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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 have 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 þe harme and the hethyng of my kynd suster,
hat is set vnder seruage, & in syn holdyn,
Greuys me so gretly & my greme ekys,

1756 pat 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,

1768

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,
And it liket well the lordys & pe ledis all:

DEPARTURE OF ANTENOR.

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

59

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 þught; 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 þe 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,

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, aud

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,
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 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.

a fool, and com

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."

When Pelleus persayuit þis in a proude yre,

Peleus calls Priam 1816 Sodenly he sourdit into soure greme,
And Priam reprouyt as a pure fole,

mands Antenor to

depart instantly.

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

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

'fol. 31 a.)

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 whicdur he fare wolde,

ANTENOR AND TELAMON.

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,
And wonen ouer the waghis his wille for to say,

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,

hat ye kepe in youre company on vnclene wise,
As subiecte vnto syn, vnsemyng for you.
Soche a lady of lynage & of lordis comyn,

Book V.

61

Antenor answers, and demands Hesione, whom Telamon kept as a concubine.

Such a lady might have been married to one greater than

1848 That were knowen for kynges of cuntre fele,
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, All he grauntes to forgyue & neuer to greue after, Iff send hom þat semly pat I sew fore, That he may menske hur with mariage pat ye

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,

But all will be forgiven if he will

only send home this lady.

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,

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

1868

I am not purpast plainly his prayer to here,
Ne his wille for to wirke wete pou for sothe.
Knowen be it to pi kyng of pat case wele,
That I with Ercules entrid his rewme,

1872 When Lamydon was o lyue & the lond aght,
ffor to wreke vs of wrathe, & the wegh harme
Bothe of skathe & of skorne, as we skylle hade.
Ther with batell at the burgh I my blode shed,
1876 Depe woundes to the dethe, & mony derfe strokes,
And the Cite I sesit sonest of other;

Was cause of the conquest with my clene strenght;
And for a riche reward of my ranke wille,

him for his great 1880 All the soueranis by assent assignet me hir,

services:

and that Priam must win her by his sword.

pass from my presence.

ffor to wirke with my wille, & weld as myn owne;
And for lesse hir to leue pen I hir luff boght,
I think not, by my thrifte, for no pro wordys.
1884 Syn þe fre is so faire, & so fele vertus,

So corius, so conyng, & of so clene nurtur,
Me is not lefe hir to leue and to lyue after.
Therfore, say to thy souerain þat ye sent hydur,
1888 He weldis not that worthy but with wale strokes,
And with swappyng of swerdys, pof he swelt wolde,
And pou faithfully a fole, & a freike mad,

May be countid in this case for þi come hider,
1892 Soche a message to make at this mene tyme.
Wete pou full witterly in warnyng to other,
Saue I let for my lofe, pou shuld þi lyffe tyne;
And be done to the dethe for pi derfe speche.

And rape

On pain of thy life 1896 Pas fro my presens on payne of þi lyffe,
of my rewme in a rad haste,
Or pou shall lelly be lost and pou leng oghter."
Antenor for anger auntert no ferre,

(fol. 32 a.)

He then sails to

1900 Lut not þe lede, ne no lefe toke,—

Shot euyn into ship o pe shire waghis,—
Hade bir at his bake, and pe bankes leuyt;
Sailet furth soundly & pe see past,-

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