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Book XXIII.

Paris, overcome

with grief and

rage, dashes into battle to seek

Palamedes.

Palamedes, with one blow, cuts down Sarpedon.

bat he so sleghly be slayn with sleght of pi hond, 9452 þat I may wete how hit worthes, or I wend

hethyn!"

Parys, for pytie of his pale wordes,

Sweyt into swym, as he swelt wold,

And all his wedis were wete of his wan teres. 9456 There left he þe lede and launchet to fild, Dessyrus to degh, for dole þat he hade.

He shot purgh the sheltrums þe shalke for to mete, Palomydon to prese, and put vnto dethe: 9460 pen found he the freike in a fell stoure. Seppidon, the sure kyng, assaylet full hard, And the freke hym defendit with a freike wille. To Palomydon he preset with a prise weppyn, 9464 The bold for to britton, & on bent leue.

THE DETHE OF SEPPIDON DE KYNG BY PALOMYDON. Palomydon the prise, with a proude sworde, On kyng Seppidon for-sothe set soche a dynt; He gird hym so grymly on his gret theghe, 9468 bat he karve hit of cleane, & the kyng deghit, And fey of his fole felle to pe ground.

Parys segh, in his sorow, how the sir wroght;

be freike in his felnes the fuerse kyng hade slayne, 9472 And mony Troiens with tene tyrnit to dethe: What for dynttes of pat duke, & of derfe other, pai were boun to gyffe bake, & the bent leue.

Paris shoots

Palamedes with (fol. 146 b.)

a poisoned arrow.

Entering the

THE DETHE OF PALOMYDON BY PARIS.

Paris bend vp his bow with his big arme,

9476 Waited the wegh in his wit ouer,

perse

In what plase of his person to of his wede ;
And to deire hym with dethe he duly deuyset,
With a narow full noble of a nait shap,

9480 pat put was in poison ouer the pale hede.

He woundit þat worthy in his wide prote,

9484

THE GREEK TENTS ARE PLUNDERED.

Gird purgh the gret vayne, grusshet the necke, þat he hurlyt doun hedlonges, harmyt no moo, And deghit of pe dynt, deirit neuer after. pen the crie was full kene, crusshyng of wepyn! Myche grem hade the grekes for gref of hym one! When pai lost hade the lede, pat hom lede shuld, 9488 All astonyt þai stode starond aboute,

ben fled all in fere, and the fild leuit,

Bowet to pere bastels with bale at þere herttes.
The frigies felly folowet hom after,

9492 ffele of hom fuersly felle hom to ground;
Dang hom to dethe with dynttes of swerd,
And moche wo on hom wroght, wastid hor blode.
At the tentis pai turnyt with Troiens to fight;
9496 With-stode hom full stithly in a stoure hoge;
ffoghten with hom felly, & fele were pere slayne.
The Troiens lighten doun lyuely, lefton thair
horses,

9500

Girdyn to be grekes with a grym fare;

Greuit hom full gretly with mony grym wound;
Alto ter of hor tenttes, tokyn pere godes.
Syluer and Sarrigold sadly pai grippet,
Bassons full brode, & other bright vessell;
9504 Pesis of plates plentius mekyll,

Other iowels full ioly, & mekull iust armur.
Paris the prise knight, & the pert Troilus
Bowet to be bonke pere pe barges lay,
9508 With xxxt M. promen pryuond in armys.
The shippes on a shene fyre shot pai belyue,
That the low vp lightly launchit aboute;
And all chrickenede with the scriue purgh the

9512

styrn ost,

ffor the smorther, & the smoke of þe smert loghys,
þat waivet in the welkyn, wappond full hote,
All the Citie might se the sercle aboute.
pan Aiax the aunterus came angardly fast,-

309

Book XXIII.

throat, it lays

open the great vein.

The Greeks break, and flee to their tents,

The Trojans pursue.

A struggle at the tents;

which are torn and plundered.

Paris and Troilus set fire to the Greek ships.

(fol. 147 a.)

Ajax, with a

Book XXIII.

great company,

comes to the

rescue.

Many killed and wounded on both

sides.

(MS. has "and")

More than five hundred of the Greek ships are burned.

Ebes, son of the
King of Thrace,
is transfixed with
a great spear.

He goes to the tent of

(fol. 147 b.) Achilles, and reproves him for

not assisting his countrymen.

9516 The tore son of Thelamon,—with tried men &

9520

9524

noble :

He turnyt to the troiens, tenit full mony,
In deffence of pe folke, pat the feld leuyt.
ffell was the fight with foynyng of speires,
Mallyng þurgh metall maynly with hondes,
Kyllyng of knightes, knockyng þurgh helmys,
Ded men full dauly droppit to ground!
On yche halue, in þat hete, hurlit to fote,
Mony bold was pere britnet vpon bothe haluys.
There all the Navy with noy, & the naite

vessell,

With fflamys of fyre hade fully ben brent,

Ne hade aunterus Aiax angardly don,

9528 And with hardynes of hond holpyn his feres,
(In) withstondyng the stoure with his strenght on.
ffyve hundrith fully of pere fyne shippes,
Consumet full cleane, clothes & other,

9532

And mony mo were pere marred, & mated with
fire.

