University of Virginia Library

Fragment II.

The kyng, whene þis counsell was done,
Ine hys hall pryvely ryght sone
Enteryt, ande ine-to full mony
Of weete teres ryght sorowfully
Brest out, for rytht moche dysese
Ande doloure, ine hys hert þat wese;
Inne-to hys thought haffande þat whyles
Of tratorye the wyckede wyles
Of Anthenore ande Eneas
Inne-to þat wofull wyckede case,
Ande þat hys sonnes all hath he
Tynt, þat war of gret bounte,
Ande also he hath mekle skaithes;
And now one neide, þat hyme more lath is:
The thyng so frawarde with hyme stondys,
It byhuffyt hyme frome þar hondes
Redempe hyme the which to hyme dyde
So gret dysese ande slaughtre kyde,
Ande þar for hys redempcioune,
As by skill ande ageynes resoune,
They woll haue all hys golde awey
That he gadrede hath mony day,
Ande at the last he, spoylit all
Of hys goodes, both gret & small,
Inne-to depnes of povertee
Byhuffyt hyme dyrenyt to be;
Bot gode, seyde he ine-to þat stryve,
Myght (he) be mayde sekyre of hys lyve!
And so longe Pryame wyst rytht nought
What he myght do: so was it wrought—
Sene of Necessyte he streyngnede
Was, to folow þare wyles feynede
Which yharnyt hys wndoynge
With þar strenthes ine alkyne thynge.—
The queyne Eleyne, þat wyst how so
Troyiens the tretty with (!) to mo
As lykede þe gregeois, for to pas
To pees, ande how þat Eneas[OMITTED]
Wyth Anthenore, sche ine the nyght,
Whene away was the dayes lyght,
Went to Anthenore full pryvely
Ande preyede hyme right tentyfly
That he for hyr walde trete þe pece
With Menelayus, þat whyle wes
Hyre lorde, þat for hys gret renowne
He by Reconsylyacioune
Walde mak of hyr for þe mercye
Of hys grete pitte anerly
She myght of hyme atteyne of pees
Grace, of the anent hyre sece (!).
Which thing Anthenor thonkfully
Hyght for hyre to trete fullely.
Ande so Heleyne hyr leue has tone
And to hyr kynges palace gone.—
Ine meyne-tyme Glawcus honorabily,
The kynges sone, they gert burye.
Of the corps of Pantysylya
The troyiens to purpos kane ta
That it sholde not þar erdyt be
Bot sholde be sende ine hyr cuntre,
Eftre þat þe pece tretyt were,
Honorabilly for to be there
Buryede, as þe bodye of a queyne; —
Ande that thrught kynge Phylymeyne
Was þane so ordanyt for to be,
With hole consent of the Cite. —
Anthenore þane ande Eneas
To þe gregeois castris gane pas:
Wher with they thre þat chosene were,
Of thynges of the Cite there
They haue tretede rytht secretly,
As forspokene was holely;
(&) of the Reconsyliacioune
Of queyne Eleyne, was ine þe toune,
Frome Menelay, hyr lorde, perfaye
Grace at lykyng obtenyt thay.
Wherfore gregeois has Vlixes
Statute ande als Dyomedes,
With Anthenor ande Enea
As legates to þe toune to ga.
Which bene entrede ine the toune:
Thrught all þe rewes wp ande doune
The peple Joye ande solace maide,
Eftere ine it thay entrede hade,
For-why, sene they war kynges two
Ande ryght wondre discreit also,
They trowede all of the Cite
The pees for to completet be.
Wpone þe morow ine the dawynge,
At maundement of Pryame kynge
Inne the palais all þe troyiens
For speche generaly come attones:
Where Vlixes hys sermoune
To heme spok þus ine commowne:
He seyde, þe gregeois thynges two
Askede: ande þe furst was of tho
The Restauracioune of skaithes,
To heme throw troyiens done, & wathes,
Inne wondre mekill quantyte
Of golde ande syluer for to be;
Ande þat Amphymacus for-thy
Of the bourghe be perpetualy
Bannyst for-out Retourne ageyne.
