ANTENOR ELECTED KING. Tite for Antenor truly to send; Make hym kyng of þis kith by comyn assent, 12348 ffor to kepe you fro care with a cleane wit; In this lond for to lyue lengyng to-gedur, All liked the lede for his lefe counsell, 403 Book XXX. He advises them to send for Antenor, and make him their king. They accept his counsel, and 12352 þai soght thurgh the Cité, & sent for Antenor; appoint Antenor. And he come to pe comyns with a cant wille. Wold haue dungyn hym to deth, & deiret pe fals, 12356 ffor he was bigger in the burgh, boldir of kyn, Of ledys vppon lyue, lelly, pen he. þan ros pai full radly, all the ronke pepull, 12360 ffor to sese of his sute, & his sad yre: Syn hom happit so hard in hast per before, with-in 12364 To stir with no stryue, ne stroy hom no more. Thi hies wordis to be weghis warpit Eneas:- Soche a traytor for tene, pat treason hase 12368 And fowle with his falsyng hase feblit vs all, With his gyle & his gawdis, the gay Pollexena, bat was comyn of our kyng, & a cleane maidon, 12372 He made to be martrid purgh malice of hym: And I, pat am outlawhit for euer of þis lond, ffro frendes & felowes, pat me faith ow; pat wold haue leuyt here my lyue in langour & woo, 12376 And haue counceld the comyns in hor case feble, Thus am flemyt to flight thurgh his false caste." Eneas strives to crush him. The Trojans plead with Eneas not to stir up a new war. Æneas declares no one could suffer such a traitor to live. (fol. 189 a.) Book XXX. The Trojans consult together, and determine to exile Antenor. Antenor with a great company sets sail from Troy. They are attacked and plundered by pirates. Than the comyns toke counsell, knightes & other, And the traytor Antenor from the towne flemyt, 12380 Neuer the Cité to se, ne his sute after; And grauntid hym his gode & gate by a tyme. With riches full Rife, & Relikes ynow; Met with a menye, & mart of hom fele; With sorow & sad fight sailit away, They reach Gela, 12392 Till they come to the coste of a cleane yle, in Sicily, where Tetides is king. Antenor founds a city; surrounds it with walls; and names it Melæna. þat Gelanda aioynet was to the iust nome. There was a kyng in pe cost, þat the kith aght, 12396 pat his prouyns & pepull peasably keppit There Antenor truly turnyt to lond With a few of his feres, as fell hym by chaunse, 12400 On a plentious place, pleasaund to se There fildis were faire, fresshe watur in, And woddes to wale with wellis full clere. There aboue on the bonke he bild vp a towne, 12404 By leue of the lord, þat the lond oght, With Riches full Rife & Relikes of troy, þat he broght in his barge to the bare yle. han he wroght vp a walle wightly abowte, 12408 With toures full tore the towne to defend. pai cald hit a coynt nome, comyns & all, Menelon, by mouthe, mighty & other. When hit knowen was the case with comyns of troy, THE GREEKS CONSULT CASSANDRA. 12412 Of the plentius plase & plesaund of lyue, Mony weghes thedur went, & wond in the toune, And Replenisshed the place & the playn londis. The kyng was full curtas, þat þe kith aght, 12416 Myche louyt he the lede & the lell pepull. ffor the wit of the wegh, & his wale dedis, He was chosyn with þat choise chevest of councell, And wele louit with the ledis of the lond all. 12420 Now turne wyll I tite, & take pere I leuyt, 405 Book XXX. It thrives well; and Antenor becomes second to Tetides. To the grekes agayne in the gret toune. þat abode in the burgh with bale at hir hert, 12428 The kynges into councell callit hir þan, wails the loss of all her kindred. The Greeks consult her regarding their return to Greece. 12432 Hom shuld happon full hard in a hond while: They will pass Agamynon the grete shuld grymly be slayn through many perils, and Agamemnon will With meneye of pat mighty, þat he most louet; be slain. 12436 All happit hom to haue as the hynd saide, This Thelamon I told of, þat trayturly was slayn, Two sonnes of hym-selfe, sothely he hade, 12440 þat he wan on his wyfes, as pe writ sais. The first of po fre faithly was cald Emynent the mighty, with men pat hym knew, 12444 Antissas pat tothir, tellis the story, Ethimyssa his make to the mon bere. (See Notc.) 406 Book XXX. (fol. 190 a.) Agamemnon and Menelaus advise the Greeks to return home. The Greeks will not be advised by them: but allow them is making ready. DEPARTURE OF AGAMEMNON AND MENELAUS. Thies were gyuen to the gouernaunce of a gay kyng, Heght Teucra, full tru, as the tale shewes, 12448 Tho noble to norisshe in hor nait yowthe, Till þai waxen were of wit & of wight dedis, And abill vntill armys, as pere astate wolde. Then Agamynon the grete & his gay brothir 12452 Asket leue at the lordes & the lege kynges, ffor to wende to the watur in hor wale shippes, And turne out of troy & the toune leue; But the grekes to po grete grauntid hit noght, 12456 ffor pai hadon hom in hate & in hert straunge, ffor the dethe and the deire of the duke Thelamon, Syn Vlixes with vtteraunse auntrid to flight. Yet pai grauntid po grete the gate to the sea, 12460 And abide on the buernes in hor big shippes Till all barges were boune & buernes within And draghen furth to the depe as hom due thoght. The xxxj Boke: Of the Passage of the Hyt fell thus by fortune, pe fairest of pe yere Autumn was becoming colder; Trees, thurgh tempestes, tynde hade pere leues; trees had lost 12468 And briddes abatid of hor brem songe; The wynde of the west wackenet aboue, their leaves, and birds had ceased to sing; westerly winds, and clouded skies, with mist, and rain, and The clere aire ouercast with cloudys full thicke, floods, told that 12472 With mystes full merke mynget with showres; fflodes were felle thurgh fallyng of Rayne, And wintur vp wacknet with his wete aire. The gret nauy of the grekes & the gay kynges, 12476 Were put in a purpos to pas fro the toune. Sore longit po lordis hor londys to se, And dissiret full depely, doutyng no wedur; pai counted no course of the cold stormys, 12480 Ne the perellis to passe of the pale windes. Hit happit hom full hard in a hond qwile, And mony of po mighty to misse of hor purpos. Thus tho lordes in hor longyng laghton þe watur, 12484 Shotton into ship mong shene knightes, winter was near, (fol. 190 b.) when the fleet was ready to sail. Longing for home, and suspecting not the approaching perils, they set sail with all the treasures With the tresowre of þe toune, þai token before, of Troy. |