HECTOR AND ACUILLES.

233

Book XVI.

ander the command of Achilles, Diomedes, Menelaus, and Mnestheus.

Hector arrays the Trojans, and gives Troilus command of the first division,

Armyt at all peses abill to fyght,
Araiet on a rout redy to batell.

Achilles the choise chargit to batell,
7212 And Diomede the derfe drogh next aftur ;

Monelay the mighty meuit with the prid;
The Duke of Athens after auntird with the iiijrt.

bus ordant were all men angardly mony, 7216 In batels full big all boune to be werre,

ffaire yche furde folowand on other,
And past furth prudly into be plaine feld.

Ector, on the other side, egor hym selfe, 7220 Dressit for be dede, deuydyt his pepull.

Troiell, the tru knight, betakon was the first,
In his company to kayre mony kene buerne ;

Other batels full bigge, with bold men to ride, 7224 He araiet full Riolly by rede of hym seluyn.

Then the prinse with his power past to the lond,
And gird furth on his gate with a grym chere.

He met hom full monly with his mayn dynttes, 7228 And gird hom to ground & to grym dethe.

Ector to Achilles amyt hym sone,
hat he knew well be course was his kene fo;

And he keppit hym kenely, and coupid to-gedur, 7232 That bothe went bakward & on bent lay.

But Ector the honerable erst was on fote,
Lepe on a light horse, leuyt Achilles,

Broke þurgh batels, britnet the grekes, 7236 Kyld mony knightes, kest hom to ground.

Mony hurlet to pe hard erthe & þere horse leuyt;
Mony woundit wegh fro his wepyn past !

So he hurlit hom on hepis with his hard dinttes, 7240 Till he was blody of þe buernes, & his bright

wedis.
Achilles also afterward rose,
Hit on his horse, hurlit into fight,
Mony Troiens ouertyrnyt, tumblit to dethe,

Hector and Achilles meet in battle: both are unhorsed.

Hector remounts, and leares Achilles on the ground.

(fol. 113 a.)

Book XVI.

Again Hector and
Achilles meet.

Achilles is borne down, and barely escapes capture.

He remounts;

Again fights with
Hector;

and is sorely wounded.

7244 And shot þurgh þere sheltrons, shent of þe pepull.

pen auntred it eftsones þat Ector hym met,
As he fore þurgh the feld he ferkit hym to,

And aither lede full lyuely lachit vpon other, 7248 þat his speire alto sprottes sprent hom betwene,

And he hurlet doun hedstoupis to be hard erthe.
Ector pat od kyng auntrid to take,
But he was put fro his purpos

with
prese

of the
grekes;
7252 And reskewet full radly by renkes of his owne,

Achilles highit in hast, and on horse wan,
And auntred vppon Ector a full od dynt.

He hit on his helme with a heuy sword,
7256 þat greuit hym full gretly, gert hym to stoupe ;

But in his sadell full sound pe souerain hym held.
Vne wode of his wit for the wale stroke,

He choppit to Achilles with a chere felle;
7260 Heturly his helme hurlit in sonder,

bat the fas in the fell hast femyt on blode.
ffull big was the batell þo buernes betwene !

Hade it last but a litle on þe laund so,
7264 Auther doutles had deghit of þo derfe knightes ;

But other batels full big vppon bothe haluys,
fsrusshet in fuersly þo frekes betwene,
And depertid hom with prese of þaire palo

dynttes.
7268 Ben Diomede the derte drogh into batell,

With mony grekes full grym of a gret will ;
And Troiell with a tore folke turnyt hym agayne.

Boldly tho buernes bickryn to-gedur,
7272 That aither backward was borne & on bent lay ;

But Diomede full dernly dressit vp first,
And wightly for all the woo wan on his horse ;

Swynget out a sword, swappit at þat other;
7276 Sundret the sercle of his sure helme.

hat other freke vpon fote, þurgh his fyn strenght,

a

Diomedes and
Troilus meet;

a

and smite each other to the ground. Diomedes remounts, and with a sword bursts the helmet of Troilus, who kills Diomedes' borse.

TROILUS CAPTURED AND RESCUED.

235

Book XVI.

mounted and

Troilus is

tent;

Paris.

Diomedes dere horse vnto dethe broght.

