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ANTENOR IN THE GREEK CAMP.

11432 pan þe troiens, full tyte, turnyt to be walles, With braunches full brode all of bright Olyue, As in proffer of pes puttyn O lofte,

All the ledis on to loke, pat lay in þe feld.

373

Book XXVIII.

The Trojans crowd on the

walls with olive branches.

11436 Than the grekes, by agrement, gyffen hom a signe, The Greeks conBy cundeth to come, & carpe what hom liste.

Than went fro the walles worthy Antenor,
Past at a port to the pale tenttes.

11440 The grekes on the grene greidly hym met:
To Agamynon gay tent gone all in fere,
And present hym prestly to pe prise kyng,
Agamynon the grete, & the grekes all.

11444 To Dyamed the Duke, & doghty Vlixes,

Assentid full sone all the sad pepull,

To trete with Antenor trustid hom pan. This forward to fulfill faithly thai swere, 11448 Vppon solempne sacrifice, soche as pai vset. han the kynges into counsell caghton Antenor, And menyt of paire mater more at þe tyme, There he hight hom to haue, holly at þere wille, 11452 All the toun þurgh his trayne, & the true kyng, ffor to bete doun & bren vnto the bare erth. Hym-seluyn to saue and his sib fryndes,

And Eneas al o and all his sute hoole,

11456 With Renttes, & Riches, & all his Ranke godes.
This in counsell to kepe fro knowing of other,
Lest hit put of hor purpos, & paire at pe end,
All affermyt in faith of po faire soueryn,

11460 And knit vp þere couenaunte in couert to hold.
Kyng Taltill þai toke as tristy to seme,
þat was greuit on ground, grouund in age,
ffor he shuld lightly be leuyt with ledis of troy.
11464 Be-cause of his corage was kelit with age,

He shuld turne to the toun, po traytours with
all,

To spir at hom specially of hor spede fer;

sent to treat.

(fol. 174 b.) Antenor passes from the city, and is met by

the Greeks.

Diomedes and Ulysses are instructed to treat with him.

He promises to

betray the city,

if

himself, Eneas,

their kindred and

property, are spared.

The terms are agreed upon; and secrecy is sworn.

Book XXVIII.

Antenor demands

the body of

(fol. 175 a.) Penthesilea,

Priam convokes

the people to hear the terms obtained.

Antenor describes

the great power
and resources
of the Greeks:
and the weakness
of Troy.

If þai hade wille to be werke, wete hom to say, 11468 With-outyn gawdyn or gyle, glose hit not lengur, And what godes pai wold gyffe to the gret

harmes,

To affirme hit as fast, fynally for euer.

Antenor also angardly desyret

11472 The body of the bold qwene, pat in the burne lay, Pantasilia, with pyne to put into graue :

With myche labur, at the last, po lordes hit
grauntid.

han the traytor vntrew, trust me for sothe,
11476 Toke leue at the lordes, & lowted hom all,
With Taltillus, pat other pat I told first,
And soghtyn to pe Cité somyn belyue,
Past vnto Priam, present hor wille,

11480 All the case of hor come, cantly with mowthe.

The secund day suyng, sayes me the lettur,
Priam, the prise kyng, prestly comaundit

All the buernes of the burghe, bacheler & other, 11484 To appere in his presens the profer to make, And the tale of Antenor vntristy to here,

Of his message by mouthe, what he mene wold. When pai comyn were to court, comyns & other, 11488 Antenor his tale tombly began.

He thoght his falshed to feyne, vndur faire wordes,

And his cautels to colour vnder coynt speche. He said in his sermond, þat sothely the grekes 11492 Were of pepull & pouer plaintius mony;

And how pai depely desyret with a due hert,
To haue suertie full sad of a syker pes.
Thus sotelly with sothyn he set hom a cas,
11496 What fortune might falle vndur fals colour.

ban nemmyt he what noy, the noble men of troy
Enduret on dayes, dole for to se:

TERMS OF THE GREEKS ACCEPTED.

With weping & waile, wo to be hold,

11500 And myche sykyng & sorow on our sad knightes. "To abstene of þis stoure & our stithe harmes,

Soche langour to let, & lotis vnfaire,

Hit is wit, as I wene, wayes to seche,

11504 Soche dole & deire to dryue to an end."

pan he said in his saw, pat sothely the grekes

Wold not agre to pat graunt, but for a grete sowme
Of gold, & of godis, & of gay Iuellis,

11508 With stuff to restore for hor stith harmys.

375

Book XXVIII.

He urges the Trojans to accept the terms proposed:

(fol. 175 b.)