Ande this Anthenor ine-to certeyne
Procurede throw hys wykede wyle,
Threw goode Amphymacus throw gyle,
For þat he with all pyth & peyne
Resistede þane hys sawes ageyne
Whene furst he ande Eneas spok
With kyng Pryame þat he sholde mok
With gregeois pece, if þat he myght,
Sene he ne force hath for to fyght. —
A, what to þe wys mane rytht wele
It geynes to haue þe cawteile
That he be not the forspekere,
All-þought þat he thar were,
Inne the tyme of Turbacions
Ande dissawande condicions,
Ande þat of such maner he do
That he myght put kepynge to (!).
For such, this prelocucioune
War shamfull harsk & rytht felloune
To Amphymacus, þe worthy,
That bannyst sholde be ythandly!
And Anthenor þis exilynge
To hyme-seluene of bannysshynge
Procurede nought. — but almyghty
Gode, þat ryghtwise is, soothly,
Revenges oft with samyne peyne
Ande punysys þe mane ine-to certeyne
The quhilk to othere procurede he
Ageynes skill to gevene be;
For-why this ilk Anthenore,
Of whome we oft-syse spak before,
Was bannyst for ay of the lande,
Whene þat Eneas was tretande, —
As folowynge of thys storye
Present declare shall sone clerly. —
Inne the palais Dyomedes
With hys fere beande, Vlixes,
Amonge þe troyiens euerychone,
For spek to-gyddre Junct ine one:
A ferlyfull sowne sodeynly
Amonge heme maide was hydwisly,
That the voceferacions
Of the gret glamoures & þe sownes
War herde ine entryng of þe place
Wher þe forsaide spek tretede was.
Wherfor gretly Vlixes
Was fleyt ande Dyomedes,
Because þat for þe mekile crye
The peple walde rusche sodeynly
One thame & sley thare ine þar teyne.
Ande vther wende þat it hade beyne
The kynges sonnes, þat came so
The two legattes þar for to to
Because of Religacioune
Of Amphymacus of renowne.
Bot the cause they sperede besely
Of þar gret noyse ande þat crye,
Wpone no maner mytht be thar
Perseyvede wele what at þai war.
Wherfor þe spek endyt of Ichone
Frome the kynges palace bene gone.
Anthenor ande Dyomedes
Inne secre place, ande Vlixes,
Thame drew, whare they myght pryvely
Spek what they wolde ande secrely
Of pryvateis of þar falss gyles.
Ande tho thre syttynge ine þat whyles
To-gydder anerly but more,
Vlixes seyde to Anthenore:
»Why drawis þow ine-to delay
The thynge þat þow kane to ws say,
That þow it to effecte gerrys nought,
As þow has hyght to ws, be brought?«
Anthenor answerde sone hyme till
Ande seyde: »the goddes wote my will
That I me besye ine no-thynge,
Ande Eneas, without lesynge,
Bot to þat thynge hight haue we
To ger ine hast fulfillede be.
Bot þar is one Impedyment
That lattis ws ine our entent:
Heyre is one ferlyfull relyk,
That ine no londe I trow is syk,
Of þe goddes; of which ȝow till
I shall ȝow sey, if þat ȝe will.«
Dyomedes seyth þat it pleseth,
»And is thonkfull to ws ande eseth.«
Anthenor seyde þat »wndoutabile
It is ande rytht certeyne, but fabile,
That kynge Ylyus ine þis toune,
Which þat furst foundede Ilioune,
Whome-of Ilioune foundede was,
With all þe duellares ine þat place
Statut ine-to þe honoure
Of Pallas (a) tempile full stoure
Ande mekill als, ine þis Cite,
That is rytht semblyche wnto se.
Ande whene þe walles all was mayde,
Befor þat it the coveringe hade,
A ferly tokene of the hevene
Inne-to it doune descendede evene,
O thynge full mekill wirteous
Ande for to seyne ryght precious,
Ande ryght bysyde the hye altere,
Not ferre one lenth but it full nere,
Thrught goddes ordynaunce we call
Stakke þe seluene ine þe wall.
Ande sene þat whyle now, certeynly,
It has stondene þar ythandly,
And it woll lat no-mane it to
The place awey, where it is, fro,
But anerly of the keperes.
And now allone but ony feres
It is not kepte, sooth to seye,
But of o prest, þe which þat ay
It kepte with ryght crafty cure
And diligence with all honoure.
