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Book XV. must not blame

his fortune when evil befalls.

On that day

great Hector

had the better of

his enemies, and (fol. 110 b.)

might have vanquished

them :

but unfortunately Telamon-Ajax encountered him.

Hector recognizes

him as his cousingerman.

Rejoiced at the meeting, he raises his visor,

and invites Ajax to visit his

cousins in Troy.

Ajax excuses himself for the time, but begs Hector to show

that his love for him is real, by

Wite not his wirdis, pof hym woo happyn!

And he pat kepis not kyndly the course of his heale,

But sodanly forsakes pat sent is of god,

7072 Hit shalbe gricchit hym þat grace in his grete
nede.

So happit hit here to pis hed prinse,
Honerable Ector, oddist of knightes,

That holly the herhond hade at his wille,
7076 And haue vttred his Enmyes angur þat tyme ;
His worship haue wonyn, & his wille hade;
And all his fos in the filde fuersly ouer-comyn.
Then it cheuyt pus by chaunse of pat choise
knight,

7080 þat the sun of Exiona, þat was his sib mon, And Telamon, pe 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 po stuerne knightes! As pai fughtyn in fere with pere felle swerdis, 7088 Hit auntrid þat Ector, be ame of his speche, Knew hym for his cousyn comyn of his Aunt, And syb to hym-selfe, sewyng of blode.

He was glad of the gome, & o goode chere
7092 Voidet his viser, auentid hym seluyn,

And said to pat semly all in sad wordis,
Prayond hym prestly, as his pure frynd,
Turne vnto Troy & talke with his cosyns,.
7096 His honerable Em, & other of his ffryndes.

He denyet hym anon with a nait wille;

His ledis for to leue hym list not as pen.

But he prayet the prinse with his pure hert,

7100 Iff he louyt hym, as he let to leue for pe tyme,

THE TROJANS ARE WITHDRAWN.

bat pe troiens in hor tenttes shuld tene hom no

more,

Ne dere hom with dinttes whille þat day last, Ne folow hom no furre, ne felle of hor pepull. 7104 ben vnhappely hys hest he hastid to do,

þat angart hym after angardly sore,

Turnyt hym to tene & all the tit Rewme.

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
And mene hym no more, ne hor men kylle.

bake fro pe batell, & buske vnto troy,

229

Book XV.

putting an end to the battle.

Hector grants the request; and, assembling his forces, commands them to retire within the city.

(fol. 111 a.)

7112 The Troiens paire tore shippis hade turnyt on The Trojans had

ffyre,

Wold haue brent hom barly, botis & other;

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, hai were assemblit full sone, & myche sorow hade, Wentton to be wale toun wailyng in hert, Entrid with angur, and to pere Innes 30de. 7120 Thus curstly pat knighthode for a cause light,

Voidet pere victory for vanité of speche,

hat 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 Greek ships and would have consumed them, had Hector not recalled them.

Sad and angry, the Trojans enter the city.

In the morning the Trojans arm

to assail the Greeks.

(fol. 111 b.)

But the Greeks demand a truce for two months:

which is granted.

The Greeks collect their dead:

rbj Boke. Of a Trew Takyn two Monethes: And of the thrid Batell,

Wen

en 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 pe Sun pai Seyn to þe zates,
Braidyn vp þaire briggis, barrit hom fast;
Iche Rink to paire rest Richit hom seluyn,
7132 And esit hom all nyght after paire deuyse.
Wen þe day vp drogh, & pe dym voidit,
All pe troiens full tit tokyn paire armys,
That were hoole and vnhurt hastid to ffild,
7136 By the ordinaunce of Ector erly at morow,
To fare to be fight pere fos to distroy,

And make an end of pere note naitly pai
thoght.

But the grekes, in the gray day, graidly did send
7140 A message full myldly to pe 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 hom to-
gedur.

DURING THE TRUCE.

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

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,

ffor Patroclus, his pere, pat put was to dethe:
Myche weping & wo, waylyng of teris,

7156 And lamentacioun full long for loue of hym one.
He araiet for pat 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.

231

Book XVI.

some are buried, and some are burned.

Achilles bewails

the death of Patroclus.

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

All the Troiens, on the tother side, while the The Trojans

tru last,

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, ffull tendurly with teris tynt myche watur, 7172 And mournet full mekull, for he þe mon louyt. In Venus temple þe worthy, in a wale toumbe He bereit that bold on his best wise. Cassandray, the kynges doughtur, consayuit the dole,

7176 Weping and woo, pat pe weghis made,

attend to their wounded.

(fol. 112 a.)

Priam mourns
for his son
Cassibelan, who is
buried in the
Temple of Venus.

Cassandra bewails the sad fate of the Trojans, and urges them to

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

Book XVI.

the Greeks or worse will befall them.

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

Palamedes

murmurs against Agamemnon;

and thinks that

he himself is

more worthy to be commander.

(fol. 112 b.)

Agamemnon

arrays the Greeks

7180 With care for to come, & cumbrans to all?
Why proffer ye not pes, or ye payne thole,
And be done to pe dethe with dynttes of swerdes?
This Cité and pe soile be sesit you fro,

7184 Ouertyrnet with tene, temple and oper;

Modris pere 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,
He comaundet hir be caght, & closit full hard:
In a stithe house of ston stake hir vp
fast;
There ho lengit full longe, as pe lyue says.

7192

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 po 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, pat priuond were

all;

7204 Was non assentyd to pat souerain sothely but thre,

Without ordinaunce of other only or assent: But of pat mater was meuit nomore at pat tyme.

When the tyme was ourtyrnyt, and þe tru vp,

7208 Agamynon pe grekys gedrit in pe fild,

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