An Alliterative Romance Translated from Guido de Colonna's "Hystoria Troiana" ::

Now þe troyens, with tene, all þe toun ȝatys
Keppit full cloyse, with care at hor hertes;
Withouten hope of any helpe holdyn hom with-in,
Or any socour to be send out of sere londys.
All the burgh is full bigge, ouer the brode wallis,
Wacchemen for to wale, wacches to kepe,
Of trewmen in towres, for treason of other,
The Cité to saue fro saute of hor fos.
ffor the heght is so hoge of the hegh touris,
With dykes so depe drâghen a-boute,
Þat no werriour hit wyn may to þe worldes end,
But þurgh failyng of fode, þat fainttes þe pepull.
ffor Pantasilia the pert pytie was made,
Þat offendit þere fos with hir fyne strenght.
Mony doghty þat derfe vnto dethe broght,
And britnet on the bent with hir bale maidnes.
Myche tene hade the troiens for þe tryet lady,
ffor þai the corse might not cacche, as þe kynd wold,
ffor to bery in the burgh, hor bale was the more,
Ne to forther þat fre with fynerall seruys.
The grekes gedrit full grymly to þe gret yates,

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Of sure men in soppes sadly enarmyt,
The close for to kepe, when care was on hand,
Þat no freike vpon fote forther shuld pas.
The corse þan þai comaund of þe clene qwene,
To be cast vnto curres and to kene fowles.
But Pirrus þat purpos pertly with-stode,
Bade bery the burd on hir best wise,
As was due to the dede, to delue in þe erthe.
Dyamede the derfe demyt non othir.
“Hit is vnsytting,” he said, “þat hit so be,
ffor the worthy, þat wicche hase wastid to dethe,
Of our grekes on ground, & to grem broght;
Let hir bones with baret abide in this aire,
As a caren vncleane, for hir curst dedis.”
Þan the gret of the grekes agreit hom all,
The corse for to cast in a clere terne,
Vndur a syde of the Cité, & synke hit þerin,—
A stanke full of stynke standyng besyde.

When the troiens in þe toune were tyrnet þerin,
With myche wandreth & wo in wer of hor hele,
Antenor & Eneas, with þaire avne sons,
Serchid by hom-seluyn in sauyng hor lyues,
ffor deiryng with dethe of the derfe grekes:
And yf þo weghes on no wise might of wo pas,
The toune to be-tray, truly, þai thoght.
And the gome to be-gyle, þat the ground aght,
Þai purpost with Priam preuely to speike,
The kyng for to counsell in the case so,
ffor to proffer hom pes or he payne þolet;
And to Restore þem stithly all the store harmes,
With the deire þat was done by the Duke Paris,
In Sytheria, for-sothe, at Sesyng of the qwene;
And the lady to hir lord delyuer agayne.
If þo gret wold agre for þat grym dede!

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But happy were þat hede kyng, & he haue might
This acord in the case with-outen care more.
ffor all the deth and the dere of his dere sons,
Ȝet the lord in his lond might lyue in his age,
With his worthy wiff, & his wale doghtur,
And his noble sonnes naturell, þat hym next were,
With souerains of the Cité & other sad pepull!
This accord might the kyng haue cacchit before,
When the grekes, hym to grefe, were on his ground euyn,
And tenydon hade takon, as I told haue!
Hit is said oft-sithes, and for sothe holdyn,
He is happy, þat a harme hastely amendes,
Or any perties haue pyne, or put vnto dethe,
Or be trauailed with tene, or tyne of þere goodes.
Who hertely might hope, or hold in his mynd,
Þat the grekes wold agre, or graunt to þis end,
ffor the losse and the lure of hor lege kynges;
And the harmys full hoge of hor hed knightes?
And namly now, when noght may hom let,
All the worship to wyn, & hor will haue;
The toune for to take, & tirne to þe ground;
All the bildynges to bren, & the buernes qwell.
Therfore cast is hit cointly by thies kene traytours,
Vnder proffer of pes, pryam to lose;
Hor Cité to dissaiue in sauyng hor lyuis,
And all Troy to be-tray, and the triet londis.

