University of Virginia Library

And whan þe kyng had told his tale anon
To his counseyl þei consent euerychon,
Þat Anthenor þis Iourne vndirtake.
And he in hast gan hym redy make,
With-oute abode, and nolde nat denye
To take on hym þis embassetrye,
Wel avysed in his discresioun,
Toke or he went informacioun
From poynt to poynt of þis gret[e] charge;
For he hym cast to stondyn at his large,
With-oute errour, as he þat koude his gode;
For he þe effect ful pleynly vndirstode;
For euery þing he prented in his þouȝt
Or þat he went, and forgat riȝt nouȝt;
For of a word he cast hym nat to faile.
To schip he goth and began to sayle,
And in schort tyme, he & his companye,
Arived ben vp in Thesalye,
At a cite callyd Mynusyus,
Wher by fortune was kyng Pelleus
Þe same tyme; & Anthenor anoon
Vn-to þe kyng þe riȝt[e] weye is goon.
Of whom he was, as Guydo haþ conseived,
At prime face benignely receyved;
But whan he knew þe cause of his commyng,
He bad in hast, with-oute mor tariyng,
To Anthenor, with a fel visage,
Schortly to seyn þe effecte of his message.

This Troyan knyȝt, astonyed neuer-adel,
But ful demvr and avised wel,
Nat to hasty nor rakel for to seyn,
But abidynge with loke and face pleyn,
To Pelleus, with a manly chere,
Seide in effect riȝt þus as ȝe schal here:
“Þe worþi kyng, callid Priamus,
So wyse, so noble, so manly, and famus,
And of knyȝthod passyng excellent,
Hath first to ȝou in goodly wyse sent,
Out of Troye, his royal chefe cite,
His ful entent & message her by me,
As I schal seyn to ȝou in wordis pleyn,
Ȝif it so be þat ȝe nat disdeyne
Paciently to ȝeven audience.
Remembryng first in ȝour aduertence
Of þe harmys nat ful longe a-go,
And þe wrongis þat ȝe wrouȝt also,
Ful cruelly, with oþer eke of ȝours,
In Troye lond on his progenitours,
What Iniuries and distruccioun,
Causeles, with-oute occasyoun,
Ȝe schewed haue of verray cruelte,
And merciles distroyed his cite,
Slayn his fader, named Lamedoun,
And his cite brent and bete doun,
And nouþer left paleis, hous, nor tour,
And lad a-wey his riches and tresour,
And nouþer spared, as I reherse can,
In ȝour slauȝter womman, child, nor man,
Þer myȝt[e] non from ȝour swerd astert.
And ȝit o þing þat most he haþ at hert,
Þat his suster, called Exyoun,
Is hold and kepte of kyng Thelamoun,
Dishonestly, ageyn al genterye,
To gret dishonour & gret velenye
Of her kynred, liche as ȝe may se,
Tretid nor cheresschid lyk to hir degre!
Wherfor, sith ȝe be so wyse a knyȝt,
Ȝe ouȝt aduerte and to haue a syȝt
To swyche þinges, of iust affeccioun,
And considre in ȝour discreccioun,
Of gentilnes and of equite,
How swiche wrongis myȝt amendid be.
Wherfor Priam, of gret avisenes,
As he þat fully with al his besynes
Of hert and wille desireþ pes & rest,
Sendeth to ȝou, besechyng for þe best,
Þat ȝe wil don ȝour besy diligence,
To make to hym þis litel recompense,
Þat he may haue restitucioun,
Þoruȝ ȝour knyȝ[t]ly medyacioun,
Of his suster, with-oute lenger space;
And þe remenaunt he wil lete pace,
Strif and werre only to eschewe.
For he desyreth fully for to sewe
Pees and quiete, of hool affeccioun,
And to pursew mesour and resoun,
And finally, liche as ȝe may se,
Al occasioun of werre for to fle;
Consydereth þis, þat hold[e] ben so sage,
For þis þe fyn fully of my massage.”
