ANTENOR IN THE GREEK CAMP.

373

Book XXVIII.

crowd on the walls with olive branches.

sent to treat.

Antenor passes

the Greeks.

11432 pan þe troiens, full tyte, turnyt to be walles,

With braunches full brode all of bright Olyue, The Trojans
As in proffer of pes puttyn O lofte,

All the ledis on to loke, þat lay in þe feld. 11436 Than the grekes, by agrement, gyffen hom a signe, The Greeks con

By cundeth to come, & carpe what hom liste.
Than went fro the walles worthy Antenor,

(fol. 174 b.) Past at a port to the pale tenttes.

from the city,

and is met by 11440 The grekes on the grene greidly hym met:

To Agamynon gay tent gone all in fere,
And present hym prestly to be prise kyng,

Agamynon the grete, & the grekes all. 11444 To Dyamed the Duke, & doghty Vlixes, Diomedes and

Ulysses are inAssentid full sone all the sad pepull,

structed to treat

with him. To trete with Antenor trustid hom þan.

This forward to fulfill faithly thai swere, 11448 Vppon solempne sacrifice, soche as þai vset.

ban the kynges into counsell caghton Antenor,
And menyt of paire mater more at þe tyme,
There he hight hom to haue, holly at þere wille, He promises to

betray the city, 11452 All the toun þurgh his trayne, & the true kyng, if himself, Æneas, ffor to bete doun & bren vnto the bare erth.

spared. Hym-seluyn to saue and his sib fryndes,

And Eneas al o and all his sute hoole,
11456 With Renttes, & Riches, & all his Ranke godes.

This in counsell to kepe fro knowing of other,
Lest hit put of hor purpos, & paire at þe end,

All affermyt in faith of po faire soueryn,
11460 And knit vp þere couenaunte in couert to hold.

Kyng Taltill pai toke as tristy to seme,
hat was greuit on ground, grouund in age,

ffor he sbuld lightly be leuyt with ledis of troy. 11464 Be-cause of his corage was kelit with age,

He shuld turne to the toun, þo traytours with

all,
To spir at hom specially of hor spede fer;

their kindred and property, are

The terms are agreed upon; and secrecy is sworn.

Book XXVIII.

Antenor demands the body of

(fol. 175 a.) Penthesilea.

If þai hade wille to be werke, wete hom to say, 11468 With-outyn gawdyn or gyle, glose hit not lengur,

And what godes þai wold gyffe to the gret

harmes,
To affirme hit as fast, fynally for euer.

Antenor also angardly desyret
11472 The body of the bold qwene, þat in the burne lay,

Pantasilia, with pyne to put into graue :
With myche labur, at the last, po lordes hit

grauntid.

han the traytor vntrew, trust me for sothe,
11476 Toke leue at the lordes, & lowted hom all,

With Taltillus, pat other þat I told first,
And soghtyn to be Cité somyn belyue,

Past vnto Priam, present hor wille,
11480 All the case of hor come, cantly with mowthe.

Priam convokes the people to hear the tering obtained.

The secund day suyng, sayes me the lettur,
Priam, the prise kyng, prestly comaundit

All the buernes of the burghe, bacheler & other, 11484 To appere in his presens the profer to make,

And the tale of Antenor vntristy to here,
Of his message by mouthe, what he mene wold.

When þai comyn were to court, comyns & other, 11488 Antenor his tale tombly began.

He thoght his falshed to feyne, yndur faire

wordes, And his cautels to colour vnder coynt speche.

He said in his sermond, þat sothely the grekes 11492 Were of pepull & pouer plaintius mony;

And how pai depely desyret with a due hert,
To haue suertie full sad of a syker pes.

Thus sotelly with sothyn he set hom a cas, 11496 What fortune might falle vndur fals colour.

Han nemmyt he what noy, the noble men of troy
Enduret on dayes, dole for to se:

Antenor describes
the great power
and resources
of the Greeks:
and the weakness
of Troy.

TERMS OF THE GREEKS ACCEPTED.

375

Book XXVIII.

With weping & waile, wo to be hold,
11500 And myche sykyng & sorow on our sad knightes.

“To abstene of þis stoure & our stithe harmes,
Soche langour to let, & lotis vnfaire,
Hit is wit, as I wene, wayes to seche,

He urges the

Trojans to accept 11504 Soche dole & deire to dryue to an end.”

the terms pro

posed :
pan he said in his saw, þat sothely the grekes
Wold not agre to pat graunt, but for a grete sowme

Of gold, & of godis, & of gay Iuellis, 11508 With stuff to restore for hor stith harmys.

(fol. 175 b.) Wherfore, to qwheme & to white vs of skaithe, and to set about

collecting the Euery buerne in þis burgh, þat is best storit amount of gold,

silver, and grain Of meblys, & money, & of main syluer,

required. 11512 Helpis now hertely pis harme to redresse :

ffor bettur is a buerne by hym sum pes,
ban in wandreth & woo to wepe all his lyue.

