DEPARTURE OF ANTENOR.

Of his wit & his wordes & his wise speche,

In dede thus to do pai demyt it all. When Priam hade persayuit all pere 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 perto.

1776 He spake to hym specially, þat he spede shuld

HOW ANTENOR WENT ON MESSAGE TO THE GREKYS.

1780 Then he shope hym to ship in a sharp haste,
And dressit for pe depe as hym dere pught;
Halit into havyn in a hond while,
Shippit hym full shortly & his shene folke;
1784 Grippit vp a gret sayle, glidis on pe water,
Sailet on soberly and pe se past;

Teght into Tessaile, turnyt into hauyn, There Pelleus pe proude was a prise kyng. 1788 At Mansua for mirth in þe mene tyme,

A hauyn toun, as hap was, pere pe hind lay,
Antenor not tariet ne no tome hade,

Book V.

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.

But went to the wale kyng on his way sone, 1792 Hailsit hym hendly, & he his honde toke,

(foi. 30 a.)

59

Antenor prepares for the voyage.

He reaches Thessaly lands at Magnesia and goes direct to King Peleus.

And welcomyt hym worthely as a wegh noble,
And fraynit hym with frendship qwat the fre kindly asks the

The king wel-
comes him, and

cause of his visit.

wold.

Antenor full tite told of his wille :

1796 "ffro Priam full prist put am I hider,

euyn,

As a messynger made at þis mene tyme. Thus he sent me to say to will your ffor to mene to your mynde, as I most nede, 1800 The harmys and þe heuenys hym happit of yow. without cause;

Antenor reminds him of all the harms he had done to his king

ffirst of his fader, in fight was distroyet

Book V.

(fol. 30 b.)

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

Antenor hastily sets sail for Salamis, where Telamon then was.

Telamon receives him coldly, yet asks the cause of his visit.

(fol. 31 a.)

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, pat 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."

Pelens calls Priam 1816 Sodenly he sourdit into soure greme,

a fool, and commands Antenor to depart instantly.

When Pelleus persayuit pis in a proude yre,

And Priam reprouyt as a pure fole,

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

Withoutyn lowtyng or lefe, lengit he noght,
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.
He welcomyt þat wegh with a wille feble,

ffor he louet not his lede of long tyme before:
Yet he fraynit at pat freike whedur he fare wolde,

ANTENOR AND TELAMON.

Book V.

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.

Antenor answers,
and demands
Hesione, whom
Telamon kept as

1840 That in Troy truly is a triet kyng,

And lord of pe londe as be lyne olde;

hat now of youre nobilte newly desyres His Syster to be sent to his syde Rewme. 1844 pat hynd for to helpe hertely he prayes,

hat ye kepe in youre company on vnclene wise, As subiecte vnto syn, vnsemyng for you. Soche a lady of lynage & of lordis comyn, 1848 That were knowen for kynges of cuntre fele,

Such a lady

might have been married to one greater than

Sho might haue bene mariede to more pen your Telainon.

selfe,

ffor worship to wed and as wife holde,
That

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

But all will be
forgiven if he will

All he grauntes to forgyue & neuer to greue after, only send home
this lady.
Iff ye send hom þat semly pat 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 put gret for to haue."

When Antenor had tolde & his tale endit,

61

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 pou be, with pi bold speche, 1864 Me meruellis of þi momlyng & pi mad wordes; marvels at such

mad words,

Syn he no knowlage, ne Acoyntaunse of my cors
has,

Ne I hardely herde of hym hade in my lyue,
That he pis Message Wold make to me at this tyme.

Telamon is 'wode' as a lion:

(fol. 31 b.)

Book V.

and will not hear
Priam's prayer.

He bids him tell

his master that he
had gone with
Hercules to

avenge themselves
on Laomedon :-

1872 When Lamydon was o lyue & the lond aght,
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,

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;
And for a riche reward of my ranke wille,

that the lady had
been assigned to

him for his great 1880 All the soueranis by assent assignet me hir,

services:-

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,

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

May be countid in this case for pi 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 pi lyffe tyne ;
And be done to the dethe for pi derfe speche.

and that Priam
must win her by
his sword.

(fol. 32 a.)

1868 I am not purpast plainly his prayer to here,
Ne his wille for to wirke wete pou for sothe.
Knowen be it to pi kyng of pat case wele,
That I with Ercules entrid his rewme,

On pain of thy life 1896 Pas fro my presens on payne of þi lyffe,

pass from my
presence.

And

rape of my rewme in a rad haste,

Or pou shall lelly be lost and pou leng oghter."
Antenor for anger auntert no ferre,

He then sails to

1900 Lut not be lede, ne no lefe toke,—

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

THE ANSWER OF CASTOR AND POLLUX.

1904 Come to Acaxon pere Castor was lord,

Book V.

Castor & Pollux.

And Pollux pe proude, þat was his pure brothir: Achaia to visit
Bothe reynit in þat Rem, as I red first.
To pe courtte of þe kyng come he beliue,
1908 His message for to make, as I mynt haue.
He salut po semly all with sad wordys,

And told furth of his tale, taried no longur,
Of the dole and the dethe of his dere fader,-

1912 How þe rewme was robbet, redurs ynow,—
His Sister þat was sesit, his Cite distroyet;
And couet pat cleane, as I declaret haue,
ffor to lede to his londe vppon lyue home.
1916 All priamus purpos plainly he told,

Of his message by mowthe as I mynt ere.
When Castor hade clanly consayuit his wille,
He onswared hym honestly with onryng a litill ;—
1920 "Now frynde, vppon faithe and at sad wordes,
We purpost neuer plainly Priam to wrathe,
Ne offend his frendeship with no felle dedis.
With outen cause of vnkyndnes, þat was kyde
after,

1924 His fader vs forset with his fowle wille,

Did hething and harme to our hede Rewmes; We wrekit vs with woundis & be wegh slogh, Did our lykyng in his londe as vs leue thoght. 1928 Qwerfore vs qwemes noght now his qwaint

speche ;

63

euer.

1932 He loues pe full litull, lede, as me think,

To make pe pis message for to mele here:
And pou hardly no hede of pi hele toke,

Ne thy lyfe was not lefe ne lusty, it semys,

1936 When pou entrid our Ile pis erende to beire.

He arrives at their court, salutes them, and relates the terms of Priam's message.

Castor replies ;

We fors not his frendship, ne fere of his hate.
We loue noght his lede, ne his land nowper;
Ne charge noght his chateryng, thogh he chide dread not his hate.

That they desire
not Priam's
friendship and

"That Laomedon having forced them to war, they slew him and ravaged his country.

That his master loves him little, since he sent him on such a message:

(fol. 32 b.)