Whan Pelleus hym pleynly vnderstod,
Of sodeyn Ire he wexe in hert[e] wood,
Of cher and loke fel and furious,
And of rancour riȝt melencolyous,
Þat he ne myȝt [a]tempre nor apese
Þe hasty fir þat gan his hert[e] sese;
For he anoon, in ful dispitous wyse,
Gan Priamus threten and dispise,
And of malis sette his sond at nouȝt,
With all þe menys þat Anthenor haþ souȝt,
And gan also þis Troyan knyȝt manace,
And bad in hast he schuld[e] voide his place,
Vp-on peril þat after falle myȝt.
And he anoon went out of his syȝt;
And in al hast, he and his meyne,
With-oute abood, taken han þe se,
And gan to sailen oute of Thesalye,
And in her weye so fast[e] þei hem hyȝe,
Þat in schort tyme þei arived be
Vp at Salempne, a myȝty strong cite,
Wher be fortune in þis royal toun,
Þis Anthenor fond kyng Thelamoun,
And to his palys he haþ þe wey[e] nome.
And first, I fynde, whan þat he was come,
He was accepte[d] vn-to his presence,
Benyng[e]ly with-oute[n] al offence;
For Exion was present in þat tyde,
Of auenture stondyng by his syde.
And at reuerence of hir womanhede,
Of Antenor he toke þe better hede,
Al-be of custom þat kyng Thelamoun
Had hiȝe dispit and indignacioun
Of euery Troyan þat he coude espie;
For specialy to hem he had envie,
Of rancour only, þoruȝ þe bitter rage,
Whiche in his hert myȝt[e] neuer asswage.
But for al þat, he in pacience
To Anthenor haþ ȝeven audience;
Þe whiche anoon, in ful sobre wyse
His tale gan, as I schal deuyse:
“Sir,” quod he, “with support of ȝour grace,
So ȝe me graunt opportune space,
For to declare þe cause of my commyng,
I wil reherse with-out more tarying
My mater hool, brefly in sentence,
To make it kouþe to ȝour magnificence,
Signefying, with-out[e] displesaunce,
Þat Priamus, whiche haþ [þe] gouernaunce
Of Troye toun, hath vn-to ȝow sent
Of feiþful menyng and of clene entent,
Besechyng first to ȝour goodlyhed,
Alle other wronges forȝetyn & eke ded,
Þat ȝe only, of ȝour hiȝe nobles,
Of equite, and of gentilnes,
Ȝe wil restore Exyona ageyn,
Whiche þat ȝe hold, to speke in wordis pleyn,
In verray soth, nouȝt like to hir estat.
Wherfore, he preyeth to stynten al debat,
And euery harme to put out of memorie,
Of kyngly honour for ȝour owne glorie,
To send hir hom and make deliueraunce
Goodly of hir with-outen variaunce,
Whom ȝe han holde so many long[e] daies.
Ne tarieth nat, ne setteth no delayes,
Ne lete in ȝow be founde now no slowþe;
For sothfastly it is to gret a routhe
To recorde how ȝe haue hir vsed,
It may of trouth nat goodly ben excused.
But we schal lete liȝtly ouerslyde,
So þat ȝe bening[e]ly prouide
To sende hir hom, lik as I haue seyd.
Loo, her þe charge þat was on me leide,
With-oute more abydyng in certeyn,
What godly answer ȝe wil send ageyn.”
Whan Thelamoun herkned had his tale,
Of hasty Ire he gan to wexe pale—
Þe fyry colre hath hym made so wode,
Þat from his face a valid was þe blood,
Whiche in his hert gan to frete & bite—
With lok askoyn, & tornyd vp þe white,
Of hiȝe disdeyn, with face dispitous,
With pale smylyng & lauȝtre furious,
Gan rakyn oute þe felle mortal fire
Of fretyng hate, þat brent in his desire,
And schortly made, in conclusioun,
To Anthenor þis obieccioun,
And seide, “frend, what-euer þat þou be,
I wondre gretly, & mervail is to me,
What auenture or sodeyn newe þing
Vnprudently meveth now þi kyng
Vn-to me to make swiche a sonde;
Þou wer a fole, whan þou toke on honde,
Outher vnhappy or infortunat,
To me to bryng þis embassiat;
For I with hym haue no þing a-do,
Nor he wit[h] me, and loke þou seye hym so;
For we ne ben aqueynted but a lyte,
Nor I no þing platly me delite,
At schorte wordis, ȝif þou list to here,
To don for hym, [n]or at his prayere;
For I ne haue Ioye nouþer feste
To do riȝt nouȝt, sothly, at his request.