The mater of it is of tree, —
But which kynde of tree þat it be,
Impossibile is mane to wytt;
Ande how ine fourme which þat It
Is mayde, none ine thys lyve wyt may,
þought all hys lyftyme he assaye.
Pallas, of whois benefice
Thys thynge to troyiens gettene Is,
Seyde, þat þis tokene of walue
Hade ine-to it such a wirtue,
That, at it with-Ine myght be,
The tempile, or yhit the Cite,
The walles neuire of þis toune
Shall tone be with þar foes felloune,
Nor þe troyiens þe toune shall tyne
Whyle at þat tokene is with-Ine,
Ne superioryte of the (!)
Troyes kynges of the Cite
Shall tyne, þe tokene þar beande,
Nor yhitt þar aeres folowande.
Forsooth, þis is þe hope certane
Where-thrught þe troyia(n=)s euirilkane
Inne thought ay sekyre ar lyffande
And of the Cite not dredande
The distructioune of Ruyne,
Whyle they this tokene haue þare-Inne.
Ande thys tokene palladinore has
To nome, bycause þat of Pallas,
The goddes, it sholde gevene bene,
As ine this Cite all kane wene.«
To þat answerde Dyomedes,
That ine hys thought astoyned wes,
Ande seyde: »frende, if þat it so be
As þow rehersede heyre to me
Of the palladinar, soothly,
We travaile ine wayne wttrely,
Sene throw it may notht þe Cite
Inne anny maner tokene be.«
Anthenor answerde & gane say:
»Yf ȝhe ferly of the delay
Why þat to ȝow now our hyghtynge
Is not fulfillede at byddynge:
Thys is þe cause I tolde to ȝow,
Why it delayede is whyl now.
But now with besynes haue I
Of the palladinar soothly
With þe prest tretyt of the place
Which it ine-to hys kepinge has,
For of golde a gret quantite,
Which to þat prest is hight thrught me,
He gyffande thiftely ws till
The palladinar at our will.
Wherfor wnfalȝeande ar we
Maide rytht certeyne þat it shall be.
Ande whene þat we obtene it may,
We shall it ȝow sende but delay,
Ande tho shall all fulfillede be
Ȝoure will, as to ȝow hight haue we.«
Ande so þane endede was but more
Amonges heme the counsale yhore.
Ande before they gane pas þar way,
Anthenore þus to heme gane say:
»Dere frendes, at þis counsele here
Present, holdene ine þis maner,
Be not suspect (i)ne the hydynge
Of it, (I) woll pas to the kynge
Pryame ande sey hyme fenȝeandly
That with ȝow tretede heyr haue I,
Of ȝow to haue the certeynte
Which þat shall be the quantyte
Of it ȝhe ettille for to to
Of the kyng ande of hys also.«
And so Ichone þare leve has tane,
And Anthenor, or þat he fane,
Inne hye went to Pryame þe kynge,
To certefye hyme of this thynge.

Her Anthenor stalle the palladiner, & throw hyme & Eneas the toune was betresit & distroyede.

The argument betuix Thelamonius ande Vlixes.

Some woundede, some slew, & some kane ta,
Ande spullede þare goodes alsua.
But frome þe hondes at þe last
He has chapede, & so long past
Thrught þe wylde sees wauerandly,
Whill he was commyne happely
Of þat ilk provynce of one place
That Gerbyndya callit was:
Inne-to þe which o kyng was þane
That was ane goode & rythtwiss mane
And to hys name hate Tytydes,
Ande helde þat provynce ine gret pres.
Inne-to þis kynges londe for-thy
Anthenore with smalle companye
Aryvede and toke londe þat tyde,
Whar hye brayes one ilk syde
Was lyande both one lenth & breide;
The which brayes endlonge he ȝheide.
Thus as they hye brayes he sought,
He fonde a fayre pleyne, wher he thought

[_]

The Camb. Univ. Lib. Ms. ends here.

Was awenande a towne to set;
And þan withoutine longer let
He foundit ane gret cite thore
With þe troyans þat with him wore,
And quhene þat It was foundit all,
Corthire Melone gart It call.
The quhilk in-to schort tyme was made
With sikker walles, hie & braide,
And mony towres and turet,
About vpone þe walles set.
