Book XXVIII. Certain large sums of gold and silver, and that Amphimachus be Bothe of gold & of goodes, er pei go wille, ffor the losse & the lure of hor lef pepull; banished from the 11600 To be exiled for euermore, as Enmy of toune, city. The exile of Amphimachus had been asked by Antenor, in revenge for having tried to thwart his plans. How perilous it is for one to speak the truth in a time of sedition: but God often metes to us, (fol. 177 a.) as we have meted to others. Antenor was himself exiled by Eneas. As they sit in council a horrible cry is heard. Diomedes and of their lives. Neuer in plit to Repaire to his pure fryndis, Ne the Cité to se, while hym-selfe lyues." This prokert full prestly with prayer before, 11604 The traytor Antenor to the tru kynges; ffor pat noble hym denyet naitly or pan, When he proffert to priam pes for to make. Lo! how fortheris a freike with a fyne wit, 11608 ffor to kepe hit in close, & carp hit no fer; To speike in despite & Spedis no more, But hyndres full heghly & harmys hym-seluyn. Lo! Amphimac the fre, for his fell wordes, 11612 Was dampnet in-dede, pof þai du were; Ellis the traytor Antenor hade truly no cause A man with þat mesure he metis till another! 11620 An exile for euermore efter a while, Thurgh Eneas, pat egurly exit perto, As I shall tell full tite, when the tyme askes. While thies kynges were in councell, pat comyn fro pe grekes, 11624 Within the palis of prise, as the prose tellus, There was an orible noise, pat noyet hom full scre, As a clamour or a crye of a cant pepull, As pai satyn all somyn sodainly come, 11628 Vne playne in the place pere pe prise met. ffor doute of hor dethes, tho doghty men bothe Were a-ferd of the fare and the fell noise, THE COUNCIL SUDDENLY BROKEN UP. Lest the troiens for tene hade takon hom sone, 11632 And dungen to dethe for dole of the knight, Amphimacous the fre, pat the freikes louet, ffor ertyng his exile in ernest before. 379 Book XXVIII. Hit was aspiet full Specially, & spird all abowte, No one can tell 11636 The cause of the crie and the cant noise: There was no wegh in this world, þat hit wete kowth, Ne to meue in hor mynd what hit mene shuld. 11640 Depertid the pepull, past to be toune Bothe knightes & comyns, and the court voidet. To forther his foule wille, pat no freike herd. whence the noise came. The King dismisses the assembly. Ulysses blames "Why draghes pou on dregh pes dedis so ferr? delaying to carry 11648 pat pou vs heghly hase het, hold hit onone!" pan talkes the traytour truly agayne : : out his promises. Antenor declares the hindrance is "Our goddis knowen full kyndly pe cast of my hert, not by him, 11652 As your hestes to hold with helpe of Eneas. Is a statur full strong of a stith god: hat ye shall lelly me leue, & yow list herkon," 11656 Diamede said duly ;-" pou do vs to wete, Vs likes full lelly to listyn þi wordis." Antenor pan talkis, & told on pis wise :"Hit is lelly no lesyng, leue if ye will! 11660 There was a kyng in this cost, þat the kith aght, Honerable, auenaund, & Vlus was callit. Here foundit he first the faire place Ylion; 11664 Here he tild vp a temple of a trew godde, (fol. 177 b.) but by the In the time of King Ilus, this Palladium came down from heaven, Book XXVIII. stuck in the wall of the temple of Pallas, and has remained ever since. None but the keepers of the temple can remove it. So long as it remains within the temple, or even within the city, Troy cannot be taken. (fol. 178 a.) Diomedes confesses that the labour of the Greeks is in vain : but Antenor tells how he has prevailed on the keeper to steal the Palladium, and to deliver it to him for a great sum of money. Whan the walles were wroght to be wale rofe, 11668 A selly pere sene was with seremen aboute, A ffygur full fyne, festnyt in the wall, Saue kepers of the kirke, for craft vppon erthe. 11676 The mater hit is made of is most of a tre, But no clerke is so corious to ken vs the nome; Ne on what wise hit is wroght can wit shew, But purgh Palades the pure god, apperit þer þurgh. 