Than the kyng into counsell þay cacchyn onone,
And his son was besyde at the same tyme,
Amphimake, a freike of the fre brether,
And other bold of the burgh, þat aboute were.
Þan the traytours vntrew told to þe kyng,
How the best was fro bale his burgh for to kepe,

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ffor to trete for a trew, or we tene þole,
And to proffer hom pes, or we payn dregh.
Whan Priam persayuit in his pure hert,
The fare of þo faitours with þere fals cast,
Euer hit meuyt hym in mynd þe malis þai þoght,
Þat the cast of þo cointt men come for no loue.
He onswart full esely efter his entent:—
“I will haue counsell in this case, & comyn with other,
Sertan days for doute, er I do more,
On all wise in this world, & wirke to þe best.”
Kantly, to þe kyng, þen carpis Antenor:—
“If þou will mel of this mater, mene hit till vs;
Of oure talis take tent, trist þat we say;
And if þou hold hom not holsom, herkyn another.”
Þen þe kyng full of care carpyt agayne:—
“I repreue not ȝour purpos, ne ȝour prise counsell;
Hit is lelly me lef to lyston ȝour wordis:
And, as ȝe demyn, to do, if hit be one best.
And if hit be not þe best, but to bale worth,
Wrath ȝow not wheghis, þof I wale other.”
Þen þe traytur Antenor titly con ryse,
fferkyt on fote, & to þe fre sayde:—
“Sothly, Syr kyng, hit sittis not now,
Ȝour discresion to dem with no du reason.
Ȝour self and ȝour cité is set all aboute,
With ȝour fomen fuerse, foldyn with in.
Þai kepyn the cloyse of this clene burgh,
With ȝep men at þe yatis ȝarkit full þik:
In qwose cumpany kide are kyngis full nobill,
ffifté full fell & of furse dukis
Þat noght wilnen in word, ne waytyn to haue,
But þi seté to sese, and þi selfe alse.
And we, no folke of defense, ne no fyn stuf

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Haue in this holde fro harmys to were;
Ne so derfe of oure dedis on dayes fro now,
Any port fforto pas, or to put opyn;
Ne ȝow sechis no socour, ne no sad helpe
Of no lede vppon lyue fro no lond straunge;
Ne no conford to cache of no kyngis once.
Syn ȝour sones ar slayn, & ȝour sure helpes,
And ȝour pupull all perichit vnto pale deth;
Syn vs cheuys this chaunse of a choise febill,
Þe les euyll forto laite, and leng þer-vppon;
Er we degh in this daunger, & to dol passe,
Let vs proffer hom pes & hor prise qwene;
Þat myld vnto menelay, as make to restore,
Þat myche dere has vs done for hir dede one,
Syn Paris, hire pure loue, is pertid of lyue,
Þat hir walt as his wyf, qwil wirdis hym demyt.”
Þen Amphimacus fursly vppon fote rose,
A nobill sone naturyll of þe nayt brether,
Wrathit at his wordis, & wightly he sayde
To þe traytur full tit, all in tru wyse:—
“Qwat hope may we haue of þi helpe now,
Þat þi kyng and his cumpany castyn to dissayue;
Þi cité and þi sib-men settis by-hynd,
Þat þou loue schuld with lewté, and þi lyf spend?
Now we se þe be set on a sliper ground,
Of þi fotyng to faile, and þi faith breke,
And þi nome, þat was nobill, noiet for euer.
ffull hard is þe heryng of þi high wordis,
And the tale, þat þou tellis, of þi trist feble.
xxti M. full thro shall in threpe end,
Er hit pas to the plyt þi purpos is in.
ffor no luff hit is, lelly, þou lappis thies tales,
But for treason & trayn, trust we non other.”
Eneas efter þis egurly said,
Refraynit Amphimacus of his frike wille:—

