þan a sorow full sodenly sanke in his hert, A Remorec of maters, þat hym mys lyket; How þe Grekes hym greuyt and to ground put, 1700 His fader & his fryndis ferkit out of lyue,

And his suster into seruage, pat hym sore noyet.

Book V.

(fol. 29 a.)

Then he somond all þe Cite vppon sere haluys, He called a
To a counsell to come for a cause hegh,

1704 And his wille for to wete as hom wele aght.
When the grete were gedurt & po graithe all,
With his semly sonnes, þat hym sate next,
Saue Ector, was oute, as aunter befelle,
1708 In a countre by coursse pat of pe coron helde,
Assignet by his souerayne & certen hym with,
ffor play or for purpos:-pas we perfro.
When pe souerayne was set in a sete rioll,

council of the whole city.

Of his sons, only
Hector was

absent.

Silence having been gained, the

1712 As become for a kyng in counsell with lordes; All pese vmbe pe plase, pepull were stille, Be comaundement of pe kyng, as be come well; king opened his ben he menyt of pe mater all with mylde wordes, 1716 And touchet his entent, as I telle shall.—

"Now lordys of my lond & other lefe pepull, Hit is knowen to pis court and oper kyd fryndes, Of pe harmys þat we haue, & pe hoge lose; 1720 That the Grekes in hor gremy vs to grefe broght, Bothe to me & to myne mykull vnright,

And to yow

& also yours 30meryng for euer. How our faders before falsly were slayne, 1724 And my suster Exiona in seruage is holdyn,

þat is comen of soche kyn, coldes my hert;
Your susters for sothe & oper sik fryndes,
Wyues & wale children, þai away led,
1728 þat ben set vnder seruage & sorow for ay.

And our Cite for sothe, pat sum tyme was here,
Brent & betyn downe to pe bare vrthe;

Our golde & our godys gripped in hond;
riches, our renttes distroyet;

1732 Robbet our

subject.

Priam's speech to the council; he

recalls to mind

the harm and loss that the Greeks had inflicted on

the country.

Book V.

(fol. 29 b.)

To redress these wrongs by their advice and aid

seems right and proper.

They have the

means:

and the time suits.

But the fortune of

war might be

Token all our tresoures, trussit into grise;
Kyld all oure kynnesmen into colde dethe;
And other wrongis vs wroght & to wo put.
1736 Thes redurse to riche by rede of you all,
Hit were sittyng, me semys, & to sue fore.
We haue a Cite full sure, & sad pepull in ;
Well wroght for the werre, wallis full high;
1740 ffolke of defence, and to fight able;

Mony knightes full kant, & kyd men of Armys.
We haue riches full rife, red gold fyn;
Clothes full comly, and other clene Juellis ;

1744 Armur and all thing abill perfore.

Well viteld, I wis, for wynturs ynow;

ffele fryndes and fauer out of fer londys,
With a liaunse full large of other lege kyngis,

1748 þat we to helpe vs may haue in a hond whyle:
And now tyme, by my trauthe, to take it on hond,
To mene vs with manhode & our mys wreke.

But the fortune of feghters may be fell chaunse,

against them, and 1752 And siker were to sit and solas vs here:

it would be safer

to enjoy them

selves at home.

If the council
think so, he will
send a message to
the Greeks, asking
them to restore
his sister, and to
forget old
quarrels.

The council agree

to the message.

But be harme and the hethyng of my kynd suster,
þat is set vnder seruage, & in syn holdyn,
Greuys me so gretly & my greme ekys,

1756 þat it reuys me my rest & my right hele.
But it likis you lordis, at a lite wordys,
Thus gate to begyn er we goo ferre ;-

þat I send for my suster on a softe wise
1760 To pe Grekes, for to goo with a goode wille

And restore withoutyn strife into pis stide home,
My sister Exina soberly & faire;

To qwit claym all querels, & be qweme fryndes. 1764 Of all our dures pai vs did & daunger for euer, All account and Enuy after to voide,

Neuer to deire for pat dede pe dayes in our lyue." When the souerain hade said, pen sesit he here, 1768 And it liket well the lordys & pe ledis all:

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 þe 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,

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

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 :

1796 ❝ffro Priam full prist put am I hider,

As a messynger made at þis mene tyme.

Thus he sent me to say to your

will

euyn,

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 pe 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,
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."

Peleus calls Príam 1816

a fool, and com

mands Antenor to

depart instantly.

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

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

'fol. 31 a.)

When Pelleus persayuit þis in a proude yre,
Sodenly he sourdit into soure greme,

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 pai 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,

1836

ANTENOR AND TELAMON.

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

bat 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 Telamon.

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

this lady.

All he grauntes to forgyue & neuer to greue after, only send home
Iff ye send hom þat semly pat I sew fore,

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."

When Antenor had tolde & his tale endit,

Telamon is 'wode' as a lion:

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 pi momlyng & pi 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,
That he pis Message Wold make to me at this tyme.

mad words,

(fol. 31 b.)