and casting so his eies vppon the skirmish and fighting he saw the Greeks vpon the port prouiding them vnto the battaile After he saw how they put many of his men to the worst and that hee might not resist it al his losses came before his eyes and then he began to sigh and said with a dolorous heart alas what is the mutabilitie of fortune Flattering fortune what hast thou thought All the honor that thou hast giuen me here before redound now to my shame since thou hast sent and parted to me so many goodes wherefore hast thou sent to me Hercules this is the enemy of all my glory noâ—e queÌ„ched He from a shining hath brought me vnto a name all full of darknes At least if thou hast giuen him sufficient let him not come after me with his horrible deedes All my veines be replenished with furies my heart murdereth it selfe boyling with ire O what great mishap is this since it must needes be that I shal be vnfortunate I will verily die of the club that I haue seene my brother die with or I will take vengeance Gerion all out of his wit with these wordes put him in the prease crying Gerion Gerion for to make his men to courage theÌ„selues Thus crying seeking Hercules he put to death many Gréeks he was al furious so as his sword was died with the blood of his enemies In the end he came vnto Hercules with his sword so died he smote him sore Hercules was weary for without ceassing hee abode
came betime hee did cause to clothe her and array her the most honourably that he might and made her to sit vpon a Palfrey richly arraied and decked and so did hee other prisoners each after his degree and after hee went to horse backe himselfe and Doyphebus his brother Eneas Anthenor and Polydamus with a great company of noble men and accompanied the queene Helene and departed from Tnedon and went to Troy ward And there came against them without the town the king Priamus with a great company of noble men and receiued his children and his friendes with great ioy and after came to Helene and bowed rightly swéetly to her and did to her great ioy and worship And when they came nigh the citie they sound great store of people glad of their comming with many sortes of instrumentes of Musicke and in such ioy came vnto the Pallace of king Priamus and hee himselfe lighted downe and holpe Helene downe from her palfrey and â—â—d her by the hand vnto the Hall and there they made right great ioy all the night throughout all the Citie for these tidinges And then when it came vnto the morrow Paris by the agreement and consent of his father tooke Helene to his wife and wedded her in the temple of Pallace and therefore the feast was lengthened throughout all the citie and there was ioy that endured yet after eight dayes whole c. When Cassandra knew for trueth that Paris her brother had wedded Helene she beganne to make great sorrow to cry bray as a woman out of her wit said thus O vnhappy Troyans wherefore reioyce yee of the wedding of Paris whereof so many euils shall come and follow And wherefore sée not yee the death of your selues and of your sonnes that shal be slaine before your eyes and their husbandes before their wiues with great sorrow Ha ha noble citie of Troy how shalt thou bée destroied and put to nought Ha ha vnhappy mothers what sorrow shall ye see when yeé shall sée your little children taken and dismembred before you Ha ha Hecuba caitife and vnhappie where shalt thou take the water that thou shalt wéep for the death of thy children Ha ha people blinde and foolish why send not yée incontinent Helene home againe and yéeld her vnto her right husband before that the swordes of your enemies come and flea you with great sorrow Wéene ye that this prince the husband of Helene wil dwel at home without greeuous vengeance Certes that shal be your dolorous destruction and end Ha ha vnhappy Helene thou shalt doe vs much sorrow As Cassandra spake and cried thus with high voice and with great sorrow the king Priamus knewe it and did her to be taken prisoner and sent to her and did pray her that she would ceasse but shee would not And then hee commaunded that shee should bee fast shut in prison and in yrons where shée was kept many daies O what pitie was it that the Troyans beleeued not this warning and admonition For if they had beleeued it they hadde eschewed the right great enâ—â— that came after vnto them which shall bee tolde in tables and made plaine and manfest to them that will heare them vnto the ende of the worlde c. CHAP. III. How Menelaus was sore troubled for the rauishing of Helene his wife And how Castor and Pollux brethren of her pursued Paris in the sea and of their death and of the condition and maner of the Lordes as well Greekes as Troyans AS these thinges were done as is saide Menelaus that soiourned at Epyre with the Duke Nestor heard tell the trueth of the prise and taking of his wife and of his people whereat he was sore angry and much abashed and was so greeeued and sorrowfull that he fell to the ground in a sownd And then when he was come to himselfe againe hee beganne sore to complaine him and make the greatest sorrowe of the world And aboue all other thinges he was most sorie for his wife and bewailed her beautie and her solace and might by no way bee comforted When the duke Nestor heard say thereof hee came to him hastily and comforted him the most best wise he could for hee loued him with great loue But Menelaus could not leaue his sorrow but tooke his way vnto his countrey and the duke Nestor brought him on his way with a great compane of noble men He sent vnto the king Agamemnon his brother that he shoulde come and speake with him And also he sent vnto Castor Pollux the brothers of Helene that they shuld come also to him And anon as they had heard the message they came vnto him When Agamenon sawe his brother make such sorrow and heauinesse he said to him ah my brother wherefore hast thou such sorrow suppose that the cause be iust yet a wise man ought not to shew such semblance outward it causeth his friendes to be sorrowfull and his enemies to bee ioyous And therefore faine thy sorrow and alay thy rage and make semblance as though thou regardest nothing this that is befallen for by weeping nor by vsing of sorrowe thou maiest neuer come to honour nor vengeance but onely by the force of the naked sword thou shalt therfore awake thy courage and so shalt thou take reuenge of the harmes that bée done to thee Thou knowest what puissance we haue and what helpers and ayders we shall finde for to auenge vs for this iniury toucheth all the kinges and princes of Greece and assoone as wee shall require them of helpe there shall not be one but hee will helpe vs with all his power and then wee will go with great puissance before Troy and will slea our enemies and doe what wee list and wil destroy the Citie And if it happen that we may take Paris that is actor of these hurtes and illes we wil hang him and make him die an euill death Cease then thy sorrow and let vs make to be knowne to al the kings and princes of Greece this iniury and require them that they will helpe for to take vengeance Then was Menelaus recomforted with the wordes of his brother and anon they sent their letters vnto all the barons of Greece and at their sending they came all first Achilles Patroclus Diomedes and many other And assoone as they knew wherefore they were sent for they said that they would go to Troy with all their strength for to auenge this shame and recouer Helene So they chose them Agemenon chiefe and Prince of their hoste as he that was wise and prudent and of good councell Nowe it happened that the king Castor and the king Pollux that were brethren of the Queene Helene as soon as they heard say that their sister was rauished they entred into their shippes and went after the Troyans with a great company of men of armes for to see if they might recouer her On the third day that they were on the sea there rose so
Hector encountred the king Agamemnon beate him and wounded him sore And then Achilles assayled Hector and gaue him so many strokes that he brake his helme Then Eneas and Troylus came to the rescue of Hector and Diomedes came vppon that who addressed him to Eneas and beat him and sayd to him in mockery Ha ha good counseller that gauest counsell to thy king to offend and grieue me know thou for trueth that if thou come oft into these battels and that I may méete with thée thou shalt not escape without death Among these things Hector assailed Achilles and gaue to him so many strokes that hee all to frushed and brake his helme and wéened to haue taken him but the sonne of Guideus ranne vpon Hector and gaue him so great a stroke with his sword that he did hurt him very sore And Hector in his ire encountred Diomedes and gaue him so great a stroke that he beat him downe to the ground Then Troylus alighted and descended downe for to fight with Diomedes on foote but Diomedes defended himselfe so valiantly that was marueile And beside them fought together Hector and Achilles Then came to the skirmish all the kings and princes of Gréece with a great company of men of armes and from the partie of the Troyans came all the Barons that were come for to ayde them There beganne marueilously the battell The king Agamemnon and the king Pandolus fought together the king Menelaus encountred Paris and they knew ech other well and Menelaus smote him so hard with his speare that he gaue gim a great wound and smote him downe whereof Paris was all ashamed Vlisses beat the king Arastous and tooke his horse that was very good and sent it to his tent Polimites assayled Huppon the ancient and slew him Neoptolemus the king Archilogus fought together Polidamas beat Palamedes and wounded him very sore and after mocked him by reproch The king Selenus and the king Carras encountred together and Carras was sore beaten and wounded Philomenus beat Anthenor Philoteas and the king Remus fought together The king Thesus and the king Enrialus fought together and both were sore hurt And the bastards of king Priamus did marueiles and slew mane Gréeks and hurt many kings The king Thelamon and the king Sarpedon iousted so sore the one against the other that they fell both sore hurt and all astonied of the anguish that they had The king Thoas and Achilles that were cousins assailed Hector and gaue him many strokes and drew off his helme from his head and hurt him in many places and Hector gaue to him so great a stroke with his sword that he cut off halfe his nose To the rescue of Hector came his bastard brethren that slew many of the Gréekes and tooke the king Thoas and wounded and beat the king Agamemnon in such wise that he was borne to his tent as dead and the king Thoas was lead prisoner to Troy Menelaus indeuoured to grieue Paris and Paris shot at him an arrow enuenimed and wounded him in such wise that hee was borne into his tent and assoone as Menelaus had bound vp his wounds he came again to the battell for to assaile Paris if he had found him and he found him and assailed him but Eneas put himselfe betwéene them both forasmuch as Paris was vnarmed and not able to preuent him and so Eneas lead him into the citie to the end that Menelaus shoulde not slay him Then Hector assailed Menelaus wéened to haue taken him but there came to the rescue great plentie of chiualrie of the Greekes wherefore Hector might not come to his intent And then hee thrust in and smote among the other and did so much with helpe of his folke that the Greeks fled And then the night came on that made the battell to cease CHAP. XIIII ¶ How Priamus would that the king Thoas that was prisoner should haue beene hanged and how they returned to the fift battell in the which Hector slewe with his hands three kings and how Diomedes slew the Sagittary c. WHen it came on the morrow betimes the king Priamus would not that they should fight that day but sent for his councell that is to witts Hector Paris Troylus and Deiphebus Eneas Anthenor and Polidamas and sayde vnto them Ye know how wee holde prisoner the king Thoas that without any euill that wee haue deserued is come for to destroy vs and therefore mee thinketh good that wee make him die an euill death What say ye thereto Ha sir sayd Eneas the gods forbidde that your nobles should do such a villanie since it is so that the king Thoas is one of the most noble kings of Gréece for that it might happen that the Gréekes might take one of ours to whome they might do in semblable wise whereof ye might take the greatest griefe and sorrow in the worlde So then it is better as mee thinketh that yee keepe right well and safe the king Thoas without misdoing vnto him that if by fortune one of ours were taken wee might make an exchange and take the one for the other This counsell séemed good and pleasing to Hector but the king Priamus sayd vnto them Yet if ye doe thus it shall séeme to the Gréekes that we doubt them and that wee dare not put their folke to death notwithstanding I will doe by your counsell This counsell finished Eneas tooke Troylus and Anthenor and went to see Helene whome they found in the great hall of Ilyon with the Queene Hecuba and many other noble Ladies where she made great sorrow and they supposed then to haue comforted her and so did the Quéene Hecuba that sayd to her that she should take no thought nor sorrowe and that they of the Citie should well defend them Among these things the Gréekes complained verie sore of the death of their friendes that the Troyans slew thus and held themselues very children that they had put themselues in such danger wherefrom they had wel passed and béene deliuered if they had had good counsell and yet it happened that same night that there came so great a winde and so great a raine that their Tents were all turned vpside downe to the earth and it séemed that the world shoulde haue ended by the great storme whereat her sorrow was doubled When it came to the morning that the tempest was passed they armed themselues all thorowout the hoste and went against the Troyans that then were issued to battell Achilles addressed himselfe first to Hupon that was great as a Giant and was king of Larissa and hee smote him so sore with a speare in the breast that hee slewe him and bare him downe to the earth Hector slew in his comming the king Anthomeus Diomedes slewe the king Antipus Then the king Epistropus and the king Cedus assailed Hector and Epistropus iousted against Hector and brake his speare vpon him and sayde vnto him many villanous wordes whereat Hector
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
and I trow there is not left one at home of the men of Troy but that euery man is come to the battell and therefore if it please you now whiles that the Troyans be wearie to come to the battell ye shall get to you perpetuall memorie of worship and of glorie For by your prowesse you shal in little space haue all vanquished theÌ„ and they shall not dare to defend themselues against you they be so wearie Neuer would Achilles for the words of his varlet nor for the death of Ebes change his courage but dissembled all that he had seene heard for the great loue that he had to Polixene During these things the battell was right sharpe and endured vnto the night to the great damage of the Gréeks and the night parted them yet was not Deiphebus dead but hee drewe towardes his ende and when Paris and Troylus saw him in that sorrow they began to cry and make great sorrow And then Deyphebus opened a little his eies and demaunded of Paris with a féeble voice if he were dead that had slaine him And Paris saide to him yea Then Deyphebus did cause to drawe out the head of the speare with the truncheon and anon died Wherefore the Troyans made great sorrowe It is no néed to hold long talke of the sorrow that the king Priamus his father made nor his wife and his sister for it was too much and also for the death of the king Sarpedon Of the other partie the Greekes made great sorrow for the death of Palamedes and made his body to be buried worshipfully And as they that might not bee long without an head and gouernour by the counsell of the duke Nestor and of other Agamemnon was set againe in his dignitie as he was before The day following the Troyans early in the morning issued out of the citie in good order and the Greekes came against them Then began the battell mortall and there was great slaughter on both sides but it rained so much that day that the Greekes withdrew them to their Tentes and the Troyans followed after them but the raine was so great that they must needes leaue the battell and returne to their citie On the morrow betimes they began to fight and flew that day many barons of the Greekes and fought till the euen and so they fought the space of seuen daies continually where was great slaughter of the one and of the other And forasmuch as the Greekes might not suffer the stenche of the dead bodies they demaunded truce for two monethes which were graunted to them by king Priamus During this truce the king Agamemnon sent the duke Nestor Vlisses and Diomedes to speake to Achilles for to pray him and will him to come to the hoste for to defend theÌ„ against the Troyans that slew them maruellously When they were come vnto him he receiued them with great ioy And then Vlisses said vnto him Sir Achilles was it not by your agreement and also ours all this host to leaue our countrey and a ow yeare come running vpon king Priamus and haue destroyed him and his by force of armes do beat downe his â—itie From whence commeth this courage after so many hurts and damages as we haue receiued in this land by the Troyans that haue slaine so many kings and pâ—intes pilled and robbed our tents and burnt our shippes and we were now in hope to haue vanquished them alter that ye by your force and valour haue slaine Hector that was the true defender of the Troyans and also now that Deiphebus is dead the Troyans be there with put â—nder foot and after this day when ye haue gotten with great trauell to great worship and so good renowme will ye nowe loâ—se all at once and suffer your people to be slain â—uelly that ye haue so long defended with the effusion of your bloud Please it you from henceforth to enter â—oute kéepe your good renoume and defend your people that without you may not long defend them against your enemies to the ende that wee may come to the victorie by your prowesse by the which we hope to atteine and come to it Sir Vlisses sayde Achilles if wee be come into this land for these causes that ye haue declared wee may say that great folly was among vs that for the wife of one of vs that is to wit of sir Menelaus so many kings and so high princes bee put in perill of death Had it not béene much more wisedome for the noble Palamedes to haue abider in peace in his countrey then for to be slain here and other kings and princes in like maner Certes as the most great part of the world of noble menne be héere how assembled if they die here as many be already dead it must needes follow that the countreys shall be replenished and gouerned by villaines Hector that was so noble and so worthy is he not dead in like wise I may die shortly that am not so strong as he was And therfore in as much as ye require me to goe to battell so much paine and labour loose yee for I haue no more intention to put me any more in daunger and loue better to loose my renowme then my life for in the end there is no prowesse but it will be forgotten Nestor and Diomedes contended enough to drawe Achilles to their quarrels but they might neuer induce him to their purpose nor the wordes of Agamemnon neither And then he sayd to them that they shoulde make peace with the Troyans before that they were all slaine c. Then returned these thrée princes vnto Agamemnon and sayde to him all that they had found in Achilles and Agamemnon made it to bee knowen to the princes of the host whom he had assembled for this cause and demaunded of them their aduice Then stood vp Menelaus saying that it would be to vs now great shame to séeke peace with the Troyans since that Hector and Deiphebus bee dead and slaine and that by their death the Troyans repute them as vanquished and that without Achilles they shoulde well mainteine the warre against the Troyans To that answered Vlisses and Nestor and sayde that it was not maruell though Menelaus desired the warre for affection to recouer his wife and that Troy was not so disgarnished but that they had a newe Hector that was Troylus who was little lesse strong and woorthy then Hector And there was also another Deiphebus and that was Paris whom wee ought to doubt as much as the other and therefore they counselled the peace and to returne home againe to Gréece Then cried the false traitour Calcas which was traitour to the Troyans and sayd Ha noble men what thinke yee to doe against the commaundement of the gods haue not they promised to you the victory and will ye now leaue it Certes that should be great folly take againe courage to you fight ye against the Troyans more strongly then ye haue done
that my sonne be borne a liue certaine he shall be put to death for it is better that he die a childe then he should waxe a man and waxe rebell against me and enhaunce himself aboue me by his malice insurrection or otherwise In this will and resolution this sorrowful Saturne returned into his house continuing in this estate and sorrowfull sighs melancholious fantasies in such wise that Cibel durst not come into his presence nor could not get of him a ioyous sight wherefore he got him a surname of sorrow and was named Saturne the triste or sorrowfull And it was so that when he had bin in his house a certain space and saw the day approch that his wife should be deliuered of child for to execute his sorowful courage he called his wife and said Dame it is so apparant that shortly thou shalt be deliuered of the fruit of thy wombe if thou be deliuered of a sonne I commaund thée vpon pain of death that thou slea him and that thou send me his heart And when Cibell heard these wordes and this rigorous and vnnaturall violence and will anon she fell to the ground in a sowne for her legs failed her And in the reléeuing of the sowne shee knéeled before the féete of Saturne and said on this wise Sir hast thou no shame that wilt bee husband of a woman murdering her owne child I thée require of mercy and grace beséeching thée to haue regard that I am thy wife and haue the heart of a woman and not of a tyrant or a murtherer Dame answered Saturne require me no more of things touching this matter it is iudged by a foreséene and counterpeysed sentence that if thou haue a son he shall bee dead for I haue promised and sworne so to my brother Titan and aboue this I haue answere of the god Apollo that in thy wombe is a sonne that shall cast me out of this realme and therefore sée that at his birth he be dead as deare as thou louest thy life and also as I haue said send me his heart medled with wine that I may drinke it And how sir answered Cibell knowest thou not that I am a woman and by proper and singular inclination I haue a verie loue to small children and must giue them to eate and suck O wéenest thou that I haue an heart so hard as for to foile my hands with the blood of my son I pray and require thée to reuoke thy sentence and be pitious to thy wife and generation Thou art wise after the iudgement of thy people In this partie thou shewest thy selfe not good for by thy oath thou art not bounden nor holden to slea thy sonne séeing it is truth that all oathes made agaynst good maners ought not to be holden For to slea thy sonne it is a villaine case contrarie to honour reason pittie equitie and iustice It is sinne against nature agaynst vertue and against all good maners Then thy oath for to slea thy sonne is nought and thou oughtest anull it thou art king and that vpon paine of death forviddest thy people to make murther or homicide By this thou that art myrrour example to other oughtest to be content and appease thy selfe And me séemeth on that other side that thou interpretest and construest euill the sentence of god Apollo saying that I haue in my wombe a sonne that shall put thée out of thy kingdome For by this it ought to be vnderstand that the sonne that I beare shall ouerliue thée and put thée so out of thy kingdome that is to say into thy Sepulchre the day that thou shalt depart out of this worlde And if this may not appease thée if it so happen that I haue a sonne thou maist do him to be kept in a strong Tower and there to set such warde vpon him that he shall neuer bee of power to enhaunce himselfe against thée Saturn had then the heart passing great that for semblable compassion Vesca the mother Cibell and Ceres wept and gaue out great plentie of teares and in like wise all the assistants that were in the place wept out of measure aboundantly yet neuerthelesse it might not soft nor attemper the hard commaundement of king Saturne But in conclusion he sayd to Cibell that she should no more procure the respite of the life of his son but he should be dead and she also with him if she did not his commaundement With sorrowfull conclusion Cibell departed from thence all in a traunce halfe dead and casting abroade her armes and hands with great excesse of teares that ran like a riuer from her tender eyen entred into a Tower her mother that desolate Ladie following her She being in her chamber for frushed and all distempered with sorrow began to trauell anon was deliuered of a daughter and of a son The daughter was borne before the sonne and was sent by Ceres and borne to nourish into the Citie of Parthenie and was named Iuno and the son began to laugh at comming out of his mothers wombe and was named Iupiter When Cibell and Vesca sawe the childe laugh their teares began to grow double and they had not taken great regard and héed to the child what time Cibell all angrie and corrupt with wanhope with a sigh and féeble spirite said to her mother Ha my mother what pitious case shall this bée now giue me a sharpe cutting knife and I shall murther my sonne by vnnaturall errour against my will And after this villainous déed for my absolution of the great sinne I shall murther my selfe also And this is my full purpose for after so cruell a déede and worke notwithstanding any excusation I neuer will longer liue The mother of Cibell was then al bewept and greatly dismaid when she heard the aire of the tender mouth of her daughter redound in her eares of so hard a crueltie she being all afraid said to her my daughter what thinkst thou to do art thou enraged out of thy wit or foolish My mother answered Cibell yea verily I am verily as you say enraged out of my wit and foolish and yet more I am furious woode Make me no longer to languish Giue me the cursed mortall knife forged in an euill houre for of force I must obey the king Saturne your right welbeloued sonne my right redoubted husband that hath commandement ouer me and will shamefully put me to death if I accomplish not and fulfill his commaundement in the death of his sonne which he hath charged me to slea Anon as Vesca considered that her daughter sayd and in the errour that she was in she tooke the child that was in her armes and plucked it from her by force and alway the childe laughed When Cibell sawe her sonne in the armes of her mother as a woman enraged and out of her wit shée began to crie that she should slea the childe or giue it her againe or else she would arise out of her bed
and go and complaine to king Saturne After these wordes Vesca deliuered the child to a Damosell of the house that onely was there with them and bade her that she should go slea the childe in the presence of Saturne or in some other place out of theyr sight the poore damosell excused her and Vesca gaue her in commandement and charged her with great menaces that she should go forth and take the child and the knife and â—â—ea it And so by the commaundement of these two Ladyes shee tooke the knife many times put it to the throte of the childe for to cut it asunder and alway the noble childe laughed at the knife And when the damosell saw this that it was innonocent she might not find in her heart to do it any harme In this sorrow and and in this pain and vexation Vesca Cibel and the damosell were a long time Now they iudged him to death and put the knife to his throte and suddainly the Damosell reuoked it and sware that she would neuer be persecutresse of one to fayre a childe And thus they began all thrée to wéepe and sobbe bewailing the childe by so great affection that it was pitie to heare After this when they had long wept and sobbed and bewayled the tender wéeping and paine of Cibell they beganne a little to pacifie their hearts and began to returne to motherly pitie Cibell called her that held the child and required her pitiously that she would giue her her sonne to kisse and hold in her armes promising that she would do him no harme The Damosell that wist not what should fall deliuered her her tender childe and then when Cibell beheld her childe with her face all bewept and all distempered with teares she kissed his laughing mouth more then an C. times came againe to her nature knowledging her sinne and began to say My child I had bin well infortunate if I had taken thy life from thée I haue coÌ„tended thy death my right swéete sonne alas shall I persecute thée after the will of thy father king Saturne It is his commandement and I owe him obeysaunce if I obey the culpe and sin is due to him If I obey not I make my selfe culpable of death Ah what is this shalt thou die by my handes by the hands of thy proper mother Hâ— shall thy mother be thy mâ—â—tyrer Shall thy mother be thine enemie and bitter mortal aduersarie for doubt of death I wote not what to say but wil I or will I not thou art my sonne Euery mother loueth her childe how may I hate thée It is much better that I tie then thou I haue liued long though and thou art nowe 〈◊〉 borne Verily thou shalt not â—â—s at this time I shall saue thy life or I shall die for thy health requiring the gods mercie for the euill will that I had against thée CHAP. IIII. ¶ How Saturn had commaunded to slea Iupiter that was new borne and how his mother Cibell sent him to king Meliseus where he was nourished THe right sorrowfull Ladie after this came better to hir selfe and tooke heart to heâ— and kissed her child that alway laughed And Vesca beheld her countenance all new and sate downe on the bed side where her daughter lay There they two began to speake togither of Saturn of the fortune of this childe and that hee had béene in great aduenture and promised the one vnto the other that they would saue the childe vnto their power After this promise in the ende of diuerse purposes they concluded to send this child secretly vnto the two daughters of king Melliseus the which Vesca had nourished in her yong age Of these two daughters the one was named Almachee and the other Mellisee This conclusion fully finished and taken Vesca lapped and wound the childe as it ought to be and deliuered it vnto a damosell being there present with all things gaue her charge to bear it secretly to Almachee Mellisee The good damosel enterprised the said charge and departed out of Crete with the child at al aduenture so worshipfully guided her that she brought the child liuing in safetie to the citie of Oson which she presented to Almachee and Mellisee rehearsing how Vesca had sent him to them for the great loue and trust that she had in them and how Saturn had commaunded that his mother should flea it Anone as these two damosels sawe the childe and vnderstoode how Saturne had iudged it to death they receyued it with pitie and in fauour of Vesca promised to nourish it in the secretest and best wise that they mought And forthwith the same houre they bare the childe vnto a mountaine that was nigh to the Citie wherein dwelled their nourse in a déepe hole of a caue which was richly entailed and carued with Chisell and other diuerse instruments And then they sent againe the Damosell that brought the child into Crete In this maner was the life of the childe saued Almachee and Mellise nourished the child with the milk of a goat Fortune was to him more propice and helping theÌ„ nature What shall I say in the beginning when he was put in the caue as his nurse on a day sawe him wéepe and crie by his proper inclination of chilhoode because hee should not be heard they tooke Trumpets Timpanes and nimbals and made them to sownd so greatly that a great multitude of Bées fléeing about the mountaine heard their sound and with this sownd entred into the caue and tooke an hole by the childe flying about him without any greefe or harme doing to the childe and yet more they made there honie whereof the childe did eate and was nourished from thence forth which was a maruailous thing And for to atchieue the matter beginning at the damosell that had borne this childe thither when she came againe shee rehearsed to dame Cibell and Vesca all her dooing and worke and gaue them a right great comfort touching the childe Then the two Ladies by méere deliberatioÌ„ tooke an Abest which is a precious stone and brayed it into pouder and after that they mingled it with wine in a cup of gold and dame Vesca bare it to her son Saturne and she abounding in bitter teares all bewept said vnto him My sonne thy wife hath sent to thée this drinke know thou verely that she this day hath rendred and yéelden the fruit of her wombe a son and a daughter she hath sent the daughter to nourish in the Citie of Parthenie but in the obeying of thy straight commandemeÌ„t we haue defeated thy son and put him to death Of whom the body the flesh and the little tender bones be now turned into ashes she hath sent here to thee the right noble hart tempred in wine which I present to thée to the end that thou do thy pleasure and be no more in doubt by thy son to be put out of the realme Anon as Saturne