And quhene þat It was knawine to tho
That in Troy gane duelling mo,
That he had gart ane cite stabile
And to so awenand place & abile:
The most part of þaime come but baid
To hime; quhar-throw þe towne was maid,
Quhat of þaime & of vþeris seire,
Richt populus one gret manere.
Than to þe said kynge Tytides
Was tolde, of quhois provynce wes
That towne, þat Anthenor was in þane,
A richt-wyss, discrete, worthy mane;
So þat throw sic relacioune
The kinge in gret effectioune
Resavit hime in speciall grace,
And all þe troyans, with him was.
Quharfor gretlie he Is maid blyth
Of þe kyngis loue, and alswyth
Throw his wit and governynge
He Is secund best nixt þe kinge. —
Cassandra, quhilk þat ȝit remanys
In Troy, with mony bitter panes,
Of stanynge of hire moder schene
And of hire sistere Polexene,
And ȝet out teres in fussioune
With angry lamentacioune.
Bot at þe last hire rany teres
Dryed a litill, and hire feres
Sobrand, þocht sche had nocht maid ende,
The grekes tuke purposs to wende
Fro Troye and prayit hire to tell þaime some
Of thingis þat ware to þame to cume.
Quhom-to Cassandra said: þat þai
Suld haue gret Ill be mony way,
Or þat þai come in þare cuntre;
And to Agamenone said: þat he
Suld be slane with þe folk þat were
Ine-to his houss famyliere.
And as It eftir to þaime fell,
Richt as Cassandra gane þaime tell,
The present story sall declaire,
Quho list to luke It forthiremare. —
Kyng Thelamone þat richt pryvely
Was slane, as before talde I,
Hade two sonnes with-outine mo,
Gottine vpone his wyffes two:
Of þe quhilkis first Ermeydes
One Glausta þe quene gottine wes,
The toþir Antissatus allswa
Gottyne one þe queyne Thimissa.
And þire two sonnes, quhene þai ware ȝinge,
War gevine ine tutory and kepinge
To kinge Teuteus, to kepe and weilde,
Quhill þai ware cummyne to parfyte elde
And quhill þai ware abile to bere
Armes and tuke knychthed in were. —
Agamenone and Menelay
At grekes askit leif þat þai
Mycht pass home in þare awne lande.
And þe grekes þat was bydande
At Troye, walde scantly gif þaime leve,
For þai had þame in-to misleve
And suspecte In-to mekile thinge
Of Thelamonyus murtheringe —
Quhill Vlixes stall thiftuisly
Away, as grauntande hime gilty —
For qulk þai war suspecte þe less;
And at þe last þaime grauntede wes
Half gruchandly, to go þar way.
And passand one frome Troy sone þai
Enterede in schippis, he & he,
And þaime committed to þe se.—
This tyme, quhene þat herwist hade
In law places his coursses maide
And was passede vttraly,
And wyntir, his nixt nychtboure by,
Throw-out þe warlde ine syndry placis
Command with strenth of his slaw paces;
And had þe treis dispulȝeit
Of þare faire flouris and disfulȝeit
And had gevine scilence alss, but weire,
To þe swete sang of foules seire,
And with his austrene wyndis blast
Richt bustuously blawande and fast
Was cummand frome his lurkand laire
With his rigoure, þe plesand aire
Puttand away frome all brichtness,
With clowdy gaddering of myrkness
Clethande hime, In-to copye
Of schouris, þat giffis ythandly
Encressing helpe and nurisinge
To fludes In-to mekile thinge
And frome hicht of þe sumiteis
Descendand amongis þe waleis
With his richt coursses þe waleis mais
All wete and scowres all þe brais:
In þis same tyme, þat grekes was
Ameved throw so gret lichtness
Throw a blynd fulische desyre
That þare hartis as birnand fyre
Ameved, to pass In-to þare lande,
With eger willis and scaldande,
Strenȝeand þare thocht so þat quhile
That þai thocht one no parrile,
Nouþir þe tempest of þe seis
Ne of þe tyme þe qualiteis,
Bot gaif þaime to þat ȝarnande gate. —
For quhilk It happinnis oft, god wate,
And is richt suth withoutine dreid
That of fule haist cummis no speid;
For quho so haistis hime richt folely
To pass a gait oure-hastely,
He sall haue let and perchaunce he
Sall neuir cume quhare he wolde be. —
Thus quhene throw suche desyre birnande
The grekes had tone vpone hande
In þare awne cuntre for to torne
Frome Troye, withoutine more sudiorne,
Thai passit to þare schippis ine hy,
Quhare þare was ritches gret copy
That þai had wonnyne Ine-to þe towne.
