Book V.

To redress these

advice and aid

proper.

means:

a

and the time suits.

Token all our tresoures, trussit into grise ; (fol. 29 b.)

Kyld all oure kynnesmen into colde dethe;

And other wrongis vs wroght & to wo put.

1736 Thes redurse to riche by rede of you all, wrongs by their

Hit were sittyng, me semys, & to sue fore. seems right and

We haue a Cite full sure, & sad pepull in;

Well wroght for the werre, wallis full high ;
1740 ffolke of defence, and to fight able;

Mony knightes full kant, & kyd men of Armys.
We haue riches full rife, red gold fyn;

Clothes full comly, and other clene Juellis ;
They have the 1744 Armur and all thing abill perfore.

Well viteld, I wis, for wynturs ynow;
ffele fryndes and fauer out of fer londys,

With a liaunse full large of other lege kyngis, 1748 þat we to helpe vs may haue in a hond whyle:

And now tyme, by my trauthe, to take it on hond,
To mene vs with manhode & our mys wreke.

But the fortune of feghters may be fell chaunse, against them, and 1752 And siker were to sit and solas vs here: to enjoy them

But pe harme and the hethyng of my kynd suster, bat is set vnder seruage, & in syn holdyn,

Greuys me so gretly & my greme ekys, 1756 bat it reuys me my rest & my right hele.

But it likis you lordis, at a lite wordys, think so, he will send a message to Thus gate to begyn er we goo ferre ;the Greeks, asking them to restore

hat I send for my suster on a softe wise
his sister, and to
forget old 1760 To þe Grekes, for to goo with a goode wille
quarrels.

And restore withoutyn strife into þis stide home,
My sister Exina soberly & faire ;

To qwit claym all querels, & be qweme fryndes. 1764 Of all our dures þai vs did & daunger for euer,

All account and Enuy after to voide,
Neuer to deire for pat dede pe dayes in our lyue."

When the souerain hade said, þen sesit he here, 1768 And it liket well the lordys & þe ledis all :

But the fortune of war might be

it would

sa fer

selves at home.

If the council

a

The council agree to the message.

DEPARTURE OF ANTENOR,

59

Book V.

а

Of his wit & his wordes & his wise speche,
In dede thus to do pai demyt it all.

(fot. 30 a.) When Priam hade persayuit all þere pure wille, 1772 He chese hym a chere man the charge for to beire. Priam chooses

Antenor,
Antenor he toke for his triet wit;
He was gret, & graithe, & a gome noble,

Wisest of wordes and willé þerto. 1776 He spake to hym specially, þat he spede shuld and counsels him

to use favour and
With fauer and fair wordes his frenship to haue. fair words,
And he lowted his lege with a low chere,
And grauntid to go with a goode wille.

HOW ANTENOR WENT ON MESSAGE TO THE GREKYS,

Antenor prepares for the voyage,

1780 Then he shope hym to ship in a sharp haste,

And dressit for pe depe as hym dere þught ;
Halit into havyn in a hond while,

Shippit hym full shortly & his shene folke; 1784 Grippit vp a gret sayle, glidis on be water,

Sailet on soberly and þe se past;
Teght into Tessaile, turnyt into hauyn,

He reaches

Thessaly : lands There Pelleus be proude was a prise kyng.

at Magnesia and

goes direct to 1788 At Mansua for mirth in þe mene tyme,

King Peleus.
A hauyn toun, as hap was, bere pe hind lay,
Antenor not tariet ne no tome hade,

But went to the wale kyng on his way sone, 1792 Hailsit hyn hendly, & he his honde toke, And welcomyt hym worthely as a wegh noble, The king wel

comes him, aud And fraynit hym with frendship qwat the fre kindly asks the

cause of his visit wold.

Antenor full tite told of his wille :1796 “ffro Priam full prist put am I hider,

As a messynger made at þis mene tyme.
Thus he sent me to say to your

will
euyn,

Antenor remiuds

him of all the ffor to mene to your mynde, as I most nede,

done to his king 1800 The harmys and þe henenys hym happit of yow. without cause;

ffirst of his fader, in fight was distroyet

harms he had

Book V.

(fol. 30 b.)

His Cite and his Syb men to sorow for eld;

His londes, his legemen, out of lyue broght;
1804 His suster into seruage & to syn put ;

And oper Redurs full ryfe in his Rewme dyd.
His golde and his goodis grippit also ;
Pikked all his prouynce & full pore leuyt,

&
1808 Withouten cause but of couetous, þat come of

your seluyn. Qwherfore, to qweme qwyt of all other, To skape out of skathe and sklaunder to falle,

In obregyng of batell & buernes to saue,
1812 As ye ben wegh full of wit & for wise holdyn,--

To send hym syster vne in sounde home,
And all giltis for gyffen & greuanse for Ay."

and states, that if he wished to escape the vengeance of Priam, he must restore Hesione,

sets sail for

When Pelleus persayuit þis in a proude yre, Peleus calls Priam 1816 Sodenly he sourdit into soure greme, a fool, and commands Antenor to And Priam reprouyt as a pure fole, depart instantly.

