4234 sharpe—sharp
WE CHOOSE OUR OWN FORTUNE.
[BELLA BIS QUENIS. ET CETERA.]
ÞE wrekere Atrides carried on a ten years’ war to punish the licentious Paris. attrides ¶ þat is to seyne agamenon þat [4236]
wrouȝt[e] and continued[e] þe batailes by ten ȝere
recouered[e] and purged[e] in wrekyng by þe destruccioun
of troie þe loste chambres of mariage of hys broþer
þis is to seyn þat [he] agamenon wan aȝein Eleine þat [4240]
was Menelaus wif his broþer. With blood he purchased propitious gales for the Grecian fleet, by casting off all fatherly pity, and sacrificing his daughter Iphigenia to the vengeance of Diana. In þe mene while þat
þilke agamenon desired[e] to ȝeuen sailes to þe grekysshe
nauye and bouȝt[e] aȝein þe wyndes by blode. he
vncloþed[e] hym of pite as fader. and þe sory prest [4244]
ȝiueþ in sacrifiynge þe wreched kuyttyng of þrote of þe
douȝter. ¶ þat is to sein þat agamenon lete kuytten þe
þrote of hys douȝter by þe prest. to maken alliaunce wiþ
hys goddes. and for to haue wynde wiþ whiche he [4248]
myȝt[e] wende to troie. Ulysses bewailed his lost mates, devoured by Polyphemus, but, having deprived the Cyclop of his sight, he rejoiced to hear the monster’s roar. ¶ Itakus þat is to sein vlixies
bywept[e] hys felawes ylorn þe whiche felawes þe
fiers[e] pholifemus ligginge in his grete Caue had[de]
freten and dreint in hys empty wombe. but naþeles [4252]
polifemus wood for his blinde visage ȝeld to vlixies ioye
by hys sorowful teres. þis is to seyn þat vlixes smot
oute þe eye of poliphemus þat stod in hys forhede.
THE LABOURS OF HERCULES.
for whiche vlixes hadde ioie whan he saw poliphemus [4256]
wepyng and blynde. Hercules is renowned for his many labours, so successfully overcome. ¶ Hercules is celebrable for hys
hard[e] trauaile He overthrew the proud Centaurs; he dawntede þe proude Centauris half
hors half man. he slew the Nemean lion and wore his skin as a trophy of his victory; and he rafte þe despoylynge fro þe
cruel lyoun þat is to seyne he slouȝ þe lyoun and [4260]
rafte hym hys skyn. he smote the Harpies with his arrows; he smot þe brids þat hyȝten
arpijs [in þe palude of lyrne] wiþ certeyne arwes.
he caried off the golden apples of the Hesperides, and killed the watchful dragon; he rauyssed[e] applis fro þe wakyng dragoun. and
hys hand was þe more heuy for þe golde[ne] [4264]
metal. he bound Cerberus with a threefold chain; He drouȝ Cerberus þe hound of helle by
hys treble cheyne. he gave the body of proud Diomede as food for the tyrant’s horses; he ouer-comer as it is seid haþ
put an vnmeke lorde fodre to hys cruel hors ¶ þis is
to sein. þat hercules slouȝ diomedes and made his hors [4268]
to etyn hym. he slew the serpent Hydra; and he hercules slouȝ Idra þe serpent and
brend[e] þe venym. he caused Achelous to hide his blushing head within his banks; and achelaus þe flode defouled[e] in
his forhede dreint[e] his shamefast visage in his
strondes. þis is to sein þat achelaus couþe transfigure [4272]
hym self in to dyuerse lykenesse. and as he fauȝt wiþ
orcules at þe laste he turnid[e] hym in to a bole and
hercules brak of oon of hys hornes. and achelaus for
shame hidde hym in hys ryuer. he left Antæus dead upon the Lybian shore; ¶ And [he] hercules [4276]
[* fol. 33 b.] *cast[e] adoun Antheus þe geaunt in þe strondes of
libye. he appeased Evander’s wrath by killing Cacus; and kacus apaised[e] þe wraþþes of euander. þis
is to sein þat hercules slouȝ þe Monstre kacus and
apaised[e] wiþ þat deeþ þe wraþþe of euander. he slew the Erymanthean boar; ¶ And [4280]
þe bristled[e] boor marked[e] wiþ scomes þe sholdres of
hercules. þe whiche sholdres þe heye cercle of heuene
sholde þreste. and bore the weight of Atlas upon his shoulders. and þe laste of his labours was þat he
sustened[e] þe heuene vpon his nekke vnbowed. These labours justly raised him to the rank of a god. and he [4284]
deserued[e] eftsones þe heuene to ben þe pris of his
laste trauayle Go then, ye noble souls, and follow the path of this great example. ¶ Goþ now þan ȝe stronge men þere as
þe heye weye of þe grete ensample ledeþ ȝou. ¶ O nice
men whi nake ȝe ȝoure bakkes. as who seiþ. O ye slothful ones, wherefore do ye basely fly! ¶ O ȝe [4288]
slowe and delicat men whi fley ȝe aduersites. and ne
fyȝten nat aȝeins hem by vertue to wynnen þe mede of
þe heuene. He who conquers earth doth gain the heavens. for þe erþe ouer-comen ȝeueþ þe sterres.
¶ þis is to seyne þat whan þat erþely lust is ouer-comen. [4292]
a man is maked worþi to þe heuene.
EXPLICIT LIBER QUARTUS.
4236 seyne—seyn
4237 wrouȝt[e]—wrowhte
continued[e]—continuede
ȝere—ȝer
4238 purged[e]—purgede