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“Agaynes the grekes to go, vs gaynes no more,
To no fight in the feld, ne oure fos mete,
Ne to pas of þis place, ne no port opun.
Hit nedis vs another way now for to laite,
And proffer hom pes oure pepull to saue.”
The kyng at his karping cast was in Ire,
To Eneas & Antenor Egurly said:—
“How may ye þus meane you with malis, for shame!
Youre dedis me dullis, & dos out of hope;
And all coldes my comford, by cause of your willes.
Syn I did neuer dede, duly to tell,
Ne plainly no purpos put vnto ende;
Ne neuer comynd in þis case vnknowing to you;
And ay wroght by your wittes, witnes your-seluyn.
Truly, Antenor, þes tales you knowes:
When þi-selfe for Exiona soght into grese,
Made on a message in mene fro vs all,
And come fro þat countre vnto court home,
Thy councell was kenely kyddest of other,
That Paris by purpos shuld pas ouer the se
The grekes to greue, and get if he might
Sum lady of the londe, & lede into troye.
The cast, ne the couytise, come not of me,
In pes & prosperitie to put me to wer,
But of falsyng & flatery with þi fer cast,
And þi curset counsell, þat comburt vs ofte.
And þou, Eneas also, angardly fast,
Of all buernes in þis burgh byset þerfore,
When þou passit with Paris tho parties vnto,
And ertyd hym egurly Elan to bryng,
Hade þou counceld the contrary, & comynd hit þan,

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Shuld neuer lady of þat lede vnto þis lond comyn.
And now, after the dethe & deire of my dere sones,
Thou rises as a rebell to my ranke harmys!
Syche counsell, as þou kythes, kepe I none of,
Þat will lede me to losse, & my lond hoole:
Neuer of shame to be shunt when shalke is on lyue.”
Eneas with envy egurly Rose,
And kantly to þe kyng karpis agayne;
Mony wordis in wrathe warpes full loude:
And so parted the prise all in pale angur.

HERE THE KYNG COUNSELD HIS SON TO SLE ENEAS AND ANTENOR.

The prise kyng Priam was prickit with sorow,
And myche water he weppit of his wale ene;
ffor he se hit him-seluyn, the sorow was the more,
The trayn of þo traytours, þat truly were fals.
He purpost hym plainly, for perell to come,
Tho faitours with falsyng to fonge yf he might.
He said to his son, on a sad wise,
Amphymake, the fre þat hym faith aght:—
“Dere sun, I haue doute þat dethe vs depart,
Þat of lyue & of loue are lappit to-gedur!
Syn I am fourmyt þi fader, & þou my fre child,
Let us suffer our-self with sufferaunce of goddes.
I wotte hit full wele, thies wicked men bothe
Haue purpost hom plainly to perisshe our londes,
Our cité to sell, & our-selfe alse.
Hit is nedefull for noy, þat neghis on hond,
Þat þai droppe in the dike þai deghit have for vs.
I haue takon intent þo traytours to sle,
Er þai begyle vs with gawdis, & ger vs to degh.
To morn when þo men are meuyt to counsell,

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I will þou be wise, & wirke as I bid:
Kepe ye in couert with knightes a few,
Of ledis, þat vs loues, of lewté to forther;
Kacche hom þan kenly, & bryng hom to ground.”
He assentid full sone the sagh to perfourme,
And to kepe hit as in councell kenely assurit.
But oftsythes hit is sene, & sum men hath feld,
Þat spokyn is in speciall, spredes o fer.
In yche company is comynly a claterer of mowthe,
Þat no councell can kepe, ne no close talis.
To þes traytours was told the entent of þe kyng,
On what wise in this world, no writ me declaris.
Þai assemblit full sone of assent other,
Þat knew of hor cast, & comynt to-gedur.
All sweire þai, full swiftly, vpon swete haloues,
Neuer to councell to come, but in cleane armes,
With a pouer of pepull purpos þerfore,
If euer the souerain hym-self sent for hom efte.
This Eneas, of abell men was angardly grete,
Of kyn and of cosyns, & kydmen of strenght:
He hade fryndes full fele, fild of all goodis,
And as plentuus of pepull as Priam hym-seluyn.
Antenor also was abill of fryndes,
Large of aliaunce, louet within:
A Riche mon of Renttes, Relikes ynow,
And fele of affynité, þat folowet hym after.
Thies curset of þe case hade comynt with the grekes.
Hom-seluyn to saue & hor sad fryndes,
Hor renttes, hor Riches, hor relikes also,
ffor daunger, or deire, depely assurit.

