DEPARTURE OF ANTENOR.

59

Book V.

(foi. 30 a.)

Of his wit & his wordes & his wise speche,
In dede thus to do pai demyt it all.

When Priam hade per-sayuit all þere pure wille, 1772 He chese hym a chere man the charge for to beire. Priam chooses

Antenor,
Antenor he toke for his triet wit ;
He was gret, & graithe, & a gome noble,

Wisest of wordes and willé þerto. 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 worils,
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.

for the voyage.

He reaches

goes direct to

1780 Then he shope hym to ship in a sharp haste,

Antenor prepares
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 pe water,

Sailet on soberly and pe se past;
Teght into Tessaile, turnyt into hauyn,

Thessaly: lands There Pelleus be proude was a prise kyng. at Magnesia and 1788 At Mansua for mirth in þe mene ty me,

King Peleus.
A hanyn toun, as hap was, þere 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,

comes 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,
As a messynger made at þis mene tyme.
Thus he sent me to say to your

will
euyn,

Antenor reminds ffor to mene to your mynde, as I most nede, 1800 The harmys and be heuenys hym happit of yow. without cause;

ffirst of his fader, in fight was distroyet

The king wel

cause of his visit.

1796

him of all the harms he had done to his king

Book V.

(fol. 30 b.)

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, þat coine 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 save,
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."

and states, that if he wished to escape the vengeance of Priam, he must restore Hesione.

a fool, and commands Antenor to depart instantly.

gets sail for

Telamon then was.

When Pelleus persayuit bis in a proude yre, Pelens calls Priam 1816 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 yntomly turnet his way Antenor hastily

Withoutyn lowtyng or lefe, lengit he noght, Salamis, where 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 þai 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 : (fol. 31 a.)

Yet he fraynit at þat freike whedur he fare wolde,

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

ANTENOR AND TELAMON.

61

Book V.

Antenor answers,
anil demands
Hesione, whom
Telamon kept as

might have been Inarried to one greater than

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, a concubino. 1840 That in Troy truly is a triet kyng,

And lord of pe londe as be lyne olde ;
pat now of youre nobilte newly desyres

His Syster to be sent to his syde Rewme. 1844 bat hynd for to helpe hertely he prayes,

pat ye kepe in youre company on vnclene wise,
As subiecte vnto syn, vnsemyng

for

you. Soche a lady of lynage & of lordis comyn, Such a lady 1848 That were knowen for kynges of cuntre fele,

Sho might haue bene mariede to more pen your Telainon.

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, only send hiine

this lady.
Iff ye send hom þat semly þat 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 þut gret for to

haue.”

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

mad words, 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 maketo me at this tyme. (fol. 31 b.)

But all will be forgiven if he will

Telamon is

wode' as a lion :

and will not hear Priam's prayer.

Book V. 1868 I am not purpast plainly his prayer to here,

Ne his wille for to wirke wete pou for sothe.

Knowen be it to bi kyng of þat case wele, He bids him tell

That I with Ercules entrid his rewme, his master that he had gone with 1872 When Lamydon was o lyue & the lond aght, Hercules to avenge themselves ffor to wreke vs of wrathe, & the wegh harme on Laomedon :

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; that the lady had

And for a riche reward of my ranke wille, been assigned to him for his great 1880 All the soueranis by assent assignet me hir, services :

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, and that Priam 1888 He weldis not that worthy but with wale strokes, must win her by his sword.

And with swappyng of swerdys, þof he sweltwolde,
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 bi derfe speche. On pain of thiy life 1896 Pas fro my presens on payne of þi lyffe, pass from my

And
rape

of

my rewme in a rad haste, Or þou shall lelly be lost and þou leng oghter."

Antenor for anger auntert no ferre,

1900 Lut not be lede, ne no lefe toke,-
(fol. 32 a.)

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

presence.

He then sails to

THE ANSWER OF CASTOR AND POLLUX,

63

Castor & Pollux.

He arrives at their

the terms of

1904 Come to Acaxon þere Castor was lord,

Book v. And Pollux be proude, þat was his pure brothir : Achaia to visit Bothe reynit in þat Rem, as I red first.

To be courtte of þe kyng come he beliue, 1908 His message for to make, as I mynt haue.

court, salutes He salut po semly all with sad wordys,

them, and relates And told furth of his tale, taried no longur, Priam's message.

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 þat cleane, as I declaret haue,

ffor to lede to his londe vppon lyue home. 1916 All priamus purpos plainly he told,

Of his message by mowthe as I mynt ere.
When Castor hade clanly consayuit his wille, Castor replies ;-

He onswared hym honestly with onryng a litill;1920

“ Now frynde, vppon faithe and at sad wordes,
We purpost neuer plainly Priam to wrathe,
Ne offend his frendeship with no felle dedis.
With outen cause of vnkyndnes, þat was kyde

after,
1924 His fader vs forset with his fowle wille,

“That Laomedon

having forced Did hething and harme to our hede Rewmes; them to war, they We wrekit vs with woundis & þe wegh slogh, aged his country.

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. That they desire

not Priam's We loue noght his lede, ne his land nowþer; friendship and Ne charge noght his chateryng, thogh he chide dread not his hate.

slew him and ray.

euer.

1932 He loues þe full litull, lede, as me think,

To make pe pis message for to mele here :
And þou hardly no hede of þi 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 mes. sage:

(fol. 32 6.)