pleasure Then Saturne gaue the aunswere to the Messenger of Titan and sayde vnto him if Titan returned not within two houres that hee would come and take the battell agaynst him With this aunswere the Messenger returned to Titan and tolde him the intention of Saturne Titan swore then that hee woulde neuer turne backewarde till hee had attended and abiden the battaile Saturne was a man of great valour and hie will When the Messenger of Titan was departed hee made sownd to Armes at which sownd the young and olde armed them and made them readie What shall I make long processe in short tyme they were readie at the poynt and when Saturne sawe that his enemyes made no semblance to mooue hee went and ascended into his Chayre for in this tyme the Kings went to battaile in Chayres After hée issued out of his Cittie and raunged his people about him and anon after hee caused them to march agaynst his brother Titan c. As soone as the Titanoys saw the Saturniens come they were right glad and made themselues the greatest chéere of the world and moued themselues ioyously against them and with a great crie they had great shéelds of trée maces pollares and guisarmes of strange fashions and they were all on foote except Titan and his sons which as kings had their Curres and Chayres in which they were brought and carryed not by the force of horse but by the puissaunce of men They approched so nigh that they came to fighting and began to fall to worke then the archers of king Saturne began to draw and shoote and made the Tytanoys to stay and stand as long as their shot dured and slew and hurt many of them When the shot failed the Tytanoys that had great sorrow for to be so serued of the Saturnyens ordered themselues again and swore the one to the other that they wold be auenged and came forth and fought hand to hand in which they bestirred them so eagerly that for the noyse and dinne that their axes and guisarmes smote vppon their shieldes it séemed as it had béene thunder At the encountering then the battaile was right fell Lichaon Egeon Ceon Tiphon Encheladus were in the first front there was many a shield broken with the weight of clubs and polaxes and many heades broken Ceon and Tiphon at the beginning maintained themselues right valiantly and conducted their folke all within the battaile by the rigour of their strokes insomuch that whom they met of the Saturniens they beate them downe By their well doing they were knowen and doubted of their enemies insomuch that Saturn made his chaire to be led out of the way for the great bruit and noyse that they made about him There was great effusion of bloud for the Tytanoys did what they could to haue endured in their bruit and crie and the Saturniens with Saturne laboured for to abate it and breake it And so the comming of Saturne was cause of prowesse vpon prowesse and and of many one dead and they intended one and other so busily to their worke that the most part of the day they fought so that none might glorie for victorie nor be troubled for discomfiture But in the end when the Tytanoys sawe the sunne decline as couetous of glorie and of worshippe at one crie that Titan made vpon Saturne Lichaon and Egeon with many other enclosed about him he being from his company his chaire broken by force of polaxes and gaue him many wounds and finally they tooke him and brought many of the Saturnyens to death and ouerthrew them in discomfiture And that worse is they were so discouraged when they vnderstoode that Saturne was taken that they lost the vigors and strength of their hearts and the might of their armes turned their backs and fled all so out of order that the Titanoys entred with them into the Citie and tooke it and wanne it without any resistance beating downe the people with great murther of men women and of small children At this time men might sée the Ladies and Matrones of Crete take the dust and cast it into the ayre and runne by the stréetes nowe here and now there all without kerchiefes with theyr haire hanging about their heades casting away their attyre and their little Children crying after them The wise men of the Towne séemed out of their wittes and the Citie was so troubled that they might not be more Among all other Cibell Vesca and Ceres made great sorrow likewise without ceasing for Titan that neuer loued them came then into the pallace and put in prison Saturne and his wife and swore they should neuer depart thence till they had put to death all their sonnes that were come of them And furthermore Titan did cause himselfe to be crowned king of Crete So auailed not the infinite praiers and orisons that Dame Vesca made to Titan in the compassion of her sonne Saturne and of Cibell for theyr deliuerance nor the fayre speaking of Ceres nor the teares mooued of charitie were of no value The more praiers that they made vnto Titan the more found they him vncourteous fellon and hard hearted Hee did execute and put to death all them that helde or were appertaining to the partie of Saturne and by the space of foure dayes vexed and troubled Crete in robbing and shedding the bloud of the Citizens and he persecuted not onely the men but â—o women and children and tooke theyr goods and departes among them that helde on his partie When Vesca sawe all these things happen in the Citie and that her sonne Titan gouerned him so maliciouslie and alway woorse and woorse without any compassion on the people shée came to the prison where Saturne and Cibell were and said to them with a mouth voyding dolorous sighes Alas my children what will ye do What shall become of you How shall ye be saued The land of Crete is not only drowned by the teares and wéeping of your best friendes but with their blood and with the blood of their wiues and children And the heart of Titan is so terrible hard and indured that ye shall die here in miserable paine or ye must put your sonnes to death Since it is so it is better that they be put to death and that ye send to séeke them when for your life is none other remedie The anger of Cibell was right aspre and sharpe to heare the sorrowfull tydings insomuch that her heart fayled so as Saturne and her mother thought she would haue dyed When she was come againe to her selfe she cryed and said Ha my mother what say ye to vs Haue we so great paine for to kéepe our children and that wee should this houre abandon them to the death Shall I vse treason to my children that begin to flourish in right cleare fame That shall neuer be if it please the goddes I had leauer die Iupiter my sonne hath a great name and hath wonne the loue of the Pelagiens
vnto thée all that thou canst or mayst thinke néedfull c. When the noble damosell Danae vnderstoode the will of her father she behelde the Tower of Copper made for to kéepe her shut fast there in And further when she considered that she should neuer marry during the life of her father the king she was sore troubled about these things and by great bitternesse with sorrowfull heart began to wéepe and said Alas my father am I borne vnder so vnhappie a constellation for to be a martyresse and prisoner not in the end of my yeares but in my young time not in a prison of stone or of cement but in a tower of Copper and Latton in such wise as I should dwell therein perpetually Thou interpretest euill the sentence of the God Belus saying that of me shall be borne a sonne that shall turne thée into a stone For by this sentence ought none other thing to be vnderstoode but that I shall haue a sonne that shall raigne after thée and shall turne thée into a stone That is to say that hee shall put thée into thy Sepulchre Beholde then what simplenesse shall it be to thée to beholde me thus enclosed and shut in this Tower My daughter answered Acrisius thou interpretest the Prognostication of our god Belus after that thée lyketh to thy ioy and profite It lyeth me sore on my heart that if thou haue a sonne he shall put me to death and that is my iudgement and feare Gainsay no more me I am thy father Lord and maister ouer thée thou shalt abide here either by loue or otherwise At this conclusion when Danae saw that she might not content her fearefull father as wise and sage as she was she agréed and accorded to do his pleasure yéelding to it with the mouth and not with the heart And then the king sent for virgins and also olde matrones in all the Realme about and deliuered his daughter vnto them for to accompanie serue and kéepe her and made them all to be shut and closed in with her After he tooke his leaue of them commaunding them vpō pain of death that they shuld not suffer any man to come and speake with his daughter without his witting and knowledge When he had thus done he returned into the Citie of Argos and assembled fortie strong women which he gaue wages and pay to and sent them to kéepe the gate and the entrie of the Tower And then spread the renowme of these things in so great a sound and noyse that all Grece was full of the tydings and there was no King ne Prince but that complained the losse of the youth of faire Danae then holden and named the most faire of al the Greekish maidens daughter of the king c. CHAP. XIX ¶ Howe Iupiter in guise of a messenger brought vnto the Tower of Dardan to the Damosels and to Danae many Iewels faigning that he came from Iupiter BY this Tower and by this meane Acrisius thought to ouercome his predestinate misfortune and was well eased that his Daughter was in so sure and safe a place All the world spake of her and of her Tower by compassion they complained her state and it was so much spoken of this cause that Iupiter had his eares full thereof and not onely his eares but also his heart for in hearing the recommendation of the excessiue perfection of this virgine Danae he was amorous of her greatly and desirously assoone as the mariage of him and Iuno had bin consummated And then he began with all his heart to thinke how and when or in what maner he might come to sée this Damosell Danae And so much he thought and studied in this matter that there was none other thing that hée woulde heare of nor no conferences of his men saue only of them that spake of the pryson of Danae And hée spake chéerefullye and talked with all diligence couetting instantly to be with her and that as well in the presence of Iuno as otherwise saying many times that he would that the Gods would giue him grace and power to bring this Damosell Danae out of the Tower c. By this meane and these spéeches Iuno was in doubte and began to feele the first sparkle of ielowsie casting infinite curses and maledictions vpon Danae and vpon all them that had sowen those tidings before her husband This shée shewed not only in couert and in her stomacke but more openly in the presence of her husbande shewing euidently that she had the attaint of ielously This notwithstanding Iupiter was neuerthelesse desirous for to sée Danae more then hée was before The maleditions ne curses might not let ne withdrawe his affections which grewe more and more In the end he found himself so rauished with her loue that there was no more continence found in him To conclude hée deuised intencions and conclusions and purposed to go vnto the guardiens and kéepers of the Damosell Danae and that he would beare vnto them so largely and so many owches of golde and Iewels with money of golde that hée would turne them with his giftes to accorde to him and let him enter into the tower of Danaes Then hée sente for the Iewellers that were woont to serue his father Saturne and made them make the most rich Iewels and Owches that were euer séene or thought When the workmen had made a part Iupiter tooke them and laded him therewith and euill cloathed like as he had béene a seruant he alone departed from Crete and drewe him to Argos the most secretlie that he might and so went and came séeking the Tower of Dardan Which he found in an euening and saw the wals shining and came vnto the gate where he found many of the matrones sitting at the doore for recreation c. When Iupiter was comen he saluted the Matrones and said vnto them Noble dames the good night come to you What Tower is this of so noble and so strong fashion Fayre sonne said the eldest of them ye be not of this Countrey forasmuch as ye knowe not the name of this Tower Know ye certainly that it is named the Tower of Dardain and this is the proper place that the king Acrisius hath caused to make for to keepe his daughter the virgin Danae in which is a Damosell so furnished with all vertues and honourable maners that her like is not in all this world But the poore maid is so much infortunate that her father Acrisius holdeth her in this Tower shut for that he hath an answere of his goddes that of his daughter Danae should bee borne a childe that should turne him into a stone This is cause wherefore we be and kéepe her that no man may conuerse with her in no fashiō And her father is the king Acrisius which is so sore smitten to the heart with iealousie that if he knew of your being here he would sende to destroy you And therefore withdrawe you and go foorth on your way
speake with me It is a small matter for his seruant to speake a word with me The king my father shall neuer know it it is no neede that he know all that shall fall but first shew to him how it is charged you vppon death that no man speake with me And make him promise and sweare that he shall kéepe this matter secret The Damosels and the olde woman ioyous of the answere of the maide went downe from the tower to the gate and finding Iupiter busie to open abroad and vnbinde his iewels the old woman said vnto him Faire sonne the king Iupiter hath found more grace héere in this place anenst the maide Danaes then all the men in the world Neuerthelesse ye must know that vpon paine of death it is to you forbidddn and to other by vs And wee be also charged vppon the same paine by the King Arcrisius that wée shall let no man liuing speake with her The commandement of the king is so great and your request is not little Certes we dare not bring you vnto her al thing considered For if it were knowen without faile we should be all put into the fire And peraduenture if ye were found héere within by the king that cometh often times hither he would put you to death Wherfore we pray you excuse vs against your maister At hearing of this answere Iupiter founde not that hee sought and then hee helde him more néere in dispaire then he did in hope but he remembred that a begger shuld not go away for once warning said vnto the old woman to the beginning of her answere Dame ye do wel if ye feare and dread the king which is to me no meruaile Yet his commaundement is not so strait but that ye may enlarge it if ye will he hath commanded that none shal speake with her The king Iupiter requireth that his seruant may saye to her certaine things in secrete touching her honour ye shall do that pleaseth you but in truth if ye accorde him his request the accord shall not be preiudiciall to you in anye thing For the king Iupiter is no pratler and knoweth so much of the worlde that vnto you he hadde not sent me if he hadde not founde me secrete And thus if ye will doo to him anye pleasure ye haue none excusacion reasonable None knoweth heereof but you and I. If I speake vnto the mayde by your consent who shall accuse vs it shall not be ye for that the matter toucheth you And it shall not be I nor the King Iupiter for certainly we had leuer die in sorrowfull death and also abide in greeuous payne c. Faire sonne answered the old woman ye speake so swéetely that we may not nor can giue vnto you the refuse of your request We dare well affye and trust in you Alas dame answered Iupiter doubt you When I shall fault against you or any other I wish to be smitten with the thunder and tempest I would verily that ye had the prerogatiue to know my inward thoughtes to the end that in iudging of my mind yee might be assured of mee not to haue by my cause any inconuenience With these words Iupiter drew to his will the olde woman and all the Damosels as well by his subtil language as by his riches For to vse short processe the olde woman accorded to Iupiter that he shall haue the grace to speake with the mayde and brought him before her with all his presents Iupiter had then more ioy then I can write And when he was thus aboue in the towre of Dardane in beholding the ample beauty of Danae his ioy doubled and he knew her well by her beautie and made vnto her reuerence saying Right noble accomplished damosell the king Iupiter saluteth you by me and sendeth vnto the women of this house of such goddes as fortune hath giuen to him if it be your pleasure they shall receiue them and after I will saye vnto you certayn things secrete which the king Iupiter your seruaunt hath charged me to faye vnto you My fréende answered Danae sauing your honour the King Iupiter is not my seruaunt but I my selfe am beholden to him and am his seruant and thanke him of his bounty it séemeth as he had reygned golde in this place It is acceptable to me that the women of this tower haue your presents And it pleaseth me well also to heare your charge to the ende that King Iupiter should not say that I were vnkinde c. The matrons and the Damosels were present at this answer Iupiter deliuered vnto them his Iewels which they receyued with great galdnes After that Danae tooke the messenger by the hand and led him a parte vnto the beddes side where she made him to leane by her And then when Iupiter founde himselfe all alone with Danae he sayde vnto her right noble Damosell I no more call you Damosell but Lady For ye are my lady and my only mystres which haue maystred mine heart and also haue ouercome me vnder the sownd and bruit of your glorious reports name For to aduertise you verily I am Iupiter of whome now I haue spoken to you at the presentation of the iewels and it is truth that it is not long fithen when I was in my Realme for to heare reported the maner how your Father helde you shutte in this Tower with litle good that maye accorde vnto your honoure as well for to gette your thanke and grace as for pittie wherewith I was mooued I haue deliberated in my heart to employe my selfe vnto your deliueraunce and also for to gette your grace And for to execute this deliberation I haue taken parte of my tresours and haue come hither to present them vnto your Damosels and so departed and of newe am comen again in hope to haue your loue whereof I am wel content and thanke mercy and fortune Alas madame if I be so hardy as for to haue put my self in the aduēture of my life for to shew the great loue that I haue to you Excuse me if I haue enterprised a thing so hie that I ne me holde worthie to attaine but in the affiance of fortune and insomuch as shée will fauour in this partie Madame then in consideration of my wordes ye may sée my life or my death and yee onely may lightly make the iudgement If your humilitie condiscend in the knowledge of pitie that I haue had of you exposing my selfe into the daunger where I might bee sure I am nowe nigh the ieopardie which ye may saue and if not I yéelde me your prisoner Certes the shining resplendissour of your renowmed beautie whereof the méede passeth the renowme and the triumph of your incomparable excellency hath enraged mine heart and brought me hither into the prison of your will Alas Madame behold and sée with your eyes full of swéetnesse and of clemencie mee which sée not at this tyme but languish for fault of rest in continuall
contrarie to these things and shewest that thou art not son of a king but of perdition for thou despisest thy father In stead of reuerence thou hast him in hate and thou makest him warre where thou shouldest hold him in loue and thou puttest him to great dishonor thy selfe where thou art hold and bounden to do him worship O Iupiter who shall giue thée absolution of thy life dwelling in venome Who shall excuse thy sinne Thou art enemie of thy father The case is so grieuous that there is no mercie ne excusation vnlesse it procéede from the naturall clementie of thy father Beholde Iupiter beholde the ende of thine insurrection All lawe positiue and all lawe written condemne thée vnto death and curse and anathematise thée It is great pittie thou art a goodly yong man Know that thy reigne may not long dure and that thou shalt more sharply be punished then thou wéenest peraduenture at this this time For Ganimedes one of the sonnes of Troy is hereby in the helpe of Saturne thy father with twenty thousand sighting men which summoneth thée by me that thou returne into the mercie of thy father and yéeld him his realme all excuses set apart Messenger aunswered Iupiter if I were such one as ye say with iust reason ye and other might giue sentence and condemnation vpon mee I were then guiltie for both parties And I trow if Ganimedes of whome ye haue spoken had heard my my excuse hée would not bee mine enemie I aunswere you that I loue my father Saturne in as much as hee is my father But I say to you on the other part that he hath oft tymes sought to put me to death hée shewing himselfe my mortall aduersarie and not father For euery father naturally loueth his sonne and for that regarde I will kéepe me from him as from mine enemie And will well that the Troyans knowe that if they come and assayle mee I will defende mee with all my puissance c. With this aunswere returned the saide Troian vnto Saturne and Ganimedes and sayd vnto them what he had found Saturne and Ganimedes swore then the death of Iupiter and approched so nigh the strait that they came within a bow shot the one nigh vnto the other and from as farre as they sawe each one nigh vnto the other they made great cryes and showtes Iupiter had set his puissaunce in two wings whereof hee was chiefe in the formost and Ixion and his Centaures were gouernours of the second When Iupiter had séene that there was no way but for to skirmish he said he would begin the battaile and after that he had encouraged his people he pricked his horse foorth and then happened and befell a maruaylous thing For from the high clouds aboue came downe an Eagle vpon his head and after beganne to flie about him making him ioy and théere and departed not nor left him during the battaile By the flying of this Eagle Iupiter and the people tooke in them an hope of good successe And Saturne and the Troians fell in a feare and doubt that could not come out of their conceits What shall I say more when Iupiter sawe the dooing of the Eagle he had a great ioy in his heart and as a man well assured in his bodie he entred among the Archers of the Troyans that shot thicke at him and running as a tempest passed by their arrowes and tarried not for resistance of shot till he came among the men of armes of the Troyans The Troyans had neuer séene man on horse backe before and when they saw Iupiter they had thought it had béene halfe a man and halfe a horse and there were some that fled at his comming and some abode and fought valliantly against him thus began the battaile of that day They of Crete followed Iupiter with a great noyse of Tabors and clarions and began to skirmish with the Troyans they did their best on both sides Iupiter bare to the ground many Troyans and well employed his horse on which he rode Ganimedes and Saturne on the other side failed not Alway Iupiter proued himselfe in armes the most expert aboue all other And abandoned his body and life vnto the fight of his enemies and there was no man that durst haue to do with him or abide him but he was slain and put vnderfoote by the cutting and smiting of his sword Cruell and fierce was this battaile The Troyans were without feare and did great prowesses and manly by the the leading of Saturne and of Ganimedes Saturne met Iupiter often times as he that sought great strokes but Iupiter that knew him well would neuer abide him saying that he would neuer set hand on his person but eschewed and fled his death vnto his power This notwithstanding hee sought the death of his helpers and made no sparing of their harnesse ne armor of leather of their heades ne of their liues of yong nor of old of valiant nor of hardy it was to him all one he yéelded neither to one side nor to other for stroke of sword of mace ne of guisarme Yet he had oft remembrance of the faire Danae and desiring to be quit of his enemies for to go about her deliuerance like as he had promised vnto her he smote off heads and arms Vnto him was nothing impossible At euery stroke he dyed his sword with new blood and the Eagle did flée alway about him now low now hie Wherfore the Troians had great despite in thēselues Ganimedes the noble Troyan was of little stature Yet notwithstanding he was of more greater courage then any other vigorouslie he fought agaynst them of Crete as hee that mynded nothing but to get worshippe and honour What shall I say they fought thus togither in this poynt from the morning till the euening without that any of both parties obtayned any winning or losse and then Saturne withdrew his people on the one side and Iupiter returned with the King Ixion and the Centaures and still followed him alwayes the Eagle and sate vppon his Tent which was made of boughes and greene rushes For at that time Tents and Pauillions of cloath were not had nor vsed howbéeit the making of linnen cloath and of cloath of Golde and Silke was founde afore this tyme. In this night they of Troy and they of Crete made great cheare in theyr Tentes and lodgings and disposed them to beginne againe on the morrowe the labour of armes hoping all to haue the better and victorie The hurt men were dressed and the harnesse broken was made again and amended they spake largely of the prowesses of one and other but principally they helde theyr speaches of the Eagle and spake so much of him that Iupiter that same night tooke a péece of Crimson Satten containing a yard and a halfe square and made therein the resemblaunce of an Eagle of Golde and set it on a Speare and made a banner saying that he would beare that banner in all battailes euer after
