Book XXVIII.

Certain large sums of gold and silver, and that

The exile of Amphimachus had been asked by Antenor, in revenge for having tried to thwart his plans.

And Amphimakus, the fre sun of the fyn kyng,

Amphimachus be

banished from the 11600 To be exiled for euermore, as Enmy of toune,

city.

Neuer in plit to Repaire to his pure fryndis, Ne the Cité to se, while hym-selfe lyues." This prokert full prestly with prayer before, 11604 The traytor Antenor to the tru kynges; ffor pat noble hym denyet naitly or pan, When he proffert to priam pes for to make. Lo! how fortheris a freike with a fyne wit, 11608 ffor to kepe hit in close, & carp hit no fer; To speike in despite & Spedis no more, But hyndres full heghly & harmys hym-seluyn. Lo! Amphimac the fre, for his fell wordes, 11612 Was dampnet in-dede, pof þai du were;

Ellis the traytor Antenor hade truly no cause ffor to procur his payne, and his pale harme. But god, þat all giltis godely beholdis,

11616 And wrangis in his wrathe writhis to ground, Oft-sithes in the same settis to fall

How perilous it
is for one to
speak the truth in
a time of
sedition:

but God often

metes to us,

(fol. 177 a.)

as we have meted

to others.

Antenor was himself exiled by Eneas.

As they sit in council a horrible cry is heard.

Diomedes and Ulysses are afraid of their lives.

Bothe of gold & of goodes, er þei go wille,

ffor the losse & the lure of hor lef pepull;

A man with þat mesure he metis till another!
To Antenor hit tide, tellis the story,

11620 An exile for euermore efter a while,

Thurgh Eneas, þat egurly exit perto,

As I shall tell full tite, when the tyme askes.

While thies kynges were in councell, pat comyn fro pe grekes,

11624 Within the palis of prise, as the prose tellus, There was an orible noise, pat noyet hom full sore, As a clamour or a crye of a cant pepull,

As þai satyn all somyn sodainly come,

11628 Vne playne in the place pere pe prise met.

ffor doute of hor dethes, tho doghty men bothe Were a-ferd of the fare and the fell noise,

THE COUNCIL SUDDENLY BROKEN UP.

Lest the troiens for tene hade takon hom sone, 11632 And dungen to dethe for dole of the knight, Amphimacous the fre, pat the freikes louet, ffor ertyng his exile in ernest before.

Hit was aspiet full Specially, & spird all abowte, No one can tell 11636 The cause of the crie and the cant noise:

whence the noise came.

There was no wegh in this world, pat hit wete

kowth,

Ne to meue in hor mynd what hit mene shuld. The kyng & the councell cantly can rise; 11640 Depertid the pepull, past to be toune

Bothe knightes & comyns, and the court voidet.
THE TRAYTOR ANTENOR toke into counsell,
Dyamede he drogh furth, & dughty Vlixes,
11644 In a place þat was priuey & no prese in,
To forther his foule wille, þat no freike herd.
Vlixes to this other vtterly said :—

66

379

Book XXVIII.

11660 There was a kyng in this cost, þat the kith aght, Honerable, auenaund, & Vlus was callit.

Here foundit he first the faire place Ylion;

After the nome of þat noble, nemyt hit is. 11664 Here he tild vp a temple of a trew godde,

Of Palades the pure, as prouit is of old.

The King dismisses the assembly.

Ulysses blames
Antenor for

Why draghes pou on dregh pes dedis so ferr? delaying to carry

out his promises.

11648 pat pou vs heghly hase het, hold hit onone !"

Antenor declares the hindrance is

pan talkes the traytour truly agayne :— "Our goddisknowen full kyndly pe cast of my hert, not by him, That no dede I desyre so depely in thoght, 11652 As your hestes to hold with helpe of Eneas. Lelly, the lett, þat vs long taries,

(fol. 177 b.)

Is a statur full strong of a stith god:

bat ye shall lelly me leue, & yow list herkon," 11656 Diamede said duly ;—" pou do vs to wete, Vs likes full lelly to listyn þi wordis." Antenor pan talkis, & told on þis wise:— "Hit is lelly no lesyng, leue if ye will!

but by the
Palladium.

In the time of

King Ilus, this Palladium came down from heaven,

Book XXVIII.

stuck in the wall

of the temple of

Pallas, and has remained ever since.

None but the keepers of the temple can remove it.

So long as it remains within the temple, or even within the city, Troy cannot be taken.

(fol. 178 a.)

Diomedes confesses that the

labour of the

Greeks is in

vain :

but Antenor tells how he has

prevailed on the keeper to steal the Palladium, and to deliver it to him for a great sum of money.

