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CAPTURE OF ANTENOR.

Then the grekes on hym gedrit in so grete

nowmber,

253

Book XVIII.

is captured and led away.

7800 Oppressit hym with pyne, & with pale strokes,
He had no forse hym to fend of so fele othir:
bai toke hym full tite, & to tenttes led.
Polidamas, the pert knight, þat was his prise son, His son

Polydamas attempts to rescue him; but

7804 Myche sorow for his syre sothely did make ;
Mony stithe men in stoure stroke he to ground, fails.
Wold haue fongit his fader, but pe freike ne
might.

ffor the day wex dym, doun was the sun,
7808 The night was so nighe, pat noyet hym sore,
Merkit the mountayns & mores aboute.
Iche freke to his fre held & so pe fight endis.

Night ends the battle.

xix Boke. Of the vj Batell.

At sunrise the battle begins:

is continued until night.

The Trojans

suffer more than

the Greeks.

(fol. 121 b.)

On the second
day, the Greeks
sent Diomedes and
Ulysses to Priam
to treat regarding
a truce.

Lystenes a lyttyll of pis laike more,

7812 How hit happit in hast of thes hed kynges!

Sone as pe sonne rose & set vppon hegh,
Bothe pe grekis on pe grene, & pe grym troiens,
Mettyn with mayne paire myghtis to kythe:

7816 per was fyghtyng full fell pe fuerse men betwene,
All pat day, with dole, to pe derk nyght.
Mony lyueles lede leuyt on pe bent,
And mony wondyt whe pat away past;

7820 Mony knyghtis wer kyld of the kene grekys,
But mo were pere mard of the mayn troiens.
he grekys fellyn in fyght þe feghur þat day,
And be bigger in batell, as pe boke saise.
7824 When pe nyght come anon þe nobill depertid,
And bounet fro batell vppon bothe haluys.
The secund day suyng, as says vs the story,
be grekys by agrement of pe grete all,

7828 Sent to pe Cite soueran men two,—
Dyamed, þe derf kyng, & dughty Vlixes.
pai past furth to Priam pertly to-gedur,
Of a tru forto trete in pe trict Cité,

7832 To be grauntid of pe grete by grement of all.
bes Messangers met with a mayn knight,

A derf mon to dem, & Delon his nome.

7836

7840

THE GREEKS DESIRE A TRUCE.

255

Book XIX.

He was borne in þe burgh a bold mon of hond,
Went with po worthy, & pe way taght;
Present hom to Priam, þat was prise lord:
bere menyt pai paire message & with mouthe told,
Priam to pe prise men prestly onswart :-
"I wyll haue counsell in pe case of clene men his lords.

of wit,

By Assent of Seniours, & sum of my knightys;
And of oure wyll in pis werk, I wete 30w say."

He was ymyddis pe mete with men of astate, 7844 Kyngis in his cumpany, & knyghtis full nobill.

pen gedrit were pe grete to be gay kyng,
And assentid full sone, somyn to pe dede.
All affermyt hit fast with a fyn wyll,

7848 Saue Ector pe honerable, pat egerly with-stod,
Disasent to be dede, & dernely he sayde:-
"Hit is falshed in faythe & of fer cast!

7852

7856

7860

All paire tretyng of tru turnys vs to harme.
pai colowrne hom coyntly with a cause febill,
fforto beri pe bodys of hor bold frendys;

Priam promises to consult with

All assent save
Hector,

who declares that the Greeks are

faint for lack of food; and, under pretence of burying their dead, they seek a

And lighyng, by my lewte, now lakkys hom pe truce, that they

fode.

pai wold stuf hom full stithly, strenkyth hom

agayn,

With mete in þe meneqwile, & mony othir

thinges;

And we oure store schall distroi, & stynt of

oure sped.

We are folke full fele; in pis fre hold,

Of Lordis, and Ladies, and other lesse pepull,
Assemblit in this Cité oure seluyn to kepe

And pof we maitles marre, may we no fer."

may obtain
provisions.

(fol. 122 a.)