Þan the kyng vnto councell comaund hom bothe,
To appere in his presens þat purpos to end,
ffor to trete of a trew qwill the tyme hade,

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And to dere hom with dethe, yf destany wold.
Þan þai comyn to þe kyng with company grete,
Of armyt men all somen, abill to fight.
This Priam persayuet of the prise hoge,
And sent to his son to ses at þat tyme.
The next day anone, the noble kyng Priam
Somond all the cité somyn to appere,
To carpe of a councell, & kyth hym hor wit,
And to mell in the mater with his men all.
When thei comyn were to courtte, this curset Eneas
fferkit vppon fote and to þe folke said:—
“Now, sirs, hit is sothely, me semes, for þe best
ffor to proffer hom pes, and purvey þerfore.”
All his citizens, sothely, assentid þerwith,
ffor þai knew not the caste of the curset chefe.
The kyng to the komyns carpit agayne;
To put of þat purpos he paynet hym sore.
Eneas with Envy egurly saide:—
“Sir kyng, of this case carpe þou no ferre!
We wull treate of a trew, I tell the for sothe,
Whether þou will, or þou wilnot, wit þou forsothe!”
Than Priam persayuit all the pepull hertis,
And feld well hit fortherit not the freike to with-stond:
Hym was leuer to the ledis lelly assent,
Than grucche þere agayne, & greue hym þe farre.
He said hom full soberly with a sore hert,
“Dos of þis dede as you dere thinke,
I assent for my-selfe, and sadly afferme.”
Þan þai comynd in the cas, castyn hor wittes,
And with charge of þat choise erend chosyn Antenor,
As grettist by agrement, with the grekes to trete,
And pursew for pes: this purpos þai tokyn.

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Þan þe troiens, full tyte, turnyt to þe walles,
With braunches full brode all of bright Olyue,
As in proffer of pes puttyn O lofte,
All the ledis on to loke, þat lay in þe feld.
Than the grekes, by agrement, gyffen hom a signe,
By cundeth to come, & carpe what hom liste.
Than went fro the walles worthy Antenor,
Past at a port to the pale tenttes.
The grekes on the grene greidly hym met:
To Agamynon gay tent gone all in fere,
And present hym prestly to þe prise kyng,
Agamynon the grete, & the grekes all.
To Dyamed the Duke, & doghty Vlixes,
Assentid full sone all the sad pepull,
To trete with Antenor trustid hom þan.
This forward to fulfill faithly thai swere,
Vppon solempne sacrifice, soche as þai vset.
Þan the kynges into counsell caghton Antenor,
And menyt of þaire mater more at þe tyme,
There he hight hom to haue, holly at þere wille,
All the toun þurgh his trayne, & the true kyng,
ffor to bete doun & bren vnto the bare erth.
Hym-seluyn to saue and his sib fryndes,
And Eneas al o and all his sute hoole,
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 þo faire soueryn,
And knit vp þere couenaunte in couert to hold.
Kyng Taltill þai toke as tristy to seme,
Þat was greuit on ground, gronond in age,
ffor he shuld lightly be leuyt with ledis of troy.
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;

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If þai hade wille to þe werke, wete hom to say,
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
The body of the bold qwene, þat in the burne lay,
Pantasilia, with pyne to put into graue:
With myche labur, at the last, þo lordes hit grauntid.
Þan the traytor vntrew, trust me for sothe,
Toke leue at the lordes, & lowted hom all,
With Taltillus, þat other þat I told first,
And soghtyn to þe Cité somyn belyue,
Past vnto Priam, present hor wille,
All the case of hor come, cantly with mowthe.