And said further that he vnderstood by the Eagle that it was a token to him that he should abide victorious of his enemies And that he should be soueraigne king of Crete like as the Eagle is king of all foules CHAP. XXV ¶ How Iupiter discomfited againe king Saturne in battaile and how Saturne was put to flight by the sea SVch were the speaches of King Iupiter in this night the which hee passed the most ioyously that he could and he visited the hurt men and comforted them and concluded with Ixion that the day following the Centaures shoulde haue the battaile and they that had foughten the day before should rest them After this he slept on the gréene and rested him vntil the time that the Centaures put them in aray and went to horsebacke And so did Iupiter for he had leuer haue died then to haue béene idle At this time Saturne slept not nor was there no more slacknesse found in him and Ganimedes then was in Iupiter for they were sure that they should be met withall and assailed of their enemies againe They doubted and arayed them the best wise they could and about the Sunne rising they trained and went vnto the host of Iupiter encouraging each other to smite and fight and assaile their mortall enemies hardily for to auenge the blood of their fellowes that were dead in the battaile the day before For to make short then the Troians were sore inflamed with appetite of vengeance and were the first in the field wherefore they had great ioy in their harts made a right great cry But this ioy was anon abated vnto them for suddenly as Iupiter the Centaures heard their cry they took the baner with the Eagle of gold their spears and their shields and with a ioyous sound of trumpets clarions and tabours pricked forth their horses which ran swiftly through the aire and running as they that held not of heauen ne of earth vpon theyr enemies they beganne to fight Certes when the Troyans sawe the Centaures mounted on horsebacke running as the winde they were so amased and affraide that they had wéened neuer to haue séene light day Neuerthelesse they tooke courage and abode them and the Centaures fought so mightily among them that eche one of them bare to the earth a Troyan with the point of his speare And among other Ganimedes was borne downe to the earth amoÌ„g them and some were hurt and some reléeued after hurting and some without hurte When Ganimedes felt himselfe among the horse-féete he was in his heart terrible angry and said that he would be shortly auenged Anon he arose sodainly and tooke his swoord and séeing the Centaure that had smitten him down doing meruailous feats of arms among a great many of his folke that mightily withstood his vnmeasurable strokes he gaue vnto him so great a stroke as he was leaning on the right side to haue smitten a Troyan that he gaue him a great wound by which he was so astonyed that he droue him down of his horse and he himselfe leapt vp into the saddle This Centaure was named Eson and was yong and was afterward father of Iason that conquered the golden fléece When he had receyued the stroke that Ganimedes had giuen him he made a cry so great that tenne Centaures came running and defended him from the prease And casting downe one another they beate the Troyans and cast them downe and sparkeled their bloud that all the place was dyed red and as they found Eson and Ganimedes the one nighe the other and beholding Ganimedes that he practised to manage and gouerne his horse and séeing theyr felow put down from his horse they were passingly surprised with great yre and by mortall hate they pursued Ganimedes vnto death The Troyans approched they being there fought manly against the Centaures And the Centaures casting and smyting on Ganimedes the Troyans did their vtmost to defend him and put themselues in ieopardy of death for him For many of them were slaine and sore hurt These Centaures were strong huge great and lothly the Troyans had more courage then strength of body In this place Ganimedes shewed enough of prowesse and of valure and well defended him a while but in the end Fortune was to him aduerse in such wise that after he had suffered many assaultes and that he had séene put and cast to grounde mo then a thousand Troyans he behelde on the otherside and saw Saturne retyre in playne discomfiture After he saw that his Troyans let them to be driuen backe and to be put to death without turning or fighting againe and that al brake and turned their backe also he sawe them that were about him gaue it vp and fled and then knowing in this discomfiture that he had no remedy nor recouerance and that he alone might not beare nor abide the battaile he put himselfe to flight and fled after the other and susteyned as he might the pursuit that the Centaurs made vpon his men and in the ende he guyded them vnto the porte where the shipping was Saturne then all despaired entred into his ship with great losse of Troyans and Ganimedes entred into an other right angry and so displeasant that I cannot rehearse At the entry of the shippes one partye of the Troyans that were lefte were perished in the sea another party perished by the sword and the other tooke shipping Iupiter and Ixion thanked their goddes greatly of this victorye and concluded togither that they woulde yet pursue their enemies by the sea for as much as they were yet great in number And Ixion sayde that it was expedient to bring them to vtter destruction for as much as they had fortune with them and to the ende that they shoulde neuer rather force more against them Iupiter yéelded this pursuit greatlye greeâ—ed for to him séemed that he had taryed too long and yet shoulde tary more if he entred into the sea that he might not be with Danae at the day that he had promised her This notwithstanding hoping alway to excuse him vnto her he made him readie hastely to go to the pursuit of his enemies and sent for his mariners and after went into a temple that was thereby dedicated vnto the god Mars CHAP. XXVI ¶ How Iupiter after he had sacrificed the Egle pursued the Troyans and of the strong battaile that he had against Ganimedes IVpiter was not so soone in the Temple but the Egle entered also an set him on the altar When Iupiter sawe that after manie thoughts he tooke the Egle and made Sacrifice and anon after came tydings that his mariners were ready So he went out of the temple and recommended him vnto Mars and came to his mariners that hadde made all things readie and went to sea accompanyed with the Centaures and two thousand of his men of Crete and sayled after his enimies as he desired For the Troyans fled apace and made all the sayle they could In these two dayes
to Argos and betooke Danae in kéeping to other women and commaunded them vpon paine of death that they should tell him if she were or happened to be deliuered of childe or no. Within a certaine tyme when Danae sawe her in this case shée began to fall into wéeping The king Acrisius from this day forth came euery day to knowe how she did She wept without ceasing shée spake not but vnto her heart and shée bewayled her loue and complayned on Fortune sorrowfully But when she had laboured long in these wéepings and that her faire eyes were made great and red about fiftéene dayes before the time of her childing the beganne to remember the cause why she was put into the Tower And that the gods had prognosticated that she should haue a sonne that should bée king of Argos In this remembrance she was comforted a little and when the time came that nine months was expired she brought forth a passing faire sonne which the Ladyes and women receiued and named him Perseus And after that signified it vnto the king But at the birth of this childe she excused and put out of blame all the damosels and saide that they were all innocents of her fact Anon then as the king Acrisius knew the veritie of his Daughter and that she had a faire sonne he had in his heart more of sorrow then of ioy and condemned her to death indéede and commanded two of his mariners that they should take the mother and her childe and put them in a little Boate them both alone and that they should carrie them farre into the high sea that after should neuer man sée them nor haue knowledge of them The mariners durst not refuse the commaundement of the King but by his commandement they went vnto the Tower Dardane and tooke Danae and her sonne Perseus and said vnto the damosell al that that they had charge to do praying her humbly that shee would pardon them And this was about midnight when Danae vnderstood that shee should bée cast into the sea and her sonne with her Yet she had hope to escape this perill by the meane of the fortune of her son This notwithstanding the teares ran downe from her eyes and wéeping tenderly she tooke her leaue of the ladies and damosels that had her in kéeping and they let her be caried vpon the sea making complaint pitious bewailings When the mariners had brought hir vpon the sea they left her in a litle boat put in her lap Perseus her faire son And as hastily as they might they conducted her into the déepe sea without meate or drinke and without sterne or gouernaile and gaue her ouer to all windes Then was there many a teare wept among the mariners and Danae and Perseus the young childe The marriners bewailed with great compassion that they had to sée such a Damosell abandoned to perill of death Danae wept in considering the rigour of her father and the fault that Iupiter had done to her and also for the perill which she might not resist and Perseus wept for the blowing of the winde and for the grosse ayre of the sea that his tendernesse might not well suffer to endure In this fashion the Matrones returned to Argos and the right discomforted Damosell Danae went forth vpon the waues of the sea at the agréement and will of the windes The waues were right fearefull and lifted themselues into the ayre as Mountaynes the windes blewe by great stormes the little Boate was borne and cast vpon the waues and oftentymes Danae looked and supposed to haue perished but shée had alway hope in Fortune And so well it happened that in this aduersitie and trouble shée was cast into the Sea of Apulia or Naples And there shée was found by aduenture of a Fisher that for pitie and charitie tooke her into his Shippe and her sonne and brought her on lande forasmuch as hee sawe it was great néede At this time the noble Danae was as a deade bodie and halfe gone when the marriner had brought her a land the tooke a ring of gold that she ware on her finger and gaue it vnto the good man praying him that he would bring her into some house where shee might warme and cherish her with her childe for he was nigh dead for colde and was all in a traunce The marriner tooke the Golde Ring and brought the Damosell and the little childe into his house and made them a good fire and brought them meate and drinke As soone as Perseus felt the ayre of the fyre his heart came to him againe and he began to laugh on his mother When shee sawe that all her sorrowes turned to nought and she tooke hope of good fortune She then made ready and arayed her son and her colour came againe she did eate and drinke What shall I say the fisher behelde her and then séeing in her so much beautie that the like to her he sawe neuer none he went vnto the court of the king of Naples and tolde him his aduenture praysing so certaynly her beautie that the King sent hastely for to fetch her This King was named Pilonus and was sonne to the auncient Iupiter And when Danae was come before him sodaynlye he waxed amorous of her and demaunded her name her countrey and the cause why she was aduentured on the sea At beginning she excused her selfe of al these things vnwilling to tell all and began to wéepe When the King sawe that he comforted her and said to her that he would take her to his wife for her beautie and spake so fayre to her and so graciously that she tolde him al her life how she was daughter of the king Acrisius and how she was shutte in the tower and how Iupiter had deceyued her and how her father hadde put her in the sea What shall I say more when the King Pilonus heard all these fortunes of the damosell he had pitie on her and wedded her with great honour and did put to nurse Perseus and gat on her a sonne which was named Danaus but of this matter I will cease and turne again to the history of Iupiter c. CHAP. XXIX ¶ How Iupiter returning from Troy by sea encountred the great theefe Egeon which he fought with and ouercame and of the tidings that hee had of Danae whereof hee was passing sorrowfull WHen Iupiter was departed from Troy as afore is said he made his mariners to saile and row with all diligence for to withdraw from the port and for to approch Crete for he knew well that the time of his promise made to Danae was expired and that displeased him greatly that he might not amēd it His mariners did all that they could do by the space of a day naturall but the day being past there rose a tempest in the sea so terrible and out of measure that it bare many ships with their furniture vnder water brake their sternes and helmes and drowned all the
on the front of them well arayed and proued for to fight for the prosperitie of your land we wil do your request When Medusa heard the good will of her captaine to whom consented al the other she was right ioyous and concluded with them that she with al her puissance would beset and assaile theyr enemies at midnight in hope to come vppon them vnwares This conclusion was thought good vnto all and each man withdrew for to take their rest and for to make readie his harnesse Medusa slept not much this night as shee that had the heart alway great and sore charged with gréedie desire of vengeance and at midnight then she sounded to armes and made them to be ready and furnished Shée tooke her banners that were right rich and her men were diligent inough to arme thē for in that art they were well instructed And when they were readye and assembled before the Pallace royall Medusa and her Sisters issued out of the gate in rich estate and giuing good morrow to her folke with as little noyse as she could she diuided them into two companies whereof she made one company to depart by one of the gates of the Citie and she her selfe conducted the other by the gate that was against the port or hauen c. At this time the aire was pure and cleare and the starres twinckled and anon the Moone shone and put away the darkenesse of the night according to her celestiall office When Medusa was in the field she went along by the sea shore and supposed to haue taken Perseus and his folke but she failed for as soone as shee issued out of her Citie it was perceiued of the watchmen of the hoste of Perseus and they signified their comming to Perseus and his men that slept in their harnesse And thus when she approched vnto her enemies and had supposed to haue distressed them she founde them readie furnished and trained in good order of battaile wherewith there arose a right great crie of both parties and with this crie there grew a great skirmish so eager and fierce that it was néede vnto all to put foorth their prowesses and their strengths There was many a man cast downe dead vpon the sand There many a sword died red with bloud Then beganne the second battaile of Medusa making a great noyse in ioyning of the battaile and then had they of Naples a strong partie for to maister c. In this tempest Perseus gaue himselfe to no rest he had alway his eyes open his eares bent to heare his armes ready to smite hee was quicke in his greene youth his sword flashed and cut desperately he smote no man nor shield but he all to brake it and slewe all downe right Medusa that alway put her in the most strength and affayres and most prease by mightie great courage for to entertaine and to holde together her men séeing often times the practises and the noble feates of armes of her enemie Perseus had great sorrow for with his onely valour he held the Apuliens in estate and ray and there was none that might resist his strength or at least that had might to resist him This thing turned to great displeasure vnto Medusa yet she corrected this displeasure and vsed her prowesse the best wise she might Shée did great hurt to her enemies and smote downe here and there so valiantly that she séemed much better to be a man then a woman and better became her to brandish a sword then to spinne or turne a spindle CHAP. XXXII ¶ Howe Perseus in this battaile slewe the mightie sister of Medusa and vanquished her in the battaile THis skirmish then dured long with great beating down of men of arms and knights the enuie that Medusa had at the wel doing of Perseus gaue to her armes more force strength then nature had giuen her Shée was full of malice and yet she could kéepe her well from the sword of Perseus And alway she was enuironed with the best men she had What should I make long talke they fought in this fashion vnto the day before that any wist to whom he should ascribe the victorie but euen as the sunne began to spread and shew his beames and raies in semplable wise Perseus began to shew the raies of his prudence brandished his sword And seeing on the one side the baner royall he thronged into the prease and drew to that part casting men downe dead on the sands moe then an hundred This baner was square foure foote made of crimsen satin and in the middes was an image painted whereof the body was a figure and fashion of a woman and the head was of a serpent Medusa was neuer far from this baner for shée drewe her alway thither for reskew When Perseus was come thither with a great companie of his folke hee cryed Perseus Perseus And lifting his sword that was tempered with blood from one ende to the other it happened that the first stroke that hee gaue in this place fell vpon one of the sisters of Medusa so terribly that she fell downe dead with a great wound beginning on her head and going downe to her stomacke Then they of Naples smote on the Hesperiens with all their force Then smote Perseus endlong and ouerthwart on the right side and on the left side his strokes were so mortall that they afrayed not onely the most féeble of his enemies but all the most strongest and also the most couragious Medusa Great was the slaughter and being at that point Medusa enforced her power to withstand the great force of Perseus This notwithstang she that afore times had ouercome many men was then ouercome and hauing late the greatest courage and the heart more fierce than any man shée was vanquished with despayre by the onely chiualrous dealing of Perseus that had brokē her banner that had smitten her men in péeces partlie slaine with his sword partly fled And he had not onely made redde his sworde and right hand with her blood but the sea by small gutters was made red with warme blood through which Medusa lost her ferocitie all her presumption all her strength and al her vigour so euill went the game on her side that when she had séene her banner destroyed when she had séene the most victorious of her knights confounded by sight and when she saw her men of armes leaue the battaile and flie before Perseus as before the image of death Finally she saw all her puissance turne into destruction generall whereof the ende was that each man gaue it ouer and euery man that might saue himselfe saued him by caues and bushes here one and there another so sore afrayde that it was a pitious thing to heare their cries and many saued them in the Citie and many were slaine in the flying by Perseus and his men CHAP. XXXIII ¶ How Perseus conquered Medusa and her Citie and smote off her head And how hee went to fight
Iles fortunate This king then aduertised of the coming of the Egiptians was passing angry and sware that neuer none of them should returne agayne into Egipt Assoone then as he might he did cause his men to arme them and issued out of the cittie with a great company of Libyans and had so great haste to runne vpon the Egiptians that he sette no order among his people whereof he tooke great harme for when he came to the battaile hée founde that Hercules had trayned his people and set them in two battailes of which he lead and conducted the first battaile It happend so that they of the sayde companye of Hercules by force of shot bare thēselues so valiantly and with strokes that they brought to death more then fiftéene hundred Lybiens When the shot fayled Antheon sprang into the greatest prease as the most valiant and supposed wel to haue skirmished with his enimies but anon as Hercules sawe him come hée layd hand on his club and put him foorth before and gaue him so great a stroke that he made his head to bow on the left side Antheon had his sword lifted vppe for to haue smitten Hercules when he receiued the stroke that Hercules gaue him by which his stroke was broken Neuerthelesse he said betwéene his téeth that he would auenge him so hee lifted vp his sword againe and smote Hercules so vehemently that with the stroke he brake his shield Then knew Hercules that the giant was a man of great strength This notwithstanding he smote him the second time with his club and thus Hercules and Antheon gaue each other so great strokes that there came betwéene them of the two parties Libians and Egyptians There was a great noyse of clinking of swords and sounding of the shields and helmes that were broken and halberds that were dismailed shieldes quartered and glaiues broken there was the bloud largely shed on both parties Hercules and Antheon were parted by force of the prease Antheon by great ire smote without ceasing vpon the fierce Egyptians Hercules all broke the helmes largely with his club and did with the Libians all his pleasure and brought so many to death with his club that in little time he passed throughout the whole power of king Antheon many times and in his way he couered the earth and the way that hée held all with dead Libians The first skirmish was strong and damageable to Antheon for against one Egyptian that he flew with his sword Hercules made die with his club ten Libians About Hercules was nothing but bloud Hercules made the mountaines redounde with cries the companies to tremble the Libians to flie and go backe and wan little gaine What shall I say more as long as the day endured he helde the battell in vigor and about the euening when Affer and Theseus came to the fight he bestirred himselfe in such fashion against Antheon that he made him flie all charged with horions and strokes and then in like wise fled after the Libians CHAP. XI ¶ How Hercules tooke king Athlas and how he beganne to studie the science of astronomie and the seauen liberall sciences WHen Hercules saw the Libians turne into flight he did cause to sounde the retrait for as much as it was late and with great glorie returned into the place that he had chosen for to holde his siege at His wife Echée came against him with open armes and be clipped and kissed him she holpe to vnarme him and brought him fresh water for to wash his face with and there was made right good chéere of all the Egyptians Contrary to this good chéere the Libians were in the Citie and made great sorrow for they had lost neare thirtie thousand men especially Antheon made simple cheare for he had good cause for Hercules had so beaten him with his club that hée might not helpe himselfe but went with great paine to bed and with sorrow sent for his Phisitions and Surgeons which came and visited him and founde him all bruised and saide to him that it would bee well neare a moneth ere they could heale him Antheon considering his case sent and desired of the Egyptians truce for the space of a moneth offering to them for to send them dayly a certaine number of cattell and a right great quantitie of victuals Then he made out his commaundements and sent vnto al the kings and princes that were his tributaries and also vnto his neighbours praying them that they wold come succor him with their men of arms in the most hasty wise that they might This truce so made Hercules began to remember thē that before time he had heard Philotes speak of a king that reigned thereby named Athlas and that he was the most wise man and cunningest of al the world and that he dwelt in a Castle standing on the top of a right high mountaine named Athlas after the name of the same king In this remembrance Hercules being couetous of the science of Athlas called Philotes and said to him that hee would go into the Realme of the king Athlas and that his intent was to séeke there his aduenture Philotes answered and saide that he could well leade and bring him into the Realme for he knew the countrey Then Hercules called Affer and Theseus and charged them that they shoulde alway make good watch And after tooke leaue of them and of his wife saying that he would hastily returne This done hée and thrée mariners with Philotes went vnto the sea in a gallie-finely made and light and sayled and rowed into the sea Mediterrane they had spéedie winde and readie and Fortune was good to them In little while they came vnto the straite of Gibraltar And then Philotes shewed vnto Hercules the mountaine and the castle where Athlas was at that time abyding When Hercules sawe the mountaine and the castle he went and tooke land ioyously after he tooke his clubbe and commanded Philotes and his marriners for to abide them there Then he went toward the mountaine and it happened that he met with a man that discended downe from the hil and he adressed him toward the said man for to heare some tydings and demanded him from whence hée came He said I come from the castle that ye may sée yonder on high Whither go ye said Hercules vnto the Citie of Mercelie answered the stranger the king Athlas to whom I am seruant hath sent me thither to publish his commandement vnto the Citizens that within sixe dayes they should be furnished with their armes for to accompanie him to go vnto the warre of the great king of Libie which requested instantly to haue his succours Wherefore if ye will serue him in this armie and be his souldiour go vp and ye shall finde him in his Castell studying the science of astronomie The seruaunt of King Athlas with these wordes went forth on his way and Hercules went vp into the mountaine and came to the gate of
him a wound in the head that all astonied he bare him to the earth Then they of the Fortresse durst no more adventure to assaile Hercules neither durst they adventure to reléeve Aâ—las but fled thence out of the Castle and Hercules abode there alone with Atlas and the dead bodies So in the end when Hercules saw they had given it over he took Atlas and made him to cry him mercy Then he went into his study and took all his books which he laded upon a Camel and constrained Atlas to follow him And when Hercules had done in the Castle all his pleasure he departed accompanied with Atlas and with his books and brought him down to the Sea side to the place where Phylotes stayed for him When Phylotes saw Herc les come with Atlas and his books he had great ioy and took acquaintance with Atlas who was so sorrowful that he could not speak then they entred into their Galley and went unto the Sea Atlas was sorrowful and troubled with the wound he had in his head Hercules requested him instantly that he would teach him his science Atlas would in no wise do it at the beginning of his sorrow but when he had conversed and tarryed with Hercules as well for the bounty he saw in him as by the perswasion of Philotes which affirmed that Hercules was the most noble and vertuous man that ever was he began to teach him all his sciences wherein he learned and profited by quick and sharpe wit that he attained to all and that afterward he became the best Phylosopher and the most perfect Astronomer in all the world Thus studying Hercules returned with great honour into the Army of Affer and found at his coming that his Wife had brought forth a fair Son which the Egyptians had Crowned King of Egypt where hee raigned afterward and was called Dedon When Affer saw Atlas and knew how Hercules had vanquished him hee marvailed much of his prowesse which was so great and of his wisdome that attained to such high things But Hercules bent all his wit and study to learn the science In the mean while a little and a little the time passed and Antheon assembled a very great hoste and was all healed of his wounds and the Truce failed and expired whereat the Egyptians had great joy for they yet hoped to have victory of their enemies And the Lybians hoped to revenge them of the shame that Hercules had made them receive When the Truce was expired the day following Hercules made ready his battails of the one side and Antheon ordained his on the other side Antheon made thrée battails the first of twelve thousand fighting men the second of twenty thousand and the third battel of thirty thousand He then ordained himself King and chief Captain of the first battail in the second he ordained the King of Getulie to be Governour and in the third he made the King of Cothulie And then when he had well set them in array and trained them in a morning he made them to march joyously against his enemies expecting nothing but the hour when Hercules would charge them CHAP. XII How Hercules assembled his battaile against Antheon King of the Lybians which he put to flight and slew the King of Cothulie HErcules had made of his folk two battails the first whereof he conducted Affer and Theseus guided the other When he saw the Lybians march which made the greatest tumult and noyse in the world he went forth before and his Company followed Then began the Trumpets to sound and Tabours to make great noyse the cry was great they began sharpely the battaile whereof Hercules and Antheon made the assay by a swift course and with sharp Swords smote so sore together that Antheon brake his Sword and the Iron of the Sword of Hercules pierced the Shield of Antheon and his armes on his right side by which he had a wound where the blood sprang out Antheon was almost dead with sorrow when he felt the stroke and saw that his Sword had done but little to Hercules hée took his Sword and Hercules took his and they smote each other so hard that Hercules bare Antheon unto the earth with one stroke and had slain him had not the Lybians runne upon Hercules on all sides they gave him so great an assault that hée knew not to whom he might attend Then Hercules imployed his Sword upon the Lybians The Egyptians assembled them eagerly upon their enemies Antheon relieved himself all ashamed of his fall applying all his puissance and strength to revenge him not upon Hercules but upon them of his party This Antheon smote eagerly on the one side and Hercules on the other Antheon fought with great fiercenesse and anger and Hercules by Prowesse The fiercenesse of Antheon was great but the Prowesse of Hercules was so excessive great that the Lybians fled him and when they saw him they trembled for fear at this battel before the Sword of Hercules all bloody Then the great routs of the Lybians were sore afraid and kept no array he smote off heads and laid them down to the earth his folk that were destroyed by Antheon hee gathered together again He made such work that the Lybians had the worse and Antheon sent hastily to the King of Cothulie that hee should come to his help The King of Cothulie at the sending of Antheon departed wéening to have come to the skirmish but when Affer and Theseus saw him they went against him and hindred him Then began the fight so great and mortal that Theseus and Affer slew the King of Cothulie beat down his Banners his recognisances and his Cotuliens and smote so sore upon their bodies that they went back and were constrained to cry for help The King of Getulie séeing this evil adventure came unto Antheon reléeued himselfe all ashamed of his fall applied all his puissance and strength for to auenge him not vpon Hercules but vppon them of his partie This Antheon smote on the one side and Hercules on the the other Antheon fought by great fiercenesse and anger and Hercules by prowesse The fiercenesse of Antheon was great but the prowesse of Hercules was so excessiue great that the Libians fled him as the death and where they sawe him they trembled for great feare at this battaile before the sword of Hercules all bloudy Then the great routs of the Libians were sore afraide and kept none array he smote off heads and laide them downe to the earth his folke that were destroyed by Antheon he gathered togither againe He made such worke that the Libians had the worse and that Antheon sent hastily to the king of Cothulie that he should come to his helpe The king of Cothulie at the sending of Antheon departed wéening to haue come to the skirmish but when Affer and Theseus saw him stirre they went against him and letted him of his way And there beganne the fight so great and so
