THE FOURTH BATTLE. With the strenght of hor stroke, & hor store fare, 7504 The helme of his hede pai hurlit to peces ; 243 Book XVII. wound him in the head: Woundit hym wickedly with wepon aboue, But Ector in angur aykeward he stroke, 7508 Tachit vpon Toax, toke hym in the face, He hade of pe halfe nase to pe hard chekes ; And he, for dere of þe dynt, droppid on pe laund. strikes at Thoas and cuts off half his nose. ben his noble brother naturell neghit hym The brothers aboute, 7512 Socurd hym full sone with paire sad helpis. come to Hector's aid; kill many Greeks, capture Thoas, and Mony grekes þai gird doun with pere grym fare! wound Telamon, Kyng Toax þai toke, & to toun led; Telamon, pat tore kyng, so tenfully wondit, 7516 þat he was borne on his brode sheld with buernes to his tent, As for ded of the dynt, dressit of pe fild, And left halfe lyueles with ledis of his aune. 7520 be freke forto felle fondit at all; But Paris, with a prise arow put into Venum, knightes, 7524 As for dede of pe dynt, so derit hym sore; 7528 And Menelay with malis meuit vnto batell, Presit vnto Paris with a prise speire, Wold haue hurt hym full hidusly, or had hym to ground. Paris wounds Menelaus with a poisoned arrow. (fol. 117 a.) Menelaus having had his wound dressed, again attacks Paris. 7532 But Eneas come ouerthwert, as aunters befelle, Eneas separates And Keppit the caupe on his clene shild, them, and Book XVII. causes Paris, who was unarmed, to be led into the city. Hector rushes on tries to capture him: the Greeks prevent him. The Greeks are put to flight: night ends the battle. And so went he to wer wilfully hym selfe, 7536 þat wist well the wale kyng, þat waited hym so, To haue slayn hym full sleghly with sleght of 7540 his hond. Eneas eftir, with abill knightes mony, Send hym to pe Cité for the same cause, ffor marryng of Menelay at þe mene tyme. sone, 7544 And put hym fro purpos with a prese hoge, Gird doun of pe grekes grymly with strokes, ffrusshit þurgh the frount, fell hom to dethe! 7548 Thurghe the pouer of pe prince, & his pert knightes, þen fled all in fere, & the fild leuit; Turnit to pere tenttes with tene at þere hertis. 7552 And turnyt to pe toune, taried no lengur ! xviijt Boke of the ffyuet Batell in the ffelde. (fol. 117 b.) The Trojans are arrayed; but As hit happit of þes hynd, herkyn a while! 7560 Priam determines that his army shall rest for one The kyng sent for his sons and souerains of He sends for Troy, Ector, & Eneas, and Alexsaunder Paris, Hector, Eneas, Paris, Troilus, Polydamas : Troilus pe tru knight, tristy of hond, 7564 Deffebus pe doughty, & derfe Palidamas. When the knightes were comyn, þus the kyng said: "Wot ye not worthy, pe wale kyng Toax Is put in our pouer, our prison within, 7568 þat myche harme with his hond happont to do, And with his pouer hath preset oure pepull to sle, 7572 Oure Citie to sese and oure side londes! ffor his hardines here, & his hegh malis, He shold be done to pe dethe by domys of right, and proposes to Thus me semyth for certain, now sais me your witte !" put Thoas to death. Book XVIII. The[n] answard Eneas easely agayne : Eneas answered, 7576 "Lord, with your leue, pat were a laithe dede! that such would be a wicked deed. In return for which, the Greeks might put some noble Trojan to death it might Syche a chaunse for to chefe choisly of you, The noise of your nobilté were noyet for euer ! 7580 And mony syb to hym selfe of souerans & other, ben the grekes for grem in hor grete yre, be one of Priam's 7584 Wold dight hym to dethe, your dole to increse. own sons. That he should be kept as a prisoner for exchange. (fol. 118 a.) To this coursel Priam answered, that the Greeks Hit might sothely be siche on, as your self nold ffor mykill of pis medill erthe pat myschefe to se: Therfore, sothely me semeth, sauyng your wille, 7588 Hit is bettur þis bold kyng in the burgh hold. He may be chaungit by chaunse for sum choise other, pat is takon of Troy, if hit tyde so; And the lure be pe les pen the lyfe tyne." 7592 Ector to Eneas egerly assentid, would deem them 7596 cowards but he would command that Thoas be kept as they had proposed. Æneas, Troilus, and Antenor go to comfort Helen. And confermyt his counsell in cas for þe best; When this speche was sped, speke pai no fferre. To se hir in sight, and solas pat fre. 7604 He toke with hym Troilus & trusty Antenor, And went in full wightly into a wide halle. A THUNDER STORM. 7608 There segh þai pat semly, & with soft wordys, Comford hur kyndly with carpyng of mowthe. The grekes for pe greuaunce & the grete harmys, ffor the tene, pat hom tyde, & tynyng of pepull, 7612 Made myche murmur & menit hom sore, As folis, pat folily hade faren fro home. To put hom in perell to perysshe pere lyues ; 7616 With mony harmys, pat hom hepit of hor hede persons, And might haue lengit in hor lond, & pe lak voidet. The same night was a note, noyet hom all ; A thondir with a thicke Rayn thrublit in pe skewes, 7620 Ouershotyng with shoures thurgh pere shene tenttes, As neuer water fro the welkyn hade waynit before. The flode was so felle, with fallyng of Rayn, Hit was like, by the lest, as oure lord wold 7624 With water haue wastid all þe world efte: So kene was pe course of the cold shoures! And more greuit the grekes by pe grym windes, þat wacknet so wodely, walt ouer the logges; 7628 Ouertyrnit the tenttes, teghit vp the ropes; And alto rafet & rent all the riche clothes. When the derke ouerdrogh, & pe dym voidet, The stourme wex still, stablit the course; 7632 The sun in his sercle sette vpo lofte; All clerit the course, clensit the aire ; The grekes hor geire grippit anone, Bounet vnto batell, and to bent droghe! 7636 Achilles, of all men auntrid hym first, ffore euyn to the fild with a felle pepull : Then Diomede the doughty, & derfe Menelaus, 247 Book XVIII. The Greeks bewail their sad account themselves fools for having engaged in this war. A great storm of thunder and rain comes down, with fierce winds. The tents of the Greeks are torn (fol. 118 b.) to pieces, or overturned. Next morning the Greeks array themselves for battle. |