The secund day suyng, sayes me the lettur,
Priam, the prise kyng, prestly comaundit
All the buernes of the burghe, bacheler & other,
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,
Antenor his tale tombly began.
He thoght his falshed to feyne, vndur faire wordes,
And his cautels to colour vnder coynt speche.
He said in his sermond, þat sothely the grekes
Were of pepull & pouer plaintius mony;
And how þai depely desyret with a due hert,
To haue suertie full sad of a syker pes.
Thus sotelly with sothyn he set hom a cas,
What fortune might falle vndur fals colour.
Þan nemmyt he what noy, the noble men of troy
Enduret on dayes, dole for to se:

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With weping & waile, wo to be hold,
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,
Soche dole & deire to dryue to an end.”
Þan he said in his saw, þat sothely the grekes
Wold not agre to þat graunt, but for a grete sowme
Of gold, & of godis, & of gay Iuellis,
With stuff to restore for hor stith harmys.
Wherfore, to qwheme & to white vs of skaithe,
Euery buerne in þis burgh, þat is best storit
Of meblys, & money, & of main syluer,
Helpis now hertely þis harme to redresse:
ffor bettur is a buerne by hym sum pes,
Þan in wandreth & woo to wepe all his lyue.
And for he kowth not by course come to an end,
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 þe same nedis,
All þere wille for to wete & wayne at þe last,
And for þe grete of þo grekes shuld no gawde wene,
But leue hit more lelly & listyn the bettur.
All the pepull in þat presse, þat the prose herd,
Afermyt hit as fyn þat þe freike said.
Eneas after this, euyn with þat other,
And Taltilus, tombly to þe tenttes yode.

All the councell fro kourtt was clenely depertid.
Priam with pite þan past to his halle,
Myche water he weppit wringyng his handes.
Hit was dole to the dethe þe Duke to behold,
Euer hedyng in hert of the hegh treason,
Þat was cast for þe kyng, of his kyde fryndes;

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And for the losse and the lure of his leue sons,
Þat so dawly were ded, and drepit for ay,
So worthy in wer, & so wale knightes.
Þat he left was o lyue his lure was so hoge!
“And now is nedfull for noye, þat neghis at hond,
All my gold for to geue, þat I getyn haue,
Kepid in hurd, holdyn full long;
And I vnsure of my-self, my sorow is the more.
Þus in pouert am I pyght, put vnder fote,
Þat makes me full mad, & mournes in my hert;
And yet this lure were but litle, & our lord wold
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.
He was forset vnfaire to folow þere wille,
Þat purpost hom plainly to put hym to dethe.
Elan þat euermore was egur of sorow,
Herd tell of the trety was takyn with the grekes.
Þat noble on a night, þat no man persayuit,
To talke with Antenor toke ho the gate.
Sho prayet hym pourly with hir pure hert,
Of Menelay, hir maistur, to make hir a frynde;
And proker hir pes with his prise wordes,
Þat 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:
Þan ho lowtid the lede, & hir leue toke,
And past to the palis of the prise kyng.

With-in the tyme þat I tell, þe tru sun of Priam,—
Glaucon, was grauyn in a gay towmbe;
And the body of þe bold qwene broght vnto toune,

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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 with,
And bryng on a bere to hir burgh home,
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
To the grekes on þe grene girdyn on swith,
ffor to trete of hor trayne as traytouris vnlell.
There met þai þo men, þat I mynt first,
Þat were grauntid by the grete of the grekes all,
ffor to mell in þe mater, & meue to an end.
The towne to betray truly þai þoght:
And of Elan, euermore, egerly fast
Þai meuit vnto Menelay at the mene tyme;
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 wend,—
Dyamede he demyt, & doughty Vlixes,—
With tho worthy to wend to the wale towne,
As in maner of message fro the mayn grekes.
When þai comyn into courtte the comyns were fayne,
ffor þai wise were of wit, & worthy men bothe.
Þai 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,
All the pepull to the palis of the prise kyng
Were assemblit full sone, set all aboute.
Vlixes full lyvely vp olofte said:—
“The grekes for hor greme vnto gre asken
Gret sommes, for-sothe, to hor sad harmes,