With hethyng and hate as hys hegh wordes.

Antenor full tyte to trusse he comaundes, 1820 At the most in a moment of his mold passe,

Or he doutles shold degh for his derfe wordys.

Antenor vntomly turnet his way Antenor hastily

Withoutyn lowtyng or lefe, lengit he noght,
Salamis, where 1824 But fast vppon fote ferkyt to shippe,

And hasted to the hegh see in a hond while ;
Sailit on soundly as hym selfe lyket.

On dayes and derke nightes dryuyn on the ythes, 1828 At Salame full sound þai set into hauyn.

That tyme in the towne was Telamon þe kyng,
To soiourne a season as hym selfe lyked.

Antenor arghly auntrid of ship

1832 And wentto þat worthy his wille for to shew. Telamon receives

He welcomyt þat wegh with a wille feble, biro coldly, yet

ffor he louet not his lede of long tyme before :: 'fol. 31 a.)

Yet he fraynit at þat freike whcdur he fare wolde,

Telaion then was.

a

asks the cause of his visit.

ANTENOR AND TELAMON.

61

Book V.

Antenor answers,
and demands
Hesione, whom
Telamon kept as

married to one greater than

But all will be

1836 And the cause of his come to his courtte pan.

The Troiane full umbly tolde hym Anone;-
“ffro Priam, full prist, haue I presit hedur,

And wonen ouer the waghis his wille for to say, a concubine. 1840 That in Troy truly is a triet kyng,

And lord of þe londe as be lyne olde ;
pat now of youre nobilte newly desyres

His Syster to be sent to his syde Rewme. 1844 þat hynd for to helpe hertely he prayes,

bat ye kepe in youre company on vnclene wise,
As subiecte vnto syn, vnsemyng

for

you.
Soche a lady of lynage & of lordis comyn, Such a lady

might have been 1848 That were knowen for kynges of cuntre fele,

Sho might haue bene mariede to more pen your Telamon.

selfe,
ffor worship to wed and as wife holde,

That ye haue thus in hething, & a hore mase. 1852 And o per dishonor ye did to his dere fader,

forgiven if he will All he grauntes to forgyue & neuer to greue after, only send homo

this lady.
Iff ye send hom þat semly þat I sew fore,
That he may menske hur with mariage pat ye

mart haue,
1856 And Restore hir astate in sum straunge rewme :

This is the cause of my come, I couet no more
But a graunt of your good wille þat gret for to

haue.”

When Antenor had tolde & his tale endit, 1860. The kyng was caste into a clene yre ;

And wrothe at his wordes as a wode lion,
He Answares in Anger Awrthwert agayne ;---

“Be, sir, who so euer þou be, with pi bold speche, 1864 Me meruellis of þi momlyng & þi mad wordes ;

mad words, Syn he no knowlage, ne Acoyntaunse of my cors

has,
Ne I hardely herde of hym hade in my lyue,
That he bis Message Wold maketo me at this tyme.

a

Telamon is • wode' as a lion :

marvels at such

(fol. 31 b.)

and will not hear Priam's prayer.

his master that he

Hercules to

on Laomedon :

a

services:

Book V. 1868 I am not purpast plainly his prayer to here,

Ne his wille for to wirke wete pou for sothe.

Knowen be it to bi kyng of þat case wele, He bids him tell

That I with Ercules entrid his rewme, had gone with 1872 When Lamydon was o lyue & the lond aght, avenge themselves ffor to wreke vs of wrathe, & the wegh harme

Bothe of skathe & of skorne, as we skylle hade.
Ther with batell at the burgh I my blode shed,

I
1876 Depe woundes to the dethe, & mony derfe strokes,

And the Cite I sesit sonest of other ;

Was cause of the conquest with my clene strenght; that the lady had

And for a riche reward of my ranke wille, been assigned to him for his great 1880 All the soueranis by assent assignet me hir,

ffor to wirke with my wille, & weld as myn owne; And for lesse hir to leue pen I hir luff boght,

I think not, by my thrifte, for no pro wordys. 1884 Syn þe fre is so faire, & so fele vertus,

So corius, so conyng, & of so clene nurtur,
Me is not lefe hir to leue and to lyue after.

Therfore, say to thy souerain þat ye sent hydur,

1888 He weldis not that worthy but with wale strokes, must win her by his sword.

And with swappyng of swerdys, þof he swelt wolde,
And pou faithfully a fole, & a freike mad,

May be countid in this case for þi come hider, 1892 Soche a message to make at this mene tyme.

Wete pou full witterly in warnyng to other,
Saue I let for my lofe, pou shuld þi lyffe tyne ;

And be done to the dethe for bi derfe speche. On paln of Lby life 1896 Pas fro my presens on payne of þi lyffe, pass from my presence.

And

rape my rewme in a rad haste, Or þou shall lelly be lost and pou leng oghter."

Antenor for anger auntert no ferre,

1900 Lut not be lede, ne no lefe toke,-
(fol. 32 a.)

Shot euyn into ship o po shire waghis,-
Hade bir at his bake, and pe bankes leuyt;
Sailet furth soundly & þe see past,

and that Priam

a

of

He then sails to