ANTENOR IN THE GREEK CAMP. 11432 pan pe troiens, full tyte, turnyt to be walles, With braunches full brode all of bright Olyue, As in proffer of pes puttyn O lofte, All the ledis on to loke, pat lay in pe feld. 11436 Than the grekes, by agrement, gyffen hom a signe, The Greeks con sent to treat. By cundeth to come, & carpe what hom liste. 11440 The grekes on the grene greidly hym met: To Agamynon gay tent gone all in fere, And present hym prestly to pe prise kyng, Agamynon the grete, & the grekes all. 11444 To Dyamed the Duke, & doghty Vlixes, Assentid full sone all the sad pepull, To trete with Antenor trustid hom pan. This forward to fulfill faithly thai swere, 11448 Vppon solempne sacrifice, soche as pai vset. han the kynges into counsell caghton Antenor, And menyt of þaire mater more at þe tyme, There he hight hom to haue, holly at þere wille, 11452 All the toun þurgh his trayne, & the true kyng, ffor to bete doun & bren vnto the bare erth. Hym-seluyn to saue and his sib fryndes, And Eneas al o and all his sute hoole, 373 ffor he shuld lightly be leuyt with ledis of troy. 11464 Be-cause of his corage was kelit with age, He shuld turne to the toun, po traytours with To spir at hom specially of hor spede fer; Book XXVIII. The Trojans crowd on the walls with olive branches. (fol. 174 b.) Antenor passes from the city, and is met by the Greeks. Diomedes and Ulysses are instructed to treat with him. He promises to betray the city, 11456 With Renttes, & Riches, & all his Ranke godes. The terms are 11460 And knit vp pere couenaunte in couert to hold. secrecy is sworn. Kyng Taltill þai toke as tristy to seme, if himself, Æneas, their kindred and property, are spared. Book XXVIII. Antenor demands the body of (fol. 175 a.) Penthesilea. Priam convokes the people to hear the terms obtained. Antenor describes If þai hade wille to be werke, wete hom to say, 11468 With-outyn gawdyn or gyle, glose hit not lengur, And what godes þai wold gyffe to the gret harmes, To affirme hit as fast, fynally for euer. 11472 The body of the bold qwene, pat in the burne lay, With myche labur, at the last, po lordes hit grauntid. han the traytor vntrew, trust me for sothe, With Taltillus, pat other pat I told first, 11480 All the case of hor come, cantly with mowthe. The secund day suyng, sayes me the lettur, All the buernes of the burghe, bacheler & other, 11484 To appere in his presens the profer to make, And the tale of Antenor vntristy to here, Of his message by mouthe, what he mene wold. When pai comyn were to court, comyns & other, 11488 Antenor his tale tombly began. He thoght his falshed to feyne, vndur faire wordes, And his cautels to colour vnder coynt speche. He said in his sermond, þat sothely the grekes 11492 Were of pepull & pouer plaintius mony ; And how pai depely desyret with a due hert, Thus sotelly with sothyn he set hom a cas, 11496 What fortune might falle vndur fals colour. ban nemmyt he what noy, the noble men of troy Enduret on dayes, dole for to se: TERMS OF THE GREEKS ACCEPTED. With weping & waile, wo to be hold, 11500 And myche sykyng & sorow on our sad knightes. "To abstene of pis stoure & our stithe harmes, Soche langour to let, & lotis vnfaire, Hit is wit, as I wene, wayes to seche, 11504 Soche dole & deire to dryue to an end." han he said in his saw, pat sothely the grekes 11508 With stuff to restore for hor stith harmys. Euery buerne in pis burgh, þat is best storit 11512 Helpis now hertely pis harme to redresse: He couet at the kyng, & all the kyd pepull, (fol. 175 b.) Wherfore, to qwheme & to white vs of skaithe, and to set about collecting the amount of gold, silver, and grain required. 375 11524 Afermyt hit as fyn þat þe freike said. Eneas after this, euyn with pat other, Book XXVIII. All the councell fro kourtt was clenely depertid. 11528 Priam with pite pan past to his halle, Myche water he weppit wringyng his handes. Hit was dole to the dethe pe Duke to behold, Euer hedyng in hert of the hegh treason, 11532 þat was cast for þe kyng, of his kyde fryndes ; He urges the Trojans to accept the terms proposed: wene, But leue hit more lelly & listyn the bettur. All the pepull in pat presse, þat the prose herd, The Trojans consent: Æneas goes with Antenor to the Greeks. Priam laments his sad fate. Book XXVIII. He must give up all his wealth to the Greeks: an I has no security for his life. (fol. 176 a.) Helen pleads with He undertakes to do so. And for the losse and the lure of his leue sons, 11536 þat he left was o lyue his lure was so hoge! hond, All my gold for to geue, þat I getyn haue, 11540 And I vnsure of my-self, my sorow is the more. bus in pouert am I pyght, put vnder fote, hat makes me full mad, & mournes in my hert; And yet this lure were but litle, & our lord wold 11544 þat I might leng in my laund, & my lyf haue.” Thus Priam with pité playnet hys doole, On what wise for to wirke wist not hym-seluyn. He was forset vnfaire to folow pere wille, 11548 pat purpost hom plainly to put hym to dethe. Elan þat euermore was egur of sorow, Herd tell of the trety was takyn with the grekes. hat noble on a night, þat no man persayuit, 11552 To talke with Antenor toke ho the gate. Sho prayet hym pourly with hir pure hert, Of Menelay, hir maistur, to make hir a frynde; 11556 pat she might at pat myschefe to mercy be takyn. All grauntid the gome to be gay qwene, ffor to proker hir pes, & pyne hym perfore: pan ho lowtid the lede, & hir leue toke, 11560 And past to the palis of the prise kyng. With-in the tyme pat I tell, pe tru sun of Priam, Glaucon, was grauyn in a gay towmbe; toune, ANTENOR AND ENEAS TREAT WITH THE GREEKS. 11564 Pantasilia, with petie of hir prise maidons. Hit was ordant of all men by oppon assent, 11572 To the grekes on þe grene girdyn on swith, ffor to trete of hor trayne as traytouris vnlell. There met pai po men, þat I mynt first, þat were grauntid by the grete of the grekes all, 11576 ffor to mell in þe mater, & meue to an end. The towne to betray truly pai poght: And of Elan, euermore, egerly fast pai meuit vnto Menelay at the mene tyme; 11580 And had graunt of pat grete with a good wille, All hir gilt to forgiff, and to grace take. Than Agamynon, as grettist, po grete for to wend, þat Philmen the fre kyng shuld ferk hit hym Pylamenes is with, appointed to take And bryng on a bere to hir burgh home, Dyamede he demyt, & doughty Vlixes,11584 With tho worthy to wend to the wale towne, As in maner of message fro the mayn grekes. When pai comyn into courtte the comyns were fayne, ffor pai wise were of wit, & worthy men bothe. 11588 bai hopit well the heldur to here of an end, 377 Book XXVIII. "The grekes for hor greme vnto gre asken 11596 Gret sommes, for-sothe, to hor sad harmes, Antenor and Eneas depart to the Greek camp, to carry out their treason. Menelaus promises to forgive Helen. (fol. 176 b.) Diomedes and Ulysses are sent to Troy along with Antenor and Æneas. And the traitur þai trist of a tru pes. By comaundement clenly the councell was gedurt, Next day the Trojans are called to council at the palace. Ulysses states the terms of peace :— |