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Bothe of gold & of goodes, er þei go wille,
ffor the losse & the lure of hor lef pepull;
And Amphimakus, the fre sun of the fyn kyng,
To be exiled for euermore, as Enmy of toune,
Neuer in plit to Repaire to his pure fryndis,
Ne the Cité to se, while hym-selfe lyues.”
This prokert full prestly with prayer before,
The traytor Antenor to the tru kynges;
ffor þat noble hym denyet naitly or þan,
When he proffert to priam pes for to make.
Lo! how fortheris a freike with a fyne wit,
ffor to kepe hit in close, & carp hit no fer;
To speike in despite & Spedis no more,
But hyndres full heghly & harmys hym-seluyn.
Lo! Amphimac the fre, for his fell wordes,
Was dampnet in-dede, þof þai du were;
Ellis the traytor Antenor hade truly no cause
ffor to procur his payne, and his pale harme.
But god, þat all giltis godely beholdis,
And wrangis in his wrathe writhis to ground,
Oft-sithes in the same settis to fall
A man with þat mesure he metis till another!
To Antenor hit tide, tellis the story,
An exile for euermore efter a while,
Thurgh Eneas, þat egurly exit þerto,
As I shall tell full tite, when the tyme askes.

While thies kynges were in councell, þat comyn fro þe grekes,
Within the palis of prise, as the prose tellus,
There was an orible noise, þat noyet hom full sore,
As a clamour or a crye of a cant pepull,
As þai satyn all somyn sodainly come,
Vne playne in the place þere þe prise met.
ffor doute of hor dethes, tho doghty men bothe
Were a-ferd of the fare and the fell noise,

379

Lest the troiens for tene hade takon hom sone,
And dungen to dethe for dole of the knight,
Amphymacus the fre, þat the freikes louet,
ffor ertyng his exile in ernest before.
Hit was aspiet full Specially, & spird all abowte,
The cause of the crie and the cant noise:
There was no wegh in this world, þat hit wete kowth,
Ne to meue in hor mynd what hit mene shuld.
The kyng & the councell cantly can rise;
Depertid the pepull, past to þe toune
Bothe knightes & comyns, and the court voidet.
The traytor Antenor toke into counsell,
Dyamede he drogh furth, & dughty Vlixes,
In a place þat was priuey & no prese in,
To forther his foule wille, þat no freike herd.
Vlixes to this other vtterly said:—
“Why draghes þou on dregh þes dedis so ferr?
Þat þou vs heghly hase het, hold hit onone!”
Þan talkes the traytour truly agayne:—
“Ourgoddis knowen full kyndly þecast of my hert,
That no dede I desyre so depely in thoght,
As your hestes to hold with helpe of Eneas.
Lelly, the lett, þat vs long taries,
Is a statur full strong of a stith god:
Þat ye shall lelly me leue, & yow list herkon,”
Diamede said duly;—“þou do vs to wete,
Vs likes full lelly to listyn þi wordis.”
Antenor þan talkis, & told on þis wise:—
“Hit is lelly no lesyng, leue if ye will!
There was a kyng in this cost, þat the kith aght,
Honerable, auenaund, & Vlus was callit.
Here foundit he first the faire place Ylion;
After the nome of þat noble, nemyt hit is.
Here he tild vp a temple of a trew godde,
Of Palades the pure, as prouit is of old.

