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DEFEAT OF THE TROJANS.

But what fortherit the fight of po fell maidyns,
Syn the grekes on hom gedrit in so gret

nowmbers?

11140 There murtherit were mony of the mayn troiens:
All the bent of pat birr blody beronnen.
As Dares of the dede duly me tellus,

X. M.nd, full proly, in the prepe endit. 11144 pan flagh all in fere, & the feld leuyt; Turnyt vnto toune with tene at þere hert. All the worthy pere were, wemen & other, The yates with yomeryng 3epely pai stake, 11148 Barrit hom full bigly on hor best wyse,

Neuer in purpos with prise to pas at hom efte,
To no batell on bent, but the burgh kepe.

363

Book XXVII.

The Trojans are outnumbered:

10,000 are cut down:

they retreat to

the city, and shut the gates in despair.

304

The only hope of the Trojans is

in guarding the city walls.

(fol. 170 b.)

Only famine
could conquer the
city.

The xxviij Boke: of the Counsell of Eneas and Antenor. Of the treason of the Cite.

Now pe troyens, with tene, all þe toun zatys 11152 Keppit full cloyse, with care at hor hertes; Withouten hope of any helpe holdyn hom with-in,

Or any socour to be send out of sere londys.
All the burgh is full bigge, ouer the brode
wallis,

11156 Wacchemen for to wale, wacches to kepe,
Of trewmen in towres, for treason of other,
The Cité to saue fro saute of hor fos.

ffor the heght is so hoge of the hegh touris,
11160 With dykes so depe drâghen a-boute,

hat no werriour hit wyn may to be worldes end, But þurgh failyng of fode, þat fainttes þe pepull. ffor Pantasilia the pert pytie was made, 11164 pat offendit pere fos with hir fyne strenght. Mony doghty pat derfe vnto dethe broght, And britnet on the bent with hir bale maidnes. Myche tene hade the troiens for pe tryet lady, 11168 ffor pai the corse might not cacche, as pe kynd wold,

ffor to bery in the burgh, hor bale was the more,

Ne to forther pat fre with fynerall seruys.
The grekes gedrit full grymly to be gret yates,

THE TREASON OF ANTENOR AND ENEAS.

11172 Of sure men in soppes sadly enarmyt,

The close for to kepe, when care was on hand, þat no freike vpon fote forther shuld pas. The corse pan pai comaund of þe clene qwene, 11176 To be cast vnto curres and to kene fowles. But Pirrus pat purpos pertly with-stode,

Bade bery the burd on hir best wise,

As was due to the dede, to delue in pe erthe. 11180 Dyamede the derfe demyt non othir.

"Hit is vnsytting," he said, "þat hit so be, ffor the worthy, þat wicche hase wastid to dethe, Of our grekes on ground, & to grem broght; 11184 Let hir bones with baret abide in this aire, As a caren vncleane, for hir curst dedis." han the gret of the grekes agreit hom all, The corse for to cast in a clere terne,

11188 Vndur a syde of the Cité, & synke hit perin,A stanke full of stynke standyng besyde.

When the troiens in þe toune were tyrnet þerin, With myche wandreth & wo in wer of hor hele, 11192 Antenor & Eneas, with paire avne sons,

Serchid by hom-seluyn in sauyng hor lyues, ffor deiryng with dethe of the derfe grekes : And yf po weghes on no wise might of wo pas, 11196 The toune to be-tray, truly, pai thoght.

And the gome to be-gyle, þat the ground aght,
pai purpost with Priam preuely to speike,

The kyng for to counsell in the case so,

11200 ffor to proffer hom pes or he payne polet;

365

Book XXVIII.

The Greeks propose to cast the body of Penthesilea to the dogs: Pyrrhus resists.

They agree to

sink it in a pond.

Antenor, Eneas, and their sons plot to save their lives by betraying the city.

(fol. 171 a.)