The Troiens pat tyme tenet hom so euyll,
Dong hom to dethe, & derit hom mekyll,

bat no sith might þai suffer the sorow, pat thai

hade,

9536 But turnyt vnto tenttes, tenit full euill.
One Ebes, an od man & honerable of kyn,
Of Tracy pe tru kyng was his triet fader,

He was brochit purgh the body with a big speire,
9540 þat a trunchyn of pe tre tut out behynd,
To Achilles aune tent angardly ran,

That lay in his loge all with loue boundon,
And fore to no fight for faire Polexena.

9544 He chalinget Achilles with a chere fell,
Reproued hym prudly of his proud wille,
bat lurket in his loge, list not to helpe,
And segh his folke so fallyn, & in fight end,

ACHILLES UNDER REPROOF.

9548 bat with his monhede so mykell, & with his

mayn strenght,

Might soucour his Soudiours, & saue hom alyue. pen the trunchyn of the tre pai tuggit hym fro, Braid it out bigly, and the buerne deghet. 9552 Sone after, sothly, a seruond of Achilles Come bremly fro batell, braid to his tent: He fraynit at the freike how pai fore pere,

And spird at hym specially of paire spede fer. 9556 "Syr," quod pe seruond, "in sertan, full euyll, Oure grekes vnto ground are gird wonder picke, And myche dole is vs dight to day, as I wene, be multytude ys so myche of the mayn troiens, 9560 And so fuersly in fight fellis oure knightes,

Alto swappon vs with swerdes & with swym
strokes.

In the Citie, forsothe, no soudiour is leuit,
Ne no freke of defense, but in feld all

9564 To oppresse hom with payn, our pepull to sle.
And yf hit liked you, lord, at þis lell tyme,

To bowne you to batell on your best wise;

Syn pai fainted are with fight & feble of strenght, 9568 And wery of pere werke, ye worship might haue,

Wyth a lose euerlastond, when your lyff endis : ffor by soucour of your selfe, & your sad helpe, We might holly the herrehond haue now for ay." 9572 The worthy at his wordes wonyt no chere, Ne noght hopet in hert of his hegh speche, Ne pe sight of Sebes, pat sadly was dede; But faynet all fantasy, as he no freike segh,

9576 And as a lede pat with loue was lappit full hard, As pe maner is of men, þat mellyn with loue, To be blyndit with the byt, pof hom bale happyn: Nowther waite vnto worship, ne to wild aunter, 9580 But laityn ay with lykyng pere luff for to please. The batell was big, brytnet were fele;

311

Book XXIII.

A servant returns from the battle,

and tells Achilles how sorely the Greeks are

pressed.

If he will go
forth to battle, he
may gain great
honour and fame.

None of these things move

Achilles: he is so

overcome with love.

(fol. 148 a.)

Book XXIII.

At sunset, Paris

leads the Trojans into the city.

9584

;

Mony grekes vnto ground gird vnto dethe
Mony stithe in the stoure starf vnder fote,
Till the blode & the brayne blend with the
erthe.

Then neghit the night, noy was the more!
At the settyng of pe son sesit the fight,
Paris, the prise knight, with his pepull all
9588 Soght to the Citie softly & faire.

The grief of Paris 9592

and Troilus for their brother Deiphobus.

Paris relates how

he killed Palamedes,

Delphobus dies.

Grief of the
Trojans for
Deiphobus and
Sarpedon.

Er Deffibus was dede, his dere bredur two,
Troilus the tru knight, & the triet Paris,
ffore euyn to be freke febill of chere;
With mykell sobbyng and sorow set hym before,
hat leuer were to be lyueles, then to lyue after,
ffor dole, & for doute of hor dere brother.
Then Deffibus dauly drogh vp his Ene,

9596 Pletid vnto Paris with a pore voise,

Whether the Duke were od dede, þat hym deiret so.

han he fraynet at the freike, as he hym faith aght, And he, the tale how hit tid, told hym full euyn, 9600 of the dethe and the dynt þat the Duke polit, With the bir of his bow and a big arow. þen bade he to a buerne, þat hym by stode, The trunchen of the tre tug fro his brest; And he deghit with dole when he done hade, Vne past in the place vnto pale dethe. Myche mournyng was made for pat mayn knight

9604

With his flader vnfaire, & his fre moder,

9608 His brether vnblithe, & his bright suster ;
With sobbyng purgh the Citie, & sorow full
hoge.

And for Seppidon, the sure kyng, Syling of teres,
Myche weping & waile, wringyng of hond,

9612 Bothe of buernes of the burgh, & his bold
knightes.

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