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, Book V. (fol. 30 a.) Antenor, 1772 He chese hym a chere man the charge for to beire. Priam chooses 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 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. 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, But went to the wale kyng on his way sone, 1792 Hailsit hym hendly, & he his honde toke, 1796 And welcomyt hym worthely as a wegh noble, Antenor prepares for the voyage. He reaches Thessaly lands at Magnesia and goes direct to King Peleus. The king welcomes him, and And fraynit hym with frendship qwat the fre kindly asks the wold. Antenor full tite told of his wille : "ffro Priam full prist put am I hider, ffor to mene to your mynde, as I most nede, cause of his visit. Antenor reminds him of all the harms he had done to his king 1800 The harmys and þe heuenys hym happit of yow. without cause; 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. 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, When Pelleus persayuit þis in a proude yre, Peleus calls Priam 1816 Sodenly he sourdit into soure greme, a fool, and com mands Antenor to depart instantly. Antenor hastily sets sail for Salamis, where Telamon then was. Telamon receives him coldly, yet asks the cause of his visit. (fol. 31 a.) 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 ; 1832 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, Book V. Antenor answers, and demands Hesione, whom Telamon kept as And wonen ouer the waghis his wille for to say, a concubine. 1840 That in Troy truly is a triet kyng, And lord of pe londe as be lyne olde; hat ye kepe in youre company on vnclene wise, 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 Telaion. 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 this lady. All he grauntes to forgyue & neuer to greue after, only send home That he may menske hur with mariage þat 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 pat gret for to haue." Telamon is When Antenor had tolde & his tale endit, 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 & þi mad wordes; marvels at such Syn he no knowlage, ne Acoyntaunse of my cors has, Ne I hardely herde of hym hade in my lyue, mad words, That he pis Message Wold make to me at this tyme. (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 : that the lady had been assigned to him for his great services:- and that Priam must win her by his sword, 1868 I am not purpast plainly his prayer to here, 1872 When Lamydon was o lyue & the lond aght, 1880 Was cause of the conquest with my clene strenght; So corius, so conyng, & of so clene nurtur, May be countid in this case for pi come hider, On pain of thy life 1896 Pas fro my presens on payne of þi lyffe, pass from my presence. (fol. 92 a.) He then sails to Or pou shall lelly be lost and pou leng oghter." 1900 Lut not pe lede, ne no lefe toke, Shot euyn into ship o pe shire waghis,- 1904 Come to Acaxon pere Castor was lord, Book V. Castor & Pollux. And Pollux pe proude, þat was his pure brothir: Achaia to visit 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 be 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, 1920 Of his message by mowthe as I mynt ere. 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 ; We fors not his frendship, ne fere of his hate. He arrives at their court, salutes them, and relates the terms of Priam's message. Castor replies ;~ "That Laomedon having forced them to war, they slew him and ravaged his country. That they desire not Priam's friendship and Ne charge noght his chateryng, thogh he chide dread not his hate. 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. That his master loves him little, since he sent him on such a message : (fol. 32 b.) |