Þis wote I wel, þat but a while ago
I was at Troye, my silfe and other mo,
For to reforme [a] þing þat was amys,
Þoruȝ ȝour offence, schortly, þus it is;
For certeyn þing wrouȝt by Lamedoun.
And by our manhood we wan þer þe toun,
And slow þe kyng & alle þat with hym hilde,
In knyȝtly wyse hym metyng in þe felde;
And for þat I, as eueryche myȝt[e] se,
Dide entre first in-to þat cite,
It was to me graunted for memorie,
In signe only of myn hiȝe victorie,
With-outen any contradiccioun,
By alle þe Grekis to haue pocessioun
Of hir þat is to me most entere,
Exiona, whom þou cleymest here.
But be wel siker, þin askyng is in veyn;
For trust[e] wel, & be riȝt wel certeyn,
Þou gest hir nat, at o word, ȝif I may;
For þer schal first be made ful gret affray
Or I hir leue duryng al my lyve,
Who euer grucche or þer ageyn[es] striue
It wer nat sittyng me to leue hir so,
For whom I had whilom so gret ado
Or I hir gat with spendyng of my blood;
And who þat be wroþ þer-with or wood,
I wil hir kepe, as it schal be founde;
For whom I had so many mortal wounde
At Troye toun, or þat I hir wan.
And in good feith, as ferforþe as I can,
Sche schal nat liȝtly from myn hondis passe;
For sche allone stant so in my grace
For hir bewte and hir semylyhed,
For hir bounte and hir goodlyhed,
Þat ȝif I schal my resoun schortly fyne,
Sche is in sothe þe moste femy[ny]ne
Þat euer I sawe, and with-outen drede,
Of port, of konnyng, & of womanhede,
Sche haþ alone, in verray existence,
Þe souereynte and þe excellence;
Þat Priamus, for ouȝt þat þou canst seyn,
Whil þat I lyue get her not ageyn,
But he hir bye with many dedly wounde,
With scharp[e] swerdis and square speris grounde.
For þer schal first be reysed soche a strif,
Þat it schal cost many a man his lif,
Or [þat] sche ageyn restored be;
Take þis for soþ, þou gest no more of me.
Whan hym list he may wel be-gynne;
But I suppose he schal but litel wynne,
Noon oþer wyse but as I þe tolde.
And wost [þou] what a gret fool I þe holde,
The to putte so fer in iupartye,
To execute þis embassatrye,
Þe manly Grekis so boldly to offende;
Be war þer-for, þat he no more þe sende,
Vp-on þi lyf, for rancour nor for pride.
Now go þi weye; for ȝif þat þou abyde
Any lenger, sothly, in my siȝt,
Þou wost þe pris of þat I haue þe hiȝt;
Þou skapest nat, who þat be lef or lothe.”
Þanne Anthenor anoon to schip[pe] goth,
And to saille hym list nat to delaye,
Toward an yle þat callyd is Achaye;
And whan þat he taken hath þe lond,
At his ryuail of auenture he fonde
Þe worþi kynges, Pollux and Castor;
And riȝt anoon þis Troyan Anthenor
With-oute abood to þe court is fare,
Vnto hem his message to declare;
And to-gydre whan þei were present,
Ryȝt þus he seide, as in sentament:
“Þe nobil kyng of Troye þe cite
Hath vn-to ȝou sent his wille by me,
Besechyng ȝou in ful lowe maner
Þat ȝe list vn-to his prayer
Of equite for to condescende,
And goodly helpyn a certeyn wrong to amende,
Touchyng his suster, callid Exyon,
Þat he may haue restitucioun
Of hir ageyn, by ȝour discrete avyse.