Thus to þe se þai maid þaime bowne,
In-to þe holl of wyntir richt
Vpone a soft day and a bricht
Thai put þaime out ine þe depe se
And halit wp þare salis hie,
That bowsummit with þe wyndis blast.
So happely foure dayis þai past
And foure nycht þar-to but hone.
Bot one þe fift day ewyne at none,
As þai war throw þe se passand,
Of þe soft aire richt blyth beand,
Thinkand þaime ine full sikerness:
All sodanely þe soft aire wes
Oure-coverit with cluddis blak,
That cane a suddane myrkness mak,
Qutȝettand sic copy of rayne,
And of thondere sic noyes agayne
And of fyre-flaucht sic flawis fleand
That It signifyed þe se birnand,
Betuix þe mirkness and þe licht
That It semed quhilis day, quhylis nycht;
Eurus, Nothus and Affricus,
Loussede and sende frome Eolus,
Ourtirvis þe depe se in wallis,
That now as hillis hie It schawis
Now set laich with ane noþir skift,
That þai may se nocht bot þe lift;
And þarwith raynand euir in one.
So þat þe grekes schippes Ilkone,
Throw þe fell tempest nocht togiddir,
Bot dryvand thiddir quhylis and hiddir,
That þai mycht halde no certane traid,
Bot rewyne all þar salis braid —
For noþir takile, rape nor mast
In-to þat fell tempest mycht last —
Thus all þe day continuede owt.
Bot at þe nycht þe tempestis stout
Dowblede and worthit ay more & more,
So þat þe schippes, þat scaled wore,
Draif ine one heipe, dyngande one vþir,
Nouþir sparand for schip nor ruthire;
And þarwith all þe fell fyre-flaucht
Come frome þe hewine with so gret maucht,
That It kendillit fyre naturaly
And of þare schippes brint mony;
And þai disparit and all hope tynt —
So mony with þe fyre ware brynt,
And mony drownede ine þe se,
So þat þai had no savite.
Thare was full mony grekes drownede;
And mony gret ritches renownede
That out of Troy þai with þaime had,
That gredy flude swelled but baide.
Oylus Aiaxe, certanely,
That with schippes two & thretty
That ine þat Ilk tempest couth fall,
His schippis brynt were and drownede all,
And he hime-self in-to þe flude
Flatterand amange þe wawes wode
With gret force of his armes gane swyme,
Quhill þe tempest had cassyne hime,
Bolnede with wattere, nere deande,
All naked vpone þe sande.
Quhare þare all nycht stone-still he lay,
Quhill one þe morne, þat It was day,
Trowand none vþir thing bot deide.
Quhill one þe morne to þat Ilk steide
Quhare he was lyand, vpone case
Sume of his mene þat liffand was,
Amange þe wallis fast swymmand
Richt as he did, come to þe land,
All nakit. quhene þat þai ware þaire
Sumquhat refettyd, þai gane faire
To seike þare lord and luke gif he
Throw ony case mycht liffand be:
And fande hime richt as aire said I.
Than þai tuke hime wp hastely
And comforted hime with wordis meikly;
Bot þare was no clathis, suthly,
Nor ȝit no mete nor vþire thinge,
To mak hime ony comfortinge.
And sume mene sayis, þis mischeif all
Becauss of þis Aiax cane fall:
For agane hime þe god Mynerve
Gane o richt bittire Ire conserve,
That one hime sche walde wengede be
And one þaime all, becauss þat he
The kingis douchtir Cassandra
Dreuch violently hire tempile fra.
Þocht It be said þat þai sulde tak
The payne þat þe trespass gane mak,
Bot It Is nocht of new certane
That oft happinnit for gilt of ane
A thousand þat trespassit nocht
To be pvnist for It, he wrocht. —
And now forsuth of þire gregois
And lordis passand þus frome Troyes
And hastand to þare awne cuntre,
Of all þire parrellis in þe se
And contrare casis mony-falde,
Ine-to þis nixt buke sall be talde. —