xvij Boke. Off the Counsell of the Grekes tfor the Dethe of Ector / & he iiijt Batell.

(fo. 114 8.)

Night.

The Greek leaders
meet in the tent
of Agamemnon
to plan how they
may accomplish
Hector's death.

Herkinys now a hondqwile of a hegh cas,
And I schall tell you full tomly how hom tide

aftur!
7348 When the day ouer drogh, & the derk entrid,

The sternes full stithly starond o lofte;
All merknet the mountens & mores aboute ;

The ffowles þere fethers foldyn to gedur.
7352 Nightwacche for to wake, waites to blow;

Tore fyres in the tenttes, tendlis olofte;
All the gret of the grekes gedrit hom somyn.

Kynges & knightes clennest of wit,
7356 Dukes & derffe Erles droghen to counsell,

In Agamynon gret tent gedrit were all.
There only was ordant of Ectors dethe,

With all Soteltie to serche opon sere wise ; 7360 ffor sothely þai saidon, and for sure holdyn,

But þat doghty were dede & his day comyn,
Thaim happynt not the herhond to haue of

hor fos.

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.
Then by ordinaunce of all men, as abliste perfore,

They have no hope of taking the city so long as he lives.

Book XVII.

Achilles is chosen to accomplish his death.

array ;

and Hector leads out his chosen band.

7368 Achilles by chaunse may chefe to þe worse,

And be dede of his dynttes, but if desteny let.
When this purpos was plainly putto an end,

Then partid the prinsis, and the prise dukes, 7372 Turnyt to bere tenttes & tarit no lengur ;

And Rapit to bere rest, rioll & other.
When the light vp launchit, littid the erthe,
The derke ouer-done, and þe day sprange, Next day the

Greeks take the 7376 All the grekes in hor geire gedrit to feld, field in their best

Were boun on the bent on hor best wise,
And þe stithest in stoure, sturnyst of knightes,
Honerable Ector, þat eger was ay,

(fol. 115 a.) 7380 Euer waker and vnwar, wightist in armys, Past furth with his pepull fro the pure

Cité : ffore euyn to be fild with fuersmen of Troye,

That hym self hade assignet surest of othir. 7384 Eneas afturward with abill men ynow;

Æneas, Paris,

Deiphobus, Paris þen put furthe with a proude folke; Troilus, and the

other Trojan Deffebus drogh next with a derfe pepull; leaders follow,

Troiell, the tru knight, with a triet menye, 7388 And other, þat Ector had ordant before,

Suet furth to þe semely, as pai assignet were.
The first of þo fuerse men, þat to fight past,

Was Ector, hym aune selfe, with odmen of troye, 7392 As Dares in his dytyng of his dedis tellis.

ffro the Cité, the same day, soght to be fild,
With the prinse, to the plase, and his prise

brether,

& iij .m. thro men, þriuond in armys, 7396 And v .M. fer, fuersmen & noble.

ben gird thai to-gedur with a grym will !
The stere was full stithe ; þere starf mony The battle is

begun by Paris knightes !

with the Persians Paris, with the perseans, presit in first, 7400 With his bowmen full bold bykrit with the

grekes.

each with his
own division.

and archers.

Book XVII.

broken.

Troilus and Æneas rescue him.

Diomedes attacks

Mony woundit tho weghis & wroght vnto dethe,

And harmyt full hogely with pere hard shot. Agamemnon is

Than Agamynon the grete gird into batell ! struck down by

7404 Ector full egerly etlit hym to mete, Hector,

Gird hym Euyn to be grond with a grym hurt:

Halfe dede of pe dynt þere pe duke lay. who is next set on Than Achilles with a choise sword choppit to by Achilles; and has his helmet

Ector,
7403 Alto hurlet the helme of þe high prinse;

But hym seluyn was safe, & his seate helde.
Than Troilus full tite, & tidé Eneas,

Chefyn to Achilles with choise men ynogh, 7412 Hurlit hym hastely, harmyt hym full mekull,

Bere hym bak of þe bent & his buernes all.

Then Diomede, the derfe kyng, drof to Eneas, Æneas; wounds (fol. 115 0.)

Woundit hym wykkidly, & to be whe saide :him severely ; taunts him;

7416 “Now, welcum I-wysse, for pi wale counsell,

þat in presens of Priam pursuet me to fle!
Wete hit full well for þi wyll febill,

If þou contynu by course, & cum into batell, 7420 You shall happyn in my handis hardlly not faile,

And be ded of my dyntis for þi dissire old.” hiin.

ben he drof to the duk with a dynt fell,

Vnhorsit hym in hast, had hym to ground.

7424 Ector eftirsons ettlyt on Achilles, Hector rushes on

And greuit hym full gretly with a grym stroke, Achilles ; breaks his helmet;

Alto hurlit his helme, hurt hym full enyll, wounds him severely;

Wold haue takyn hym full tit, but at tene fell but is stunned by 7428 A sad man full sone, pe sun of Theseus, about to capture

Segh Achilles myscheuyt, choppit to Ector:
With a swyng of his sword swagit on þe prinse.

