Book XV.

must not blame his fortune when evil befalls.

Wite not his wirdis, þof hym woo happyn!
And he þat kepis not kyndly the course of his

heale,

But sodanly forsakes þat sent is of god, 7072 Hit shalbe gricchit hym þat grace in his grete

nede. On that day

So happit hit here to pis hed prinse, great Hector had the better of

Honerable Ector, oddist of knightes, his enemies, and (fol. 110 b.)

That holly the herhond hade at his wille, might have

7076 And haue vttred his Enmyes angur þat tyme ; vanquished them;

His worship haue wonyn, & his wille hade;

And all his fos in the filde fuersly ouer-comyn. but unfortunately Then it cheuyt þus by chaunse of þat choise Telamon-Ajax encountered him,

knight,
7080 bat the sun of Exiona, þat was his sib mon,

And Telamon, þe triet kyng, þat was his true

fader,
hat cald was be course of the kynges syde,

Telamonius Aiax truly to nome,
7084 That a mon was of might & of mayn strenght,

He auntrid hym to Ector ernystly with fight.

The stoure was full stithe of bo stuerne knightes! Hector recognizes As þai fughtyn in fere with pere felle swerdis, him as his cousin

7088 Hit auntrid þat Ector, be ame of his speche, german.

Knew hym for his cousyn comyn of his Aunt,

And syb to hym-selfe, sewyng of blode. Rejoiced at the

He was glad of the gome, & o goode chere meeting, he raises his visor,

7092 Voidet his viser, auentid hym seluyn, and invites Ajax

And said to bat semly all in sad wordis, to visit his cousing in Troy.

Prayond hym prestly, as his pure frynd,

Turne vnto Troy & talke with his cosyns,.

7096 His honerable Em, & other of his ffryndes. Ajax excuses

He denyet hym anon with a nait wille ; himself for the

His ledis for to leue hym list not as þen. time, but begs Hector to show

But he prayet the prinse with his pure hert, that his love for him is real, by 7100 Iff he louyt hym, as he let to leue for pe tyme,

THE TROJANS ARE WITHDRAWN.

229

Book XV.

more,

them to retire

þat þe troiens in hor tenttes shuld tene hom no

putting an end to

the battle. Ne dere hom with dinttes whille pat day last,

Ne folow hom no furre, ne felle of hor pepull. 7104 ben vnhappely hys hest he hastid to do, Hector grants the

request; and, pat angart hym after angardly sore,

assembling his

forces, commands Turnyt hym to tene & all the tit Rewme.

within the city. With the tuk of a trump, all his tore knightes 7108 He assemblit full sone, & sad men of armys,

And comaundit hom kyndly, kynges & all,
To go bake fro pe batell, & buske ynto troy,

And mene hym no more, ne hor men kylle. (Pol. 111 a.) 7112 The Troiens þaire tore shippis hade turnyt on The Trojans had ffyre,

Greek ships and Wold haue brent hom barly, botis & other;

consumed them, Haue grippit the goodis, & the gomes qwellet,

And no lede vpon lyue left in þe fild.
7116 But at the biddyng of þe bold, þat þe buernes led,

bai were assemblit full sone, & myche sorow hade,
Wentton to þe wale toun wailyng in hert,

the Trojans enter Entrid with angur, and to þere Innes 3ode.

the city, 7120 Thus curstly þat knighthode for a cause light,

Voidet pere victory for vanité of speche,
bat neuer auntrid hom aftur so ably to wyn ;

But þurgh domys of destany dreuyt to noght, 7124 And ay worth vnto werre, as ye shall wete aftur.

set fire to the

would have

had Hector not recalled them,

Sad and angry,

xbj Boke. Of a Trew Takyn two Monethes:

And of the thrid Batell,

In the morning the Trojans arm to assail the Greeks.

(fol. 111 6.)

Wen fortun wyth fell angur feftis on hond, ffull tid in hire tene turnys he be qwell !

Wen þes ffounet folk were faryn to toune,
7128 And entryd full Esely erdyng in sorow.

After settyng of þe Sun þai Seyn to be zates,
Braidyn vp þaire briggis, barrit hom fast;

Iche Rink to paire rest Richit hom seluyn,
7132 And esit hom all nyght after þaire deuyse.

Wen þe day vp drogh, & pe dym voidit,
All þe troiens full tit tokyn þaire armys,

That were hoole and vnhurt hastid to ffild,
7136 By the ordinaunce of Ector erly at morow,

To fare to be fight þere fos to distroy,
And make an end of þere note naitly pai

thoght.