Wherfore, to qwheme & to white vs of skaithe, and to set about

Euery buerne in pis burgh, pat is best storit

Of meblys, & money, & of main syluer, 11512 Helpis now hertely pis harme to redresse: ffor bettur is a buerne by hym sum pes,

pan in wandreth & woo to wepe all his lyue. And for he kowth not by course come to an end, 11516 All þere wille for to wete at þe wale tyme,

He couet at the kyng, & all the kyd pepull,
Eneas eftsones pat erend for to wend

With hym-seluyn, for-sothe, on þe same nedis, 11520 All þere wille for to wete & wayne at pe last, And for pe grete of po grekes shuld no gawde

wene,

But leue hit more lelly & listyn the bettur.

collecting the amount of gold, silver, and grain required.

All the pepull in pat presse, pat the prose herd, The Trojans

11524 Afermyt hit as fyn þat þe freike said.

Eneas after this, euyn with pat other,

And Taltilus, tombly to pe tenttes yode.

All the councell fro kourtt was clenely depertid. 11528 Priam with pite pan past to his halle,

Myche water he weppit wringyng his handes.

Hit was dole to the dethe pe Duke to behold, Euer hedyng in hert of the hegh treason, 11532 þat was cast for pe kyng, of his kyde fryndes ;

consent: Æneas goes with Antenor to the Greeks.

Priam laments his sad fate.

Book XXVIII.

He must give up

all his wealth to the Greeks:

and has no security for his life.

(fol. 176 a.)

Helen pleads with
Antenor to re-
concile her to
Menelaus.

He undertakes

to do so.

And for the losse and the lure of his leue sons,

bat so dawly were ded, and drepit for ay, So worthy in wer, & so wale knightes. 11536 þat he left was o lyue his lure was so hoge! "And now is nedfull for noye, pat neghis at

hond,

All my gold for to geue, pat I getyn haue,

Kepid in hurd, holdyn full long;

11540 And I vnsure of my-self, my sorow is the more. bus in pouert am I pyght, put vnder fote,

hat makes me full mad, & mournes in my hert;

And yet this lure were but litle, & our lord wold 11544 þat I might leng in my laund, & my lyf haue." Thus Priam with pité playnet hys doole,

On what wise for to wirke wist not hym-seluyn.
He was forset vnfaire to folow pere wille,
11548 þat purpost hom plainly to put hym to dethe.
Elan þat euermore was egur of sorow,

Herd tell of the trety was takyn with the grekes.
hat noble on a night, þat no man persayuit,
11552 To talke with Antenor toke ho the gate.
Sho prayet hym pourly with hir pure hert,
Of Menelay, hir maistur, to make hir a frynde;
And proker hir pes with his prise wordes,
11556 pat she might at pat myschefe to mercy be

takyn.

All grauntid the gome to be gay qwene,
ffor to proker hir pes, & pyne hym perfore:
pan ho lowtid the lede, & hir leue toke,

11560 And past to the palis of the prise kyng.

With-in the tyme pat I tell, pe tru sun of

Priam,

Glaucon, was grauyn in a gay towmbe;

And the body of pe bold qwene broght vnto

toune,

ANTENOR AND ENEAS TREAT WITH THE GREEKS.

11564 Pantasilia, with petie of hir prise maidons. Hit was ordant of all men by oppon assent,

377

Book XXVIII.

bat Philmen the fre kyng shuld ferk hit hym Pylamenes is

with,

And bryng on a bere to hir burgh home, 11568 To be enterit in a towmbe, as a triet qwene, And laid by hir legis, pat the lond aght. Eneas eftir þis Egur of will,

Antenor, also, angardly fast

11572 To the grekes on pe grene girdyn on swith, ffor to trete of hor trayne as traytouris vnlell. There met pai po men, þat I mynt first,

hat were grauntid by the grete of the grekes all, 11576 ffor to mell in þe mater, & meue to an end. The towne to betray truly þai poght:

And of Elan, euermore, egerly fast

pai meuit vnto Menelay at the mene tyme;
11580 And had graunt of pat grete with a good wille,
All hir gilt to forgiff, and to grace take.
Than Agamynon, as grettist, po grete for to
wend,-

Dyamede he demyt, & doughty Vlixes,-
11584 With tho worthy to wend to the wale towne,
As in maner of message fro the mayn grekes.
When pai comyn into courtte the comyns were

fayne,

ffor pai wise were of wit, & worthy men bothe. 11588 bai hopit well the heldur to here of an end,

And the traitur þai trist of a tru pes.

The next day onone, as the night past,

appointed to take
the body of
Penthesilea to
her own land.

Antenor and Eneas depart to the Greek camp,

to carry out their treason.

Menelaus

promises to forgive Helen,

(fol. 176 b.)

Diomedes and Ulysses are sent to Troy along with Antenor and Æneas.

By comaundement clenly the councell was gedurt, Next day the

11592 All the pepull to the palis of the prise kyng

Were assemblit full sone, set all aboute.
Vlixes full lyvely vp olofte said :—

Trojans are called to council at the palace.

Ulysses states the terms of peace :

asken

"The grekes for hor greme vnto gre 11596 Gret sommes, for-sothe, to hor sad harmes,

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