And for he kowth not by course come to an end, 11516 All þere wille for to wete at þe wale tyme,

He couet at the kyng, & all the kyd pepull,
Eneas eftsones þat erend for to wend

With hym-seluyn, for-sothe, on pe same nedis, 11520 All þere wille for to wete & wayne at þe last,

And for be grete of po grekes shuld no gawde

wene,
But leue hit more lelly & listyn the bettur.

All the pepull in þat presse, þat the prose herd, The Trojans 11524 Afermyt hit as fyn þat þe freike said.

Eneas after this, euyn with þat other,
And Taltilus, tombly to be tenttes yode.

consent: Æneas goes with Antenor to the Greeks.

All the councell fro kourtt was clenely depertid. 11528 Priam with pite þan past to his halle,

Myche water he weppit wringyng his handes.
Hit was dole to the dethe pe Duke to behold,

Euer hedyng in hert of the hegh treason, 11532 bat was cast for be kyng, of his kyde fryndes;

Priam laments his sad fate.

an l has no se

Book XXVIII.

And for the losse and the lure of his leue sons, bat so dawly were ded, and drepit for ay,

So worthy in wer, & so wale knightes.

11536 bat he left was o lyue his lure was so hoge ! He must give up

“And now is nedfull for noye, þat neghis at all his wealth to the Greeks:

hond,
All my gold for to geue, þat I getyn haue,

Kepid in hurd, holdyn full long;
11540 And I vnsure of my-self, my sorow is the more.

bus in pouert am I pyght, put vnder fote,
bat makes me full mad, & mournes in my hert;

And yet this lure were but litle, & our lord wold curity for his life. 11544 þat I might leng in my laund, & my lyf haue.”

Thus Priam with pité playnet hys doole,

On what wise for to wirke wist not hym-seluyn. (fol. 176 a.)

He was forset vnfaire to folow þere wille, 11548 pat purpost hom plainly to put hym to dethe.

Elan þat euermore was egur of sorow, Helen pleads with

Herd tell of the trety was takyn with the grekes.

pat noble on a night, þat no man persayuit,
11552 To talke with Antenor toke ho the gate.

Sho pruyet hym pourly with hir pure hert,
Of Menelay, hir maistur, to make hir a frynde;

And proker hir pes with his prise wordes, 11556 pat she might at þat myschefe to mercy be

takyn.
All grauntid the gome to þe gay qwene,
ffor to proker hir pes, & pyne hym þerfore :

ban ho lowtid the lede, & hir leue toke,
11560 And past to the palis of the prise kyng.

Antenor to reconcile her to Menelaus.

He undertakes to do so.

With-in the tyme þat I tell, be tru sun of

Priam,
Glaucon, was grauyn in a gay towmbe;
And the body of pe bold qwene broght vnto

ANTENOR AND ÆNEAS TREAT WITH THE GREEKS.

377

Book XXVIII.

Penthesilea to her own land,

Antenor and

treason.

Menelaus

11564 Pantasilia, with petie of hir prise maidons.

Hit was ordant of all men by oppon assent,
þat Philmen the fre kyng shuld ferk hit hym Pylæmenes is

appointed to take with,

the body of
And bryng on a bere to hir burgh home,
11568 To be enterit in a towmbe, as a triet qwene,

And laid by hir legis, þat the lond aght.
Eneas eftir þis Egur of will,
Antenor, also, angardly fast

Æneas depart to 11572 To the grekes on be grene girdyn on swith, the Greek camp,

to carry out their ffor to trete of hor trayne as traytouris vnlell. There met pai po men, þat I mynt first,

bat were grauntid by the grete of the grekes all, 11576 ffor to mell in þe mater, & meue to an end.

The towne to betray truly pai þoght :
And of Elan, euermore, egerly fast

promises to
Hai meuit vnto Menelay at the mene tyme ;

forgive Helen. 11580 And had graunt of þat grete with a good wille,

All hir gilt to forgiff, and to grace take.
Than Agamynon, as grettist, þo grete for to (fol. 176 6.)

wend,
Dyamede he demyt, & doughty Vlixes,-

Ulysses are sent 11584 With tho worthy to wend to the wale towne, to Troy along

As in maner of message fro the mayn grekes.
When þai comyn into courtte the comyns were

fayne,

ffor pai wise were of wit, & worthy men bothe. 11588 bai hopit well the heldur to here of an end,

And the traitur þai trist of a tru pes.
The next day onone, as the night past,
By comaundement clenly the councell was gedurt, Next day the

Trojans are 11592 All the pepull to the palis of the prise kyng

at the palace. Were assemblit full sone, set all aboute. Vlixes full lyvely vp olofte said

Ulysses states the

terms of peace :“The grekes for hor greme

asken 11596 Gret sommes, for-sothe, to hor sad harmes,

Diomedes and

with Antenor and Æneas.

called to council