Book XXIII. Paris, overcome with grief and rage, dashes into battle to seek Palamedes, hat he so sleghly be slayn with sleght of pi hond, 9452 pat I may wete how hit worthes, or I wend hethyn!" Parys, for pytie of his pale wordes, And all his wedis were wete of his wan teres. 9456 There left he pe lede and launchet to fild, Dessyrus to degh, for dole þat he hade. He shot purgh the sheltrums pe 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, down Sarpedon. 9468 þat he karve hit of cleane, & the kyng deghit, And fey of his fole felle to pe ground. Palamedes, with one blow, cuts 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 þat duke, & of derfe other, hai were boun to gyffe bake, & the bent leue. Paris shoots (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, In what plase of his person to perse of his wede ; 9480 pat put was in poison ouer the pale hede. THE GREEK TENTS ARE PLUNDERED. Gird purgh the gret vayne, grusshet the necke, hat he hurlyt doun hedlonges, harmyt no moo, 9484 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. 9492 ffele of hom fuersly felle hom to ground; And moche wo on hom wroght, wastid hor blode. 309 Book XXIII. throat, it lays open the great vein. The Greeks break, and flee to their tents. The Trojans pursue. At the tentis pai turnyt with Troiens to fight; A struggle at the 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 Girdyn to pe grekes with a grym fare; 9500 Greuit hom full gretly with mony grym wound; 9504 Pesis of plates plentius mekyll, Other iowels full ioly, & mekull iust armur. And all chrickenede with the scriue purgh the styrn ost, 9512 ffor the smorther, & the smoke of pe smert loghys, 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 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 & 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, 9520 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, 9524 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, 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, þat thai 9536 But turnyt vnto tenttes, tenit full euill. He was brochit purgh the body with a big speire, 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 pat with his monhede so mykell, & with his mayn strenght, Might soucour his Soudiours, & saue hom alyue. Alto swappon vs with swerdes & with swym 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. Syn þai fainted are with fight & feble of strenght, 9576 And as a lede pat with loue was lappit full hard, As þe maner is of men, pat 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; Book XXIII. At sunset, Paris leads the Trojans into the city. and Troilus for their brother Mony grekes vnto ground gird vnto dethe; Mony stithe in the stoure starf vnder fote, 9584 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, Er Deffibus was dede, his dere bredur two, The grief of Paris 9592 With mykell sobbyng and sorow set hym before, Deiphobus. Paris relates how he killed Palamedes, Delphobus dico, Grief of the 9596 Pletid vnto Paris with a pore voise, Whether the Duke were od dede, pat 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. ben bade he to a buerne, pat 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 9604 knight þat mayn With his flader vnfaire, & his fre moder, 9608 His brether vnblithe, & his bright suster; hoge. And for Seppidon, the sure kyng, Syling of teres, 9612 Bothe of buernes of the burgh, & his bold |