Metamorphoses

Ovid

Ovid. The XV bookes of P. Ouidius Naso, entytuled Metamorphosis. Golding, Arthur, translator. London: W. Seres (printer), 1567.

  1. The Lordes and Capteynes being set toogither with the King,
  2. And all the souldiers standing round about them in a ring,
  3. The owner of the sevenfold sheeld, to theis did Ajax ryse.
  4. And (as he could not brydle wrath) he cast his frowning eyes
  5. Uppon the shore and on the fleete that there at Anchor lyes
  6. And throwing up his handes: God and must wee plead (quoth hee)
  7. Our case before our shippes? and must Ulysses stand with mee?
  8. But like a wretch he ran his way when Hector came with fyre,
  9. Which I defending from theis shippes did force him to retyre.
  10. It easyer is therefore with woordes in print to maynteine stryfe,
  11. Than for to fyght it out with fists. But neyther I am ryfe
  12. In woordes, nor hee in deedes. For looke how farre I him excell
  13. In battell and in feates of armes: so farre beares hee the bell
  14. From mee in talking. Neyther think I requisite to tell
  15. My actes among you. You your selves have seene them verry well.
  16. But let Ulysses tell you his doone all in hudther mudther,
  17. And wherunto the only nyght is privy and none other.
  18. The pryse is great (I doo confesse) for which wee stryve. But yit
  19. It is dishonour unto mee, for that in clayming it
  20. So bace a persone standeth in contention for the same.
  21. To think it myne already, ought to counted bee no shame
  22. Nor pryde in mee: although the thing of ryght great valew bee
  23. Of which Ulysses standes in hope. For now alreadye hee
  24. Hath wonne the honour of this pryse, in that when he shall sit
  25. Besydes the cuishon, he may brag he strave with mee for it.
  26. And though I wanted valiantnesse, yit should nobilitee
  27. Make with mee. I of Telamon am knowne the sonne to bee
  28. Who under valeant Hercules the walles of Troy did scale,
  29. And in the shippe of Pagasa to Colchos land did sayle.
  30. His father was that Aeacus whoo executeth ryght
  31. Among the ghostes where Sisyphus heaves up with all his myght
  32. The massye stone ay tumbling downe. The hyghest Jove of all
  33. Acknowledgeth this Aeacus, and dooth his sonne him call.
  34. Thus am I Ajax third from Jove. Yit let this Pedegree,
  35. O Achyves, in this case of myne avaylable not bee,
  36. Onlesse I proove it fully with Achylles to agree.
  37. He was my brother, and I clayme that was my brothers. Why
  38. Shouldst thou that art of Sisyphs blood, and for to filch and lye
  39. Expressest him in every poynt, by foorged pedegree
  40. Aly thee to the Aeacyds, as though we did not see
  41. Thee to the house of Aeacus a straunger for to bee?
  42. And is it reason that you should this armour mee denye
  43. Bycause I former was in armes, and needed not a spye
  44. To fetch mee foorth? Or think you him more woorthye it to have,
  45. That came to warrefare hindermost, and feynd himself to rave,
  46. Bycause he would have shund the warre? untill a suttler head
  47. And more unprofitable for himself, sir Palamed,
  48. Escryde the crafty fetches of his fearefull hart, and drew
  49. Him foorth a warfare which he sought so cowardly to eschew?
  50. Must he now needes enjoy the best and richest armour, whoo
  51. Would none at all have worne onlesse he forced were thertoo?
  52. And I with shame bee put besyde my cousin germanes gifts
  53. Bycause to shun the formest brunt of warres I sought no shifts?
  54. Would God this mischeef mayster had in verrye deede beene mad,