mortall that Theseus and Affer slewe the king of Cothulie beate downe his banners his recognisances and his Cotuliens and smote so sore with the Iron vpon theyr bodies that they went backe and were constrained to crie after helpe The king of Getulie séeing this euill aduenture came vnto the reskew and found the Cothulians all discomforted At his comming the crye the noyse the tempest and strokes beganne to renew many a valiant act and manie a prowesse was shewes there Many shewed their vertue and strength and manie were slaine there Theseus did there maruailes but alway the Getulians helde them togither and fought against Theseus by the space of thrée houres and lost but few of their people vnto the time that Hercules brought them of the battel of king Antheon to discomfiture made them to flie to saue themselues with the Getulians that then discouraged themselues in such wise that after they had séene the battayle of king Antheon disranked and broken they might not lift vp their armes to defend them but were slayne by little and little and finally they were brought to so straight limits and boundes that they wist not where to saue them And then they fled out of the place dispersed by the fieldes and champaines without leaders guides or captaines And then Hercules put himselfe forth in the prease al before among them that fled first of the Libians so that he came to the gate of the cittie with them and there he began to smite so vnmeasurably that he put to death the Lybians flying thither and the porters and them that would resist him Also he made the Egiptians to enter into the town And Antheon séeing fortune against him in al points fled into his pallace not accompanied as a king but went at large in to the fields by the conduct of foure moores only that brought him into Mauritania after CHAP. XIII ¶ How Hercules fought againe against king Antheon and put him vnto the death BY this maner Hercules and the Egiptians entred into Lybie and subdued it by force of armes And Antheon was fled into Mauritania where he assembled new folke hastily They of Libie yéelded them al to the mercy of Hercules When Hercules had thus daunted them of Lybye and theyr neighbours séeing Antheon he made Affer king and named it after him Affrique and sayd that he fought not for his singular proffit couetousnes but for lyberalytie and for to enhaunce vertue O most valiant and noble Hercules there was neuer man borne among the paynims more liberall more noble nor more vertuous He would not be king of all the world he was liberall and imployed his conquest right well and wisely and gaue all gis gifts aduisedly When he had made Affer king he enquired what lawes they held and established among them the Sacrament of mariage For at that time the women were there all commune and when it happened that the women hadde children they gaue them to the men after their Phisiognomies and thus telleth Aristotle in his politikes Besides this sacrament Hercules ordeyned vnto the Affricans that they should hold the lawes of Gréece and by right wise and politique gouernment made the Affricans lyue reasonably and vertuously And aboue all other things he made them haue the order of mariage in great reuerence When Hercules had ordeined all this tydings came to him that Antheon was come againe to chase him with manye Moores that followed him Then he returned toward Antheon and the Moryans and there smote them downe with his club so deadly that he made it red with theyr bloud and slewe them all and put them to flight so cruelly that Antheon abode alone against Hercules and fought against him body to body by great strength and gaue him many strokes hard to beare But Hercules gaue to him so many and so large strokes that the Giant wist not how to saue him and wéened to haue fled But Hercules that ranne as swiftly as an horse ranne after him and embraced him in his armes with all his might and lifted him vppe into the ayer and bare him ouer the hoste of the Maurytanes And when hée came nighe vnto them hée cast him downe dispiteouslye to the earth that all to brused and forfrushed Antheon abode there dead And his death turned vnto the Moores so great abashement that they lost all theyr strength and puissaunce and were slayne by great excesse without remedy they lost there the king Antheō the king of Mauritane the king of Tingie and many other kings and all the honourable of the battaile for in the end they all fled in which flight was taken and subdued to the segnorie of Affrique the Citie of Mauritans CHAP. XIIII ¶ How Hercules and Theseus fought togither agaynst the two Damosels of Scythie c. IN remembrance of this victorie Hercules did make in the field a statue or image of a man sléeping in the place where he had put to death Antheon and there vnder hée did burie the bodie of Antheon And anon as the image which was made of the bone of an Elephant was set vp there the necke of the the image began to sound like as it had bene a man sléeping wherefore the Moores had afterward the sepulchre in great reuerence and worshipped the idoll After this statue thus accomplished by Hercules he went by Tingie and Ampeloste and by many other Countries and conquered all the countrey that now is called Affrique and gaue all to Affer and Affer returned into Libie and there he found Echée his wife dead by a grieuous sicknes wherfore he tooke made sorrow so great that it was maruell Then to forget this sorow he tooke leaue of king Affer and the Egyptians and had thought to haue departed thence but as he was in taking leaue a damosell strangely arayed came vnto him and said Lord of Libie the Quéene of Scythie Ladies of Egypt of Cappadocie and of Asie haue sent me vnto you which ladies haue conquered the said contries in taking vengeance of the misfortune of their husbands now late dead and haue abandoned their Countrey because of the great outrage that Vexores King of Egypt made in Scythie And as asmuch as ye be of the linage of the Egyptians they send to you that ye submit you vnto their obeysance for to do with you that that shall please them or else that ye come against them in battaile for to eschew the effusion of blood And they let you know that they haue good right to subdue you and that if there be among you two knights that agaynst two of them will do feates of armes to trie their liues they will deliuer to you two Ladyes in place conuenable vpon condition that if the Ladyes vanquish and ouercome you yee shall bée holden as vanquished and bée a◠their commaundement and if your men ouercome the Ladyes they shall bée reputed as ouercome and shall bée subiect vnto you Hercules hearing this gréeting and
cause them to march and the Calcedonians and Gréekes so sped them on an after dinner that they came and found their enemies and approched them so nigh that there was nothing to do but to smite and lay on Hercules had made two battailes one and the first with his people and the other with the Calcedonians When they came to the poynt to méete Hercules went to the Calcedonians and in the presence of the king sayde to them Lo héere yee may sée your enemies that sette little by you for they be come into your Lordshippe to assayle you I pray you that the great outrage of them abate not nor minish your courage Ye ought herein to haue the fiercenesse of a Lion the puissance of an Elephant and bée gréedie as a Griffon for to deliuer you without ende from the enmitie of king Achelous in kéeping your countrey your dominion your honour your treasures your wiues your children and that more is your liues Be ye then studious to doe well be ye inflamed with desire of vengeance be ye couetous to get worship and glorie If ye shew not your selues valiant at this time ye may not haue any thing but beggerie or seruitude to death for your enemies will doe vnto you all the euill of the world if they haue victory ouer you These wordes wrought in the hearts of the Calcedonians and gaue to them courage marueilously And all they with one right good will desired the battell When Hercules had finished his exhortation hee went to the battell for it was come to the point to fight Then were there great cries on the one side and on the other tabors trumpets clarions harnesse and weapons began to sound knights began to stirre at the entrie of the battell Hercules and the Greeks shot and drewe largely vpon their enemies and made Achelous all abashed forasmuch as hee hoped not to haue founde so great resistance with the Calcedonians Then they cast their eyes vpon the banner of Hercules and seeing the great Lion that was painted therein they began to imagine that there might be Hercules of whom was spoken thorowout all the world for his vertues and his strength When they were thus imagining the shot failed with great slaughter of them of the partie of Achelous When the shot was so failed Hercules tooke his sword went vp and downe among them of Achaie that were in thâ— first front of the battell of Achelous and there made an hole so great that the Calcedonians the Iconians wan vpon them at the first ioyning and made the other partie to recule and goe backe whereof Achelous had great sorrow and hee tooke to him twentie knights which were chosen and came ranged with them there where Hercules scattered and brake the battell of the Achaians There hee approoued his courage lustily This strong giant and his horsemen so valiantly fought that the Gréekes entring taried and abode and also Hercules for they died their swoordes and the earth with their bloud and beat downe many Iconians And there was the strife so great that men might sée nothing els but heades and armes flie into the fielde Hercules smote no stroke but it cost to Achelous the death of a man Achelous in like maner stroke for stroke smote down one of his enemies The residue of their folke did the best they could now before now behinde and yet might neuer the Achayans confound and put backe their aduersaries howbeit they were alway foure against one and the Iconians were in great number and they had alway fresh people and new In this maner the two puissaunces fought together more then foure houres Loue wrought sore there in Hercules and in Achelous both two made their swordes to flourish couered with bloud They met oft times and smote ech other but neuer durst Achelous abide before the sworde of Hercules for the horible strokes that hee sawe Hercules giue but he put him in the prease assoone as hée had smitten him or had angred him In this battaile Hercules did wonders and maruailes Oeneus tooke a great pleasure to beholde him and the Achayans had therein displeasure for they that saw him were no more assured to escape the death then he that faâ—leth the sword in his necke in the hand of a tyrant There receiued no manne a stroke of him but he abode in the place he made so great a slaughter that no man can well write it In the end king Oeneus with all his Calcedonians came to the battaile in his comming the Achayans receiued losse vpon losse and perill vpon perill The king Oeneus made many of his enemies to die Hercules shewed his puissance more and more by his well doing he put the Achayans all out of aray and after vnto flight and the losse of the field turned greatly vnto the damage of king Achelous for Hercules chased him shamefully into his shippes and made him to loose twelue thousand Achayans c. CHAP. XVI ¶ How Hercules put to the worst king Achelous and how he espoused Deianira AFter this victorie when Hercules sawe that the king Achelous saued himselfe by the sea he called the king Oeneus sayd to him that he would pursue his enemie that he would deliuer the world of him and after tooke an hundred of his chosen men and tooke leaue of the king Oeneus and went to the sea following after Achelous recommending him to Gorge to Deianira In this night Oeneus after the departing of Hercules returned into Calcedonie and tolde his wife and his daughters the high prowesse that Hercules had done in the battaile and how he had chased his enemies and how he was gone after with two hundred men The ladies Gorge and Deianara were right ioyous of the victorie but it grieued them sore that Hercules with so litle a company pursued Achelous and aboue all other Deianira was greatly vexed and grieued at the enterprise of Hercules so sore that she went into her chamber and was constrained to wéepe and not to haue ioy in heart vntill the returne of Hercules For to returne vnto the purpose touching Hercules when he was put to the pursuit of Achelous as is sayd he entred into his realme and followed him so nigh that hee was constrained to withdrawe himselfe in a right strong castle standing by the sea Hercules besieged Achelous in this castle When Achelous sawe that Hercules pursued him with so little a companie as with two hundred men onely hee called his friendes and his leaders of menne and among other things tolde them that it was a shame for them to suffer themselues to be besieged with so little a number of people They answered that he had sayd trueth and concluded that the same houre they woulde issue out and raise breake the siege and foorthwith they sounded to armes with short counsell It was not long after that they issued out of the castle but Hercules espied them and knewe that they came to the battell
armes where yet is seene the print of the handes of the giant shewe in what displeasure I haue been The cursed glutton giant bare mee vnto the depth of a déep valley where death approching by the stroke of your arrow that made him to fall down and he would neuer let me go vntill the last sigh of death Certes I haue suffered a great ieopardy but thankes bee to the goddes since I haue found you againe And know you verily that I am auenged of mine enemie whom I haue seene die miserably whereof I am all reioyced and glad againe CHAP. XVIII ¶ How Hercules fought against the serpent of the moore Lerna and slew him c. DEianira and Hercules kissed eache other by right great loue After Hercules went into the place where the giant lay dead forasmuch as hee found him depriued of his life he let him lie there to the beasts to the birdes and tooke his arrow that lay by him And this was the Arrow that Achilles was slaine with after in the temple of Phebus in Troy for the loue of Polixene Then Hercules and Deianira came againe to the riuer and Hercules set ouer his men and went frō that place into the citie of Lerna The king of this Citie did great honor to Hercules and receiued him as honourably as he could Among diuers talk Hercules demanded him of his tidings The king answered and said that he knew none other but that in a great pallace there dwelled abode a monster half man half serpent that destroied all his realme by common murder For he said that all the men women and children that this monster can finde he slaieth them with his taile that is inuenomed with his clawes armed he deuoureth and destroieth them with his téeth and there escapeth none And so it will come to passe that this countrey be desart for the labourers nor marchantes dare not go by the countrey with lesse companie then two hundred men and if they be lesse the monster assaileth them like as he hath done many other c. Hercules was passing glad and ioyous of these tidings and said to the king Sir I haue laboured yet hitherto for the common weale of manie realmes and yet haue I the will to perseuer and to doe the workes of vertue Know ye then since that I am here arriued I will doe somewhat for the weale of this countrey like as I haue done for many other And I haue intention for to put me in deuoire to morrowe on the way toward the monster and for to abide the aduenture to vanquishe him or to be vanquished of him This monster was called Hydre forasmuch as he dwelled in the waters When Deianira heard the enterprise of Hercules that he would go alone and abandon himselfe in so great perill shee began to weepe and make so great sorrowe that no man might apease her nor make her stint her wéeping Hercules comforted her the best wise he could Athlas Philotes comforted her in like maner and shewed to her the right high and glorious déedes of Hercules for to giue her hope in this aduenture All that might not helpe nor auaile she loued Hercules with all her heart with all her might and puissance She required him with her eies charged full of teares that he woulde abstaine him from so high an enterprise saying that it was no wisedome fo◠a man to expose himselfe to so euident terrible daungers and that the goddes had sent the monster into the country for to correct and chastise the people Notwithstanding that Hercules was very ardently in loue with her yet her teares that she wept nor her praiers nor her reasons can cause Hercules to breake his purpose for to enterprise this aduenture But on the morne earely he cloathed him and departed from Lerne and tooke his way toward the moore whereas was the monster This moore was long and thrée miles in compasse as the Chronicles of Spaine rehearse and all enuironed with fountaines that sprung out of the high mountaines In the middest of this plaine was a great lake or pond wherin dwelled the Hydre on dry land When then Hercules was come to this place the Hydre that neuer slep◠with both eies and that had alway the necke stretched on high and the eares open had anon espied him and sodainly came against him running with great force Hercules abode when he espied the maruellous monster and had great pleasure to see him he was ten foote of heigth and had as a long a taile he was foule and couered with haire he had his body armed and in his right hand held a naked sword and in the left hand he bare a shield Hercules thus beholding him suffered him to come to him Then the monster spake to him and saide poore giant whether goest thou behold this sworde sharply on both sides cutting yet was there neuer man that heard me speake but he died by the point of this sword Forasmuch as I am the most wise creature that euer nature made and that I am accustomed to make a question to such men as I finde and then to destroy them if they cannot aunswere thereto And forasmuch as I find not in my realm any but people as beastes and without vnderstanding I haue therefore destroied their bloud and so will I doe thine if thou canst not assoil a sophisme that I shal make to thee O thou man serpentine said Hercules thine eloquence thy prudence thy cruell sworde foule and polluted with infinite homicides make me nothing abashed ne discourage me I seeke thée and am come hither for to destroy thee And I will assaile not onely one of thy sophismes but as many as thou canst thinke and will that thou well know that if by force of my wit I assaile thy sophismes and fallacious argumentes I will doe vnto thee like as thou wouldest doe to mee and if it happen that thy science may not ouercome mee yet will I that that thou defend thee with armes and that thou kéepe thy life as well as thou canst c. With these wordes the monster made vnto Hercules seuen sophismes one after another all fallacious and subtill then when Hercules had giuen solution to one the monster replied by seuen argumentes Yet Hercules that was full of philosophie and expert in all science aunswered so substantially to all his fallacious argumentes that hee sette hm at a non-plus And for this cause the poets faine that this Hydre had seuen heades as it appeareth in the first tragedy of Seneca and say that when Hercules hadde smitten off one of his heades that seuen other heades came againe in the same place In the end then for to pursue this matter when Hercules had so disputed against the serpent that hee yéelded him to Hercules in such wise as he wist not what to say Hercules said to him Serpent inhumaine wee haue fought long enough with the tongue Take thy sworde I may no longer
and also they had so much damage that all thinges went against them And then Gerion cuÌ„sidering that he might not but lose and that fortune was an enemy vnto him he did sound a retrait and so left the battaile CHAP. XX. ¶ How Gerion assailed Hercules the second time before Megidda and how Hercules slewe his brethren and vanquished in his battailes constrained Gerion to flie c. WHen Hercules saw his enimies busie to withdraw them he sounded the retrait and forasmuch as it was nigh night and also because he had enclosed the Gallies of Gerion in such wise that they might not returne into his Citie without passing by him When the two armies were withdrawn Gerion in the darkest of al the night shipped went into the sea and went into the Citie of Valeritia whereof one of his brethren was king put him there in safetie in purpose to make the greatest army that he could to come vpoÌ„ Hercules Hercules after the retrait ankred his Gallies vpon the riuer of Gaudiana and passed there that night On the morrow when he saw that Gerion and his folke were fled were not vpon the sea within kenning he rowed vp into the city of Megidda There he tooke land and assailed fiercely the city The assault was eagre and sharp and the Megiddans defended themselues but they were so disfurnished of men of war that they might not hold it out but opened the towne to the Greekes and yeelded them al to the will of Hercules Thus was Hercules lord maister of the principal city that Gerion had he entred into it and the Greeks with him There had they good daieâ—â— the city was well prouided with vittaile Since they departed out of Greece they found no where so good fortune What shal I say Hercules held him there a space of time searching in what place he might finde Gerion During these things he went vnto the temple for to thank the gods In this temple were many Sepultures garnished with right faire maruellous histories Among all other there was one passing riche for the remembrance of Gerion was there as of a king of fine gold and he was enuironed with 30 kings whose heads were smitteÌ„ off Hercules abode at this sepulture and demaunded of the Citizens wherefore serued the statues images so rich A citizen said to him that there were the sepultures of the noble men of their realm and that the king Gerion had brought vp that custome to make these Sepultures for to haue remembrance of them that were valiant in arms Furthermore said that same man as soone as in this countrey a man hath put a noble maÌ„ to death then he doth to make a remeÌ„brance of that dead man on his sepulture And forasmuch as king Gerion in his time hath slain 30 kings he hath caused this sepulture to be made which you see meaning to be buried here in the end of his daies When Hercules heard this that the Citizen said he answered that he held himselfe happy that he had escaped the sword of such a tyrant that put so many kings to death and made his Orisons his praiers vnto the gods After this he returned to the pallace and there came vnto him the messenger of king Gerion that by the power of his maister commanded him to void the city and the realm or els to make good watch Hercules answered that he was entred into the realm also into the citie with strength of armes and that he would not go out therof vntil the time that one had taken from him his sword and arms by force of arms or vntil the time that he put the countrey in obeysance The messenger returned from Megidda with this answere vnto Gerion and told him what Hercules had answered him Gerion was with his two brethren they tooke the words of Hercules impatiently and sware that they would auenge them of him To make short worke they went to the sea with a great army of men of armes They rowed and sailed with all the strength they might vnto Megidda the winde and fortune suffered them in few daies to come and arriue at the port of Megidda And Hercules was aduertised of their comming who suffered theÌ„ to take land and let them rest that day that they came there they were fiftie thousand men At that time that they came a land it was late When they sawe that the Greekes made no defence at their landing they said one to another that they durst not come and fight with them And weening all to haue wonne aduantage they thereupon concluded that on the morrowe they woulde assaile the Citie right early Vppon this conclusion Gerion and his brethren purueied them of things appertaining to the assault and menaced greatly Hercules and his Greeks for to slea them villanously Hercules and his Greekes were then in Megidda thinking on their affaires not only in the intention for to defend them from their enemies but for to issue out the next day following and for to assaile them by battaile assoone as the night were passed Then a little before the sun rising on the morrow Hercules made two battails In the first hee put a thousand fighting men and enterprised to conduct them In the second hee put the residue of his armie and made Theseus captain of them After this when he hadde right well trained his people and set them in a right good order he admonished them to doe well their deuoire and had in minde to say to them certain things but he might not finish his spéech for that same time Gerion and his brethren their folk made their approches to assaile the citie and made so great a hurly burly and noise that all about it redounded c. When Hercules heard this vproare he did prepare opeÌ„ the gate for to behold sée what new thing was there And at the issuing out he saw his enemies that hasted them to come to the forts and walles with ladders and other Engines fit and necessary to make an assault Then hee began to laugh in himselfe and bad his men to follow him and he went straightway forth for to begin the skirmish And assoone as the porter had opened the gates Hercules marched vnto the Hesperiens bringing his club with him WheÌ„ Gerion saw Hercules come from far he knew him by his skin of the Lyon and by his club and shewed him to his brethren that maruelled of him because he came alone vpon them Luther is our mortal aduersary said Gerion he is full of pride and setteth little by vs Let vs assaile him al three and destroy him it is time al the gold of the world shal not saue him Hercules with these wordes came so nigh the three giantes that he might well speake vnto them and cried vnto them and saide yee euill tyrants lay downe your engines apperteining to assault it is now no time to assaile the citie but it behooueth you to dispose you
fighting by the space of 4. houres and had receiued vpon his arms so many strokes that no man could number them This notwithstanding hee fledde not at all from Gerion but came to him ioyfully and fought against him with so great force that all they that saw it maruelled and after many strokes smitten of Gerion and Hercules Hercules smote him one stroke so great that he al to brused Gerion and beate out the braines of his head and smote the helme vppon his shoulders so that he fell down dead among the dead men in such wise mangled that he abode there dead CHAP. XXII ¶ How Hercules founded the Citie of Corogne vppon the tombe of Gerion SVch was the end of the vnhappy life of Gerion the tyrant he died in like wise as the two brethren did by the club of Hercules When the Hesperiens saw him brought to that passe as for to taste the bitter morsel of death all left their armes All they bewailed sorrowfully the death of Gerion and fell all in despaire So that one staied still to be slaine other fled by desartes by mountaines by the bankes of the Sea and turned all backe in discomfiture When Hercules had espied them so disraied he thanked the Goddes and began for to pursue his enemies The pursuite dured vnto the Euen The Greekes filled the fieldes the mountaines and the waies by the Sea with the bloud of them that fled When the night was come Hercules and the Greeks withdrew them into the Gallies and did eate and drinke such as they had and made ioyfull cheere The hurt men were remembred and comforted with the victory and spoile The wearie men forgat the labour that they had done They rested them after their trauaile passed the night ouer When it was day on the morrow Hercules issued out of his galley And beholding the porte him seemed that a citie should stand well there and said that he would make one there and concluded to begin it Hee sent vnto all places where he wist that any people were thereaboutes and gaue to each man in knowledge that hee was minded to make a citie there and that the first person that woulde come to put hand thereto shoulde haue the gouernment thereof This thing was knowne in all Galicia Manie came thither but a woman named Corogne was the first that came And therefore Hercules gaue vnto her the ruling therof and made to begin the citie and named it Corogne in remembraunce of the victory that hee had there Vpon the body of Gerion he founded a towre and by his art composed and made a lampe burning continually day and night without putting of any thing thereto Which burned afterward by the space of 300. yere Moreouer vpon the pinacle or top of the towre hee made an image of copper looking into the sea and gaue him in his hand a looking glasse hauing such vertue that if it happened that any men of warre were on the sea meaning to doe anie harme to the city sodainly their army and their comming should appeare in this said looking glasse and that dured vnto the time of Nabuchodonozor who being aduertised of the propertie of the glasse filled his gallies with white things greene bowes and leaues that it seemed a wood and in the looking glasse appeared none other thing but a wood Whereby the Corogniens not knowing of any other thing then their glasse shewed to them furnished not them with men of armes like as they had been accustomed to do when their enemies came And thus Nabuchodonozor tooke the citie in a morning and destroied the looking glasse and the lampe When this towre was made Hercules caused then to come thither all the maids of the countrey willed them to make a solemne feast in remēbrance of the death of Gerion After he departed vnto Megidda where were presented to him 100. oxen of the fairest CHAP. XXIII ¶ How Hercules assailed the king Cacus and had battaile against him and ouercame him and how Cacus began to tyrannise in Italy c. AFter this conquest as Hercules intended to people and inhabite this new country tidinges came to him that in the Citie of Cartagene a king giant raigned named Cacus which was passing euil ful of tyranny and had slaine by his cursed dealing the kings of Aragon and of Nauarre their wiues and their children and possessed their seignories and also held in subiection all the countrey of Italy Hercules receiued right ioyously these tidinges and said that by the pleasure of the Gods hee will assay if hee may take vengeance of the death of the kinges of Arragon and of Nauarre Then he disposed him vnto this work and hauing an appetite to correct the king Cacus as soone as his armie might be ready he went vnto the realme of Castile whereas was the king Cacus in the cittie of Cartagene that stood beside a mountaine named Monachaio And hee passed by many realmes that did him obeisance for his vertuous renowme but when hee came to approche to Cartagene the king Cacus came against him without obeysance and in armes for he had been aduertised of his comming And as hee entred into the frontiers hee sent vnto him one of his knights that said to him these words that follow Hercules thou open tyraunt that hast thine heart greater then thy body and that wouldest assaile the heauens for to conquer them if the Gods had giuen thee winges for to flie as the birdes haue If thou seeke peace and loue vnto the king Cacus thy equall in condition and fortune I salute thee in his name and if thou come otherwise to him as his enemy I defie thée in his name And in no wise be thou so hardy as to enter into his countrey And if thou enter know thou that thou shalt find in Cacus and in the Castiliens so hard an encounter that from thy euill aduenture shall no man of thy company bée quit c. Knight aunswered Hercules whatsoeuer you bee you shewe not that you haue the heart of a noble man For it is a shame to all men and especially to a noble man to missay or speake euill of another man Ye haue called me an open tyrant and also ye haue compared mee vnto the tyrant Cacus I answere you to this article that I am no tyrant but a destroier of tyrantes and therefore yee shall returne againe vnto Cacus and signifie to him that I haue intention for to shew what hate I haue vnto tyrantes and that within few daies he may prooue vpon me the hard encounter whereof I haue now receiued the menaces With this aunswere the Castilien departed from the presence of Hercules and returned vnto the king Cacus and tolde him worde for worde what Hercules had saide to him When Cacus had heard all this he was abashed notwithstanding that hee was a strong Giant and a puissant and that he had neuer found a man stronger then he was himselfe for the renowme of
