Book XII. forgive all injuries, if you would restore my sister. Ye dishonoured my legate and despised my name. I will not now yield to your demand because of a wild threat. Be it known to Agamemnon and his people that I seek not their peace, but, as mine enemies, that they may perish." (In MS. lines 5048 and 5049 are transposed.) Diomedes laughed you shall have abundance of it when a hundred thousand Greeks surround you. (fol. 79 a.) 5036 And sent for my Sustor, sothely, to you ; name. 5040 Here is plainly no place in pis plit now, I hope the grekes in hor grem shall neuer so gret To oppresse me with power, ne my plas take, 5044 Ne my godis to gripe agaynes my wille. I will Agamynon hit wete, & his weghes all, 5048 But I wond for my worship as wetheruns shuld 5052 5056 die ! And ye, so rebell and roide with your rugh speche, sight! While I se you in certain I sourde full of yre, When the worthy hade his wordes warpit to end, Withouten noy be pou neuer, & pin ene opon, 5060 Syn the grekes on the ground are of so gret pouer; DIOMEDES TO PRIAM. And pou faithly shall fynd, in a felle haste, armys, The weghes to wound & warpe vnto dethe. 5064 And if pou sothely of sorow set be so full, ffor two buernes all bare & of body nakyd, I hope your bolnyng with brest, & your brethe leue Toqwhiche pouer, playnly, pou proues no strenght, 5068 Ne no suertie, may saue fro pere sid harmys." 165 Book XII. And if your sorrow be so full on account your bursting Mony knightes in the courte, pat by the kyng an army." stode, Wex wroth at his wordes, walt into yre; Warpit out wordes full swice at the kyng, 5072 And drogh taward Diamede to dere hym anon, ffor to britton pat buerne for his bolde speche. 5076 5080 5084 5088 THE WORDES OF PRIAM AGAYN, Priam pen presit vp fro his proude sete, Bade hom blym of hor brathe or hor bare lyues, bat no gome shuld hym greue with no grym weppon, Ne negh hym with noy for noght þat he said. And a wise man witterly his wordes to suffer. Enraged by the speech of Diomedes, the knights of the court threaten to kill him. Priam prevents them. should not be angry with a fool, "A wise man who has done foolishly. So is it wit, a wiseman his wordis to listyn,— hond Within my courtte, or my cumpany, for any I would suffer much before any injured within my court, or in my company. cause here. Book XII. Therefore compose yourselves, and do him no injury." (fol. 79 b.) Eneas, who sat next the king, then angrily said: "Sir King! a You would doon me to death for such bold words; and any o e, except your Majesty, who should dare to speak so, ought to die. I therefore command him to leave this place on pain of his life." 5092 ffor lightly a litil thyng, a lose may be tynt, more, Ne to warpe hym no worde, þat worship may hyndur." ben set pai sone, as said hom the kyng. THE WORDES OF ENEAS TO DIAMEDE. 5096 And Eneas efterward etlid to say, 5100 bat sete by the souerayne, non sothely betwene,- But wo vnwisely with wordis walis his speche, Hit is skille for his skorne, þat he scathe thole, 5104 And not cherist, but chastist, by charge of his foly. I might sothely so say, here syttyng yow by, hat ye wold deme to dethe for my derfe wordes, pat right wold & reason by rewle of my-seluyn. 5108 And, saue your magiste so mykell, þat men will obey, He, þat warpes thies wordes in his wild foly, Shuld degh, for his'derfenes, by domys of right; hat so dispitously hath spoken in spit of your person, 5112 And meuyt your magesty with his mad wordes, With presumpcoun & prise of his proude hert. 5116 And pas fro this place o payn of his lyfe. And gyrt on no grete wordis to greue vs no 5120 DIOMEDES TO AENEAS. TH[E] ONSWARE OF DIAMEDE TO ENEAS. Then Dyamed, the derfe kyng, withoutyn dyn said:- Book XII. "You, frynde, with pi fare, what freike so pou be, "Friend, I 167 desire to thank thee for thy friendship and thy threat. (fol. 80 a.) I see now plainly, that the king is hat I may fynd þe before pi frendship to ponke, 5124 And mede the after mesure of þi meke wille, To thanke the of þi thret and þi pro wordis. Now I se well, for-sothe, sely is the kyng, bat kepis the for counsell clene for hym seluyn, sily, who keeps 5128 þat well con his worship wisshe hym to saue, And rede hym to redurs, pat rixles to shame!" ben Vlixes, with vtterans vne vpponone, The derfe wordis of Diamede dullit with speche; 5132 And wysely he waynet all his wild yre, you as a counsellor." To prevent strife, þat he nomore in þe mater shuld mene at pat addressed the tyme. king. (MS. has "to") "We clearly understand And to Priam [the] price kyng prestly he said:"Kyng, we haue clenly consaiued þi wille. 5136 To Agamynon agayne we go with our onsware, All þi saghes, for-sothe, pat souerain to telle !" And so pai past fro pat pales, preset vnto horse, Agamemnon." Lepyn on lightly, launchet on hor way, 5140 Gone to be grekes in a grete hast; Lighten at pere logges, leuyn þere horses, Into the Emperours awne tent entrid belyue, 5144 Ther all the grete were gedrit Agamynon before And toldyn all tomly, as hom tide hade, The purpas of Priam tho prinses vntill. Thai hade meruell full mekyll in hor mynd all, 5148 Of his authwart onswares, þat hym arghet no more. Then po Kynges in counsell castyn hom anon, your answer, and we shall now go to report it to Ulysses and Diomedes ride with all haste to the tent of Agamemnon and report the answer of Priam. The council determine to prosecute the war. 168 (fol. 80 b.) While the Greeks lay at Tenedos a council of war was held. Agamemnon "Noble sirs! First of all, we must have food for our soldiers; and to supply Therefore, let us xiij Boke. How the Grekys sent Achilles and Thelefon for vitaill for the Ost into Messam. 5152 KYNGYS and knyghtes and other kyde Dukes, saide. Than gedrit were the grekes on a ground faire, 5156 Besyde tenydon truly, to talke of hor dedis. Ordant by the emperour opunly to holde A counsell in the case, with knowyng to all, And procede on hor purpos, as prise men of wer. 5160 When the souerayns assemblit were, as I said first, Agamynon, the gouernour, graithit hym to speike, To po worthy thiez wordis warpit anone :"Noble sirs, in this note hit nedis vs to haue 5164 ffode till our folke, the formast of other, 5168 bat no hongur vs happyn to harme in our werre, While our buernes in batell abiden here stille : hat we faint not in fight, ne feble of strenght. And mykyll is the mete so mony bus haue, If we shall proffet with proues, or any fose wyn: ffor pere as failes the fode, faint is the pepull; And pere hongur is hote, hertis ben febill. 5172 perfore, highly in hast, I hold for pe best, |