  55. Or else beleeved so to bee: and that wee never had
  56. Brought such a panion unto Troy. Then should not Paeans sonne
  57. In Lemnos like an outlawe to the shame of all us wonne.
  58. Who lurking now (as men report) in woodes and caves, dooth move
  59. The verry flints with syghes and grones, and prayers to God above
  60. To send Ulysses his desert. Which prayer (if there bee
  61. A God) must one day take effect. And now beehold how hee
  62. By othe a Souldier of our Camp, yea and as well as wee
  63. A Capteine too, alas, (who was by Hercules assignde
  64. To have the keeping of his shafts,) with payne and hungar pynde,
  65. Is clad and fed with fowles, and dribs his arrowes up and downe
  66. At birds, which were by destinye preparde to stroy Troy towne.
  67. Yit liveth hee bycause hee is not still in companie
  68. With sly Ulysses. Palamed that wretched knyght perdie,
  69. Would eeke he had abandond beene. For then should still the same
  70. Have beene alyve: or at the least have dyde without our shame.
  71. But this companion bearing (ah) too well in wicked mynd
  72. His madnesse which sir Palamed by wisdome out did fynd,
  73. Appeached him of treason that he practysde to betray
  74. The Greekish hoste. And for to vouch the fact, he shewd streyght way
  75. A masse of goold that he himself had hidden in his tent,
  76. And forged Letters which he feynd from Priam to bee sent.
  77. Thus eyther by his murthring men or else by banishment
  78. Abateth hee the Greekish strength. This is Ulysses fyght.
  79. This is the feare he puttes men in. But though he had more might
  80. Than Nestor hath, in eloquence he shal not compasse mee
  81. To think his leawd abandoning of Nestor for to bee
  82. No fault: who beeing cast behynd by wounding of his horse,
  83. And slowe with age, with calling on Ulysses waxing hoarce,
  84. Was nerethelesse betrayd by him. Sir Diomed knowes this cryme
  85. Is unsurmysde. For he himselfe did at that present tyme
  86. Rebuke him oftentymes by name, and feercely him upbrayd
  87. With flying from his fellowe so who stood in neede of ayd.
  88. With ryghtfull eyes dooth God behold the deedes of mortall men.
  89. Lo, he that helped not his freend wants help himself agen.
  90. And as he did forsake his freend in tyme of neede: so hee
  91. Did in the selfsame perrill fall forsaken for to bee.
  92. He made a rod to beat himself. He calld and cryed out
  93. Uppon his fellowes. Streight I came: and there I saw the lout
  94. Bothe quake and shake for feare of death, and looke as pale as clout.
  95. I set my sheeld betweene him and his foes, and him bestrid:
  96. And savde the dastards lyfe. Small prayse redoundes of that I did.
  97. But if thou wilt contend with mee, lets to the selfesame place
  98. Agein: bee wounded as thou wart: and in the foresayd case
  99. Of feare, beset about with foes: cowch underneath my sheeld:
  100. And then contend thou with mee there amid the open feeld.
  101. Howbee't, I had no sooner rid this champion of his foes,
  102. But where for woundes he scarce before could totter on his toes,
  103. He ran away apace, as though he nought at all did ayle.
  104. Anon commes Hector to the feeld and bringeth at his tayle
  105. The Goddes. Not only thy hart there (Ulysses) did thee fayle,
  106. But even the stowtest courages and stomacks gan to quayle.
  107. So great a terrour brought he in. Yit in the midds of all
  108. His bloody ruffe, I coapt with him, and with a foyling fall
  109. Did overthrowe him to the ground. Another tyme, when hee
  110. Did make a chalendge, you my Lordes by lot did choose out mee,
