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A mayde, oon of this world the best y-preysed;

And Meleagre, lord of that contree,

He lovede so this fresshe mayden free 1475

That with his manhod, er he wolde stente,

This boor he slow, and hir the heed he sente;

`Of which, as olde bokes tellen us,

Ther roos a contek and a greet envye;

And of this lord descended Tydeus 1480

By ligne, or elles olde bokes lye;

But how this Meleagre gan to dye

Thorugh his moder, wol I yow not telle,

For al to long it were for to dwelle.'

[Argument of the 12 Books of Statius' "Thebais"]

Associat profugum Tideo primus Polimitem;

Tidea legatum docet insidiasque secundus;

Tercius Hemoniden canit et vates latitantes;

Quartus habet reges ineuntes prelia septem;

Mox furie Lenne quinto narratur et anguis;

Archimori bustum sexto ludique leguntur;

Dat Graios Thebes et vatem septimus vmbria;

Octauo cecidit Tideus, spes, vita Pelasgia;

Ypomedon nono moritur cum Parthonopeo;

Fulmine percussus, decimo Capaneus superatur;

Vndecimo sese perimunt per vulnera fratres;

Argiuam flentem narrat duodenus et igneum.

She tolde eek how Tydeus, er she stente, 1485

Un-to the stronge citee of Thebes,

To cleyme kingdom of the citee, wente,

For his felawe, daun Polymites,

Of which the brother, daun Ethyocles,

Ful wrongfully of Thebes held the strengthe; 1490

This tolde she by proces, al by lengthe.

She tolde eek how Hemonides asterte,

Whan Tydeus slough fifty knightes stoute.

She tolde eek al the prophesyes by herte,

And how that sevene kinges, with hir route, 1495

Bisegeden the citee al aboute;

And of the holy serpent, and the welle,

And of the furies, al she gan him telle.

Of Archimoris buryinge and the pleyes,

And how Amphiorax fil through the grounde, 1500

How Tydeus was slayn, lord of Argeyes,

And how Ypomedoun in litel stounde

Was dreynt, and deed Parthonope of wounde;

And also how Cappaneus the proude

With thonder-dint was slayn, that cryde loude. 1505

She gan eek telle him how that either brother,

Ethyocles and Polimyte also,

At a scarmyche, eche of hem slough other,

And of Argyves wepinge and hir wo;

And how the town was brent she tolde eek tho. 1510

And so descendeth doun from gestes olde

To Diomede, and thus she spak and tolde.

`This ilke boor bitokneth Diomede,

Tydeus sone, that doun descended is

Fro Meleagre, that made the boor to blede. 1515

And thy lady, wher-so she be, y-wis,

This Diomede hir herte hath, and she his.

Weep if thou wolt, or leef; for, out of doute,

This Diomede is inne, and thou art oute.'

`Thou seyst nat sooth,' quod he, `thou sorceresse, 1520

With al thy false goost of prophesye!

Thou wenest been a greet devyneresse;

Now seestow not this fool of fantasye

Peyneth hir on ladyes for to lye?

Awey!' quod he. `Ther Ioves yeve thee sorwe! 1525

Thou shalt be fals, paraunter, yet to-morwe!

`As wel thou mightest lyen on Alceste,

That was of creatures, but men lye,

That ever weren, kindest and the beste.

For whanne hir housbonde was in Iupartye 1530

To dye him-self, but-if she wolde dye,

She chees for him to dye and go to helle,

And starf anoon, as us the bokes telle.'

Cassandre goth, and he with cruel herte

For-yat his wo, for angre of hir speche; 1535

And from his bed al sodeinly he sterte,

As though al hool him hadde y-mad a leche.

And day by day he gan enquere and seche

A sooth of this, with al his fulle cure;

And thus he dryeth forth his aventure. 1540

Fortune, whiche that permutacioun

Of thinges hath, as it is hir committed

Through purveyaunce and disposicioun

Of heighe Iove, as regnes shal ben flitted

Fro folk in folk, or whan they shal ben smitted, 1545

Gan pulle awey the fetheres brighte of Troye

Fro day to day, til they ben bare of Ioye.

Among al this, the fyn of the parodie

Of Ector gan approchen wonder blyve;

The fate wolde his soule sholde unbodie, 1550

And shapen hadde a mene it out to dryve;

Ayeins which fate him helpeth not to stryve;

But on a day to fighten gan he wende,

At which, allas! He coughte his lyves ende.

For which me thinketh every maner wight 1555