Hercules was then so great through the vniuersall worlde that the most strong and the most assured in armes and most fortunate doubted him and trembled hearing him speake of his deedes Howbeit Cacus tooke câ—urage in himself and in passing ouer abashment in the pâ—esence of his nobles he said Blessed be these next hasty daies that nature and fortune shal bring to vs for to make the proofe of our force and strength Nowe it behoueth that Castile and Sicille shew the force of their armes for to defend the king Cacus from the clawes of his enemies and it is of necessitie likewise that the king Cacus for his people display and put forth the vttermost of his strength Now go we on my brethren and friends wee be come to the warre The Greeks come vpon Castile without any quarrell let vs go against them and fight for our countrey the birdes fight one against the other for their nests and the dumbe beastes for their caues Nature leadeth them so for to doe If we haue the same nature the time is come that we ought to shew it c. When the Castiliens and the Aragonnoys that were there heard Cacus so speake they praised greatly his courage and answered all with one voice that they were ready to assaile their enemies With this answere the king did dislodge his hoast that he had there in the fieldes and went forth against Hercules the straitest way that hee could The king Cacus then went on the way desiring sore to finde Hercules Hercules on the other side came then against Cacus They went so long the one against the other that soone after they sawe each other nigh a place where Hercules founded after a citie which was named Terracene Assoone as they sawe each other they began to make great ioy and to make shoutes and cries After they trained them in order of battaile and marched the one against the other so hotely and sharply that they filled the aire in short space with shot of arrowes casting of stones and of dartes At the beginning of this battaile the Castiliens bare them valiantly and there were many of their part slaine more by hardinesse then for dread For they put themselues too farre forth And they doubted not the shot of the Greekes that shot on them so sore and so thicke that al the ground was made red with their bloud And the Castiliens which were so farre gone and sore chafed were driuen to resorte backe againe to their fellowes When king Cacus sawe his folke so sore bestead and heard that they reculed from the shotte of the Gréekes he hadde great sorrow in his heart and wist not what to doe for to entertaine and holde his battaile Some fledde and other reculed and went backe and other fell downe to the earth dead or sore hurt The battaile dured long in this point alway to the sorrow of king Cacus But in the end the shot of the Gréekes failed and the Castilians with Cacus recouered new strength in such sort that they came to fight hand to hand with swordes and that they shed and spread largely the bloud of them of Tyre and of Ancone which were in the first front of the battaile of Hercules The noise arose great there there were many shields broken and skinnes of Lyons cut in peeces There as Cacus approched it seemed that the tempest was he was great strong and fierce and outragious in smiting eche of his strokes was the death of a Greeke In the end hee did so much that the cries of them that were about him mounted so high in the aire that the Castiliens had well weend to haue woon all and beganne to make ioy for their good fortune in chasing the Greeks to the death but euen in like wise as a right cleere day is other while trobled by a darke black cloud so by the alone comming of Hercules that came then to the skirmish all their ioy was troubled and turned into mortal losse For the deadly arm of Hercules layd about him then so terribly that hee beate downe the Castiliens like as a mower with a sithe cutteth downe the grasse in a medowe When Cacus sawe Hercules so foundre and beate downe his men all the bloud in him chaunged Then his bloud so mooued as a couragious man he presented himself before the front of Hercules and smote him with his sword so sore and hard that he cleft his shield in two partes The Castiliens seeing the shield of Hercules flie by peeces thought anon that Cacus had slaine and put to death Hercules and then made a cry for ioy but it dureâ— not long for Hercules lift vp his armes with his club and smote Cacus vppon the top of his helme with such strength that it seemed to Cacus that he saw an hundred thousand candles or that he had been smitten down with the greatest rock of Spaine This notwithstaÌ„ding Cacus abode standing in his place and chalenged Hercules to death and smote him with all his might At this assailing the Castiliens hoping in the fortune of Cacus al they assailed Hercules Hercules was gone so farre among his enemies that he was alone from all his company When hee heard that Cacus threatned him to death and sawe that the Castiliens assailed him came to him from al sides he had his heart all filled with solace and abandoned the thicknesse and hardnesse of his skinne of the lion to the swordes of them all without reuenging him saue only against Cacus Thus began the battaile betweene Hercules and Cacus the strokes were great and fearefull without measure Cacus fought in the spirite of a tyraunt chafed and desired sore to ouercome Hercules for to tyrannise and triumph ouer him Hercules fought in a vertuous heart founded and nourished in vertue and as an enemy of vice hee assailed this vitious king Both two were great fearce and strong of great courage But certes when they hadde both tasted enough each other at length the strokes of Hercules were so great and so forcible that the shoulders of Cacus nor his head might not beare nor had the might to sustaine them So the end was such that after their battaile had dured two houres Cacus left him for hee might no more suffer him but fled and went his way c. When Hercules saw that Cacus fled hee meant not to follow after This notwithstanding for to haue the victory in this battell hee began to hew on the Castiliens Arragonoys and such other as he might finde for he left no man aliue before him yong nor old féeble nor strong Hispan the other of his side made their feates of armes to flourish and shine The battel was sharp for then the Greeks doubled redoubled their strokes and slew manie of their enemies In the end when Cacus had taken his breth he put him again into the middle at one side where his folk fled made theÌ„ to tary smiting and beating the Gréekes more terribly
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
once together and you with them if you will accompany them and for to do so they shall finde me raedy to morow early by day light Hercules with these wordes made his people to abide and rest there for that night And Nestor returned to his brethren and sayd to them My brethren I haue spoken vnto Hercules and haue tolde him your commandement he hath answered vnto mee with a right high and plaine courage that he will fight with vs to morrow not one after another but with vs all at once And for to speake plainely of him he hath the semblance of a man to be valourous in armes and furnished with prowesse he is a prince very modest and of great courage Dispose you well it behoueth to furnish well the battell Certes the battell will be perillous for hee is mightily membred and as great as one of vs but me thinketh that hee may not compare nor preuaile against vs eleuen and that hee may not escape from our forces but that wee shall pearce him with our swordes whatsoeuer force or strength is in him The giants so hearing him praise Hercules had great maruaile of him and might not beléeue Nestor of that that he had reported that he would fight with all together at once for there was none of them all but hee thought himselfe strong enough for Hercules Then they asked of Nestor and demaunded of him if he were sure to haue well vnderstoode that Hercules sayd vnto him that he would fight against them all at once Nestor answered yea and that he had heard him say it in his proper person With this aunswere they concluded that on the morrow they should arme them all and that they would goe to the field for to fight against Hercules if he came against them One of the giants sayd then vnto his brethren to morrowe shall be the day of our glory worship Wee shall vanquish the vanquisher of the monsters let vs make good chéere Brother answered Nestor therein is no doubt but that wee shall ouercome and bring to the foile him that ye speake of but so much shall our glory be the lesse that we shall be eleuen against one Well sayd the other if in fighting against vs eleuen we shall haue the lesse honour let vs euery man fight for himselfe Brother answered Nestor if ye had seene and heard him as I haue ye would not be so hardy as ye shew semblance of he is another maner of man then you wéene Kéepe you at the offer that hee hath made it is better to haue the most profite and lesse honour in such a case In these conferences they passed all that day afterward they went to rest When the houre was come on the morrowe earely they arose and made themselues ready in the best wise they could After they sent one of their men vnto Hercules for to know if he would say any thing but assoone as the messenger issued out of the gate the first thing he saw was a giant armed marueilously the messenger abode then and aduised him a little After he had aduised himselfe he went vnto the giant armed asked him what he was I am Hercules sayd the giant What will you say or haue sayde the messenger I will say sayd Hercules that the giants of Cremona haue no cause for to let mee the passage of their citie And forasmuch as they let me to vnderstand yesterday that if I would haue passage it behooued mee to vanquish them one after another in the fielde by battell I am come hither in hope to winne the victorie and demaund no other thing but for to see them in armes for to fight with them all together at once to the end to haue the sooner done Wherefore I pray you to goe to them and signifie vnto them my comming and that they haste them The messenger with these woordes returned vnto the giants and tolde them all what he had found When the giants knewe that Hercules was already come into the fielde they all tooke their swoordes and their furniture of warre and departed from the citie addressing themselues against Hercules Hercules was then alone in the place The men and women of Cremona went vpon the walles and towers for to see the battell And Phylotes with other noble men of the Gréekes were vpon an hill farre enough from the place where Hercules was abiding the giants Certes it was a faire sight to sée the comming of the eleuen giants They were all well appointed wel furnished with helmets inriched with gold and stones They were great and strong all of one measure they were bearded and had fierce countenances they came on and marched stoutly and with a great courage When they came nigh to Hercules within halfe a bow shoot they menaced him all to death and made a crie so great that the walles of the citie redounded After they ranne against the assured prince like as they had béene lyons Hercules hearing these cries and séeing their course on foot hee stayed for them lifting vp his clubbe ouer his head When it came to méeting it séemed well that the giants would haue all to bruised him with their swordes for they smote vpon him so vnmeasurably that the pieces of their swords flew into the ayre Their strokes were great Hercules suffered them and beheld what power they had but when they had made their assaies vpon him Hercules made his assay vpon them and with his clubbe smote one of the giants vpon his helme so that hee all to bruised not onely his helme but also his head that he fell downe suddenly dead When the other tenne giants saw that their brother was so dead of one stroke they had great sorrow and their bloud was much moued Nature willed them to take vengeance They did that in them was and assailed Hercules eagerly on all sides And thus beganne the battell betwéene Hercules and the giants Hercules dreaded not any stroke of sword of speare ne pollax his skinne of the lion was harde and strong his strength was stable and his clubbe bare all and so it was néed great were the strokes that they gaue eche other The giants did all their endeuour and gaue strokes enough to Hercules but they coulde neuer pearce the skin of the lion it was so hard but yet was his clubbe more harder The giants marueiled of the constance and puissance of Hercules Assoone as Hercules had lift vp his club for to smite on them his enemies that were there leaped aside and other while brake his strokes howbeit he did so much that in lesse time then an houre hee slewe foure of them and the other seuen fought afterwarde by such vigour that the more he smote them with his clubbe the more furious he found them and fierce c. The battell was terrible and hard for the giants were strong long had vsed the skill of armes and great paine had they to saue themselues and to auenge the
he approched the mount and went vnto the place where him séemed that he hadde heard the kine and was there full three houres seeking if hee could finde any hole or caue or way to passe by But howbeit that hee passed many times by the entry of the caue hee could neuer perceiue it Some said that the noise and bleating that they had heard of the kine was come by illusion The other said that Hercules lost his labour and trauell and praied him to leaue to séeke any more for they thought them not recouerable In the end when Hercules had heard one other and saw that hee might not come to the end of his desire in a great anger he tooke in both armes a great tree that grewe there and shooke it three times with so great force that at the third time he ouerthrew it root and all in such wise that the roote that came out of the earth made a very great large hole so déepe that the bottome of the caue was séene plainly When Hercules sawe the great hole that the roote of the tree had made hee was right ioyfull and glad and said truely it is here that the great théefe dwelleth I must sée if he be heere and what marchantes inhabite in this place In saying these wordes Hercules bowed downe his head and beheld on the one side of the caue where hee saw Cacus Assoone as he saw the theefe he knew him anon whereof he was more ioyous than he was before and called to him Cacus I see thee thou hast before this time troubled the realmes of Hesperie with innumerable trespasses and great sins that thou didst commit openly and manifestly This was the cause of the destruction of thy seignory Now thou troublest the Italians with tyrannies secret and vnknowne I know thy life Thou maiest not denie it nor gainsay it It behooueth that thou die therefore and that I make the Italians franke and free from thine horrible and odious thefts O cursed man if thy crownes thy Diademes thy Scepters thy renowns thy royall men might not maintaine thee Why then and wherefore art thou wrapped here still in sinnes and amendest not for all thy punishment that thou hast suffered but yet still in the steed and place that thou shouldest dispose thee to that that appertaineth to a king and a prince thou hast been a theefe In steed to doe iustice thou hast been a murderer and a putter in of fire to burne villages and houses And where thou shouldest haue kept and saued womē thou hast defloured them and done them villany O caitife king without coniuring or pining of thee Certes I see well that thou art hee that the Italians know not and that thou hast persecuted thē Thy malice hath been great and thy subtiltie seeing that this day thou wert neuer bewraied and hast done great mischiefe But thy cunning is not so great nor hast not thou so hid thée but thou art right nigh peril for thou shalt yeeld to me againe my Oxen. And to conclude thou shalt put mee to death or thou shalt die by my hand and thou shalt not escape by running nor by thy subtile shiftes When Cacus vnderstood this sentence he was exceedingly afraid neuerthelesse he lifted vp his head and seeing that he was found by Hercules the onely man of the world that he most hated he said to him Alas Hercules a man all corrupted with couetousnesse what cursed fortune hath made thee to draw out the tree whereof the profound and déepe rootes hath couered the secret abode of king Cacus late reigning but nowe depriued from reigning and banished from all worldly prosperitie Suffiseth it not to thee that I may haue the vse of my natural forces to liue by when thou hast taken al away from me and that I am forced to liue of robbery and spoile whereof the blame and fault ought to redound vpon thee Why sufferest thou not me to liue and drawe forth the residue of my poore life among the stones among the rockes and among the wormes of the earth Consider nowe what thou hast done to this king and seeke him no more Thou hast hurte and greeued him enough Hercules answered Cacus In the déepest of thy depthes of wretchednesse and miseries thy demerites wil accuse thee and I am right sory and greeued to sée a king in so wofull and shamefull estate but seeing thou canst not beautifie thy dayes passed or present with one onely good deed what remedie thou hast dayly exercised tyranny as well in prosperitie as in aduersitie I wote well that thou art the newe persecuter of the Italians and that thy hand is all foule with their bloud I séeke thée not nor the Italians can say nothing of thee And for asmuch as they complaine not of thee hauing cause to their preiudice this tree hath spoken for them and by his rootes hee hath discouered thine ambush So behoueth it that thou choose whether thou wilt come and fight with me here in the aire at large or els that I come and assaile thée there within For if it be to me possible I will deliuer the world from thy tyrannies c. By this answere Cacus knew that there was no respite for his life Then he intended to saue him as he had done aforetime and made by his crafte so great a smoke and fume that it séemed to come out of the hole that the tree had made as it had ben a very pitte of hell And this fume was mingled with flames burning as it was maruaile For all this fume Hercules left not Cacus but leapt into the Caue in the middle of the flames and fume as he that was maister of the craft and was quickly purueied of remedies that thereto appertained and went in lustily and assailed Cacus in such wise as he felt no fume nor let and then hee gaue him so great a stroke vpon the helme with his clubbe that he made him to hit his head against the walles of the caue Cacus with the receiuing of this stroke let the fume disgorge out of his stomacke seeing that by that maner he could not escape and tooke his huge great axe that stood by him for to defend him with Hercules suffered him to take his axe Cacus smote vpon him for the caue was not large they fought long therein Vnto the reskewe of Cacus came the thrée sisters that made great sorrowe and did cast stones vppon Hercules in great aboundaunce and wept bitterly These three damsels loued very wel Cacus Hercules and Cacus fought more then a long houre without ceasing At the end of the houre they were both so sore chafed that they must needes rest them Then Cacus tooke in himselfe a great pride for he was strong of body and him séemed when he had rested that Hercules was not so strong as hee had been afore times that he might neuer vanquish him forasmuch as he had not ouercome at the beginning By this presumption hee
come into Italy for to wit if his destiny should happen or no. And when the Italians heard recount the birth of Hercules they beléeued better that he was the sonne of god Iupiter then of Amphitrion CHAP. XXVI ¶ How the queene of Laurentia grew inamored of Hercules and how the king Pricus came into Italie with a great hoste and sent to defie Hercules THe glorious déeds of Hercules were greatly recommended in Italy aswel for that he had vanquished the giants of Cremona as for the death of Cacus So great was his renoume that during the building of his temple all maner people came thither for to see him and did to him diuine honours naming him the sonne of god Iupiter The kings and the lords came to him for to giue him gifts and rich presents Among all other the quéene of Laurentia came thither from her citie with manie chaires and chariots filled and laden with iewels and presented them to Hercules Hercules receiued into his grace this quéene her presents and thanked her greatly This quéene had to name Facua and was wife of the king Fanus sonne of the king Pricus the sonne of Saturne she was yong fresh tender and full of lustinesse She had not séene king Fanus her husband in foure yere for he was gone into a farre countrey and was not in all this time come againe So it happened that after she first began to take héed of and beholde Hercules and to marke him well she began to desire his company and acquaintance and she loued him so sore and excéedingly that shée could not turne her eyes nor her thoughts vppon none other thing but vpon Hercules In the beholding séeing him she sayd in her heart that he was the most well fauouored man and proper without comparison that euer she saw and that of right men should giue him laud praise saying moreouer that her séemed that her heart was intangled with the fire of his loue many cogitations and thoughts ran in her minde Nowe was she awaked and quickned with a ioyous spirit eftsoone all pensiue She passed so the first day that she came in this maner with Hercules When she was gone away for to rest she layd her downe on a bed all clothed and there she began to thinke on the beautie of Hercules with so ardent desire that she could not absteine from wéeping sore wished after him whereof the end was such that after many imaginations about the gray morning she began to say vnto her selfe O fortune what man what priuie what king hast thou brought into this countrey This is not a king like other This is an image singular and like as if the gods had made him by nature to exceede and triumph aboue all her other subtill workes and labours All glory shineth in him not onely by his valiant prowesse but by his simple and sacred perfection of bodie to which may be made no comparison O cleere image among the nobles who is she séeing his eyes that with one onely sight will not haue her heart thorowly pearsed who is she that will not couet and desire his grace The most fortunate of al happie and well fortuned shall she be that may get his good will he is humble faire pleasant and laughing he is a treasure O deare treasure like as the golde passeth all other maner mettals in like sort he passeth all other works of nature in all prosperities how then shal I not loue him As long as I shall liue his name shall remaine written in my memory and his beauty shall not be forgotten but remaine for a memoriall eternall Great were then the praises that Facua vttered of Hercules she forgate anon the king Fanus and put him all in neglect for the loue of Hercules She was there a certaine space of time and alway thought on Hercules Hercules that thought nothing of her made vnto her no semblance nor signe of loue howbeit he talked oft times with her and with the wife of the king Euander named Carmenta The more he conferred with them the more was Facua in great paine by the inflaming of loue some time she lost her colour and countenance but certainly she couered it and hid it so well that no man tooke héede of it Then when she had bene there eight dayes bearing such grieuous paine she saw that Hercules could not perceiue the loue that shee had to him for to come to the end of her desire she came on a day to Hercules and humbly required him that he would come and take the paines to come to her house for to passe the time whiles the king Euander there finished his temple Hercules accorded and agreed vnto her request whereat she had very great ioy in her selfe They then disposed themselues for to goe vnto Laurencia and tooke leaue of the king Euander and of the queene and so tooke their way Thus then going Hercules was alway by the side of Facua who reasoned of many things by the way and alway Facua had her amorous eyes fixed on the view of Hercules that at last Hercules began to take heed and sayd to her softly thus Lady you doe me great worshippe to bring me into your house Alas sir answered Facua I do to you nothing but trouble you for I haue not the power to feast you and make you chéere as I fain would Lady said Hercules the good chéere that ye bestow on me is to me acceptable so that from henceforth ye bind mine heart for to bée willing to fulfill your will in such wise that there is nothing that ye desire but I will accomplish it at your commandement after my power as to anie the most best accomplished lady that is in the West part Facua with these wordes began to smile and answered Sir I haue nothing done for you and ye are not so beholding to me as ye say Howbeit I thanke you for your good worde And thereof I hold me right fortunate and happy for that the most worthy man of all â—en dayneth to accompany one so poore a lady as I am Lady answered Hercules I take not that to be attributed rightly to me to say that I am the most worthy of men for there haue béen many better then I am But certes the more ye speake the more ye make me your subiect And since you doe to mee so great honour I request you as much as I may that I may be your knight and that ye take power ouer mée to commaund me to doe your wil and pleasure Sir said Facua will ye that it be so Lady answered Hercules alas yea I will not commaund you said Facua but I will giue you ouer me asmuch seignorie and lordship as it shall please you to take Hercules with the same word would faine haue kissed the lady and had done it had it not béen for the worship of her which hee woulde keepe They had enough of other conferences From that day forth Hercules
then anon rent off In bickering he receiued many a stroke and alway he defended himselfe without displaying of his power and of his strength as he that awaited for the tidings of the assault that was nigh The affray was great in the hall and in the citie on al partes the Calidoniens ranne to the pallace for to assaile Hercules King Pricus made him ready came with other vnto this fray Then was Hercules assailed fiercely but this assault was déere to the king for to his welcome Hercules came to the tabernacle that stoode vppon foure great barres of yron whereof hee tooke the one and beat downe the tabernacle After he lifted vp his arme with the bar and smote the king Pricus so vnmeasurably vpon the â—oâ— of his helmet that notwithstanding his strong harnesse and armours he all to beat him downe to the earth and smote him so sore broken and bruised that he fell downe dead betwéene his two porters At this time the crie arose great among the Calidonians Not alonely there but also in the citie for hee that kept the watch sounded to armes forasmuch as the Greeks assailed hastily the walles Calidony was then terribly troubled and the Calidonians wist not where to turne them whether to Hercules or to the assault All was full of heades armed aswell in the pallace as vppon the walles After this that Hercules had slaine the king Pricus he beganne to smite vppon his enemies and his strokes were great at ech stroke he slew two or three so as shortly he bare himselfe there a knightly that in little while hee couered all the pauement of the pallace with dead bodies of the Calidonians lying one vpon another without that any man might dammage his armor The Calidonians were of great courage and had great shame for that they might not ouercome Hercules that alone had done vpon them so great an exploit They assailed him with great courage and cast vpon him darts sharpe iauelines His armes and his shoulders bare all and he did so great things with his barre and gaue so great strokes that none of them might resist his strength The poore Calidonians came thither with great courage and desire for to reuenge the death of their king Hercules put so many to death that hee wist not where to set his foote but it must be vpon Calidonians Before the gate of the pallace was a pitifull noise of wéepings of cries that women and children made In the end when the Calidonians knew and perceiued the vertue the strength of Hercules and that they laboured in vaine they ceassed to assaile him and fled Then Hercules issued out of the pallace with his barre all couered with bloud Assoone as the Calidonians saw him they set vpon him passing furiously and assailed him anew they cast stones and darts vpon him they shotte arrowes on him aboundantly as they that were purueyed and awaited for his passage In this assault Hercules had much to suffer yet after receiuing moe strokes then canne be numbred he passed the watch that awaited to haue staine him and rested neuer till he came vnto the gate The Calidonians ranne then after him as men without dread of death and mightily swollen with pride and ire beganne on anew to smite vppon his shoulders and vpon his backe When Hercules saw that he turned his face vppon his euill willers and smote vppon them with his barre on the right side and on the left side so lustily that he died his barre with newe bloud and maugre his enemies he beat them downe and all to bruised them before him He made them then to recule and go backe more then fourtie pases and after came to the gate And the Calidonians pursued him againe but ere they came vpon him he all to brake bruised and to frushed the lockes and the wickets and doores of the gate and the Greekes assailed him with all their power and beate downe the draw bridge After he called the assailants and they came vnto him and with little resistance they entred the citie which was at that time with great slaughter of the Calidonians that would not yéeld themselues nor put themselues to mercy vntill the time that they saw their stréets and houses full of dead bodies c. CHAP. XXVIII ¶ How Hercules was enamoured on Yo le the daughter of king Pricus and how he required her of loue and how she accorded vnto him BY this maner was king Pricus slaine and his city taken by Hercules After the slaughter when the Calidoniens had huÌ„bled themselues Hercules and Theseus went to the pallace they came thither so fitly that they found the daughters of king Pricus with their ladies and gentlewomeÌ„ séeking the king among the dead bodies There were so manie dead bodies that they could not finde nor know him that they sought Hercules at his comming beganne to behold one and other and especially among al other hee cast his eie vppon Yo le the daughter of the king forasmuch as she was excellently glistering in beautie that in all the world was none like vnto her When hee had a little beheld her by a secret commaundement of loue hee drewe him vnto her wéening for to haue comforted her Anon as the right desolate gentlewoman saw Hercules approching vnto her she trembled for dread and fled vnto her chamber the ladies and the gentlewomen followed her and among them so did Hercules What shall I say hee entered into the chamber where she was and sate downe by her She thought to haue risen for to haue gone out of the way but he held her by her clothes and said vnto her Lady ye may not flie my companie Yo le spake then and said O miserable tyraunt what séekest thou me nowe for to trouble mee more Thou hast slaine my father let that suffice thee Madame answered Hercules if the king Pricus be dead it is reason that he be not much bewailed nor wept for he thinking for to auenge the death of the tyraunt Cacus came not long since for to assaile me in Italy saying that I had vnrightfully and without cause slaine him In maintaining the contrary I fought with him vppon this quarrell the battaile was not ended nor put to vtterance at that time for he withdrew himselfe with his people and came into this citie and I haue pursued him hastily albeit I coulde not ouertake him When I saw that I laide my siege about this citie he would not come to fight the battaile during my siege wherefore I haue this day willed to haue an end Fortune hath béen on my side and hath put you in my power Certes it must néedes be that without remedie ye be my lady and my loue for in séeing your singular beauty loue hath constrained me to be yours Then I pray you as affectuously as I may or can that yee cease your sorrow and that ye receiue mee as your friend and loue The more ye weep