  111. And I did match him hand to hand. Your wisshes were not vayne.
  112. For if you aske mee what successe our combate did obteine,
  113. I came away unvanquished. Behold the men of Troy
  114. Brought fyre and swoord, and all the feendes our navye to destroy.
  115. And where was slye Ulysses then with all his talk so smooth?
  116. This brest of myne was fayne to fence your thousand shippes forsooth,
  117. The hope of your returning home. For saving that same day
  118. So many shippes, this armour give. But (if that I shall say
  119. The truth) the greater honour now this armour beares away.
  120. And our renownes togither link. For (as of reason ought)
  121. An Ajax for this armour, not an armour now is sought
  122. For Ajax.
  1. Let Dulychius match with theis, the horses whyght
  2. Of Rhesus, dastard Dolon, and the coward carpetknyght
  3. King Priams Helen, and the stelth of Palladye by nyght.
  4. Of all theis things was nothing doone by day nor nothing wrought
  5. Without the helpe of Diomed. And therefore if yee thought
  6. To give them to so small deserts, devyde the same, and let
  7. Sir Diomed have the greater part. But what should Ithacus get
  8. And if he had them, who dooth all his matters in the dark,
  9. Who never weareth armour, who shootes ay at his owne mark
  10. To trappe his fo by stelth unwares? The very headpeece may
  11. With brightnesse of the glistring gold his privie feates bewray
  12. And shew him lurking. Neyther well of force Dulychius were
  13. The weyght of great Achilles helme uppon his pate to weare.
  14. It cannot but a burthen bee (and that ryght great) to beare
  15. (With those same shrimpish armes of his) Achilles myghty speare.
  16. Agen his target graven with the whole huge world theron
  17. Agrees not with a fearefull hand, and cheefly such a one
  18. As taketh filching even by kynd. Thou Lozell, thou doost seeke
  19. A gift that will but weaken thee, which if the folk of Greeke
  20. Shall give thee through theyr oversyght, it will be unto thee
  21. Occasion, of thyne emnyes spoyld not feared for to bee,
  22. And flyght (wherein thou, coward, thou all others mayst outbrag)
  23. Will hindred bee when after thee such masses thou shalt drag.
  24. Moreover this thy sheeld that feeles so seeld the force of fyght
  25. Is sound. But myne is gasht and hakt and stricken thurrough quyght
  26. A thousand tymes, with bearing blowes. And therfore myne must walk
  27. And put another in his stead. But what needes all this talk?
  28. Lets now bee seene another whyle what eche of us can doo.
  29. The thickest of our armed foes this armour throwe into,
  30. And bid us fetch the same fro thence. And which of us dooth fetch
  31. The same away, reward yee him therewith. Thus farre did stretch
  32. The woordes of Ajax. At the ende whereof there did ensew
  33. A muttring of the souldiers, till Laertis sonne the prew
  34. Stood up, and raysed soberly his eyliddes from the ground
  35. (On which he had a little whyle them pitched in a stound)
  36. And looking on the noblemen who longd his woordes to heere
  37. He thus began with comly grace and sober pleasant cheere:
  38. My Lordes, if my desyre and yours myght erst have taken place,
  39. It should not at this present tyme have beene a dowtfull cace,
  40. What person hath most ryght to this great pryse for which wee stryve.
  41. Achilles should his armour have, and wee still him alyve.
  42. Whom sith that cruell destinie to both of us denyes,
  43. (With that same woord as though he wept, he wypte his watry eyes)
