Book XVIII.

Anthoneus.

Agamynon the grete, [&] Þe goode duke of Athens. Achilles slays the 7640 With the kyng of Larris full cantly caupit king of Larissa.

Achilles, hat he droffe hym to dethe with the dynt of a

speire. Hector slays

Antoneus on Ector full egerly met,

But, er he past fro the prinse, he was pale ded. Diomedes slays 7644 Then Diomede, the derfe kyng, deghit out of lyuo Antiphus.

Xantipus, pe same tyme, þat was a sure kyng.
Two kynges þere come, þat were kyde brether,-

Epistafus pe pert was propurly þat one,
Epistrophus and 7648 And Tedius, þat tothir,—tydé men bothe:

Vppon Ector ernistly pos egir men set.
Ephistafus hym presit with his proude wordes,

As a ribold with reueray in his Roide speche, 7652 Sythen spurnithymdispitously with a speire felle;

But he hurt not þat hynd, ne hade hym to ground;
Ne the deire of his dynt dasit hym but litle.

Tedius set upon
Hector.

a

THE DETHE OF EPHISTAFUS BY ECTOR SLAYNE.

Since you love fliting so well; go, flite on the dead!

Tedlius summons a thousand knights to avenge the death of Epistrophus.

(fol. 119 a)

Ector, wrathed at his wordis, waynit at the kyng, 7656 Dat he gird to be ground and the gost yald :

ben warpid he þes wordis in his wild hate :-
“ ffor þou of flytyng was fuerse with frekes vppon

lyue,

Go dresse pe to dedmen, & dyn þere a while." 7660 This, Tedius the tothir full tomly beheld.

Gret pytie with payne persit his hert;
ffor the dethe of þat dere doublit his sorow.

He cald of his knightes of clene men a thowsaund, 7664 That all hastid to þat hend hertly & mo.

He bade hom full boldly, for bale vpon erthe,
All folow to þat freke, þat his fere slogh.

On his broder bale dethe baldly to venge,
7668 All suyt on þat syre in a sad hast,

And laited aftur þe lede with a light wille ;

Eagerly they follow Hector over the field,

Book XVIIT.

and at last surround him.

durs;

a

Saght bai the sure prinse thurgh the syde batell.

fforsit hym with fight, fellyn hym aboute, 7672 Vnhorset hym in hast, hade hym to fote.

Tedius, the tore kyng, in a tene yre,
fflappit at hym felly with a fyne swerde,

Tedius aims a

blow at Hector, The worthy to wound, & warp vnto dethe.

which is caught 7676 Then auntrid þat Ector aurthwert beheld

on his shield.
The stroke of þe stith ; with a strenght arme
He keppit the caupe on his clene sheld,
And britnet the bold with a breme dynt: Hector cats off

the right arm of 7680 The right arme, with a rappe, reft fro þe shul- Tedius; hurls

him to the earth;

and slays him. Hurlit hym to hard erthe, hue hym to dethe. Eneas to Amphimak angurdly drof,

And the lede with a launse out of lyue broght! 7684 Then the grekes full grymly gedrit in somyn,

Menelay the mighty with a maine batell !
The Duke of Athens full derf, & Dyamede the

kyng,

Telamon the tydé, & tristy Vlixes; 7688 Archillaus also, Agamynon hym selfe,

forces, and charge

upon the Trojans. And Machaon pe mighty, meuit hym with. All pes bold with pere batels brochet in swithe,

ffell was the fight at the first stoure !
7692 Buernes vpon bothe halues brittoned full mony!

Gret slaght in þe slade, & slyngyng to ground,
And mony lost hade pe lyffe, or pe larke endit !

Be þat the Sun in his Sercle set was o loft, (fol. 1196.) 7696 At the merke of þe myddaywith his mayn course;

When the grekes were gedrit, & gird into fight,
With all the forse of the fell ost frusshet by-dene;

That þe Troiens with tеne turnyt to flight, The Trojans flee. 7700 ffor oppressing with payne, & of pale strokes ;

Than Achilles with a chop chaunset to sle Achilles slays
Philles, a fre kyng, with his fyn strenght.

The Greek leaders collect their

Philes.

Book XVIII.

THE DETHE OF AMPHENOR AND DURIWS BY ECTOR SLAYNE.

Hector slays
Aiphenor and
Doreus,

There-at Ector was angry, & out of his wit !
7704 Two kynges he kyld of the kene grekes,-

Amphenor the fuerse, and the freike Durius;
And wonderfully wroght at the wode stoure.

Thurgh pouer of the prinse & his pert knightes, 7708 The Troiens turnyt in full tyte, tokyn the fild,

ffoghtyn full fuersly, fell mony grekes,
Beron hom abacke with a breme wille.

Encouraged by Hector and their leaders, the Trojans rally and drive back the Greeks.

a

þe

Epistrophus

Then kyng Bisshop the bold fro the burghe come comes from the city with 3000 7712 With thre thowsaund pro knightes, prong into knights,

batell,
All wight men in wer, willy to fight,

And boldly the bekirt, britnet þere fos. and the Monster

There come with this kyng a coynt mon of shappe, Archer, -half horse, half man. 7716 ffellist in fight, and a fyn archer :

ffro the Nauell netherward he was an able horse,

And euyn made as a man fro the medill vp. ("'fell," skin.)