But syn the souerain assentid, with other sad Because the king

lordes,

He agreet to the grete, & grauntid with all

7864 ffor pere-as men are so mony, & of might grete,

and his lords had

assented to the truce, Hector does

not oppose it.

Book XIX.

A truce for three months is granted:

and prisoners of

war are

exchanged.

Thoas is

exchanged for Antenor.

Calcas pleads with
Agamemnon to

request Priain

(fol. 122 b.)

to send Briseis his daughter.

And of wit for to wale, wisest of other, All put in a purpos with a plain wille ; pof the syngle mon say, & it sothe be, 7868 Hit is demyt for dulle, & done out of heryng. Syn it is sothely said, & for sure holdyn,

hof a yong mon be 3epe, & of yeres lite, His wit shuld be waled of wise men in age: 7872 So the prinse to pere purpos prestly assent, pof hit worche to be worse, pat wist be hym seluyn.

Then takyn was the true, and with trauthe fest, Thre monethes & no more, po mighty betwene, 7876 By assurans full sad vpon suche wise,

þat non offens shuld pere fall po freikes betwene; But yche kyng & knight comyn with other, Bothe in tent & in towne, while the true last. 7880 Than pai spekon in spase of hor spede after, Made a chaunge by chaunse of hor choise lordes. Toax, fro Troy, was turnyt to the grekes, ffor Antenor aunterous, þat aftur was takyn : 7884 Deliuert were po lordes, lawsit of prisone,

ffro ayther syde by assent, & suet to pere fryndes.
Than Calcas the clerke, pat come out of Troy,
Hade a doughter full dere,-a damsell faire,—
7888 pat bright was of ble, and Breisaid she hight :
So cald was the clere with comyns and other,
Within the Cité forsothe, pere hir-selfe dwellit.
This Calcas to the kyngis contynually prayet,
7892 Bothe Agamynon the grete, & the grekes all,
That pai Priam shuld pray for this prise lady,
To be sent to hir Sir, if he so lyked;
And pai the bysshoppis bone bainly haue
graunted,

7896 And sent to pat souerain for þe same cause,
Dessirond full depely delyuerans of hir,

With Speciall speche to spede at the tyme.

HECTOR IN THE GREEK CAMP.

But the triet men of Troy traitur hym cald, 7900 And mony pointtes on hym put for his pure

shame,

bat disseruet full duly þe dethe for to haue.

Priam, at the prayer of po prise kynges,
Deliuert the lady with a light wille,

7904 In eschaunge of po choise, pat chaped before,—
Toax þat I told and þat tothir duke.

In the tyme of the true, as pe trety saith,
Ector with other egurly went

7908 ffro the burghe to pe batells of pe bold grekes,

257

Book XIX.

Priam delivers Briseis with the other prisoners.

During the time of the truce, Hector goes to the tents of the

ffor to sport hym a space, & speike with po Greeks.

kynges,

To se the maner of po men, & mirth hym a

stound.

Achilles, the choise kyng, with a chere faire,
7912 Welcomyt þat worthy, as a whe noble !
He hade solas of pe sight sothely of hym,

ffor his body was bare out of bright wedes.
He toke hym to his tent, talket with hym fast ;

7916 ffraynet at the freike of his fell dedis:

And as pai spekon of pere spede in hor spell þere,
Thies wordes to þat worthy warpit Achilles :-

:

Achilles welcomes him, and takes him to his tent.

THE WORDES BETWENE ACHILLES AND ECTOR IN THE TENTE.

"Now Ector, in ernyst, I am euyn fayn

7920 Of pe sight of pi Self, to se þe vnarmyt;
Syn þat fortune before fell me neuer ere,
To se pi body all bare out of bright wedis.
But it shall sitte me full sore with sorow in hert
7924 But the happyn of my hond hastely to degh,
Thurgh strenght of my strokes in our stoure enys,
And I thi bane for to be with brond
my
I haue feld of pi forse, & pi felle dynttes;
7928 Thy might & pi monhode mykell hath me greuit.

egge.

« I have great pleasure to see thee unarmed.

(fol. 123 a.)

I know that thou art very strong, for I have often proved it.

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