They conclude to advise Priam to make peace with the Greeks,

And to Restore þem stithly all the store harmes, and to restore

With the deire þat was done by the Duke

Paris,

In Sytheria, for-sothe, at Sesyng of the qwene; 11204 And the lady to hir lord delyuer agayne. If po gret wold agre for þat grym dede!

Helen.

Book XXVIII.

All the disasters that befell Troy

and the Trojans might have been avoided had

Priam made

peace at first.

A true proverb.

But will the Greeks now consent to peace?

(fol. 171 b.)

The traitors advise Priam to treat with the Greeks.

But happy were pat hede kyng, & he haue

might

This acord in the case with-outen care more. 11208 ffor all the deth and the dere of his dere sons, 3et the lord in his lond might lyue in his age, With his worthy wiff, & his wale doghtur,

And his noble sonnes naturell, þat hym next

were,

11212 With souerains of the Cité & other sad pepull ! This accord might the kyng haue cacchit before, When the grekes, hym to grefe, were on his ground euyn,

And tenydon hade takon, as I told haue! 11216 Hit is said oft-sithes, and for sothe holdyn, He is happy, þat a harme hastely amendes, Or any perties haue pyne, or put vnto dethe, Or be trauailed with tene, or tyne of þere goodes. 11220 Who hertely might hope, or hold in his mynd, hat the grekes wold agre, or graunt to pis end, ffor the losse and the lure of hor lege kynges; And the harmys full hoge of hor hed knightes? 11224 And namly now, when noght may hom let, All the worship to wyn, & hor will haue; The toune for to take, & tirne to pe ground; All the bildynges to bren, & the buernes qwell. 11228 Therfore cast is hit cointly by thies kene tray

tours,

Vnder proffer of pes, pryam to lose;

Hor Cité to dissaiue in sauyng hor lyuis,

And all Troy to be-tray, and the triet londis. 11232 Than the kyng into counsell pay cacchyn onone, And his son was besyde at the same tyme, Amphimake, a freike of the fre brether, And other bold of the burgh, þat aboute were. 11236 pan the traytours vntrew told to pe kyng,

How the best was fro bale his burgh for to kepe,

PRIAM AND THE TRAITORS.

ffor to trete for a trew, or we tene pole,

And to proffer hom pes, or we payn dregh. 11240 Whan Priam persayuit in his pure hert, The fare of po faitours with pere fals cast,

Euer hit meuyt hym in mynd þe malis pai poght, bat the cast of po cointt men come for no loue. 11244 He onswart full esely efter his entent :— "I will haue counsell in this case, & comyn with other,

Sertan days for doute, er I do more,

On all wise in this world, & wirke to be best." 11248 Kantly, to pe kyng, pen carpis Antenor :

"If pou will mel of this mater, mene hit till vs ;
Of oure talis take tent, trist þat we say;

And if pou hold hom not holsom, herkyn an

other."

11252 pen þe kyng full of care carpyt agayne :—

367

Book XXVIII.

He suspects their designs.

"I repreue not 3our purpos, ne 30ur prise Priam will listen

counsell;

Hit is lelly me lef to lyston 3our wordis:

And, as 3e demyn, to do, if hit be one best.

11256 And if hit be not pe best, but to bale worth,
Wrath 30w not wheghis, pof I wale other."
pen pe traytur Antenor titly con ryse,
fferkyt en fote, & to pe fre sayde:-
11260 "Sothly, Syr kyng, hit sittis not now,
3our discresion to dem with no du reason.
3our self and 3our cité is set all aboute,
With 3our fomen fuerse, foldyn with in.
11264 pai kepyn the cloyse of this clene burgh,
With 3ep men at þe yatis 3arkit full þik:
In qwose cumpany kide are kyngis full nobill,
ffifté full fell & of furse dukis

11268 pat noght wilnen in word, ne waytyn to haue,
But pi seté to sese, and pi selfe alse.

And we, no folke of defense, ne no fyn stuf

to their advice if it be good.

Antenor represents the power of the Greeks, and their determination to take the city:

(fol. 172 a.)

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