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 1704 And his wille for to wete as hom wele aght. council of the whole city. Of his sons, only 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; And our Cite for sothe, pat sum tyme was here, Our golde & our godys gripped in hond; 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; Mony knightes full kant, & kyd men of Armys. 1744 Armur and all thing abill perfore. Well viteld, I wis, for wynturs ynow; ffele fryndes and fauer out of fer londys, 1748 þat we to helpe vs may haue in a hond whyle: 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 The council agree to the message. But be harme and the hethyng of my kynd suster, 1756 þat it reuys me my rest & my right hele. þat I send for my suster on a softe wise And restore withoutyn strife into pis stide home, 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, 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, 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; And oper Redurs full ryfe in his Rewme dyd. 1808 Withouten cause but of couetous, pat come of Qwherfore, to qweme qwyt of all other, To skape out of skathe and sklaunder to falle, 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, And Priam reprouyt as a pure fole, With hethyng and hate as hys hegh wordes. Withoutyn lowtyng or lefe, lengit he noght, And hasted to the hegh see in a hond while ; 1832 And wentto þat worthy his wille for to shew. 1836 ANTENOR AND TELAMON. And the cause of his come to his courtte pan. 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 ye kepe in youre company on vnclene wise, 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 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, mad words, (fol. 31 b.) |