  44. What wyght of reason rather ought to bee Achilles heyre,
  45. Than he through whom to this your camp Achilles did repayre?
  46. Alonly let it not avayle sir Ajax heere, that hee
  47. Is such a dolt and grossehead, as he shewes himself to bee
  48. Ne let my wit (which ay hath done you good, O Greekes) hurt mee.
  49. But suffer this mine eloquence (such as it is) which now
  50. Dooth for his mayster speake, and oft ere this hath spoke for yow,
  51. Bee undisdeynd. Let none refuse his owne good gifts he brings.
  52. For as for stocke and auncetors, and other such like things
  53. Wherof our selves no fownders are, I scarcely dare them graunt
  54. To bee our owne. But forasmuch as Ajax makes his vaunt
  55. To bee the fowrth from Jove: even Jove the founder is also
  56. Of my house: and than fowre descents I am from him no mo.
  57. Laertes is my father, and Arcesius his, and hee
  58. Begotten was of Jupiter. And in this pedegree
  59. Is neyther any damned soule, nor outlaw as yee see.
  60. Moreover by my moothers syde I come of Mercuree,
  61. Another honor to my house. Thus both by fathers syde
  62. And moothers (as you may perceyve) I am to Goddes alyde.
  63. But neyther for bycause I am a better gentleman
  64. Then Ajax by the moothers syde, nor that my father can
  65. Avouch himself ungiltye of his brothers blood, doo I
  66. This armour clayme. Wey you the case by merits uprightly,
  67. Provyded no prerogatyve of birthryght Ajax beare,
  68. For that his father Telamon, and Peleus brothers were.
  69. Let only prowesse in this pryse the honour beare away.
  70. Or if the case on kinrid or on birthryght seeme to stay,
  71. His father Peleus is alive, and Pyrrhus eeke his sonne.
  72. What tytle then can Ajax make? This geere of ryght should woone
  73. To Phthya, or to Scyros Ile. And Tewcer is as well
  74. Achilles uncle as is hee. Yit dooth not Tewcer mell.
  75. And if he did, should hee obteyne? Well, sith the cace dooth rest
  76. On tryall which of us can prove his dooings to bee best,
  77. I needes must say my deedes are mo than well I can expresse:
  78. Yit will I shew them orderly as neere as I can gesse.
  79. Foreknowing that her sonne should dye, the Lady Thetis hid
  80. Achilles in a maydes attyre. By which fyne slyght shee did
  81. All men deceyve, and Ajax too. This armour in a packe
  82. With other womens tryflyng toyes I caryed on my backe,
  83. A bayte to treyne a manly hart. Appareld like a mayd
  84. Achilles tooke the speare and sheeld in hand, and with them playd.
  85. Then sayd I: O thou Goddesse sonne, why shouldst thou bee afrayd
  86. To raze great Troy, whoose overthrowe for thee is onely stayd?
  87. And laying hand uppon him I did send him (as you see)
  88. To valeant dooings meete for such a valeant man as hee.
  89. And therfore all the deedes of him are my deedes. I did wound
  90. King Teleph with his speare, and when he lay uppon the ground,
  91. I was intreated with the speare to heale him safe and sound.
  92. That Thebe lyeth overthrowne, is my deede. You must think
  93. I made the folk of Tenedos and Lesbos for to shrink.
  94. Both Chryse and Cillas, Phebus townes, and Scyros I did take.
  95. And my ryght hand Lyrnessus walles to ground did levell make.
  96. I gave you him that should confound (besydes a number mo)
  97. The valeant Hector. Hector, that our most renowmed fo,
  98. Is slayne by mee. This armour heere I sue agein to have
  99. This armour by the which I found Achilles. I it gave
  100. Achilles whyle he was alive: and now that he is gone
  101. I clayme it as myne owne agein. What tyme the greefe of one
  102. Had perst the harts of all the Greekes, and that our thousand sayle
  103. At Awlis by Ewboya stayd, bycause the wyndes did fayle,
  104. Continewing eyther none at all or cleene ageinst us long,
  105. And that our Agamemnon was by destnyes overstrong
  106. Commaunded for to sacrifyse his giltlesse daughter to
  107. Diana, which her father then refusing for to doo
  108. Was angry with the Godds themselves, and though he were a king
  109. Continued also fatherlyke: by reason, I did bring
  110. His gentle nature to relent for publike profits sake.
  111. I must confesse (whereat his grace shall no displeasure take)
  112. Before a parciall judge I undertooke a ryght hard cace.
  113. Howbeeit for his brothers sake, and for the royall mace
  114. Committed, and his peoples weale, at length he was content
  115. To purchace prayse wyth blood. Then was I to the moother sent,
  116. Who not perswaded was to bee, but compast with sum guyle.
  117. Had Ajax on this errand gone, our shippes had all this whyle
  118. Lyne still there yit for want of wynd. Moreover I was sent
  119. To Ilion as ambassadour. I boldly thither went,
  120. And entred and behilld the Court, wherin there was as then
  121. Great store of princes, Dukes, Lords, knyghts, and other valeant men.
  122. And yit I boldly nerethelesse my message did at large
  123. The which the whole estate of Greece had given mee erst in charge.
  124. I made complaint of Paris, and accusde him to his head.
  125. Demaunding restitution of Queene Helen that same sted
  126. And of the bootye with her tane. Both Priamus the king
  127. And eeke Antenor his alye the woordes of mee did sting.
  128. And Paris and his brothers, and the resdew of his trayne
  129. That under him had made the spoyle, could hard and scarce refrayne
  130. There wicked hands. You, Menelay, doo know I doo not feyne.
  131. And that day was the first in which wee joyntly gan susteyne
  132. A tast of perrills, store whereof did then behind remayne.