380

Whan the walles were wroght to þe wale rofe,
All clanly by course vncouert aboue,
A selly þere sene was with seremen aboute,
Gird to þe ground fro the grete heuyn,
A ffygur full fyne, festnyt in the wall,
Wondurfully wroght by wit of a god.
At the end of the auter etlit to stond,
Euer sithen, for-sothe, to this selfe tyme.
Neuer buerne was so big to beire hit away,
Saue kepers of the kirke, for craft vppon erthe.
The mater hit is made of is most of a tre,
But no clerke is so corious to ken vs the nome;
Ne on what wise hit is wroght can wit shew,
But þurgh Palades the pure god, apperit þer þurgh.
Seche trust haue the troiens truly þerin,
While hit keppit is in kirke, or in clos walle.
With-in the cercle of þe Cité, as said is of old,
Neuer the toune shalbe takon with tene of hor fos,
Ne care fro the corone, ne the kynd aire.
Thus lelly beleuyn the ledis of þe toune,
And neuer dowtyn no dethe to dere hom with-in.
The nome of þis noble, þat naitly is keppit,
Paladian the pure, with pepull is callid.”
Than Diamede the Duke duly can say:—
“Iff thy saghes be sothe, & sad to beleue,
All our labur is lost, & our long sege,
If Paladian with purpos may put vs away.”
Antenor alstite amet to speike:—
“If ye meruell so mekyll we make you non end,
And high not with hast our hestes to kepe,
This is truly the entent we tary so longe.
I haue comynt with the keper, & cumpast aboute,
The stature to steile stithly by night,
ffor a certain somme of syluer & of gold:
And full prestly þe prest hase puruayet þerfore.
When hit laght is lelly, leue me for sothe,

381

Hit shalbe sentto your-selfe, seche hit no ferther:
Þan hope may ye hertely, to haue in a while
The Cité and the soueran, sese as you likes.
But kepis this in councell, for cas þat may falle,
Þat no wegh in þis world wete of our cast;
And I will kaire to the kyng for a cause yet,
And feyne me with fare to forther our werkis.
I will telle hym with trayne, þe trist of our ernde
Is holly in his hond hengand aboue.
I haue knawlache in þe case & comyng with yow,
What sommys in certayn þe sent you to take.”
Thus with lowtyng & leue the ledis depertid;
The grekes agayne ar gon to þere tenttes;
The traytur full tomly turnyt to þe kyng,
His falshed to forther: the fend hym distroy!

THE ORDINAUNCE OF THE TRYBUTE.

Than carpis to the kyng curset Antenor,
All the Cité to assemble hym-seluyn before.
When comyn were the knightes, comyns, & all,
Thes wordes he warpit þo worthy vnto:—
“I haue comynt in this case, knowith hit yourselfe;
To the grekes bus vs gyffe, to graunt vs for pes,
Twenty thowsaund thristy, þrungyn to-gedur,
Markes full mighty, all of mayn gold,
And of Syluer, for-sothe, the same þai dessyre:
To whyte vs, of whete, qwarters þai aske
X. M. þroly, to thring in hor shippes.”
This oponly is ordant þo odmen betwene,
And specially spokyn to spede hom away,
Be a tyme for to take, & turne to þe sea.
Gedrit was the goode, & gon for to kepe
To Sure men & certen þat sowme to deliuer,
And take sikernes sad the Cité to leue,
Of the grekes agayne for the grete somme.

382

While this gode was in gederyng the grettes among,
Antenor to the temple trayturly yode;
Preuely the prest puld into councell,
(Thoantes, me tellys the text, þat he heght,
Þat was geeter of the god, þat the gome yernyt.)
With a gobet of gold, a full gret somme,
And Thoantes betaght, tarit no lengur.
Thies wordes to the wegh warpit onone,
In a place out of prese, priuely there:—
“Lo, of gold, & of good here a gret nowmber,
The to lyue with in lykyng, & thy leue ayris.
The god, þat þou geetis, gyf me þer-ffore,
Þat I may beire fro the burgh, shall no buerne wete.
Thou art no farder, in faith, thy fame for to lose,
Þan I my lyffe were leuer leue in þe plase,
Er any troiens with truthe might telle suche a fawte,
Or soche a point on me put in perlament her-aftur.
Therfore, priuely, by purpos Paladian þou send
To honerable Vlixes, vtwith the toune.
If any fawte þer funden be, we faithly may say,
The pure kyng Paladian priuely stale:
And we excusit of skathe, yf sclaunder shall Rise.”
Prestly the prest his purpos with-stode
All the night with noy, till negh at þe day,
Till he caght was in couetouse, & cumbrit hym seluen.
Than grauntid he the god to the grym traytor,
And toke hit fro the temple, tariet no lengur,
Sent hit furth sodainly by a sad frend,
To Vlixes vtwith, egerly þan.
Hit was noiset onon in the nowble toune,