Whan the walles were wroght to be wale rofe,
All clanly by course vncouert aboue,

11668 A selly pere sene was with seremen aboute,
Gird to pe ground fro the grete heuyn,
A ffygur full fyne, festnyt in the wall,
Wonderfully wroght by wit of a god.
11672 At the end of the auter etlit to stond,

Euer sithen, for-sothe, to this selfe tyme.
Neuer buerne was so big to beire hit away,

Saue kepers of the kirke, for craft vppon erthe. 11676 The mater hit is made of is most of a tre,

But no clerke is so corious to ken vs the nome;
Ne on what wise hit is wroght can wit shew,
But purgh Palades the pure god, apperit per purgh.
11680 Seche trust haue the troiens truly perin,

While hit keppit is in kirke, or in clos walle.
With-in the cercle of pe Cité, as said is of old,
Neuer the toune shalbe takon with tene of hor fos,
11684 Ne care fro the corone, ne the kynd aire.
Thus lelly beleuyn the ledis of pe toune,

And neuer dowtyn no dethe to dere hom with-in.
The nome of pis noble, pat naitly is keppit,
11688 Paladian the pure, with pepull is callid."
Than Diamede the Duke duly can say :-
"Iff thy saghes be sothe, & sad to beleue,
All our labur is lost, & our long sege,

11692 If Paladian with purpos may put vs away."

Antenor alstite amet to speike :—

"If ye meruell so mekyll we make you non end, And high not with hast our hestes to kepe, 11696 This is truly the entent we tary so longe.

I haue comynt with the keper, & cumpast aboute, The stature to steile stithly by night, ffor a certain somme of syluer & of gold: 11700 And full prestly þe prest hase puruayet perfore. When hit laght is lelly, leue me for sothe,

ANTENOR PROMISES IT TO THE GREEKS.

Hit shalbe sent to your-selfe, seche hit no ferther: pan hope may ye hertely, to haue in a while 11704 The Cité and the soueran, sese as you likes.

secrecy must be preserved.

But kepis this in councell, for cas pat may falle, Meantime, þat no wegh in þis world wete of our cast; And I will kaire to the kyng for a cause yet, 11708 And feyne me with fare to forther our werk is. I will telle hym with trayne, pe trist of our ernde Is holly in his hond hengand aboue.

I haue knawlache in pe case & comyng with yow, 11712 What sommys in certayn þe sent you to take." Thus with lowtyng & leue the ledis depertid; The grekes agayne ar gon to pere tenttes; The traytur full tomly turnyt to be kyng, 11716 His falshed to forther: the fend hym distroy!

381

selfe ;

pes,

To the grekes bus vs gyffe, to graunt vs for
Twenty thowsaund thristy, prungyn to-gedur,

11724 Markes full mighty, all of mayn gold,

THE ORDINAUNCE OF THE TRYBUTE.

Than carpis to the kyng curset Antenor,
All the Cité to assemble hym-seluyn before.

When comyn were the knightes, comyns, & all, At an assembly 11720 Thes wordes he warpit po worthy vnto:"I haue comynt in this case, knowith hit your- demand 20,000

of the Trojans
Antenor reports
that the Greeks

marks of gold,
the same number
of silver,

Book XXVIII.

Diomedes and Ulysses return to camp, and Antenor goes to the King.

(fol. 178 b.) and 10,000

wheat, within a
certain time.

And of Syluer, for-sothe, the same pai dessyre: quarters of
To whyte vs, of whete, qwarters pai aske
X. M. proly, to thring in hor shippes."
11728 This oponly is ordant po odmen betwene,
And specially spokyn to spede hom away,
Be a tyme for to take, & turne to pe sea.
Gedrit was the goode, & gon for to kepe
11732 To Sure men & certen pat sowme to deliuer,

And take sikernes sad the Cité to leue,
Of the grekes agayne for the grete somme.

The terms are accepted.

("gon" = given.)

Book XXVIII.

Antenor goes to the priest and bribes him to give up the Palladium.

("geeter"= keeper, warden, guardian, see 1. 11746.)

No one will
know thereof:
and his risk is as
great as the
priest's.

"Send the Palladium to Ulysses; and

we'll say he stole it."

(fol. 179 a.) The priest yields; and the Palladium

is sent to Ulysses,

While this gode was in gederyng the grettes

among,

11736 Antenor to the temple trayturly yode;
Preuely the prest puld into councell,
(Thoantes, me tellys the text, pat he heght,

hat was geeter of the god, þat the gome yernyt.) 11740 With a gobet of gold, a full gret somme,

And Thoantes betaght, tarit no lengur.
Thies wordes to the wegh warpit onone,

In a place out of prese, priuely there :11744 "Lo, of gold, & of good here a gret nowmber,

The to lyue with in lykyng, & thy leue ayris.
The god, pat pou geetis, gyf me per-ffore,
þat I may beire fro the burgh, shall no buerne

wete.

11748 Thou art no farder, in faith, thy fame for to lose, pan I my lyffe were leuer leue in þe plase,

Er

any troiens with truthe might telle suche a fawte,

Or soche a point on me put in perlament heraftur.

11752 Therfore, priuely, by purpos Paladian pou send
To honerable Vlixes, vtwith the toune.

If any fawte per funden be, we faithly may say,
The pure kyng Paladian priuely stale:

11756 And we excusit of skathe, yf sclaunder shall

Rise."

Prestly the prest his purpos with-stode

All the night with noy, till negh at þe day,

Till he caght was in couetouse, & cumbrit hym seluen.

11760 Than grauntid he the god to the grym traytor,

And toke hit fro the temple, tariet no lengur,
Sent hit furth sodainly by a sad frend,

To Vlixes vtwith, egerly pan.

11764 Hit was noiset onon in the nowble toune,