Ector, for þe stithe stroke stoynyt no thyng, Recovering, he 7132 Gryppit to his gode sword in a grym yre, strikes Diomedes to the ground,

Drof vnto Diomede, þat deryt hym before,
þat hedstoupis of his horse he hurlit to ground.
bat Toilus in pe toile pis torfer beheld,

and with a fierce blow unhorses

a blow when

himn.

THE BATTLE BECOMES GENERAL.

241

but defends

Achilles and

Greek leaders hasten with their divisions to

7436 Segh Dyomede with a dynt dryuyn to fote, Book XVII. He lyght doun full lyuely leuyt his horse, where he is set

upon by Troilus; And dressit to Dyamede with a derfe chere.

himself bravely. be freke hym defendit with a fyz wyll, 7440 Were hym full wightly, and his woche past. Achilles and Ector angarely faght!

Hector again meet Furse was þe fare po fyn men betwene ;

and fight

furiously.
But þer hastid on hond help vnto bothe,
7444 With batels full byg, þat on bent met.

ben Menelay þe myghti, & monly Vlixes;
Palomydon, Philomytes, Philothetes þe grete; Menelaus,

Ulysses, and other Neptolon pe nobill, & Nestor pe duk; 7448 Theseus, & Thoax, & mony tryed knight;

assist Achilles; Menestaus be myghty, & modé Girilius; Stelleus, pe stythe kyng, with a sturne wyll;

bes gyrd in o be grekys side with a grym ost. 7452 On the tothir Side fro Troy turnyt in swith, (fol. 116 a.) All þe kyngis, þat were comyn by course of and to resist the

allied kings and þere helpe,

their divisions, With þere batels full big & mony buerne felle,

As honerable Ector hade ordant before. 7456 Hit is wonder to wete of þo weghes þen,

How fell was pe fight of pe fuerse pepull!
How stith men & stedis were strikon to ground,

And mony derf þat was ded er þe day endit ! 7460 Agamynon þe grete, & his gay brother,

Menelay with mayn macchit hom in fere,
And presit vnto Paris all with pale hate,

with Paris : The duke for to deire & to dethe bringe. 7464 Menelay hym met with a mayn speire, And woundit hym wickedly, warpit hym wounds him and

dashes him to the

earth. But his armour was od good & angardly picke,

And sauit þat Syre, socurd his lyfe. 7468 Then shamet þe shalke for þe shene Elan, Paris is ashamed. pat he held in his hate fro þe hed kyng.

that had come to assist Hector.

Menelaus engages

doun;

Book XVII.

with Adrastus;

horse.

Archilochus

down Palaunedes.

with Carras, and unhorses him.

strikes down the

horse.

ben Vlixes & Arest angurdly faght: Ulysses fights

Vlexes gird hym to grond, grippit his horse, strikes him down, 7472 Sent hym by a seruaund sone to his tent. and captures his

Polimytes, pe proud kyng, presit vnto Hupon, Polymetes kills

Wondit hym wickedly, warpit hym to dethe. Hupon. Neoptolemus and

Neptolemus, the noble, nolpit to Archilagon, unhorse each

7476 That both went backward & bult vppon the erthe. other. Polydamas strikes 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 fights

Stelleus, the stithe kyng, stroke vnto Carax,

Hurlet hym of horse, hade hym to ground. Pylamenes

Philmen, the fuerse, with a fell dynt Duke of Athens,

7484 Drof to the derfe duke, doughty of Athens ; and captures his

Hurlit hym doun hedlynges, & his horse toke; (fol. 116 6.)

Raght hym full radly to a rynke of his owne. Philoctetes and

Philoc with felle angur frusshet to Remo, unhorsed : so also 7488 Till bothe welt backward of hor bare sadles.

Theseus, a tore kyng, tachit on Eurialon,
That aither wegh other woundit, & welt to be

grene. The brothers of

The noble brether naturell naited þere strenght, Hector slay many Greeks,

7492 Mony woundit in wer wroght þo þat day ;

Mony grekes, thurgh hor grefe, on pe ground many kings.

leuyt;

Mony woundit þo worthy of þaire wale kynges. Telamon fights

Telamon, the tore kyng, with a togh speire, with Sarpedon till both fall to the 7496 With the kyng of Capadoys caupit so harde, ground sore wounded.

bat bothe were þai bold men borne to þe grene, Woundit full wickedly in wer of hor lynes :

In the brest of þe batell þere pe buernys lay!

7500 Den Achilles cherfull, & his choise cosyn Achilles and his

Toax, þat other, a tore mon of strenght, upon Hector, and

Ayren vnto Ector angardly sore !

Remus are

are Theseus and Eurialus.

and wound

cousin Thoas fall