the lesse ye get and winne continual teares or wéepinges nor long lasting sighes may neuer raise your father againe The faire Yo le with these wordes was sore oppressed with hote contrary imaginations that her heart failed her It was a piteous thing to beholde howe her friend Hercules would haue taken her vp and susteined her betwéene his armes But a wise lady that had alway gouerned her came to him and said to him kneeling on her knees Sir I pray you in the name of all the Gods that ye will cease to speake to this poore damsell for this time She hath this day lost her father it must needs bée that nature acquite her Ye may do with her your owne pleasure if ye let her a little abide in her melancholie all shall be well if it please the Gods as well for you as for her At the request of the Lady Hercules was content to let her go for that time hee recommended Yo le vnto the Gods and went vnto Theseus for to passe his time with him but to the end that Yo le shoulde not go away nor escape he ordained twelue Gréekes to kéepe her and commaunded vpon pains of death that they should suffer no woman to issue out of the chamber without witting whither she went In this night Hercules did cause the dead bodies to be had out of the pallace and the place to be made cleane And also he ordeined that the body of the king Pricus should be put in the sepulture When these things were accōplished Hercules Theseus with their men of armes made good chéere with such as they found there and Yo le was neuer out of the remembrance of Hercules Yo le certainely at this time was so discomforted that it cannot be recounted The ladie that had her in gouernance trauelled right sore for to comfort and chéere her Then when Hercules had left her in the chamber as sayd is she had many words to her and among all other she sayd to her My daughter you wéepe too much Ha madame sayd Yo le how may I lesse do when shall I haue cause to wéepe and to waile if I haue not nowe My father is dead I haue lost him that most loued me of all the world I may loose no more ne no greater thing Ought not then my heart to be angry and sorrowfull My daughter sayd the lady I know well that ye haue the most apparant occasion of sorrowe that any woman may haue but since it must néeds be that you passe by this infortune what profite you your grieuous wéepings There may nothing procéed of them but augmentation of melancoly and hurting and appairing of your praised beautie Ye be now fallen into the hand of this prince This is a man worthy and noble aboue all other he loueth you ye ought to thanke the gods and to giue them praise for this grace For this is to you a good fortune and an hap in your mishap If ye will be ruled by me y◠shall take all this in good part Better it is to suffer one euil then two He thinketh ye ought to consider your estate And if ye consider it well ye shall indeuour you to forget it Madame sayd Yo le Alas and how may that be that I should haue loue or affinitie or familiaritie with him that hath done to mee so much harme He hath not taken onely from me a knight an vncle nor a cousin but mine onely proper father Let none speake to me thereof Hee is and shall be my mortall enemy as long as I liue and as long as he shal liue he shall haue no more of me for prayer promise nor for menace My daughter sayd the lady make not your selfe bond whereas you be free the effects and déeds of loue be subtill and sudden Loue is alway in his secret throne that can doe none other thing but humiliate and méeken the hard hearted and bow the strong So hard nor so strong a heart is not amongst the humaine creatures but that it is right soone humbled and made méeke when that it is his pleasure There is no tower so high but it may be beaten downe by subtill mining Neither is no winde so great nor so rigorous but it may be tempered There is no night so darke but that it is surmounted with the day Ye hate Hercules now but if you haue a while kept companie with him and haue had communication with him peraduenture you will loue him better then euer you loued your father your mother or any other of your linage And that I may proue by my selfe for I had my husband in so great hate first ere we loued together that I would faine haue séene him die a shamefull death Shortly after when we had begun to be acquainted one with another I loued him so stedfastly that if he had not beene with me day and night I had thought I should haue died for sorrow and griefe My daughter such be the chances of loue that often times I say after great hate commeth great loue The glory of Hercules is so cléere that your heart ought to be delighted therewith the conquest that he hath made in this citie shall be for you a singular preparation to all good Would you attaine to a more greater weale then for to be fellow or loue of him that is the subduer of kings the most best wel-faring man and the most triumphant in armes for to him is nothing vnpossible hee hath conquered the most part of the vniuersall world O my daughter reioyce you in fortune shut not the doore to prosperitie that commeth to you it is to be beléeued that the desolation of this citie hath bene deuised and ordeined by the parlement of the gods in fauor of you that are the paragon and none like vnto you of all the daughters of the kings for to giue you in marriage vnto this man By these wordes the faire Yo le had her stomacke surprised with sundry imaginations She rose then vp from that part and entred into her guardrobe whereas was the presentation of the goddesse Diana When she was come thither she knéeled downe in great humilitie before the image and in abounding of sighes and weeping as sore as shee had done any time of the day before shee sayd Goddesse of virgines what shall thy right simple seruant and handmayden doe Alas lighten mine hope beholde mine affection weigh my mishappe Send thine eyes into the secret of mine heart and sée the sorrow that I beare and in the fauour of virgines kéepe my bodie and preserue me frō the hand of him that would that I should be his wife Since that he had caused in me the roote of mortall hate which is not possible to be rooted out as nature iudgeth in mee for it is not possible that I may loue mine enemie I am therefore perswaded and it is trueth that the hate that I haue against this tyrant Hercules shal be euer abiding
seekest in this forrest Hercules answered what art thou Diomedes saide I am the king of Thrace thou art entered into my Dominion without my leaue it displeaseth me and thou must be my prisoner wherefore yeeld thée to mée Hercules said then king since thou art Diomedes the king of Thrace thou art vndoubtedly the tyrant that I séeke And therefore I am not of purpose to yeeld mée without stroke smiting and especially to an euill théefe Know thou that I will defend me with this club with which I haue béen accustomed to destroy monsters and am in hope this day to make thy horses eate and deuour thy body like as thou hast taught and vsed them to eate thy prisoners When Diomedes heard the answere of Hercules hee tooke a great axe that one of his theeues bare after him and he lifted it vp threatning Hercules vnto the death and discharged so hard that if Hercules had not turned the stroke with his club he had béen in great perill Diomedes was of the greatnesse and stature of Hercules and had aboundance of strength and puissance When Hercules had receiued the stroke he lifted vp his club failed not to smite Diomedes for he gaue him such a stroke vpon the stomacke and so heauy that hee turned him vpside down from his horse and laid him all astonied in the field Then his hundred theeues bestirred them and assailed Hercules on all sides Some of them there were that recouered Diomedes set him on his horse the other shot at Hercules some brake their swordes on him All this impaired nothing the armes of Hercules His halberd and his helme were of fine stéele forged tempered hard He stood there among them like a mountaine When hée had suffered the first skirmishe and assault of the théeues for to shew to them with whom they fought he set vppon them and smote down right on all sides with such valor that sodainly he made the péeces of them flie into the wood and smote them down from their horses Diomedes was at that time risen and with great furie and discontentednesse with many of his complices came vnto the reskewe of his théeues whom Hercules vsed as he would And whiles that some assailed him before he came behind and smote him with his axe vpon his helme the stroke wherof was so great that the fire sprang out Diomedes had well thought to haue murdered Hercules yet Hercules mooued not for the stroke but a little bowed his head After this then he lift vp his clubbe and smote among the theeues and maugre them all in lesse then an houre he had so belaboured the yron about their backs that of the hundred hee slew sixty and the other hee al to brused and frushed and put to flight with Diomedes But Hercules running more swiftly then an horse among all other pursued Diomedes so nigh that hee raught him by the legge and pulled him downe from his horse and cast him downe against a tree vnto the earth After hee tooke him by the body and by maine force bare him vnto the place where the battaile had béen There he dishelmed him and vnarmed him with little resistance For Diomedes was then all to bruised and might not helpe himselfe and when he hadde him thus at his will hee bound him by the feete and by the handes After this hee assembled togither twentie horses of the théeues that ran dispersed in the wood and came to Diomedes and saide to him O thou cursed enemy that hast emploied all thy time in tyrannie and diddest neuer one good déed but all thy daies hast liued in multiplying of sinnes and vices and hast trobled the people by thefts praies irreparable and that hast nourished thy horses with mans flesh by this crueltie hadst supposed to haue made me to die Certes I will doe iustice vpon thée and will doe to thine euill person like as thou wouldest haue done to mine Then Hercules laid the tyrant in the middest of the horses which had great hunger and they anon deuoured him for they loued mans flesh And thus when Hercules had put the tyrant to death hee tooke his armes in signe of victory and returned vnto Phylotes that abode him Philotes hadde great ioy when hee sawe Hercules returne he enquired of him how he had done and howe hee had borne him And Hercules hid nor concealed nothing from him What shall I say with great ioy and gladnesse they returned vnto the Greekes and did cause to disancre their shippes and sailed for to arriue at the port or hauen of Thrace Then would Hercules make to bee known published in Thrace the death of king Diomedes Whereat was a great vproare This notwithstanding Hercules tooke to Philotes the armes of Diomedes and sent him into the citie for to summon them that gouerned it and for to yeeld it into his handes Philotes went into the pallace of Thrace and made to bee assembled them that then were principall in the Citie When they were assembled Phylotes did then open to them his charge and message and summoned the Thraciens that they shoulde deliuer their citie into the handes of Hercules Saying that Hercules was he that had put to death Diomedes for his euill liuing and for the loue of the common weale and that the citie could do no better but to receiue him at his comming for hée woulde not pill it but hee would only bring it to good pollicie When he had done this summons to the end that they should beleeue him he discouered and shewed vnto them the armes of Diomedes When the Thraciens heard Phylotes and sawe the armes of Diomedes some of the complices and companions of Diomedes and theeues were full of great rage and would haue taken the armes from Phylotes The other that were wise and notable men that many yeres had desired the end of their king seeing his armes knew assuredly that Diomedes was dead and full of ioy aunswered to Philotes Forasmuch as Hercules was a king of great renowne and wisedome and that he had done a worke of great merite in the death of Diomedes they would receiue him with good hart into the citie Without long discourses the Thraciens went vnto the gate and opened it Phylotes returned then vnto Hercules and tolde vnto him these tidinges Hercules and the Gréekes went out of their Gallies and entered into Thrace in space of time The Thraciens brought them vnto the pallace where were yet many theeues Hercules put all the theeues to death not in the same night but during the space of ten daies that he soiourned there He set the citie in good nature of pollicie He deliuered it from the euill théeues hee made iudges by election at the pleasure of the people And then when hee hadde done all these thinges hee departed from Thrace with great thanks as well of the old as of the yong Hée mounted vppon the Sea and after by succession of time without any aduenture to
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
well remembred of the great iniuries that yee and other haue done to him that for so little cause or occasion haue slaine his father destroied his citie and his people some dead and some in seruitude And yet that is worse to holde his sister foully as a concubin and yet at least he ought to haue wedded her And forasmuch as yée be a man of great witte and discretion the king my lord wisheth you and warneth you that from henceforth yee cease the rage and the great slaunders that may come for this cause that all good men ought to eschewe to their power that his sister be safely deliuered again to him and he will pardon the residue and wil hold it as a thing that neuer had happened c. When the king Peleus had heard Anthenor so speak hee chafed with him anon in great anger and ire and beganne to blame the king Priamus and said that his wit was light And after menaced Anthenor and commaunded him that he should go anon out of his land for if hee tarried long there hée woulde flea him with great tormentes Anthenor taried not long after but entered into his shippe without taking leaue of king Peleus and sailed so farre by the sea that he arriued at Salamine where the king Thelamon soiourned Then Anthenor went vnto him and declared to him the cause of his comming in this maner Sir said hee the king Priamus requesteth effectuously your noblenesse that his sister Exione whom ye holde in your seruice so foully ye would restore vnto him For it is not fitting nor seemly vnto your glorie nor renowne to vse so the daughter and sister of a king and that is issued of a more noble ligne then yée bée And in case that ye will restore to him his sister hee will hold all thinges as not done as well the damages as the dishonours that by you and other haue beene done vnto him When the king Thelamon hadde heard Anthenor so speake hee beganne to waxe passing angry and aunswered to him right fiersly saying My friend saide hee whatsoeuer thou bee I haue much maruaile of the simplenesse of thy king to whom I beare none amitie neyther he to mee And therefore I ought not to hearken vnto his praier nor request Thy king ought to knowe that I and other haue béen there for to reuenge an iniurie that his father Laomedon did late to some of our friendes And forasmuche as I then entered first into the citie of Troy with great trauaile effusion of my bloud Exione of whom thou speakest which is right faire was giuen vnto mée for the guerdon of my victorie for to do with her my will And forsomuch as shee is so well to my pleasure as shée that is of great beautie and replenished with all Sciences it is not to me so light a thing to render and deliuer againe a thing that is so faire and delightfull which I haue conquered with so great paine and daunger But thou shalt say to thy king that hée may neuer recouer her but by the point of the sword but as for me I repute thée for a foole that euer wouldest enterprise this message wherein lieth thy great perill for thou art come among people that vehemently hate thée and thy like therefore go thy way hastily out of this countrey For if thou abide any more here I will make thée die by cruell and hateful death c. When Anthenor heard Thelamon so speake hee entered right hastily into his ship and sailed so farre that hée arriued in Thessalie where the king Castor and the king Polux his brother soiourned Hée went a shore spéedily from his shippe and declared his message like as hée had done to the other And the king answered to him in great yre and said to him thus Friend what that thou art I will that thou knowe that wée thinke not to haue iniuried the king Priamus without cause for it is so that the king Laomedon his father then beganne the folly wherefore he was slaine For he wronged first certaine of the Nobles of Greece and therefore wee desire more the euill will of thy king Priamus then his good loue or peace And certes it séemeth well that he had not thée in anie good reckoning when hée sent thee hither to doe this message in this countrey wherefore I wishe thée see well that thou abide not here long for if thou go not incontinent thou shalt die villanously Then Anthenor departed without leaue and entered into his shippe and sailed till hee came to Pilon where the duke Nestor soiourned with a great company of noble men Anthenor went vnto him and saide that hee was messenger of the king Priamus and tolde and counted to him his message in such wise as hee hadde saide to the other before And if the other were angry this Nestor chafed in himselfe more against Anthenor and said to him Ha ha vile varlet who made thee so hardie for to say such thinges before me Certes if it were not that my noblenesse refraine me I woulde anon cause thy tongue to be plucked out of thy head and in despite of thy king I would by force of horse cause to draw thy members one from an other Go thy way hastily out of my sight or by my Gods I will cause to bee done all that I haue heere said c. Then Anthenor was all abashed at the horrible words of Duke Nestor and doubting the furie of his tyrannie returned vnto the Sea and sette him on his returne to Troy ward And hee hadde not been long on the Sea when a great tempest arose and the aire began to waxe darke and to raine and to thunder right maruellously and there rose great windes contrary and waxed thicke and horrible mistie and his shippe was borne on the waues one time high and another time lowe in great perill and there was not a man in the saide shippe but supposed to die and that made not speciall promises and vowes to their Gods and in these perilles were they three dayes and on the fourth day the tempest ceased and and the aire waxed all cléere and became peaceable Then they comforted themselues and sayled so farre that they came to the port of Troy and went straite to their Temples to giue then thankes to their Gods for that they hadde escaped so manie perilles as they hadde been in And after Anthenor went with a great companie of noble men before the king Priamus and when all the Barons were assembled and all the sonnes of the king present then Anthenor tolde all by order what hee had done in Gréece like as it is contained heretofore At these tidinges was king Priamus sore troubled and greeued for the opprobrious tauntes that they had offered to his messenger in Greece And then he had no more hope nor trust to recouer his sister CHAP. II. Howe the king Priamus assembled all his barons for to know whom hee might send into Greece for
was woonderfull angry and in his excéeding great ire gaue him such a stroke that he slew him and afterward sayd vnto him that he should go and say his villainous wordes to them that were dead such as he was woont to say to liuing men Then was Cedus passing sorrowfull for the death of his brother and admonished a thousand knights that he meant for to slay Hector and they assailed him anon and beat him off his horse and they cried to the king Cedus for to slay Hector And whē Hector perceiued that he gaue him such a stroke that he cut off his arme wherewith he fel for the anguish that hee felt and anon Hector slewe him Eneas slewe in this skirmish the king Amphymacus and then went togither all the most puissant of Greeks and assailed the Troyans and slew many of them and they went with so great force that they put the Troyans in a chase in the which Achilles slewe the king Philes whereof Hector had great sorrow and in his ire he slew the king Dalpme and the king Doreus and thus by the puissance of Hector the Troyans recouered the field and flewe many Greekes c. Then issued out of Troy the king Epistropus with three thousand knightes and they brake rankes and thrusted among the Greekes that reculed in their comming forasmuch as he brought with him a Sagittary the same that afore is made mention of This Sagittary was not armed but hee bare a strong bowe and a quiuer that was full of arrowes and shot strongly When the knightes of the Gréekes saw this maruellous beast they had no will to go forth and they that were afore began to withdraw them and went backe Among these thinges Hector slew Polixenes the noble duke that fought sore against him for by the strength of the Troyans the horror of the Sagittary the Greeks were driuen back to their tentes It happened that Diomedes before one of the tentes was assailed of the Sagittary and had this beast before him and the Troyans on his backe so that it behooued him there to shew his puissance The Sagittarie had then shot an arrow to him and Diomedes that was not well assured aduaunced him nigh vnto him gaue him so great a stroke with his sworde who was not armed that he slew him and that time it was past midday and then the Greekes recouered the field and made the Troyans to flee And then encountred Hector and Achilles and with force of their speares they fought both two and fell both to the earth And as Achilles was first remounted they supposed to haue lead away Galathe the good horse of Hector but Hector cried to his folke that they should not suffer him to leade him away Then they ran vpon Achilles and did so much that they recouered Galathe and rendred him to Hector that was right glad of him At this skirmish was Anthenor taken and sent to their tentes notwithstanding that Polidamas his sonne did maruailes of armes for to reskew him but he might not and thus they fought to great damage of the one party and of the other vntill the night parted them CHAP. XV. ¶ Of the truce that were betweene them after the which began battaile againe from Morne to Euen with great damage of that one partie and of that other but the Troyans lost more then the Greekes ON the morrow betime the Greekes sent Diomedes and Vlisses vnto the king Priamus for to haue truce for three monethes The king Priamus assembled his counsell vppon this thing and eache man agreed saue Hector that said that the Greekes fained that they woulde bury their dead bodies by cautele and they lacked vittaile and therefore required they truce to the end that during this time they puruey them of vittaile and we dayly wast ours whereof we may soone haue scarcitie howbeit he would not abide only by his intent against the opiniō of so many wise men but agreed with the other and the truce was accorded for three monethes This truce during the king Thoas was deliuered in the steed of Anthenor that they held prisoner whom they sent to the Troyans Calcas that by the commaundement of Apollo had left the Troyans hadde a passing faire daughter and wife named Briseyda Chancer in his booke that he made of Troylus named her Cresida for which daughter hee praied to king Agamemnon and to the other princes that they would require the king Priamus to send Briseyda to him They praied enough to king Priamus at the instance of Calcas but the Troyans blamed sore Calcas and called him euill and false traytor and worthy to die that hadde left his owne land and his naturall Lord for to go into the company of his mortall ennemies yet at the petition and earnest desire of the Greekes the king Priamus sent Briseyda to her Father The truce during Hector went on a day vnto the tents of the Greekes and Achilles behelde him gladly forasmuch as hee had neuer seen him vnarmed And at the request of Achilles Hector went into his Tent and as they spake togither of many thinges Achilles saide to Hector I haue great pleasure to see thee vnarmed forasmuch as I haue neuer seen thée before But yet I shal haue more pleasure when the day shall come that thou shalt die of my hand which thing I most desire For I knowe thee to be very strong and I haue oftentimes prooued it vnto the effusion of my bloud whereof I haue great anger and yet haue much more great sorrow forasmuch as thou slewest Patroclus him that I most loued of the worlde Then thou maiest beleeue for certain that before this yeare bee past his death shal be auenged vppon thee by my hand and also I wote well that thou desirest to slea mee Hector aunswered and saide Achilles if I desire thy death maruell thou nothing thereof forasmuch as thou deseruest to bee mine ennemie mortall thou art come into our land for to destroie mee and mine I will that thou knowe that thy wordes feare mee nothing at all but yet I haue hope that within two yeare if I liue and continue in health and my sworde faile mée not thou shalt die by the force and valor of mine handes not thou alonely but all the most greatest of the Gréeks for among you yee haue enterprised a great folly and it may none otherwise come to you thereby but death and I am assured that thou shalt die of mine hand ere I shal die by thine And if thou thinke that thou bee so strong that thou maiest defend thée against mee make it so that all the barons of thine hoste promise and accord that wee fight body against body and if it happen that thou vanquish me that my friendes and I shal be banished out of this realme and we shall leaue it vnto the Greekes and thereof I shall leaue good pledge And heerein thou maiest profite to many other that may run in great danger if