383

Þat the kyng, þurgh his comyng, by craft hade hit goten,
Paladian, the pure god, pertly away;
And the troiens betrautid with his triet wit.
A! God of þis ground, who graidly may trist
Any lede on to leng, as for lele true,
Syn this prest þus priset the pepull to dissayue,
As a kaytiff, for couetoise to cumber his land?
This poynt is not prynted in proces þat are now:
Hit lenges not so long tho ledis within,
To be cumbrid with couetous, by custome of old,
That rote is & rankist of all the rif syns.
There is no greuaunce so grete vndur god one,
As the glemyng of gold, þat glottes þere hertis:
Hit puttes the pouer of pristhode abake,
And forges to the fend a forslet with-in.
Couetous men comynly are cald aftur right,
A temple to the tyrand, þat tises to syn.

When the golde was all gotyn, & the grete sommes
Of qwhete, & of qwhite syluer, qwemly to-gedur,
Into Myner mykell temple maynly was broght,
And put vnto pure men till payment were made;
Hit plesit to Appollo, the pure god aboue,
With Sacrifise solemne, besoght at þat tyme,
With bestis, & briddis, britnet full mony,
And the carcas full clanly kowchit on þe auter.
When ffyre shuld be festnet in þat fyne offrond,
Two meruellis on mold maynly were shewid.
The first was to fele, no fyre wold be light,
Þat assait was full sothely of sere men full ofte:
Ten tymes be-tyde, tellis me the lyne,
Þat hit fest was on fyre, & flappit out onone
Vnto smorther & smoke, and no smethe low,

384

ffor all the craft þat þai kowthe, & the coynt sleght.
The secund, for-sothe, I said you before,
When the bestis were britnet & broght to þe auter,
With the entrell euermore euyn vppo lofte,
Come an Erne, þat was Eger, euer on a crye,
Light downe lyuely fro the low ayre,
Braid vp the bowels, & bere hom away,
And showvet to the shippes of the shene grekes.
The troiens merueld full mekyll of þe mayne foghle,
All stonyed þai stode, starond aboute.
Thai wist þere goddes were greuit with a gret yre,
And wrothe at the werkes, but wist þai no cause.
Cassandra to councell, þen call þai belyue,
To haue a dom of þat dede, if the dere kowthe.
The first signe, ho hom sayd, sothely was this:
Þat Appollo, the pure god, was put into wrathe,
ffor tene of his temple was trasit with blode
Of Achilles the choise, þat chaunsit to be slayne:
“Þat mys to amend, is maistur ye go
To the corse of þat kyng in his cleane towmbe,
Light þere a lowe lyuely with honde,
ffecche þere your ffyre, & festyn on þe auter,
And þat bren wull full bright in the brode temple.”
Than passid the pepull to the pure þrugh:
As kend hom Cassandra þai kyndlit a fire.
Of the secund, for sothe, ho saide o this wise:—
“This towne is betrayed, trist ye non other,
And grauntid to the grekes by gomys of your owne.”
Calcas the curset, þat comynt with the grekes,
Bisshop of the burgh, as I aboue told,

385

When he wist of thies wondres, thies wordes he said:—
“Yonder towne wilbe takon in a tyme short.”
Þan the grekes hom graithet to a gret Sacrifice,
Thurgh biddyng of the bisshop & a bold prist,
In honour of Appolyne angardly thicke.

[OMITTED]

[_]

Folio 180 is missing in the MS. The following notes summarise the missing narrative.

Calcas and Crisis counsel the Greeks to make a brazen horse, capable of holding a thousand knights.

The Greeks desire that Priam will allow it to be set near the temple of Pallas.

The allies of Troy, disgusted that Priam is in treaty with the enemy, depart from the city. The Amazons, carrying with them the body of their Queen, are led home by Pylæmenes.

University of Virginia Library

The xxviij Boke: of the Counsell of Eneas and Antenor. Of the treason of the Cite.

HERE THE KYNG COUNSELD HIS SON TO SLE ENEAS AND ANTENOR.

THE ORDINAUNCE OF THE TRYBUTE.