xvij Boke. Off the Counsell of the Grekes for the Dethe of Ector / & þe iiij* Batell. (fol. 114 b.) Night. The Greek leaders They have no hope of taking the city so long as he lives. Herkinys now a hondqwile of a hegh cas, And I schall tell you full tomly how hom tide 7348 When the day ouer drogh, & the derk entrid, 7352 Nightwacche for to wake, waites to blow; All the gret of the grekes gedrit hom somyn. He was fully the fens & the fyn stuff 7364 Of all the tulkes of Troy, þat hom tene wroght; ffuerse on his foes, fellist of other, And dethe to the derfe grekes delt hym aboute. THE FOURTH BATTLE. 7368 Achilles by chaunse may chefe to be worse, When the light vp launchit, littid the erthe, 7376 All the grekes in hor geire gedrit to feld, 7380 Euer waker and vnwar, wightist in armys, Paris pen put furthe with a proude folke; Deffebus drogh next with a derfe pepull; Troiell, the tru knight, with a triet menye, 7388 And other, þat Ector had ordant before, Suet furth to be semely, as pai assignet were. ffro the Cité, the same day, soght to þe fild, & iij .M. thro men, priuond in armys, 7396 And v .M. fer, fuersmen & noble. pen gird thai to-gedur with a grym will! 239 Book XVII. Achilles is chosen to accomplish his death. Next day the Greeks take the field in their best array; (fol. 115 a.) and Hector leads out his chosen band. Eneas, Paris, Deiphobus, Troilus, and the other Trojan leaders follow, each with his own division. The stere was full stithe; þere starf mony The battle is knightes! Paris, with the perseans, presit in first, 7400 With his bowmen full bold bykrit with the grekes. begun by Paris with the Persians and archers. Book XVII. Agamemnon is struck down by Hector, who is next set on by Achilles; and has his helmet broken. Troilus and Eneas rescue him. Diomedes attacks (fol. 115 b.) him severely; taunts him; and with a fierce blow unhorses him. Hector rushes on Achilles; breaks his helmet; wounds him severely; Mony woundit tho weghis & wroght vnto dethe, Gird hym Euyn to be grond with a grym hurt: Than Achilles with a choise sword choppit to 7408 Alto hurlet the helme of pe high prinse; Chefyn to Achilles with choise men ynogh, 7412 Hurlit hym hastely, harmyt hym full mekull, Bere hym bak of pe bent & his buernes all. Then Diomede, the derfe kyng, drof to Eneas, Woundit hym wykkidly, & to be whe saide:"Now, welcum I-wysse, for þi wale counsell, hat in presens of Priam pursuet me to fle! Wete hit full well for pi wyll febill, 7416 If pou contynu by course, & cum into batell, 7420 You shall happyn in my handis hardly not faile, And be ded of my dyntis for pi dissire old." pen he drof to the duk with a dynt fell, 7424 Ector eftirsons ettlyt on Achilles, And greuit hym full gretly with a grym stroke, but is stunned by 7428 A sad man full sone, pe sun of Theseus, a blow when about to capture him. Recovering, he strikes Diomedes to the ground, Segh Achilles myscheuyt, choppit to Ector: 7432 Gryppit to his gode sword in a grym yre, Drof vnto Diomede, pat deryt hym before, THE BATTLE BECOMES GENERAL. 7436 Segh Dyomede with a dynt dryuyn to fote, He lyght doun full lyuely leuyt his horse, And dressit to Dyamede with a derfe chere. þen Menelay þe myghti, & monly Vlixes; 7448 Theseus, & Thoax, & mony tryed knight; 7452 On the tothir Side fro Troy turnyt in swith, 241 Book XVII. where he is set upon by Troilus; but defends himself bravely. Achilles and Menelaus, Ulysses, and other (fol. 116 a.j All þe kyngis, þat were comyn by course of and to resist the þere helpe, With pere batels full big & mony buerne felle, As honerable Ector hade ordant before. 7456 Hit is wonder to wete of po weghes pen, 7464 Menelay hym met with a mayn speire, allied kings and their divisions, that had come to assist Hector. Menelaus engages with Paris : And woundit hym wickedly, warpit hym wounds him and doun; But his armour was od good & angardly picke, 7468 Then shamet pe shalke for þe shene Elan, dashes him to the earth. Paris is ashamed. Book XVII. Ulysses fights with Adrastus; pen Vlixes & Arest angurdly faght: Vlexes gird hym to grond, grippit his horse, strikes him down, 7472 Sent hym by a seruaund sone to his tent. and captures his horse. Polymetes kills Hupon. Neoptolemus and Archilochus unhorse each other. Polydamas strikes down Palamedes. Stelleus fights with Carras, and unhorses him. Pylamenes strikes down the Duke of Athens, and captures his horse. (fol. 116 b.) Philoctetes and Remus are Polimytes, pe proud kyng, presit vnto Hupon, Wondit hym wickedly, warpit hym to dethe. Neptolemus, the noble, nolpit to Archilagon, 7476 That both went backward & bult vppon the erthe. Polidamas to Palomydon presit so fast, hat he gird hym doun grymly with a grym wound; Spake to hym spitously, dispisit hym foule; 7480 ffore with hym fuersly all in fell angur. Stelleus, the stithe kyng, stroke vnto Carax, unhorsed: so also 7488 Till bothe welt backward of hor bare sadles. are Theseus and Eurialus. The brothers of many Greeks, and wound many kings. Telamon fights with Sarpedon till both fall to the ground sore wounded. Achilles and his cousin Thoas fall upon Hector, and Theseus, a tore kyng, tachit on Eurialon, That aither wegh other woundit, & welt to pe grene. The noble brether naturell naited pere strenght, 7492 Mony woundit in wer wroght po pat day; Mony grekes, thurgh hor grefe, on pe ground leuyt; Mony woundit po worthy of paire wale kynges. Telamon, the tore kyng, with a togh speire, 7496 With the kyng of Capadoys caupit so harde, þat bothe were pai bold men borne to þe grene, Woundit full wickedly in wer of hor lyues: In the brest of pe batell pere pe buernys lay! 7500 pen Achilles cherfull, & his choise cosyn Toax, þat other, a tore mon of strenght, Ayren vnto Ector angardly sore! |