they haunt the battaile and if it happen that I vanquishe thee make that all they of thy hoste depart hence and suffer vs to liue in peace Achilles chafed sore with these wordes and offered him to fight this battaile and gaue to Hector his gage which Hector tooke and receiued gladly c. When Agamemnon knewe of this offer and bargaine he went hastily vnto the Tent of Achilles with a great company of noble men which woulde in no wise accord nor agrée to this battaile saying that they would not submit them so many noble men vnder the strength of one man and the Troyans said in like maner saue only the king Priamus that would gladly agree for the great strength that he found in his son Hector Thus was the fight broken and Hector departed and went againe to Troy from the Gréekes When Troylus knew certainly that Briseyda should be sent to her father he made great sorrow for shee was his soueraigne ladie of loue and in semblable wise Briseyda loued earnestly Troylus and shee made also the greatest sorrow of the worlde for to leaue her soueraigne lord in loue There was neuer séen so much sorrow made betweene two louers at their departing Who that list to heare of al their loue let him reade the booke of Troylus that Chaucer made wherein hee shall finde the storie whole which were too long to write heere but finally Briseyda was led vnto the Greekes whom they receiued honourably Among them was Diomedes that anon was enflamed with the loue of Briseyda when he sawe her so faire and in riding by her side hee shewed to her all his minde and made to her many promises and especially desired her loue and then when she knew the minde of Dyomedes she excused her saying that she would not agree to him nor refuse him at that time for her heart was not disposed at that time to answere otherwise Of this answers Diomedes had great ioy forasmuch as hee was not refused vtterly and hée accompanied her vnto the tent of her father and did helpe her downe of her horse and tooke from her one of her gloues that shee held in her handes and she suffered him sweetly Calcas receiued her with great ioy and when they were in priuitie between them both Briseyda saide to her father these and semblable wordes Ha a my father how is thy wit failed that were woont to be so wise and the most honoured and beloued in the citie of Troy gouernedst all that was within and hadst so many riches and possessions and nowe hast béen traitour thou that oughtest to haue kept thy riches and defended thy countrey vnto the death but thou louest better to liue in pouertie and in exile among the mortal enemies of thy countrey O how shall this turne to thy great shame Certes thou shalt neuer get so much honour as thou hast gotten reproch and thou shalt not onely be blamed in thy life but thou shalt also be ill spoken of after thy death and be damned in hell And me seemeth yet it had béen better to haue dwelled out from the people vpon some I le of the Sea then to dwell heere in this dishonour and opproby weenest thou that the Greekes holde thee for true and faithfull that art openly false and vntrue to thy people Certes it was not only the God Apollo that thus abused thee but it was a company of deuils And as she thus spake to her father she wept gréeuously for the displeasure that she had c. Ha a my daughter said Calcas thinkest thou that it is a fit thing to despite the aunswere of the goddes and specially in that thing that toucheth my health I knowe certainly by their answers that this warre shall not dure long that the citie shal be destroied and the nobles also and the bourgeses and therefore it is the better for vs to be here safe then to be slaine with them and then finished they their talke The comming of Briseyda pleased much to all the Greekes and they came thither and feasted her and demaunded of her tidinges of Troy and of the king Priamus and of them that were within and shee said vnto them as much as she knewe courteously Then all the greatest that were there promised her to keepe her and hold her as déere as their daughter and then each man went into his owne Tent and there was none of them but gaue to her a iewell at the departing and it pleased her well to abide and dwell with the Greekes and she forgat anon the noble Citie of Troy and the loue of noble Troylus O howe soone is the purpose of a woman changed and turned certes more sooner then a man can say or think now late had Briseyda blamed her father of the vice of treason which she her self exercised in forgetting of her countrey and true friend Troilus CHAP. XVI ¶ How the Greekes and Troyans began the sixt battaile that dured by the space of thirtie daies in which were many kinges and princes dead of the one side and of the other and how Diomedes smote downe Troylus off his horse and sent it to Briseyda his loue that receiued it gladly c. AFter the three monethes of truce passed on the morrow betimes the Troyans prouided them to battaile And when Hector had ordered all his battailes he issued out first and tooke with him fifteene thousand fighting men and Troylus followed him with ten thousand knightes after him came Paris with thrée thousand fighting men of good archers and well horsed After came Deyphebus with three thousand fighters after him came Eneas and the other all in order so many that there were this day of the partie of the Troyans more then an hundred thousand good fighting men and hardie Of the partie of the Greekes came there first Menelaus with seuen thousand knightes and after him Diomedes with as many and then Achilles that lead also aleuen thousand the king Pampitus with a great multitude of knights and the other after like as they were appointed The king Philes aduaunced him the first Hector came against him so strongly that hee slewe him with his speare Thē there arose a great crie of his death among the Gréeks and the murther and slaughter began so great that it was an horrible sight to sée as wel of the one side as of the other King Pampitus slew many Troyans for to auenge the death of his vncle assailed Hector but Hector gaue him so sound a stroke that he slew him for to auenge his death the Greekes slew manie of the Troyans Achilles slewe many noble men among the which he slew the duke Byraon and Euforbe that was a great noble man Hector was this day sore hurt in the face and bled great plentie of bloud and wist not who had done it therefore the Troyans reculed vnto the walles And when Hector apparantly sawe vppon the walles the quéen Hecuba his mother and
his sisters he had great shame and by great ire assailed the king Menon coosin of Achilles and gaue him so many strokes with his sword vpon his helme that he slew him in the sight of Achilles that was like for to haue been madde and tooke a strong speare and ranne against Hector and brake his Speare vpon him but he could not remoue him and Hector gaue him with his sword so great a stroke that he made him to tumble vnder his horse and said to him Achilles Achilles thou contendest to approch to me know that thou approchest thy death And as Achilles would haue aunswered to Hector Troylus came betweene them with a great number of knightes and put them in the middest of them And there were slaine more then fiue hundred knightes of Greece and were put backe by force and Menelaus came to the reskewe with three thousand fighting men And of the partie of the Troyans came the king Ademon that iousted against Menelaus and smote him and hurt him in the face and he and Troylus tooke him and had lead him away if Diomedes had not come the sooner with a great companie of knights and fought with Troilus at his comming and smote him downe and tooke his horse and sent it to Briseida and did cause to say to her by his seruaunt that it was Troylus horse her loue and that he had conquered him by his prowesse and prayed her from thenceforth that she would hold him for her loue c. Briseyda had great ioy of these tidinges and said to the seruaunt that he should say vnto his Lord that she might not hate him that with so good heart loued her When Diomedes knew the answere he was right ioyous and thrusted in among his enemies â—ut the Troyans that were stronger then they made the Greeks to go backe recule vnto their tentes and had slaine them all if the king Agamemnon had not succoured them with right great strength Then beganne the battaile horrible and mortall and the Greekes recouered the field and chased and put the Troyans back vnto their diches Then came Polidamas to the reskew with a great number and multitude of knightes and did goodly exploites of warre and Diomedes addressed him to him but hee was beaten of Polidamas that tooke the horse of Diomedes and deliuered it to Troylus that fought on foote and he mounted anon thereupon Then came Achilles against Troylus whom Troylus receiued gladly and beate downe Achilles which remounted lightly and assailed Troylus with his sword and Troylus defended him right valiantly Then came on Hector and had at this time slaine more then a thousand knightes but the Greekes defended Achilles that were so sore oppressed that hardly they might defend him any more and he hadde been slaine or taken if the king Thelamon and the duke of Athens had not succoured him And they set him againe on his horse with great paine and then the night came on that parted them They fought thus thirtie daies continually to the great damage of both parties and there were slaine sixe of the bastard sonnes of the king Priamus and Hector was hurt in the face and therefore the king Priamus demaunded truce of the Greeks for sixe monthes and they agreed and accorded to him c. CHAP. XVII ¶ How the Greekes and the Troyans began the seuenth battaile that dured twelue daies and after beganne the eight battaile much damageous to the Troyans for Hector was slaine by Achilles and they were driuen backe into their Citie by force to their great damage DVring the six monethes of the truce aforesaide Hector sought to bee healed of his woundes and plaied in the noble hall of Ilyon that was as the historie saith the most royall hall and faire that was in the world Thus during the truce the king Priamus did bury his sixe bastard sonnes each in a sepulture by himselfe right honourably Among all other thinges Diomedes suffered great greefe for the loue of Briseyda and might not eat nor rest for thinking on her and required her many times of her loue and she answered him right wisely giuing him hope without certaintie of any point by the which Diomedes was enflamed on all parts with her loue When the sixe monethes were passed they beganne to fight by the space of twelue daies continually from the morning vnto the euening there were many slaine of the one side and of the other And then came a great mortalitie among the Greekes in the hoste by the great heate that then was and therefore the king Agamemnon required truce which was agreed and accorded to him c. When the truce was passed the night before Andromeda the wife of Hector that had two faire sonnes by him whereof the one had to name Laomedon and the other Astromates this Andromeda sawe that night a maruellous vision and her seemed if Hector went that day following to the battaile he should be slaine And she that had great feare and dread of her husband weeping saide to him praying him that he would not go to the battaile that day whereof Hector blamed his wife saying that she shoulde not beleeue nor giue faith to dreames and would not abide nor tarrie therefore When it was in the morning Andromeda went vnto the king Priamus and to the Queene and tolde to them the veritie of her vision and praied them with all her heart that they woulde doe so much at her request as to disswade Hector that hee should not in any wise that day go to the battaile c. It happened that day was faire and cléere and the Troyans armed them and Troylus issued first into the battaile after him Eneas after Paris Deiphebus Polidamas and the king Sarpedon the king Epistropus the king Croys and the king Philomenus and after all the princes that were come in the aide of the Troians each man in good order And the king Priamus sent to Hector that he should keepe him well that day from going to battaile Wherefore Hector was angry and said to his wife many wordes reprochfull as he that knew well that this coÌ„mandement came by her request yet notwithstanding the forbidding he armed him And when Andromeda sawe him armed shee tooke her little Children and fell downe at the feete of her husband and praied him humbly that hee woulde take off his armes but hee would not doe it And then she said to him at the least if yee will not haue mercie on me yet haue pitie on your litle children that I and they die not a bitter and greeuous death or that wee bée not lead into seruitude and bondage into strange countries At this instant came the queene Hecuba and the quéene Helene and the sisters of Hector and they humbled themselues and kneeled downe presently before his feet and praied and desired him with wéeping teares that hée woulde doe off his harneis and vnarme him and come with them into the hall but neuer would hee doe it for
he made the Greekes to go backe into their Tentes and alighted on foote and entered into the tentes and slewe them on all sides and there was so great a crie that the sounde came to Achilles that rested him in his Tent and demaunded of one of his seruauntes that was there what it was and he said to him that the Troyans had vanquished the Greekes and slewe them within their Tents which were no more able to defend them and thinke ye to be sure here said he nay ye shall see anon more then forty thousand Troyans that shall slea you vnarmed for at this time they haue slaine the most part of your Mirmidones and they cease not to slea them and there shall not abide one aliue but if they be succoured At these wordes Achilles did quake for yre and set behinde him the loue of Polixene and did arme him hastily and mounted on his horse and ranne all out enraged as a Lion and smote in among the Troyans and spoiled thē slewe and hurt them in such wise that anon his sworde was knowne and the bloud ran in the field all about as he went When Troylus knewe that Achilles fought with his sword he addressed him to him and gaue him so great a stroke that he made him a great wound and a deepe that he must needes cease many daies of comming to battaile Troylus was hurt also by the hand of Achilles but nothing so sore and both fel down to the ground and the battaile dured vntill the night and on the morrowe they beganne again and endured vnto the Euen And thus they fought sixe daies continually Wherefore there were many slaine on either part The king Priamus had great sorrowe of this that Achilles against his promise was come into the battaile and thought that he had giuen him to vnderstand a thing that was not but rather that hee meant for to deceiue him then otherwise and reproched his wife to beleeue so lightly him and Polixene sorrowed then enough for she was contented then to haue had Achilles to her husband Achilles among other thinges did heale his woundes during sixe monethes of truce that they had gotten which woundes Troylus had giuen him and he purposed to auenge him and that Troylus should die shamefully by his hand After these things the nineteenth battel began with great slaughter and afore that Achilles entered into the battaile he assembled his Mirmidones and praied them that they would intend to none other thing but to inclose Troylus and to hold him without flying till hee came and that he would not be farre from them And they promised him that they so would And he thronged into the battell And of the other side came Troylus that beganne to slea and beate downe al them that he raught and did so much that about midday he put the Gréeks to flight then the Mirmidones that were two thousand fighting men and had not forgot the commaundement of their Lord thrusted in among the Troyans and recouered the field And as they held them together and sought no man but Troylus they found him that hee fought strongly and was inclosed on all partes but he slew and wounded many And as he was all alone among them and had no man to succour him they slew his horse and hurt him in many places and plucked off his head his helme and his coife of yron and he defended him in the best manner he could Then came on Achilles when he sawe Troylus all naked and ran vpon him in a rage and smote off his head and cast it vnder the féete of his horse and tooke the body and bound it to the taile of his horse and so drew it after him throughout the host Oh what villanie was it to drawe so the sonne of so noble a king that was so worthy and so hardy Certes if anie noblenesse had béen in Achilles he would not haue doone this villanie When Paris knew that Achilles had thus villainously slaine Troylus he had great sorrow and so had Eneas and Polidamas and laboured to recouer his body but they might not for the great multitude of Gréekes that resisted them On the other part the king Menon died of sorow for the death of Troylus and assailed Achilles and said vnto him in reproch Ha ha euil traitour what crueltie hath mooued thée to bind to the taile of thy horse the sonne of so noble a Prince as the king Priamus is and to drawe him as hee were the most villaine of the world Certes thou shalt abide it and ranne vpon him and smote him so hard with his speare in his breast that he gaue him a great wound and after gaue him so many strokes with his sworde that hée beat him downe to the ground and then was the body of Troylus recouered with great paine The folk of Achilles relieued their Lord and set him againe on his horse and as soone as his strength came to him againe he came againe into the prease and encountered the king Menon and assailed him stoughtly and the king Menon defended him valiantly and did hurt Achilles in many places but there came so much people on the one side and of the other that they were parted then came the night on that parted them and made them to cease and they fought thus the space of seuen daies At the seuenth day when Achilles was healed of his woundes desiring to auenge him of the king Menon he saide to his folke that if they might encounter him they should hold him in close like as they did Troilus Then began the battaile right aspre Achilles and Menon fought togither and by great rage beate downe eche other a foote Then the Mirmidones enclosed him and tooke him by force that had no man to succour him Then Achilles seeing the king Menon in this daunger he ran vpon him and slew him with great torment but Menon gaue him before many great woundes whereof he lay long after Among these thinges Menelaus and Menesteus with a great companie of kinges and princes and many fighting men thrusted into the throng and put many Troyans to flight the which entered into their Citie with doing great mischiefe forasmuch as the Gréeks chased them so nigh that they slew and hurt many of them CHAP. XXIII How Paris by the perswasion of Hecuba his mother slew Achilles in the temple of Apollo and the son of duke Nestor and how Paris and Aiax slew each other in battaile FOr the death of Troilus the king Priamus his wife and his children and all the inhabitantes of the Citie made great sorrow maruelously and they saide all that since they had lost Hector Deyphebus and Troylus they had from thenceforth no more hope of their life then of their death The king Priamus demaunded truce and it was agreed and accorded by the Greekes during the which they did burie honourably the body of Troylus and the body of king Menon The queene might not be appeased nor
thereto with thy person And if thou wouldest haue béene contrary thereto and haue let it Helene had neuer seene the walles of Troy And now after this that they haue slaine all my children and done so much dammage and hurt ye counsell mee against honour to make peace with the Gréeks that haue so cruelly destroyed me Certes your counsell finisheth my life with great sorow and dishonour c. Of these wordes was Eneas exceedingly angrie and wroth and answered to the king wordes sharpe and pricking enough and departed he Anthenor from the king euill content And when they were gone the king began to weepe as hee that dreaded that they would deliuer the citie into the hands of the Greeks which would slay him incontinent Then he thought that he would make them die first and called to him Amphimacus and sayd to him Right deare sonne I am thy father we ought to support ech other vnto the death I know certeinly that Anthenor and Eneas contend for to slay vs by the Gréekes and to deliuer them this citie and therefore it should not be ill done to make them fall into the pitte that they haue made ready before ere they doe any such euill and I will tell thee in what maner To morrow at euen they will come to take counsell then thou shalt be ambushed here within and thou shalt haue with thee good knights and when they shall bee come thou shalt runne vppon them and slay them Amphimacus made answere vnto him and sayd that hee would so doe with a verie good will and albeit there were no more assembled at this counsell but the king and his sonne yet there is nothing so secret but otherwhile it is knowne Eneas knew wel the truth of this thing and it was not knowne by whom he knew it and anon hee and Anthenor and some other of their complices spake forth of the treason of the citie and there they swore each to other and then they said if they went more to counsaile to the king that they woulde go with great company of men of armes for Eneas was of the most noble of Troy and most rich next to the king and best of linage and might well compare to the king And Anthenor was also rich and puissant of friendes in the citie and their treason was such that they would haue deliuered the city in the handes of their enemies So as they and all they of their linage shoulde haue their liues and their goods saued and thereof they tooke good suretie of the Greekes Among these thinges the king Priamus sent for Anthenor and Eneas to come to counsell for to performe that thing that he hadde purposed but they came with a great company of men of armes and therefore the king sent Amphymacus that hee shoulde leaue off this enterprise The day following the king sent for all the Troians to councel and when they were assembled before him Eneas stood vp and willed all them to make peace with the Greekes to whom all the other accorded saue the king and then said to him Eneas Sir king wherefore consentest not thou with the other for will thou or will thou not we will treate for the peace and wil make it maugre thee When the king sawe that his contradiction might nothing auaile he had leauer consent with the other then for to be the cause of his destruction and then said he to Eneas Let it be made as ye shall thinke that it may bee most expedient to the peace and I will thinke wel of it Then by the counsel of them all Anthenor was chosen for to go to the Greekes and treat for the peace and the Troyans tooke branches of Palme in signe of peace and went vppon the walles of the Citie and shewed the signe vnto the Gréeks the which shewed well that they would entend to the peace And then was Anthenor retyred from the walles and let downe and was presented to the king Agamemnon And the king Agamemnon commised all the work to the king of Crete Diomedes and Vlisses and that all those thinges that these thrée kinges should decree with Anthenor all the Gréeks promised to hold it agreeable and sware it vpon their law c. When they were all foure assembled Anthenor replenished with furie promised to them to deliuer the citie by treason for to doe with it their will and pleasure so that they woulde saue him and Eneas and all their kinsmen and parentage and all them that they woulde choose and that Eneas should haue all his possessions without any losse These three kings of Greece swore to Anthenor that thus they would do and hold then said one to the other that this thing must be secret vnto the time it be brought about and to the end to keepe this treason more secret Anthenor praied to the Greekes that they would deliuer to him the king Cassilius that was a very auncient man for to go with him to Troy to the intent that he might be the better beleued and for that he knew the will of the Troians that is to weet if they woulde haue peace with the Greekes and also for to say to them the will and desire of the Greekes and then demaunded Anthenor the body of Penthesilea which the Gréeks agreed to them gladly After these thinges Anthenor and the king Cassilius entred into the citie and did to be knowne to the king their comming On the morrow betimes the king Priamus assembled al the Troians for to heare the answer of Anthenor the which saide to the king otherwise then hée founde making a long sermon for to couer his badde doing Where he spake long of the puissance of the Gréeks and of their truth in their promises and how they had holden the truce that they made lying before the citie had béen faithfully gouerned without breaking of them and after spake he of the feeblenesse of the Troyans of the daungers that they were in and in this time concluded that forthwith it were profitable to seeke peace and that they were come thereto and said it coulde not be vnlesse they gaue a great quantity of gold and siluer vnto the Greeks for to restore to them the great damages that they had in the warre And after they aduised the king the other each in himself for to employ him in this thing without any sparing And forasmuch said Anthenor as I cannot know at this time al their will I would that yee would let Eneas go with mee vnto them for to knowe better their will and to the end that they beleeue vs the better Euerie man allowed the words of Anthenor and then went he and Eneas to the Greeks and with them the king Cassilius When the counsel was finished and all done the king Priamus entred into his chamber began to wéep right gréeuously as he that perceiued wel the treason playned sore the death of his sons and the great damage that he
tooke all that they found in their houses and slew so manie ere it was day that they had slaine more then twentie thousand They pilled and robbed the Temples and the cry arose to be horrible of them that they slew When the king Priamus heard the cry hee knew anon that Eneas and Anthenor had betraied him he arose then hastily and went into his temple of Apollo that was within his Pallace as he that had no more trust nor hope of his life and kneeled before the high altar Cassandra fled on the other side as one that had been out of her witte into the temple of Minerue weeping and demeaning great sorrowe and the other noble women abode still in the Pallace in weepinges and in teares When it came to the morrow the Greekes by the conduct of Eneas and of Anthenor that were open traytours vnto their Citie and also to their king and Lord came and entered into the Pallace of Ilion where they found no defence put to death all them that they found Then Pirrhus entred into the temple of Apollo found there the king Priamus abiding his death then he ranne vpon him with a naked sword in sight of Eneas and Anthenor that guided him he slew there the king Priamus before the high altar which was all be-bled with his bloud The queene Hecuba and Polixene fled and wist not whether to go and it happened that she met with Eneas and then said Hecuba to him in a great furie Ha a felon traitour from whence is come to thee so great crueltie that thou hast brought with thee them that haue slaine the king Priamus that hath done to thee so much good and hath set thee in magnificence and also hast betraied the countrey where thou were borne and the citie that thou oughtest to keepe at the least let it suffise thée and refraine thee now of thine intent and haue pitie of this vnhappie Polixene to the end that among so many euilles as thou hast done thou maiest haue grace to haue done one good deede as for to saue her from death before the Greekes slea her Eneas mooued with Pitie receiued Polixene in his guard and put her in a secret place Among these things king Thelamon set in the temple of Minerue in kéeping Andromeda the wife of Hector Cassandra whom he found there in Ilion and set the cittie on fire in all places and brent al the noble cittie except onely the houses of the traitors which were kept and reserued When the cittie of Troy was all brent king Agamemnon assembled al the most noble of Gréece in the temple of Minerue and when they were all assembled he required them of two things one was that they should hold their faith and trueth to the traitours the other that they should take good aduise to part the prey of the cittie The answer of the Gréekes was such that they would hold their faith to the traitors as for the first point and as to the second euery man should bring all the prey in common and there to part to ech man after his merite and desert Then spake Thelamon and said they should burne Helen for whom so much hurt and euill was come and that so many woorthy kings princes had died for And there was a great murmure hereupon that with great paine Agamemnon Vlysses and Menelaus might saue her But Vlysses with his faire spéech saide to them so much of diuerse things that they were content that Helene should haue no harme And then Agamemnon did so much to all the other that for his reward the daughter of king Priamus Cassandra was deliuered vnto him Whilest that the Gréekes held yet their parliament there came to them Eneas and Anthenor and aduertised them howe Helenus had alway blamed the Troyans of the enterprise that they made against the Gréekes and counselled them to put the body of Achilles in sepulture which they woulde haue giuen to the houndes and besought them therefore that they would saue his life and it was agréed and accorded to them And then Andromeda and Helenus intreated for the two sonnes of Hector which were saued albeit that Pirrhus was there against and debated it a litle but in the end hee agreed it and so the children were saued After this vproare they ordeined that all the noble women that were escaped from death should go whither they would freely or dwell there still if it pleased them And after these thinges done they purposed to depart from Troy but a great tempest beganne to arise that time that endured a moneth whole before they might go to the sea Then demaunded the Greeks of Calcas the cause of this trouble that endured so long and hee aunswered that the puissances infernals were not yet appeased for the effusion of the bloud of Achilles that was shed in the temple of Apollo for the loue of Polixene and for to appease the Gods it behooued to sacrifice Polixene for whom Achilles died Then Pirrhus enquired diligently where Polixene was become that was cause of the death of his father for there was no tidings whither she was aliue or dead Agamemnon demanded of Anthenor which said to him that he knew not where she was wherof he lied not and yet for to make an end of all his euilles he enquired so much that Polixene was found in prison in an olde auncient tower whereas she was put in and then he went thither and drew her out by force by her armes and presented her vnto the king Agamemnon which anon sent her to Pirrhus the which sent her to the sepulture of Achilles for to be slaine and as they led her there was no king nor prince but that he had great sorrow for to see so faire a figure of a woman to be lost and without that she had deserued it and they had deliuered her from the hand of Pirrhus if Calcas had not been that said alway that the tempest should not cease vnto the time that she were dead When the faire Polixene was before the sepulture of Achilles she excused her verie humbly of the death of Achilles and said that shee was much wroth and sory of his death and that the kinges and princes of Greece suffered her to die against iustice and without fault or trespasse yet that she had leauer haue the death then to liue with them that had taken away and slain al her friends And when shee had finished her wordes Pirrhus smote her with his sword in sight of the queene her mother and slew her cruelly and cut her all in peeces and cast them all about the sepulture of his father When Hecuba the queene sawe thus her faire daughter slaine shee fell downe in a â—woone and after went out of her wiâ— and became mad and beganne to runne as a vacabond and all enraged and assailed with her teeth and with her nailes all that she might come by and casted stones and and hurt many of