For sith ȝe ben so manly and so wyse,
It likly is, in his oppinioun,
Þat by ȝour good[e] mediacioun,
Sche liȝtly may ageyn restored be,
For to cherische pes and vnite.
Wherfor he prayeþ with al his hert enter,
In goodly wyse to doon ȝour deuer,
Þat hold[e] ben so knyȝtly and so sage,
And he wil pleynly al þe surplusage
Of wrongis olde puttyn in suspence;
For he desyreth, of kyngly hiȝe prudence,
To stint[e] werre & to norische pes;
For he is nouther rakle nor rekles,
But avisee, in his werkis alle,
To cast aforn what [þat] schal [be-]falle,
And þinges future aduertyng from a-ferre,
And seth what perel þat þer is in werre,
Wil hym conforme vn-to pes & rest;
For he conseyueth þat it is þe best,
Euery man vnite to sewe,
And prudently also to eschewe
Of debatis ecche occasioun.
Lo, here þe fyn of his entencioun,
Whiche I commytte to ȝour Iugement.”
And Castor þan, of ire impacient,
For hastynes ne myȝt[e] nat abide,
His cruel hert so swolle was with pride,
Brak out anon with a dispitous face,
And seide: “frende, I knowe of no trespas
Þat Grekis dide euer vn-to þi kyng;
To axe amendis, it is a wonder þing,
Of vs þat neuer dide hym noon offence,
Saue þat we made a maner recompense
Of a wrong wrouȝt by Lamedoun,
Þe whiche first souȝt occasioun
Ageyn[es] Grekis, in vngoodly wyse;
Þat caused vs vp-on hym to ryse,
Al attonys, and manly on hym sette,
Of due riȝt for to quite oure dette.
Liche his decert we han hym [pleinly] serued,
And no þing wrouȝt, but as he haþ disseruyd.
To axe amendis he gynneþ now to late,
For we couet more his mortal hate,
His outter malis, and his enmyte,
Þan ouþer pes, acord, or vnite;
As in effect her-after he schal fele,
Ȝif it hap[pe] þat he with vs dele;
Þe bargan schal ful dere ben abouȝt;
And we his frenschip, soþly, set at nouȝt.
And ouer-more, I speke now to þe,
It likly is, as semeth vn-to me,
Þat Priamus þe louyd but a lite,
Nat þe valu, I suppose, of a myte,
Whan he þe sent vp-on þis message;
And þou of foly dedist gret outrage,
To take on þe so hiȝe a perlous þing,
Vn-to Grekis to bryng[e] swiche tydyng,
Wher-þoruȝ þi lif is putte in iupartie.
But I counsel fast[e] þat þou hiȝe
Out of my siȝt, list þat þou repente.”
And Anthenor furthe to schippe went,
And with þe wynde gan to seyle anoon
Toward an yle callid Pillyon;
And in al hast, whan he dide ariue,
He schope hym forþe to þe court as blyue,
Wher duk Nestor, in al maner þing,
His housholde held, royal as a kyng.
And Anthenor, ful sadde and avisee,
To-for Nestor sittyng in his see,
Whan þat he was amytted for to seyn,
His tale he tolde ful opinly and pleyn,
From point to point, as ȝe herd a-fore;
It wer but weyn to reherse it more,
For he alwey concluded hath in oon,
Liche as ȝe herde, touching Exyon.
But duk Nestor, with face no þing red,
But of hewe as any asche deed,
Fret with col[e]re so inwardly was he,
Þat his blood from eche extremyte
Withdrawen is, doun vn-to his hert,
Whiche for Ire so sore made hym smert,
Þat he gan quake in euery Ioint & veyne,
Þat he his hond vnneþe may refreyne,
For malenkolye avenged for to be;
Lik a lyon, so wood & wroþe was he,
Fer from hym silf he was so alienat,
And inwardly of rancour passionat,
With loke reuersed, furious of siȝt,
Þat tempre hym silf onneþis he ne myȝt;
He felt of anger so greet aduersite.