But the grekes, in the gray day, graidly did send. 7140 A message full myldly to be maistur of Troy,

Of a true for to trete of a tyme short,-
Two monethes, and no more, po mighty dessirit.

Hit was grauntid agayn of po grete all ;
7144 Of Priam, & the prinse, & the pert Dukes.

Then the grekes were glad, gedrit þere folke,
That were brittnet in batell, broght bom to-

gedur.

But the Greeks demand a truce for two months :

а

which is granted.

The Greeks collect their dead :

Book XVI.

and some are burned.

:

Patroclus.

a

He causes the bodies of Patroclus and Protesilaus tc be laid in gorgeous tombs.

Thai gird into graves þe grettist of astate, 7148 And beriet hom bairly on hor best wise.

some are buried, All the Remnond and Roke radly pai broght, And brent vp the bodies vnto bare askis,

Consumet the corses for vnclene aire, 7152 As the custome was comynly in cuntres of grece. Achilles, the choise kyng, was of chere febill, Achilles bewails

the death of ffor Patroclus, his pere, þat put was to dethe:

Myche weping & wo, waylyng of teris,
7156 And lamentacioun full long for loue of hym one.

He araiet for þat Rioll, all of Riche stones,
A faire toumbe & a fresshe all of fre marbill,

There closet he the kyng vppon cleane wise, 7160 With Sacrifice and solempnite vnto sere goddes;

And Prothessalon, the pert kyng, put in another,
Wroght for þat worthy vppon wise faire ;

And Merion, the mighty, into mold put
7164 With soche worshipfull werkes, as pe weghis

vsit. All the Troiens, on the tother side, while the The Trojans tru last,

attend to their Helit þere hurt men þurgh helpis of leches.

By two monethes were myldly mouit to end, 7168 Iche freike was fyn hole of þere fell hurttes.

Care hade the kyng for Cassibilon his son,
ffor he was noblist & next of his naite children, (fol. 112 a.)

ffull tendurly with teris tynt myche watur, 7172 And mournet full mekull, for he be mon louyt. Cassibelan, who is In Venus temple be worthy, in a wale toumbe

Temple of Venus.
He bereit that bold on his best wise.
Cassandray, the kynges doughtur, consayuit the

dole,
7176 Weping and woo, þat þe weghis made,

Sho brast out in a birre, & to be bold said :-
“A! wrecches vnwar, woo ys in our hond ! Trojans, and
Why Sustayn ye þat sorow, þat Sewes for euer, make peace with

wounded.

Priam mourns for his son

buried in the

:

Cassandra bewails the sad fate of the Book XVI.

the Greeks or worse will befall them.

By Priam's order she is shut up in prison.

7180 With care for to come, & cum brans to all ?

Why proffer ye not pes, or ye payne thole,
And be done to be dethe with dynttes of swerdes?

This Cité and þe soile be sesit you fro,
7184 Ouertyrnet with tеne, temple and oper;

Modris þere myld childer with mournyng behold,
Be set vnder seruage & sorow to byde !

Elan was neuer honour auenant so mykell,
7188 Ne so precious of prise to pay for vs all !

So
mony

to be martrid for malice of hir!
All our lyuys to lose for lure of hir one !"

When the kyng had consayuit Cassandra noise, 7192 He comaundet hir be caght, & closit full hard : In a stithe house of ston stake hir

vр There ho lengit full longe, as pe lyue says. Palomydon, the proud kyng, prise of the

Grekes,
7196 Made murmur full mekyll in the mene tyme,

Agamynon the grete was of no gre chere
To beire the charge as cheftan of bo choise

kynges.

More syttyn he saide hym seluyn to haue, 7200 As Richer of Renttes, & Riollier of astate;

Held hym for no hede, ne wold his hest kepe, ffor he Chargyt was for no cheftain, ne chosyn

by hym Ne of xxxti other pro kynges, þat þriuond were

a

fast;

Palamedeg murmurs against Agamemnon;

and thinks that he himself is more worthy to be commander.

all ;

(fol. 112 b.)

7204 Was non assentyd to þat souerain sothely but

thre, Without ordinaunce of other only or assent : But of þat mater was meuit nomore at þat

tyme.

Agamemnon arrays the Greeks

When the tyne was ourtyrnyt, and þe tru vp, 7208 Agamynon be grekys gedrit in þe fild,