University of Virginia Library

Howe kynge Priamus in opyne declarethe þe harmes done to his progenye & hym by the Grekes.

“O worþi lordis, þat ben [now] here present,
Feithful and trew of hert & of entent,
Is nat vnknowe to ȝour discrecioun
Þe grete damagis and oppressioun
Whiche þat Grekis han vp-on vs wrouȝt,
With-oute cause, for a þing of nouȝt,
Þis other day, as who seith but late,
Þat, as I trowe, so new is ȝit þe date,
Þat it is fresche remembrid in ȝour mynde,
Vn-to ȝour blood ȝif þat ȝe be kynde.
For I suppose, no forȝetilnes
May put a-way þe mortal hevines
Of harmys olde, whiche ay renewe ageyn
In my memorie, I seie ȝow in certeyn;
And as I trow, pleynly in ȝoure þouȝt,
Þat euer is grene, and ne dieth nouȝt,
How þei haue slayn oure progenytours
Þat whilom wern so noble werreours,
Oure cite brent and brouȝt vn-to ruyne,
And robbid it, falsely by ravyne,
And turned al in-to wyldernes,
And in-to Grece caried oure riches,
My fader slayn, þat hiȝt[e] Lamedoun,
With-out[e] cause or occasioun,
And rauȝt from hym his gold & his tresour,
Whiche me semeth is a foul errour.
We myȝt of riȝt amendis wel chalenge,
And desyren vs iustly to revenge
A-fore þe goddis of so hiȝe offence,
Only of resoun and of conscience.
And passyng alle her mortal cruelte,
Þer is o þing most inly greveth me,
Þat þei vngodly, ageyn[e]s gentilnes,
No rewarde havyng to þe worþines,
To þe birth, nor þe royal blood
Of hir þat is so fayr and eke so gode—
I mene my suster, callyd Exyoun—
Whom þei, allas, to her confusioun,
Disuse and kepe nat lik hir degre,
From day to day in dishoneste;
Wher-þoruȝ hir honour & hir name is lorn,
Considryng nat of what stook sche was born.
For þei ar blynde for to taken hede,
Or to aduerte þe rote of hir kynred,
Of surquidye þei be so indurat.
And sith þat sche, of so hiȝe estat,
I-tretid is, liche as ȝe may se,
I suppose other, þat ben of low degre,
Gouerned ben ful dishonestly;
For ȝe may þinke and deme trew[e]ly
How wyvis, maidenes, in þat companye,
With oþer eke þat ben of ȝour alye,
I-haunted ben and vsed at her lust;
On þe Grekis I haue no better trust,
For þei ne spare nouther blood nor age.
And þus þei lyue in torment & seruage,
With-out routhe, mercy, or pite,
Þe whiche toucheþ ȝou as wel as me;
And as me semeth, of equite and riȝt,
Ȝe ouȝt echon with al ȝour ful[le] myȝt,
Of þe wronges with whiche ȝe ben offendid,
To seke a weye it myȝt[e] ben amendid:
And þat we werke, alle be on assent,
And procede, liche to oure entent,
On her malis and cursed cruelte,
Alle attonys avengid for to be;
And þat we be in hert[e], wille, and þouȝt
Of on acorde, and ne varie nouȝt,
For þan our force is doublid & pouste.
For riȝt and resoun & good equite
Require vengaunce on hym þat doþ þe wrong,
Þouȝ it so be þat it abyde longe.
I trust also on goddis riȝtwisnes,
Þat þei schal help oure harmes to redres,
And fauour us in oure Innocence,
To chastyse hem þat wrouȝt[e] þis offence.
Also ȝe knowe howe þat oure cite
Is strong and myȝty, & of gret surte,
With touris hiȝe and walles for þe werre,
Þat also fer as schyneþ sonne or sterre,
Þer is noon lyk, for to rekne al,
Þat may in force ben þer-to perigal.
Ȝe knowe also, as it schal be founde,
With cheualrie how þat we abounde,
Expert in armys and of olde assaied,
Þat for drede neuer wer dismayed;
And we haue plente also of vitaille,
Of frendschip eke, þat ne wol not faile
With al her myȝt to don to vs socour.
Wherfor I rede, with-oute more soiour,
To sette vp-on, sithen we be able,
And tyme is now, me semeth, couenable;
For manhod bit make no delaye
To venge a wrong, hap what hap[pe] may.
For in differryng is ofte gret damage,
To werke in tyme is double avauntage;
For to oure purpos lakketh neuer adel,
And þoruȝ oure manhod we ben assured wel.
But list we ben [not] holden to hasty,
Or to rakil to werke wilfully—
And werre also stant in aventure,
For ay of Marte dotous is þe Ewre—
I rede, first to Grekis þat we sende
To wit ȝif þei our harmys wil amende,
With-out[e] strif, werre, or more debat:
Þan may we sayn þat we ben fortunat;
And ȝif þei be contrarie to resoun,
To condiscende to þis conclusioun,
To graunte oure askyng of equite & riȝt,
Þan haue we cause for to preve our myȝt.
But or þat we procede by rigour,
We schal to hem offeren al mesour,
As fer as riȝt and resoun eke require;
And of disdeyn ȝif hem list nat here,
Þan oure quarel, devoide of wilfullenes,
I-roted is vp-on sikernes.
And ȝif þat we of her gret offence
Axe amendis first in pacience,
God and Fortune, I hope, wilne assent,
In þe ende we schal vs nat repente;
And it is bet by pes to han redresse,
Þan gynne a werre with-out avisenesse.
Þer-fore, lat vs our woful aventure
Paciently suffren and endure,
And in our port be but humble & pleyn,
Vp-on answer what þat þei wil seyn.
For þouȝ so be, in myn entencioun,
I meved am by iust occasioun
To procede of ire to vengance,
I wil al put out of remembrance,
And lete slyde be forȝetilnes
Þe wrongis don, & voide al hevines
To-ward Grekis, and of hem axe no more,
But þat þei wil Exyona restore
To vs ageyn, whiche is to me most derre,
Only to stint al debat and werre.
For þe surpluse of our mortal Ewre
We schal dissymvle, & prudently endure
Our harmys olde forþe in pacience,
Ȝif ȝe acorde [vn-]to my sentence:
Seythe her-vp-on, as ȝe ben avised;
For ȝif þis sond be of hem despised,
And þat hem list to resoun nat obeye,
Þan we may iustly seke anoþer weye
To han redres, for now þer is no more,
Saue I purpose to sendyn Anthenor,
Whiche is a man discrete and avisee,
And specialy in mater of trete,
For he is bothe wyse and eloquent,
As ȝe wel knowe, & passyngly prudent.”