And amyddes al his cruelte,
Of sodeyn hast attonys he out brak,
And even þus to Anthenor he spak:
“O þou,” quod he, “with alle þi wordis white,
As I suppose, [þat] þou wost ful lyte
Vn-to fore whom þou hast þi tale tolde;
For I merueile how þou art so bolde
To presume myn eris to offende;
And for Priam so proudly to pretende
A maner title in þi kynges name,
Þe worþi Grekis for to putte in blame,
And vniustly, of foule hardynes,
Requere of hem [for] to han redres
Of Iniuries wrouȝt on Lamedoun,
Boldly affermyng, of fals presumpcioun,
Vp-on Grekis wrongis outragious,
Whiche in myn eris ben so odious,
So fretyng eke, so byting and so kene,
For to list þat I may nat sustene,
In myn heryng so hateful is þe soun;
Þat, nere þe honour of myn hiȝe renoun
Refreyned me, I schulde in cruel wyse
Execute ful hastely iustyse,
Þoruȝ þe rigour of my mortal lawe,
With bestys wilde first to do þe drawe,
And þer-vp-on, for þi fayned tale,
Dismembre þe al on pecis smale,
In dispite of Priamus þi kyng,
To techen oþer to bringe more tydyng,
Presumptuously, or any talis newe,
To any lord, but þei þe bet hym knewe.
Þis schulde be for þi presumpcioun
Þi last[e] mede and final guerdoun,
With-out mercy, lik as I haue behiȝt.
And in al hast, be go out of my siȝt!
For outerly it doþ to gret offence
Vn-to myn ey to haue þe in presence,
For þoru disdeyn it causeth myn vnrest.”
Þan Anthenor þouȝt[e] for þe best,
It was not holsom lenger to abide,
But cast wysly, for rancour or for pride,
Þat it was best for to bern hym feyre,
And to his schippe he gan anoon repeyre,
And in al hast by possibilite,
With-oute abood he taken haþ þe see,
And gan to seyle & homward fast[e] drawe.
But sodeynly boilen gan þe wawe,
Þe see to ryse, and þe clowdes blake
For tappere, and þe wynde a-wake;
Wonder gastful also was þe heuene
With dredful fire of þe briȝt[e] leuene;
Þe þonder smot, þe tempest gan to dryue,
Þat þe mast gan a-sonder riue.
Now aloft, nowe in poynt to drowne,
Þe fel[le] wedir gan so on hem frowne,
Þat þei awaite not but vp-on deth,
Euene at þe point of ȝeldyng vp þe breth,
For þei ne sawe noon oþer remedye.
And euer-among, þei gan clepe and crye
To her goddes, and avowes make,
And devoutly for to vndertake,
Eche of hem, liche as he was of age,
Ȝif þei eskape, to gon on pilgrymage,
Lyche þe ritys of her paynym wyse,
To þe goddis to doon her sacrifise,
So as þei werne of substaunce & of myȝt.
And sodeynly þe wedir, dirke as nyȝt,
With new[e] lyȝt by grace gan adawe;
Þe se wexe calme, & smoþe gan þe wawe,
So þat of hap, among hem euerychon,
For al þe tempest, persschid was not on;
But to-fore Troye, with-Inne a litel space,
Þei ben aryved euerychon by grace,
Eskapid safe from euery Iupartye,
Boþe Anthenor and al his companye.
And to þe temple he toke þe riȝte waye,
And in his prayer þer ful long he lay,
With many another also for his sake,
Þankyng her goddis, þat made hem so eskape
Euery perel and tempest of þe see.
And aftir þis, vn-to þe kyng goth he,
Þat with his lordis aboute hym ful royal,
In his palys and dongoun principal
Sat and abod, ful solempnely,
Trewe report of þis embas[sa]trye;
And þis knyȝt, of al þat hath hym falle,
Hath tolde þe kyng to-forne his lordis alle.