good intertainement In like manner did sundry Lordes that had béene exiled returne againe to their wiues and houses and enioyed their olde seigniories as many as had escaped the daunger of the sea CHAP. XXIX How Horestes sonne of King Agamemnon cruelly auenged himselfe of the death of his father And how king Vlysses after sundry perillous aduentures returned to his Country and kingdome THen Horestes the sonne of king Agamemnon who was twenty and foure yeares of age and had béene brought vp vnder king Idumeus was by the said Idumeus made knight at whose knighting was great feasting and sport Then Horestes prayed him that he would helpe him with his people to be auenged of the death of his father and to recouer his land againe Whereupon Idumeus deliuered to him a thousand armed men wise and hardie And Horestes gathered out of other places an other thousand so passing toward Michmas he went by Trasim where Forensis was Lorde and gouernour of whome he gat a hundred souldiers this did Forensis for the hatred that he bare to Egistus forasmuch as the saide Egistus hauing espoused his daughter forsooke her for the loue of Clitemnestra So he ioynd with Horestes to make war against Egistus This expedition was taken in hand at the beginning of the moneth of Mate When they came before Michmas those that kept the cittie would not yéelde it He then besieged it round for Horestes had aunswere from the gods that hée should be auenged of his mother with his owne handes albeit that she was fast closed within that fortified cittie Egistus was not al this time within the citie but was gone to procure aide and succours of men of warre from other places against the comming of Horestes his enemy by the instigation of his wife Clytemnestra When Horestes vnderstoode thereof he layed a great ambush of armed men to surprise Egistus in his return and therewith also layed fresh and hote assaults daily to the citie which being not wel fortified was by Horestes taken after fiftéene dayes siege who appointing his men to kéepe due watch and warde that none should goe out nor in at the gates went himselfe to the pallace royall where he tooke his mother committing her to safe prison and caused them to be apprehended that were any waâ— guiltie of the death of his father and that had rebelled against him The same day returned Egistus with his new aides thinking to haue gone vnto the rescue of the ciâ—ie but by the way he was taken by the ambush of Horestes who slew all his men and carried him to Horestes with his hands bound behind him On the morrowe after Horestes caused his mother Clytemnestra to bee brought before him starke naked with her handes bounde whome as soone as euer hee sawe hee ranne at her with his naked sworde and first hee cutte off her twoo pappes and after slew her and caused her body to be drawen into the fieldes and there to be left for dogges and the birds of the ayre to deuoure Then he made Egistus to be taken and stripped and to be drawen naked thorough the citie and after to be hanged And in like sort dealt he with those that were found to haue béene culpable of his fathers death This vengeance tooke Horestes for the death of good king Agamemnon his father Menelaus after sundry great perilles by sea at length arriued in Créete hauing with him Helene his wife who hearing of the death of his brother and how cruelly Horestes had putte his owne mother to the death was sore displeased with his nephew At that same time came to Menelaus all the greatest Lordes and Nobles of Gréece for whose sake all the Gréekes had suffered so much trouble and vexation From Créete Menelaus sailed to Michmas and tolde Horestes that he was not woorthy to be king or gouernour for that he had so cruelly put to death his owne mother Whereuppon Menelaus assembled at Athens all the chiefe nobles of Gréece to the end to depriue Horestes of his raigne and gouernement for the tyrannous murthering of his mother Horestes excused himselfe thereof saying the gods had appointed him to doe that which hee hadde done At this the duke of Athens rose vp and offered to bée champion in maintaining Horestes his cause gainst any that would withstand it by combate or otherwise which challenge of his being by no man accepted Horestes was iudged guiltlesse and was suffered still to enioy his kingdome But vpon this quarrell Horestes conceiued such mortall hatred against Menelaus his vncle that hée afterward bare great euill wil to him Notwithstanding king Idumeus came within a while to Michmas and so reconciled them each to other that Horestes tooke to wife Hermione the daughter of king Menelaus and of Helen Whereat Erigone the daughter of Egistus and of Clytemnestra had so great sorrow that she hanged herselfe being gréeued that Horestes prospered so well During these affaires Vlysses came into Créete with two Marchants shippes for he had lost all his own shippes and the chiefe of his goodes by rouers or pirates at the sea After which losse hée arriued by mishappe within the countrey of king Thelamon where he lost the residue of his goodes and they of the countrey would haue hanged him had it not béene that by his witte and cunning he escaped their handes After that hée arriued in the countrey of king Manlus who hated him for the death of his sonne Palamedes yet there he so handled the matter by his wit and industrie that he got out of their handes also In the end comming againe into Créete he was friendly intertained by king Idumeus who wondered to sée him in so poore a case demaunding him of all his aduentures and how he had sped since his departing from Troy To al which Vlysses replied shewing how many and howe great perilles he had passed by sea and how he had lost all his men and goodes that he brought with him from Troy King Idumeus had pittie on him when he heard these things and gaue him honourable and bountifull entertainement for as long as he would stay with him When he would néeds depart to returne into his owne countrey Idumeus gaue him two ships furnished with all things necessarie for his voyage and riches with him great plenty requesting him that hée would take his way homeward by the Countrey of king Alcinous to whome he should be very welcome c. Thus Vlysses departing from Créete came vnto king Kingdome But upon this quarrel Horestes conceived such mortal hatred against Menelaus his Vnkle that he afterwards bare great euil will to him Notwithstanding King Idumeus came within a while to Michmas and reconciled them each to other that Horestes took to wife Hermione the daughter of King Menelaus and of Helen Whereat Erigone the daughter of Egistus and of Clytemnestra had great sorrow that she hanged her self being grieved that Horestes prospered so well During these affairs Ulisses came into Creete with
two Merchant-ships for he had lost all his own and the chief of his goods by Pyrats After which losses he arrived in the Country of King Thelamon where he lost the rest of his goods and they of that Country would have hanged him if hee had not by his cunning escaped their hands After that he arrived in the Country of K. Manlus who hated him for the death of his Son Palamedes yet there he so handled the matter by his industry that he got from thence At last coming again into Creete hee was kindly entertained by K. Idumeus who wondred to sée him in so poor a case demanding of all his adventures how he had speâ— since he last departed from Troy To which Vlisses replyed how great perils he had passed by Sea and how he had lost all his men and goods that he brought from Troy K. Idumeus had pity on him when he heard these things and gave him honourable entertainment as long as he would stay When hee would depart into his own Country Idumeus gave him two ships furnished with all things necessary for his voyage and with great plenty of riches requesting him that he would take his way bâ— the King Alcinous to whom he should be very welcome This Ulisses departing from Creet came unto K. Alcinous who received him joyfully and was much delighted with his communication There Vlisses told of Penelope his wife how many noble-men had requested her love yet none could obtain it but she still abode constant and how certain of his lands were unjustly detained from her during his absence the truth of which his Son Vlisses Thelamonious coming thither assured him thereof Whereupon Vlisses prayed Alcinous that he would accompany him to his Realm with a great company of armed men to help him again to his right To which Alcinous willingly agréed So they sailed by Sea and on a night arrived in his Country and coming to the houses of his enemies slew them all on the morrow after Ulisses came to his Pallace where he had Royal entertainment of all sorts of people but especially Penelope his wife made great joy for his coming which she had long desired His people then came from all places with many rich presents to welcome him home Great was the joy and most honourable the entertainment that Vlisses had at his return shewed him Then he dealt with King Alcinous that he gave to his Son Thelamonius his daughter Nausica to wife The wedding being celebrated with great solemnity Alcinous departed home again into his Country leaving Vlisses quietly possessed in his Realm CHAP. XXX Of the dealings of Pyrrhus after his return from Troy and how Horestes the Son of Agamemnon slew him at Delphos for that he had gotten away Hermione his Wife PYrrhus the Son of Achilles and of Dyadamis daughter of Lycomedes which Lycomedes was Son to Acastus an old King and greatly hated of Acastus his Grand-father by the mother side It is not recorded how this hatred grew But this Acastus having driven Peleus out of his Kingdome of Thessaly laid wait to have slain Pyrrhus in his returne from Troy Pyrrhus passing through many perils at Sea was driven by foul weather to cast most part of his riches hee brought from Troy into the Sea and arriving at Molosse he going ashore was given to understand that K. Peleus his Grandfather by the Father-side was exiled from his Kingdome by Acastus and that many Ships were hired to lye in wait to slay him whereat he was sore displeased King Peleus then knew not how to save himself because Philistines and Menalippus the two Sons of Acastus sought by all means to slay him In the end Peleus remembred him of an old building that stood half a mile from the City of Thessaly betwéen the Sea and the City this place was encompassed about with Rocks and walls having great Cellers under ground into which by a little hole grown over with bushes a man might go Into these Vaults King Peleus got him and there he abode until the return of his Nephew Pyrrhus from Troy by whose good help he trusted to avenge himself of his enemies 〈◊〉 whose coming he often went to look on the Sea coast When Pyrrhus with his Ships were landed he addressed himself to Thessalie against K. Acastus and the better to atchieve his purpose hée sent his two Secretaries the one called Crispus and the other Adrastus to one Assandrus a man of great honour in Thessalie which Assandrus was a great friend both to him and to Peleus for to have his counsel and help The Messengers having béen with Assandrus returned to Pyrrhus assuring him of his friendly ayd Whereupon Pyrrhus hoysed Sail and making towarde Thessalie they were by a sudden Tempest driven in at the Port â—epeliadim half a mile from Thessalie near about where Peleus kept in the Vaults Then Pyrrhus went ashore to rest himself and take fresh aire and by chance he went walking to the Cave where Peleus was hidden and passing along the bushes he fell into the hole where was the descent into the Cave where he found Peleus his Grandfather Peleus knowing him by his countenance for he resembled much his Father Achilles embraced him joyfully and made known unto him all his misfortunes and the wrongs that he had sustained by the means of Acastus and his Sons Tydings hereof came to Philistines and Menalippus the Sons of Acastus who were on hunting in a Forrest there by Then Pyrrhus apparrelled himself in beggerly apparrel and leaving his Grandfather with his Ships went alone with his sword into the Forrest where he met with Philistines and Menalippus who demanded of him what he was Pyrrhus said he was a Grecian that returning from Troy in company with 500. more had escaped his life from Ship-wrack and lost all that he had in the Sea being now driven to beg for his sustenance wherefore hee did beséech them if they had brought any victuals with them they would give him some thing to eat The two brethren said that he should abide with them which thing he granted Vpon this parley a great Hart came running by them at the â—â—ght whereof Menalippus put spurs to his Horse and followed on the chase and immediately Philistines alighting off his horse to rest himself Pyrrhus ran him thorow and slew him and Menalippus afterwards returning again was also slain by Pyrrhus Thus Pyrrhus slew his two Vnkles the brethren of Thetis the Mother of Achilles his Father Passing from thence hee met with Chinaras one of the houshold of Acastus of whom demanding where the K. Acastus was and understanding that he was hard by he slew Chinaras and going in haste to his ships he arrayed him in precious robes and so came back again to the Forrest and méeting with King Acastus the King asked him who he was I am said he one of the Sons of King Priamus of Troy who now am Prisoner to Pyrrhus Where is Pyrrhus said the King
cry insomuch that the people of the Castle armed themselves and came and assailed Thelagonus He séeing that stept to one and wrung his Sword out of his hand wherewith he slew fiftéen in short space and was himself hurt in many places Hereupon the uproar grew more and more and Vlisses doubting it was his Son Thelamonius who had broken out of prison came running out with a dart in his hand which he flung at Thelagonus and hit him not knowing who he was and hurt Thelagonus a little Thelagonus féeling himself hurt flung it again at Ulisses not knowing who he was with so great force that hitting him he fell down to the earth Then Vlisses being in great pain remembring himself of his fore-said Vision demanded of him what he was saying I am Ulisses Thelagonus hearing this fell to great lamentation and said Alas wretch that I am I came hither to sée my Father and to live joyfully with him and now I have slain him Thus saying he fell down in a swound and when he was come again to his understanding he rent his cloaths beat himself about the face â—â—th his fists and went to his Father and fell down wéeping before him and said I am Thelagonus thy unhappy Son whom thou begottest on Quéen Circe I pray the Gods that they will suffer mée to dye with thée When Vlisses understood this hee sent for Thelamonius his lawful begotten Son who presently coming would have slain Thelagonus to revenge his Fathers death But Ulisses said not so for he is thy brother be ye reconciled together and live and love as brethren Then was Vlisses carried into Achaia where within thrée daies he dyed and was by his Son honourably buryed After whose death Thelamonius his Sonne succéeded in that Kingdome who kept with him Thelagonius his brother for the space of a year and a half making him knight and honouring him greatly At length being often sent for by Circe his mother he returned to her into the Isle Aulides having received many rich presents at the hands of his brother And Circe dying shortly after Thelagonus enjoyed her Kingdome and raigned in the said Isle thréescore years Thelamonius was fourscore and thirtéen years old at the death of Vlisses his father and raigned afterwards much increasing his Seigniory thréescore and ten years In this wife Dares finished his book of the siege of Troy and speaketh not of their further adventures and asmuch as is contained in the History before written is also found to have béen recorded by Dictes the Greek and in most things both their Books agrée Dares in the end of his book writeth thus that the siege of Troy endured for the space of ten years ten months and twelve daies and that the number of the Greeks there slain was eight hundred and six thousand fighting men and the number of the Troâ—ans slain in defence of themselves and of their Country was six hundred fifty and six thousand fighting men He saith moreover that when Eneas departed from Troy into exile he carryed with him two hundred ships and that Anthenor had with him away five hundred Souldiers and all the rest that were escaped went with Eneas The said Dares furthermore reporteth in the latter end of his Book by whom the most noble Kings and Princes of the one part and of the other were slain and he saith that Hector the most famous Prince of Chivalry in the world slew with his own hands in good and loyal fight eightéen Kings not with treachery or subtil devises but by his prowesse and valour the names of which Kings do here follow That is King Archilogus K. Prothesilaus K. Patroclus K. Menon K. Prothenor K. Archimenus K. Polemon K. Epistropus K. Ecedius K. Daccius K. Polixenus K. Phybus K. Anthypus K. Cenutus K. Polibetes K. Humerus K. Fumus and K. Exampitus And Paris he slew Pallamedes who was Emperor of all the Greekish Host K. Achilles and at last K. Ajax and therewithall Ajax slew him also Eneas slew K. Amphimacus and K. Nercus Achilles slew K. Cupemus K. Yponeus K. Plebeus K. Austerus K. Cimoneus K. Menon and King Neoptolemus Also he slew Hector at unawares and Troylus whom hée caused his Myrmidons to beset round about Pyrrhus the Son of the said Achilles slew the Quéen Penthasilea in fight he slew also cruelly and tyrannously the noble King Priamus He slew moreover Polixena the fairest Maid in the world Dyomedes slew King Antipus K. Escorius K. Prothenor and King Obtineus Now thus I am come to the finishing of this present book which I have translated though rudely out of French into English at the commandement and request of my right gracious and redoubted Lady and Mistresse the Lady Margaret Dutchess of Bourgony Lothericke and of Brabant c. And forasmuch as I am weary of tedious writing and worne in years being not able to write out several books for all Gentlemen and such others as are desirous of the same I have caused this book to bée Printed that being published the more plentuously mens turns may be the more easily served And as for the sundry Authors that have written of this matter namely Homer Dictes and Dares albeit their writings in many circumstances do disagrée yet in describing the Destruction of Troy they all affirm it to have béen in manner as is said utterly ruinated and laid waste for ever with such a wonderful Effusion of the blood of so many worthy King Princes Dukes Earls Barons and Knights and such an excéeding number of souldiers as here is mentioned And look what pleasure or commodity men reap by perusing this Book let them transferre the praise and thanks due therefore next to almighty God unto my foresaid right gracious Lady who not onely caused mée to undertake this translation but hath also bountifully rewarded mée for my labours To whose good liking I humbly Dedicate this work beséeching her Grace and all that shall read the same to accept in good part my simple endeavour herein And I most humbly pray unto Almighty God that the example of these cruel Wars and dissolation of this famous City may be a warning to all other Cities and People to fly Adultery and all other vices the causes of Wars and Destruction and that all true Christians may learn to live godlily and in Brotherly love and concord together Amen PErgama flere volo Fata Danais data solo Solo capta dolo capta redacta solo Causa malitalis Meritrix fuit exitialis Foemina lethalis Foemina plena malis Si fueris lota si vita sequens bona tota Si eris ignota non eris absque nota Passa prius Paridem Paridis modo Thesea pridem Es factura fidem ne redeas in idem Rumor de veteri faciet ventura timeri Cras poterunt fieri turpia sicut heri Scoena quid evadis morti qui cetera tradis Cur tu non cladis conscia clade cadis Foemina
she on a day called her deare sonne Saturne with Titan and other of the Countrey and there rehearsed and saide vnto them that her yong sonne Saturne should succéede and haue the heritages of her husband Titan hearing the will of his mother redoubled his sorrow it caused him to wéepe great plentie of teares and knéeled too fore his mother humbly and saide in in this wise Mother I am right infortunate when ye will that my right patrimonie be put from me and that naturally me ought to haue by right should be giuen from me and yet because that I am not so wel formed of members as my brother Saturne is which sorrow is to me passing noyous ye wil put from me my fortune and byrth which ye may not do by lawfull reason I am your first sonne ye haue nourished me with the substance of your blood as your childe borne in your bellie nine Moneths Also I am he that first dwelled and inhabited your feminine chambers none tofore me tooke there any seisin when I tooke that then ye gaue mée your due loue and sorted to me the succession of your heritages Then whence cometh this that ye nowe subuert and destroy that nature hath once ioyned giuen me euery mother is bounden to holde the conseruation of the right of her child Alas mother will ye make me bastard fro my right am I a bastard was not Vranus my father am not I he that ye were so glad for what time ye felt first that I was conceiued in the lawfull bed of my father your husband am I not be that ye bare and gaue mee sucke of your breastes and oftentimes kissed me that is to say in my tender dayes what tyme my members were soft and tender Ha mother acquit you ayeinst me as ye beholden and bounden by right and knowledge ye that I am Titan and for as much as I am lesse and not so well adressed as my brother Saturne so much yée ought the more desire my promotion and furthering When dame Vesca heard her sonne Titan speake so sadly and profoundly she had pittie on him yet the pitie was not of so high vertue that might surmount the great loue that was rooted betwéene her and Saturne and then she sayde to Titan her sonne Titan my sonne I denie not that thou tookest thy substance betwéene my sides and were brought into this world and know verily that I loue thée intirely and that I desire thy weale but it is so cleare and euident in euery mans sight that for the default loathlinesse and abhomination of thy members thou art not a man sufficient to defend thy fathers heritage with great labour and paine for if it happen that one man would make warre thou were not able to resist him what wouldest thou that I should do thy brother hath the loue of al the people for his beautie and his vertuous maners and euery man holdeth him in reuerence and thée in derision and scorne Be thou content thou shalt lacke nothing and if thou lacke speake to me and I shall remedie it but speake neuer no more to mee for the heritage for Saturne shall obtaine it by the fauour of his wisedome méekenesse and benignitie and also because the common sort iudgeth him and séeth that hee shall once bee the man whose life shall shine gloriously Titan was sort troubled of the words of his mother and he began to chaunge colour and waxe red hauing suspition to Saturne that hee had contriued this matter against him whereupon he drew him apart to him and saide Saturne the enuie that thou hast to raigne aboue me hath now ingendred in my heart thy mortall mischiefe whereof the hate shall endure vnto the mortall separation of thy life and of mine and of my children Thou knowest well that I am the eldest son of our father Vranus how art thou so hardy and presumptuous to inhaunce thy selfe aboue me by conspired imagination I will that thou knowe verily that like as thou hast conspired in my temporal domage semblably I shall conspire to thy eternal domage hurt And name me from henceforth thy mortall enemie When Saturne heard these burning and enflamed menasses of his brother Titan he excused himselfe and answered that he neuer thought in his life to come to the succession of their father nor neuer had imagined nor conspired it Then Vesca their mother Cibell and Ceres tooke the wordes fro Saturne and saide to Titan that his threatning to Saturne was for naught for he should raigne and be Lord and maister Titan full of felonie and more angrie then hée was too fore said plainly that he would not suffer it Saturne had a great part of the people that assisted him and gaue him fauour And Titan also had other on his side which began to murmure the one partie agaynst the other All the compapanie was sore troubled and began to thrust in and enployed them to cease the noyse and to accord Titan notwithstanding it was hard to doe for alway he would haue runne vpon Saturne if he had not béene hold and letted alway In the ende the wise men shewed Titan by great reason that he was the more féeble and that Saturne was more in the fauour of the people and that he would modere himselfe a little and sayde that he should agrée and graunt the raigne to Saturne by condition that if hee married he should be bound to put to death all his children males that should be begotten of his séede if he any had for the wele of both parties Vesca with her daughter and the auncient wise people accorded to Titan this condition and laboured so to Saturne that they brought them to the Temple of their god Mars that was in the citie of Oson whereof was Lord a mightie man called Milliseus and that afore the image of the god Mars Saturne swore that if him happed to marry and that hee had any children males hee would slea them all thus was Titan content that his brother shuld enioy the land of Crete the peace was made betwéen them both CHAP. II. ¶ How Saturne was crowned first King of Crete and how he found first diuers sciences wherefore the people held him in great honour as a God AFter the treatie made of the peace of Titan and Saturne Titan saw in himselfe that hee might not worshipfully abide and dwell being vnder his yonger brother had leuer go and search his aduentures in other places then to be thral to his yonger brother Hee tooke his wife his children and friendes and departed at all aduenture into diuers places where he found fortune so good and happy that by armes and strength he made himselfe king of many diuerse Realmes which hee departed vnto his chlldren and commised and ordained certaine espies to espie and waite if his brother Saturne married himselfe and if his wife brought foorth men children and whether hée put them to death During these saide things Saturne
dwelled with his mother and his sisters Cibell and Ceres and beganne to raigne with so great magnificence that they of the countrie séeing their neighbours by them did make and ordaine Kings to raigne on them of such as were noble and vertuous assembled togither on a day and made Saturne King ouer them and vppon their lines and crowned him with great glorie with a crowne of Lawyer with great ioy Saturne anon tooke and accepted this royall honour and worship and tooke the scepter in his hand and here the crowne on his head and raigned wisely inducing his people to liue honestly and to loue vertue and ordained a naked sword to be borne afore him in signe of iustice He did iustice on malefactours and enhaunsed them that were good hee did build a Citie which he named Crete because the I le bare the saide name and hee was the first inhabitour and dweller When he had founded the Citie he ordained his Pallace and dwelling place in the middle thereof in example as the heart is in the middes of the bodie to minister to the members so hée would instruct and gouerne his people And after this he chose an hundred and foure wise men which hee instituted and ordained counsellours and gouernours of his Realme And then they of Crete séeing the right great wisedome of their king assembled togither diuers times and named him a god and yet more they founded vnto him a Temple an Alter and an Idole bearing in the one hand a sickle in signification that hee destroyed the vices in such wise as the fickle cutteth hearbs and destroyeth the wéedes and in the other hand he held a serpent that did bite his taile forasmuch as Saturn said that euery man shuld bite the taile of the serpent that is to say that euery man should feare and flée the euill end For the end oftentimes is venemous as the taile of a Serpent and that appeareth yet daily by the ende of many euill disposed and inuenomed men By the meane of these thinges the renoume of king Saturne grewe and that worlde was the time of golde That is for to say it was much better and more abundant in the daies of mans life and in plentie of fruits of the earth then in any other time after The Poets by this colour compared the world at this time to gold which is most pretious of al metals wherfore many men say that Saturne was the first man that found the maner to melt mettall and to affine gold and made his vessell vtensilles of his house of diuers mettal And vnder this colour they figured at that time the worlde to be of gold Then began the men by the doctrine of Saturne to vse and were gold to myne the rocks to pearce the mountains perillous to haunt the thorny desarts to fight aduance the orguillous serpents the fierce dragons the deadly griffons the moÌ„strous beasts to spred abroad their worldly engins By these exercises was then Saturne the fourbisher and beginner of the stile to learne men to take these beasts And first found the manner of shooting and drawing of the bow Of this gold made Saturne his house his chambers and halles to shine by maruailous working He was strong and hardie he had no feare nor doubt of any Serpent of the mountaine nor any monster of desart or of beast dwelling in caues He knew the veines of gold in the earth and could discerne them from the veines of siluer He edifies rich things of gold ioyous vnto the eie sight and hâ—te and couragious to the heart For at that time the courages by perdurable fire chasing the affections of man in manner of a contagious heat so singularly that after alway that they coueted they desired to accomplish In this time of the golden world the creatures liued and endured greatly and long And al the world laboured in edification of science and cunning of vertue And that time were the men more vertuous in bodily edifying then euer they were since Among whom Saturne was neuer idle after that he had once laboured cornes in earing and sowing Hee molte and fined gold and mettals and induced and taught his men to draw the bow and shoote He himselfe found first the bow and the manner to go and saile by the sea and to rowe with little boates by the riuage and tooke his owne pleasure for to endoctrine and teach his people in all these things and he had great aboundance of worldly goods reserued onely he durst not marrie and that hee had sworne to death all the men children that should come of his séede Whereof hee was oftentimes anoyed and had great displeasure c. CHAP. III. ¶ Howe Saturne went to Delphos and had aunswere how hee should haue a son that should chase him out of his realme And how he maried him to his sister Cibell c. WHen Saturne sawe his Palace flourish and shine of gold and sawe his people obey him saw his goldsmiths workers breake mountaines with their Pikares and instruments saw his mariners cut the waues of the sea with their Oares saw his disciples learn and labor the earth saw his Archers shoot with their arrowes smote and tooke the birds dwelling in the high trées and flying by the ayre he might embrace great glorie and inhaunce on high his throne and his felicitie But on the other side when he remembred the couenant made betwéen him and his brother Titan he was like vnto the Peacocke that is proud of the fayre feathers diuersly faire coloured which he spreades round as a whéele withall only looking on his féet he leeseth all his ioy Saturn likewise by this treatie lost al his ioy his glory and his pleasure He was long time leading this life now ioyous now sorowfull growing alway and increasing his realme and dayly thought and poised in himselfe if he might marry or not for nothing in the world he would false his oath He was iust and true in déed in word Neuertheles nature moued him and cited him to haue generation and to come to company of women and this mouing was al all times refreshed and renued by a continuall sight that hée had daily in a passing faire maid that is to wit his sister Cibell which he saw continually in whom was no default of al the goods of nature appertaining to woman She was out of measure right huÌ„ble in speaking wise in her works honest in conuersation and flowing in all vertues And for this cause Saturne behelde her oft times And so hapned on a time as he beheld her affayres and workes he cast his eyen on her vertues that pleased him so greatly that in the ende he was desirous of her loue wherof his mother Vesca had great ioy and pleasure And she perceiuing of the desire of Saturne gaue him courage and will to marry her And so laboured and solicited the mariage so effectually that with great worship and triumph Saturne