The fell of þat freike, fuerse to beholde, 7720 ffro be hede to be hele herit as a capull!

þe Having the face

Thof his face was fourmyt as a fre mon, of a man, yet all over haired and

Hyt was colourt by course as a kowlt red. neighing like a horse, and with

His Ene leuenaund with light as a low fyn, flaining eyes, he

7724 With stremys full stithe in his stepe loke. terrified the

He was a ferfull freke, in fas to beholde ;
And mony ledes with his loke laithet full euyll!

He neyt as a nagge, at his nose thrilles !
Without harness, 7728 No hawberke he hade, ne harnes of mayle,
and having only
(fol. 120 a.)

But bare into batell with a bowe stronge, a bow and quiver, he goes to battle.

With gret arowes & grym in a gay qwyuer.

When this feerfull freike frusshet into batell, 7732 The grete horses on the grene girdon abacke,

Sparit for no Spurse, speddyn to the flight,
And grete affray in the fild for feare of hym one.

Greeks.

a

Book XVIII.

Thurghe the birre of his bowe & his big Arme, 7736 Mony woundit the wegh to be wale dethe,

And myche greuit the grekes with his grym fare.

He sorely afflicts the Greeks.

THE DETHE OF POLEXENAS BY ECTOR SLAYNE.

His skill and

horror of the

Ector faght in the fild felle of his Enmys. Hector slays

Polyxenus.
Polexenas, a pert Duke, þat þe prinse met,
7740 He dang to the dethe with his derfe weppon,

And wonderfully wroght in his wild yre.
This orribell archer so angardly wroght,

prowess, the Renyng thurgh the route with his roid arowes, 7744 With the Troiens so tore, tydé men alse,

monster archer,

and the bravery That myche greuit the grekes, gird hom abacke. Of the Trojans,

drive the Greeks Then flagh all in fere, and the fild leuyt ;

to their tents. Turnyt to þere tenttes, tariet no lengur. 7748 Thaire Enmys hom after angardly sore,

Pursuet hom with pyne, put hom to ground.
There it felle hom by fortune a ferfull cas !

As his mysshapon mon marrit of þe grekes, 7752 The Troiens in the tenttes tenyt hom also,

Oppressit hom with payne & with pale strokes.
Diamede, the derfe kyng, þat don was to flight, Diomecies
Presit to a pauilyon the pepull before,

Monster. 7756 Wold haue wonen away & of woche p st,

And haue sauet hym selfe, & he so mizi t.
There met hym pis Ma v] own, þat was

mysshap,
Euyn forne in his face, as he fle wold.
He myght no wise away for wothe of his dethe,
But auther aunter vppon hym, or angardly moue.

(fol. 120 b.) He se his fomen so felle and fuerse at his backe, The Trojans are

bebind; this bat wold lelly the lede out of lyue bryng; 7764 And if he turnyt hade tyte, ben hym tyde shuld,

him; there is no The warlagh with a wicked arowe woundit hym

behynd.
He auntrid on this Vnbest angardly fast.

encounters tho

Monster before

escape.

Book XVIII.

and kills the fierce Archer.

and drive back

both fall.

a

As the shalke shuld haue shot at the shene

kyng, Diomedes attacks 7768 Dyamede with a dynt dang hym to ground,

With a swap of his swerd he swalt in the place. The Greeks rally, Then the grekes with grym there gedurt þere the Trojans.

hertes,

ffrusshet out felly, and the fild toke ; 7772 Bore backward the batell of be bold troiens ;

Kyld of hor knightes and kene men of armys ! Hector and

Ector to Achilles angardly rode ; Achilles meet;

And he keppit hym full kenely, þai caupit

togedur, 7776 That bothe were backward bere borne of pero

horses,

And light on the lond the lordes in fere. Achilles captures

But Achilles aftir auntrid to rise, Hector's horse.

Highet to his horse in a hote yre, 7780 Grypit vnto galathe, þat was the gode stede

Of bonerable Ector, & etlit away.

Ector cryed on his knightes with a kant wille, his knights to pursue and

Bade hom hast hom in hygh, and his horse take. recapture it

7784 ben highet furth in haste of his hede knightes,

ffelyn vmbe the fuersse kyng, foghtyn full harıl. His nobill brether naturell naitly þai strekyn,

Gird downe of the grekes, grippit pe roile,
7788 Raft hym the Renke with a roide fare,

Restorit pe stithe horse to be stuerne prinse !
He was fayne of the fole, fongit hym anon,

Wan on hym wightly, & his way held.
7792 ben fell he to fight with a fyne sworde,

Kyld mony knightes vnto cold dethe ;
Oppressit hom with payne, put hom to ground,

And mony deghit þat day þurgh dynt of his hond. Antenor slays 7796 Antenor the auntrus angardly faght!

Thurghe might of his manhode mony distroyed, (fol. 121 a.)

And in batell full boldly bare hym þat day.

Hector calls on

many of the

Groes: