Book XXI. Diomedes and with great spears: (fol. 132 b.) and would have killed each other had not Menelaus parted them. Menelaus unhorses, and captures Miseres. Polydamas rescues him. The Greeks again take him, and would have killed him; but Troilus rescues him. Telamon and Achilles, combining their forces, drive the Trojans towards the city. Megaron, son of Then the batell was brem in the brode feld, Mony fell in the fight at the first tyme! 8544 Dyamede that duke, & the derfe Troilus, 8548 8552 8556 8560 8564 Evyn macchit hom to mete with two mayn With all the bir in hor brest and hor byg horses, With a folke pat was felle, & the fight entrid. With pre thowsaund pro men prang into batell; Gird in with the grekes, & myche grym wroght, 8568 And mony tulke out of Troy tyrnit to ground. ben þurghe chaunse of Achilles & his choise helpe, pai bere the burgh-men abacke to the bare walles : bai bounet fro batell, & the bent leuyt, 8572 filed all in fere frikly to toune! Mageron the mighty macchet with Achilles, HECTOR RALLIES THEM. 279 Wold haue takon the talle kyng, & to toun led: Book XXI. He was a proude son of Priam, & a prise knight, Priam, attacks 8576 And a wight man in wer, þof hym woo happnit. Achilles, Achilles were hym full wightly, & the wegh and is slain; slogh; Bare hym bak to pe bent, & the buerne deghit. hen was clomour & crye for care of hym one, 8580 And myche dole for his dethe, pat derit hom all! Telamon, the toure kyng, pe Troiens pursuet; Paris hym put of, & preset hym sore, With other kynges & knightes, and the kyde brether; the Trojans bewail him. (fol. 133 a.) Telamon pursues the Trojans : brothers protect the rear, 8584 But hom worthe to be worse, wete ye for sothe, Paris and his 8588 When Ector herd of pat hynde vnhappely was dede, pan fraynit þat fre, who pe freike sloghe. "Achilles the choise kyng," oon chaunsit to say, "ffell hym in fight & fele of oure knightes!" 8592 Ector, wode of his wit for woo of his brother, Haspit on his helme, & his horse toke; Went out wightly, vnwetyng his fader. Two Dukes full derne, he to dethe broght, 8596 And manly with mayn mellit with other; Kyld downe knightes, karve hom in sonder. Mony wondet the weghe, & to woo caste; Britnet hom on bent, and on bake put. 8600 The grekes, for his greffe, girdyn hym fro, and carry off the body of their brother. Hector enraged by his brother's death, rushes to the fight unknown to his father: the Greeks in terror give way Thay knew hym full kyndly be caupe of his before him. sword. Then the Troiens full tyte to the toune floghen, Issuet out egurly Ector to helpe; The Trojans come to his aid, 8604 Gird evyn to the grekes, and hor ground toke; and recover their ffoghten full felly, and hor fos harmyt. ground. Book XXI. Hector cuts down a guard of 200 Greeks, and rescues Polydamas. Leocides attacks Hector, and is felled to the earth. (fol. 133 b.) Polidamas, the pert, was presset so fast, hat he was wonen in wer, & away led: 8608 Than Ector in yre Egerly faght, And the grekes in his grem gird he to dethe,Two hundreth in hast, pat the hend led,And deliuert the lede with his lyfe hole! 8612 This a grete of the grekes graidly beheld, Had meruell full mekyll, macchet hym to Ector, (Liochydes, the large, so pe lord hight): 8616 He wend, the prinse in the prese haue put out of lyue. Ector wrathit hym with, and the wegh hit, hat he deghit of the dynt, er he doun fell. bat so mony of þaire men were marrid by hym, Achilles perceives 8620 He hopit but if happely þat hardy were slayne, that the Greeks canhot take Troy, unless Hector be slain: and plans how to accomplish that end. Hector kills þat neuer greke shuld haue grace the ground for to wyn; Ne neuer Troye for to take, terme of hor lyue. He bethoght hym full thicke in his thro hert, 8624 And all soteltie soght, serchit his wit, On all wise in this world, þat werke for to end, hat was chere to Achilles, cherisit with loue, A mon he was of More Ynde, mighty of godes, 8632 pere hit auntrid full euyn, þat Ector hym met, And the lede with a launse out of lyue broght. Achilles the chaunse cheuit for to se: Vne wode of his wit, walt into angur. 8636 The dethe of pat Duke he dight hym to venge. To Ector full egurly he etlit anon: Ector keppit the kyng er he caupe might, TREACHEROUSLY SLAYS HIM. Drof at hym with a dart, & pe Duke hit. 8640 Hit was keruond & kene, & the kyng hurt, And woundit hym wickedly thurght the waist euyn, bat he sesit of his sute, soght he no ferre. 281 Book XXI. and wounds Achilles with a dart. THE DETHE OF ECTOR, BY ACHILLES TRAYTURLY SLAYN. 8644 Achilles for the chop cherit hym not litle, To pat entent, truly, as the trety sais, 8648 To deire Ector with dethe, or degh pere hym seluyn. As Ector faght in the fild fell of the grekes, He caupit with a kyng, caght hym anon; 8652 With strenght thurgh the stoure, as the story 8656 tellus. Achilles binds up his wound, and goes to seek Hector. (fol. 134 a.) Hector, with his His sheld on his shulders shot was behynd, And his brest left bare, so the buerne Rode, To weld hym more winly þat worthy to lede. Achilles grippit a gret speire with a grym wille, when Achilles Vnpersayuit of the prince prikit hym to, Woundit hym wickedly, as he away loked, Thurgh the body with the bit of the bright end, 8660 That he gird to pe ground, & the gost yald. 8664 8668 This Sedymon segh, þat soght out of Troy : steals upon him, and strikes him dead with a spear. Achilles is struck down, and carrie 1 Book XXI. The Trojans lose heart, and flee to the city. The body of Hector is brought to Troy. The grief and despair of the people. (fol. 134 b.) Some, even, lose their reason. 8672 Then the Troiens with tene turnyt them backe, Entrid all somyn angardly fast, And the body of the bold prinse broghtyn hom with. When the corse of pat comly comyn was to toun, Miche dole & dyn was dole [for] to here, 8676 With Sobbyng pro the Cité, & Syling of teris, With gawlyng & grete the grettist among. 8680 All the Citiesyns, for sothe, for sorow of the prinse, Miche water pai weppit, wringyng of hond: The dit & the dyn was dole to be-hold! All the wemen of wit thurgh the wale toune, Wyfes, & wedowes, & worshipfull maidnes, Within houses & hallis hard was pere chere. 8684 Wyth myche dole vppon dayes & on derke nightes, Sum walt into wodenes, & of wit past: The petie & the playnt was pyn for to here! 8688 pai had no hope of pere heale, ne pere hede 8692 All hor trust þan was tynt, truly pai said, Thurgh the dethe of pat dere, & done out of hope! "Alasse, the losse and the lure of oure lefe prinse ! Now sesit be oure Citie with oure sad fos; We set vnder seruage, in sorow to abyde!" |