And here fynde shall ye faire of þe felle peopull: What kynges þere come of costes aboute; Of dukes full doughty, and of derffe erles, That assemblid to þe citie þat sawte to defend; 85 Of þe Grekys þat were gedret how gret was þe nowmber, How mony knightes þere come, and kynges enarmede, And what dukes thedur droghe for dedis of were; What shippes þere were shene, and shalkes within, Bothe of barges and buernes þat broght were fro Grese; 90 And all the batels on bent þe buernes betwene; What duke þat was dede throughe dyntes of hond, Who fallen was in fylde, and how it fore after. Bothe of truse and trayne þe truthe shalt þu here, And all the ferlies þat fell, vnto the ferre ende. 95 Fro this prologe I passe, and part me þerwith. Frayne will I fer, and fraist of þere werkes, Meue to my mater, and make here an ende. EXPLICIT PROLOGUE. THE XXXI BOKE: OF THE PASSAGE OF THE GREKYS FRO TROY (ll. 12463-12547). Hyt fell thus, by fortune, þe fairest of þe yere Was past to the point of the pale wintur. 100 Heruest, with the heite and the high sun, Was comyn into colde, with a course low. Trees, thurgh tempestes, tynde hade þere leues, And briddes abatid of hor brem songe; The wynde of the west wackenet aboue, 105 Blowyng full bremly o the brode ythes; The clere aire ouercast with cloudys full thicke, With mystes full merke mynget with showres. Flodes were felle thurgh fallyng of rayne, And wintur vp wacknet with his wete aire. 110 The gret nauy of the Grekes and the gay kynges Were put in a purpos to pas fro the toune. Sore longit þo lordis hor londys to se, And dissiret full depely, doutyng no wedur. Þai counted no course of the cold stormys, 115 Ne the perellis to passe of the pale windes. Hit happit hom full hard in a hondqwile, And mony of þo mighty to misse of hor purpos. Thus tho lordes in hor longyng laghton þe watur, Shotton into ship mong shene knightes, 120 With the tresowre of þe toune þai token before, Relikes full rife, and miche ranke godes. Clere was the course of the cold flodis, And the firmament faire, as fell for the wintur. Thai past on the pale se, puld vp hor sailes, 125 Hadyn bir at þere backe, and the bonke leuyt. Foure dayes bydene, and hor du nyghtis, Ful soundly þai sailed with seasonable windes. The fyft day fuersly fell at the none, Sodonly the softe winde vnsoberly blew; 130 A myste and a merkenes myngit togedur; A thoner and a thicke rayne þrublet in the skewes, With an ugsom noise, noy for to here;