Book XX. the Trojans are borne back Vne before in the face, with a fell stroke, towards the walls. 8240 With myche noye for pe note of pere noble Hector observes some ladies standing on the walls; (fol. 128 a.) ashamed of his position, he turns in rage and kills Merion. prinse. cast vp his egh, But the knight, in his kene yre, His worshipful wife, pat he well louet, Achilles rushes on Hector with a great spear. Hector with a fierce blow hurls through the helmet of Achilles, and stuns him. THE DETHE OF MYRION BY ECTOR SLAYN. 8252 He kyld þere a kyng, cosyn to Achilles,— Grippet to a grete speire with a grym wille; Mart of his mailes, meuit hym noght; 8260 And nauther hurt he the hathell, ne hade hym to ground. ben Ector in angur, angardly fast, With the bit of his brond, on the bold light; 8264 But it breke not the brayn, ne the buerne woundit. Achilles, with a chop, cheuyt on syde; All in wer for to walt, wayueronde he sote, CAPTURE OF MENELAUS. 8268 Euyll masit of the mynt, & the mayn stroke, Thes wordys to the whe warpit the prinse : Achilles, Achilles, pou cheses pe fast, ffor to prese me with pyne in thy proud yre! 8272 The next tym pou noyes me, pou neghis to pe fer, hond." Thow dowtles shall dye with dynt of my 8276 ffrushet in felly po frekes betwene, Depertid the prinse & the prise kyng. So he greuit the Grekes, and gird hom abacke, 8284 Restorit hom stithly, stuffit hom anon, 8288 He macchit hym to Menelay, & met on þe kyng, And gird hym to ground of his grete horse. Than Troiell hym toke þurgh his tried helpe 8292 Of Sedymon, the same kyng þat þe syre felle, Wold haue led the lord o-lyue to be towne; Bere hym backe to the bent of his big stede, 8300 Sent hym by a seruaund, or he ses wold, Book XX. 269 Hector threatens to slay him at the next encounter. Troilus with his followers separate the combatants. (fol. 128 b.) The Greeks are driven back. Menelaus comes to their rescue. Troilus, with the aid of Sedymon, captures Menelaus. Diomedes smites Troilus to the earth: seizes his horse: and sends it to Briseis, Book XX. praying her to hold him as her lover. Briseis receives the present with joy; and says, she may not hate one, who loves her so well. (fol. 129 a.) The Greeks, again driven to their tents, are rallied by Agamemnon. Polydamas succours the Trojans, who drive the Greeks within their lines. The whiche fro Troiell he toke, & turnet hym besyde, 8304 With a stroke, in the stoure, of his stithe arme.Prayaund her prestly, with all his pure hert, bat hir seruaund were sadly set in hir mynd, Dyamed, the derf kyng, in daunger of loue. 8308 pen the seruond, full sone, with the same horse, Went to the woman fro the wale kyng, And the palfray of prise present hir to. Ho receyuit hym with Reuerence, & to pe Renke said : 8312 "To pi lord, þat me loues, lelly pou telle, I may not hate hym, by heuyn, þat me in hert tes." ffro the maidon, with his message he nieuyt anon, And the bodeword broght to pe bold kyng. 8316 ffayne was the freike of the fre answare, Past furth into prese, paynet hym ther-for. The grekes pan were gird backe to pere grete tenttes; With Swym vnder swerd swalton full mony! 8320 Ne hade Agamynon the gret oste gird in anon, The fight in the fild hade ben fynisshed for euer. Than Restoret was the stithe batell stuernly agayn! The grekes full grymly girdon out swithe, 8324 Harmet hom hogely in a hond while. Polidamas, the pert knight, presit in þen, With a batell full breme, britnet the grekes; ffaght with hom felly, frunt hom abacke; 8328 Droff hom vnto dykes with dynttes of sword. Then Diamede the doughty duly beheld, Segh pe freke in his felnes his folk so distroy. 8332 And the knight hym kept, caupit with hym so, DIOMEDES AND ACHILLES WOUNDED. That bothe the hathell and his horse hurlit to ground. Dyamed was derit with a depe hurt, Euill frusshet with the fall, & on feld lay. 8336 Polidamas the prise horse presit vnto, Raght to be Reyne, and the Roile toke; Broght hym full bainly to be bold Troiell, bat was fightand on fote in þe felle stoure. 8340 The triet knight Troiell titly wan vp, As fayne of the foale, as a freke might. 8344 And he keppit the kyng with a kant wille, 271 Book XX. Diomedes is hurled to tho earth by Polydamas, who seizes his horse, and brings it to Troilus, as he is fighting on foot. Troilus hurls Achilles to the ground. Hector rushes to the fray. (fol. 129 b.) HERE ECTOR KYLDE A THOWSAUND. 8352 Thus Dares of his dedis duly vs tellus, A thowsaund, full throly, he prang to pe dethe,- fore! 8356 There Achilles with choppes chaunset so hard, With myche wo he hym werit in wothe of his lyffe. Then the night come anon, neghit with merke, And for lacke of the light the ledis depertid 8360 ffro the batell on bothe halues busket anon And turnyt to towne & to tenttes all. surrounded down. Night comes down; the battle ends. Book XX. Skirmishing for thirty days. Six of Priam's sons are slain; and Hector is wounded in the face. Than thretty dayes proly pei prappit in feld, And mony bold in the bekur were on bent leuit! 8364 Mony doughty were ded of the derfe Troiens, But mo were pere marrit of pe mayne grekes. With-in thies dayes, with dole, was to dethe broght Sex sonnes, for sothe, of the sure kynges,— 8368 Of the noble brother naturill,-pat nait were in feld, Priam demands a 8372 truce for six months: the Greeks consent. During the truce Hector recovered from his wounds. He lay in the great hall of Ilion, (fol. 130 a.) which had gorgeous pillars; ("Rowchet"= Wrought.) a floor wrought with crystal; and strong fair walls. ("Hyernes": hyrons, corners.) In each corner was a pillar of And Ector wondit, I-wis, in his wale face. ben Priam, the prise kyng, prestly can sende To Agamynon the grete, gomys of his awne, ffor a trew to be takon of a tyme short,Sex moneth & no more,-his men for to rest : hat the Grekes hym grauntid,.grucchet pai noght. Hit was festenit with faithe, & with fyn othes, 8376 On bothe halues to hold holly assentid, Withouten fight or affray to the fer end. Er Jes dayes were done, the doughty prinse Ector Was hole of his hurtes purgh helpe of a leche. 8380 In a halle, þat was hoge, pere pe hend lay, In honerable Ylion, eset hym a qwile, 8384 Of whiche fairehed & fourme, the fynest clerke Tellys in his trety, vppon trew wise. Hit was pight vp with pilers all of pure stones, 8388 With stones full stoute, stithest of vertue. 8392 |