11680 Seche trust haue the troiens truly perin, While hit keppit is in kirke, or in clos walle. With-in the cercle of pe Cité, as said is of old, Neuer the toune shalbe takon with tene of hor fos, 11684 Ne care fro the corone, ne the kynd aire. Thus lelly beleuyn the ledis of pe toune, And neuer dowtyn no dethe to dere hom with-in. The nome of his noble, pat naitly is keppit, 11688 Paladian the pure, with pepull is callid." Than Diamede the Duke duly can say :"Iff thy saghes be sothe, & sad to beleue, All our labur is lost, & our long sege, 11692 If Paladian with purpos may put vs away." Antenor alstite amet to speike : "If ye meruell so mekyll we make you non end, And high not with hast our hestes to kepe, 11696 This is truly the entent we tary so longe. I haue comynt with the keper, & cumpast aboute, ffor a certain somme of syluer & of gold: 11700 And full prestly be prest hase puruayet perfore. When hit laght is lelly, leue me for sothe, ANTENOR PROMISES IT TO THE GREEKS. Hit shalbe sent to your-selfe, seche hit no ferther: 11704 The Cité and the soueran, sese as you likes. 381 Book XXVIII. But kepis this in councell, for cas pat may falle, Meantime, And I will kaire to the kyng for a cause yet, I haue knawlache in pe case & comyng with yow, 11712 What sommys in certayn þe sent you to take." Thus with lowtyng & leue the ledis depertid; The grekes agayne ar gon to pere tenttes; The traytur full tomly turnyt to be kyng, 11716 His falshed to forther: the fend hym distroy ! secrecy must be preserved. Diomedes and Ulysses return to camp, and Antenor goes to the King. THE ORDINAUNCE OF THE TRYBUTE. Than carpis to the kyng curset Antenor, When comyn were the knightes, comyns, & all, At an assembly 11720 Thes wordes he warpit po worthy vnto: of the Trojans Antenor reports that the Greeks "I haue comynt in this case, knowith hit your- demand 20,000 selfe ; To the grekes bus vs gyffe, to graunt vs for pes, Twenty thowsaund thristy, þrungyn to-gedur, 11724 Markes full mighty, all of mayn gold, marks of gold, the same number of silver, (fol. 178 b.) and 10,000 wheat, within a certain time. The terms are accepted. And of Syluer, for-sothe, the same pai dessyre: quarters of ("gon" = given.) Book XXVIII. Antenor goes to the priest and bribes him to give up the Palladium. ("geeter"= keeper, warden, guardian, see 1. 11746.) No one will know thereof: and his risk is as great as the priest's. "Send the Palladium to Ulysses; and we'll say he stole it." (fol. 179 a.) The priest yields; and the Palladium is sent to Ulysses. While this gode was in gederyng the grettes among, 11736 Antenor to the temple trayturly yode ; Preuely the prest puld into councell, (Thoantes, me tellys the text, pat he heght, hat was geeter of the god, þat the gome yernyt.) 11740 With a gobet of gold, a full gret somme, And Thoantes betaght, tarit no lengur. Thies wordes to the wegh warpit onone, In a place out of prese, priuely there :11744 "Lo, of gold, & of good here a gret nowmber, The to lyue with in lykyng, & thy leue ayris. The god, pat pou geetis, gyf me per-ffore, hat I may beire fro the burgh, shall no buerne wete. 11748 Thou art no farder, in faith, thy fame for to lose, pan I my lyffe were leuer leue in þe plase, Er any troiens with truthe might telle suche a fawte, Or soche a point on me put in perlament heraftur. 11752 Therfore, priuely, by purpos Paladian pou send If any fawte per funden be, we faithly may say, 11756 And we excusit of skathe, yf sclaunder shall Rise." Prestly the prest his purpos with-stode All the night with noy, till negh at þe day, Till he caght was in couetouse, & cumbrit hym seluen. 11760 Than grauntid he the god to the grym traytor, And toke hit fro the temple, tariet no lengur, Sent hit furth sodainly by a sad frend, To Vlixes vtwith, egerly pan. 11764 Hit was noiset onon in the nowble toune, |