And so the freikes on fote foghton to-gedur! (fol. 113 b.) 7280 But the grekes þaire gay kynge getyn appoloft, Again they are

And the Troiens pat tother on a tried stede. fight together. ben foght þai in fere with pere felle swordes,

And delt mony dynttes, po doughty in fere. 7284 But Diomede in daunger duly hym toke, And turnyt with the Troien tomly away,

captured by Wold haue broght furth the buerne to his big Diomedes, and

rescued by the

Trojans.
But he was tarriet with the Troiens, & tenit full

euyll,
7288 And wernit of his wille, þof hym wo thoght;

His pray fro hym puld, & his pepull slayn.
Then to batell was boune bold Menelaus,
Hurlit in hastely with a hoge folke.

Battle between

the forces of 7292 Withoutyn tarying o þe tother side titly cam Menelaus and

Paris,
With mony triet knight of Troie, & the toile

entrid.
So bycceret pe batells vppon bothe haluys,
And Restoret with stithe men þe stoure was full

hoge !
7296 Mony doughty bat day deghit in the fild,

Mony wofully woundit, & wappid to ground !
There was crie of kenmen, crussing of wepyn,

All the bent of po buernes blody beronnen! 7300 Ector euermore egerly foght,

Breke of bere batell, britnet þere knightes,
Mekyll greuit the grekes with his grete strenght,

And kild all to kold dethe, þat countrid hym with. 7304 There come launchand o þe lond a lyuely yong

knight,
Now made at the note, & nomet Boethes. A young knight,
IIe auntrid hym to Ector euyn at the tyme,
And þe mighty hym met with a main dynt ;

Hector makes havoc among the Greeks.

Boétes, engages with him; and is cloven to the navel.

236

DEATH OF ARCHILOCHUS AND PROTHENOR.

Book XVI.

7308 Carve hym euyn fro the creste cleane to be nauell,

bat he gird vnto ground & the gost yalde; And sesit hys sure horse & a seruand betaght.

a

Archilochus, to avenge the death of his cousin Boëtes, rushes on Hector, and is cloven down.

(fol. 114 a.)

THE DETHE OF ARCHILACUS THE KYNG, BY ECTOR SLAYN.

Archilacus, a choise kyng & cheftain of grece, 7312 Se his cosyn so kild & cast to be dethe,

Wold venge o þat velany in a vile hast,
And ayres vnto Ector Angardly swithe.

The Prinse hym persayuit & preset hym agayn; 7316 With the bit of his blade he bobbit hym so,

Thurgh the might of þe mon & þe mayn strenght,
He clefe hym to pe coler, & the kyng deghit.

Prothenor
un horses Hector;
but is soon after
cut in two.

at the death of his cousin

THE DETHE OF PROTHENOR, BY ECTOR SLAYN.

Prothenor, a pert knight, preset hym ner,
7320 Set hym a sad dynt Sydlyng by-hynd;

Vnhorsit hym heturly, er he hede toke.
But Ector in angur egurly rose,

Was horset in hast, hent to his sword,
7324 Preset to Prothenor in a proude yre;

He merkit hym in mydward the mydell in two, hat he felle to be flat erthe, flote he no lengur.

Achilles þan auerth ward bis auntre beheld, Achilles, enraged 7328 How Prothenor was perysshet, his aune pure

cosyn : Prothenor,

He angurt hym full euyll, & egerd hym with, Greeks, and charges on the

ffor the dethe of þe dere his dole was þe more. Trojans.

ben he gedrit the grekes with a grete yre : 7332 Of po kynges, þat were kild, & oper kene mony,

Wold haue vengit of be velany, & pe vile harme. ben preset pai full prudly, & pynet hom selfe.

The Troiens hom tenyt and tyrnit to dethe; 7336 Wet hom with woundes, warpit hom doun ;

Greuit hom full gretly, gird hom abacke.
hen fled all in fere, & the fild leuyt,

collects the

The Greeks
break and flee to

THE GREEKS FLEE TO THEIR TENTS.

237

Book XVI.

their tents. The Trojans pursue, and cut them down.

Turnyt to bere tenttes, pe troiens hom aftur, 7340 Slogh hom in the slade, slang hom to ground;

Woundit hom wikkidly, walt hom of horse.
pus neghet hom with noye, till þe night come;

Left hom for late, launchet to towne; 7344 Entrid in all somyn, euyn at hor wille ;

ffore to þere Innes, & pus the fight endit !

Night ends the battle.