THE DEATH OF ACHILLES.

hat we may speike of our spede specially pere. Thus I will pat pou wirk, wete pou for sothe: Sure knightes of assent assemble þe to, 10512 Turnys into the temple trystily enarmyt;

Kepis you in couer, cleane out of sight,

Tyll the kyng and his company by comyn within;
ffallys on hym fuersly, frap hym to dethe,

10516 That he pas not your pouer for prayer ne other!"

343

Book XXVI.

and that Paris should have knights ready to slay him.

The knight, at þe comaundement of his kene Paris assents: moder,

With sykyng & sorow asentid perto.

He dressit for pe dede, by dom of pe qwene, 10520 xxti knightes full kene of his kyd fryndes.

Choise of his chere men, chargit hym-selfe His councell in couert to kepe for the tyme. pan Paris and his pepull past to the temple, 10524 Keppit hom in couert, aclosit hom þerin,

Armyt at all pesis, abill to fight,

And a-bode till þe buerne vnto burgh come.
ben Ecuba esely ordant a message,

10528 Sent to pat souerain by a sad frynde;

Spake to hym specially to spede of his erend,
To turne to the temple, and tary not longe.
Than the hede kyng vnhappely hasted belyue,

10532 Laburd with loue, pat lodly dissayuis,

And mony worthy and wise hase to wo broght,
Put vnto pouert, and to pale dethe.
Achilles with Archilagon chefe on pe way,
10536 The noble sun and next heire of Nestor the Duke,
Soghtyn to the citie somyn onon,

And to Appollyns aune temple angardly yode. Paris with his pert knightes presyt hym agayn, 10540 With all his might & his malis the mon for to

sle.

Swordis out swiftly pai swappit belyue,

And vmset hym full sore vpon sere halfes.

he selects a band of knights;

and goes to the temple.

Hecuba sends a messenger to Achilles.

(fol. 161 b.)

Along with
Archilochus he

goes to the

temple:

is attacked by knights, and

Paris and his

slain.

Book XXVI.

Paris orders the bodies of Achilles and Archilochus to be thrown to the dogs and vultures.

(fol. 162 a.)

Achilles braid out a brand with a brem wille, 10544 And fast vmbe his fist foldit his mantill.

All bare was the buerne, out of bright wedis,
Yet seuyan of þat sorte he slew with his hond.
Parys cast at the kyng with a kene will,
10548 pre darttes noght dole, and dedly hym woundit.
There kyld was the kyng, & the knight bothe,
And by treason in the temple tirnyt to dethe.
pan Paris to the pepull prestly comaundit
10552 The bodies of po bold to britton onone,

And cast hom to curres & to kene foghles,
On pere flesshe hom to fede on a foule wise.
The corses of po kant men were kast into strete,
10556 Iche lede on to loke, as þai lust hade.

ffayne of þat fare were the felle troiens:

To se pe corse of þat kyng, þat hom care wroght,
Be dongen to dethe for deiryng of other.

10560 Agamynon the gret, by grement of all,

To Priam, by prise men, pertly he send,
hat he wold graunt to pe grekes, by grace of
hym-selfon,

The bodies of po bold to bery as hom liked. 10564 Archilagon, the choise knight, was chere to his

fader,

The noble Duke Nestor, pat noyet full sore.
Myche sorow hade his Syre the sun to behold,
And oft swonyt that swete, & in swyme felle.

Priam allows the 10568 The kyng graunttyd po grekes po grete for to

Greeks to carry

off the dead

bodies.

haue,

The bodies to pe bastell barly to lede.

ffor the choise kyng Achilles pai cherit hom

euill,

With mych dole for his dethe, and drede of

hom more.

10572 pai hopid full hertely, for pat hed losse,

A COUNCIL OF WAR.

Neuer the cite for to sese, ne hor Sute haue. ffor the losse and the lure of pat lele kyng, Myche water pai weppit, þat worthy to mysse. 10576 þan þai puruait of prise, with precious aray, A Sepulcre solempne, set full of stonys: Praying to Priam, po prise men all,

Within the Cité to be set, with sufferans of hym.
10580 He grauntid þo grete a graunt for to haue
In the entre of the est halfe, euyn at the yate,
That troiens in old tyme Tyboria did call.
pere pai tild vp a toure, triedly wroght,
10584 Meruelously made with masons deuyse,

With Jemmes, & iuwells, & other ioly stonys.
There closit pai the kyng vpon cleane wise,
With mykill sorow and sykyng, and soghtyn

agayn.

10588 pan Agamynon all the gret gedirt onon, Kynges into counsell, & oper kyd dukes, Erles, & all men oght of astate.

Thies wordis to po worthy warpit pe prise :

10592 "Lokes now, lordes, our lure is full hoge,

345

Book XXVI.

Achilles is buried at the Thymbræan gate: a gorgeous sepulchre is erected.

Agamemnon calls a council,

On the mysse & the murthe of pe mighty and asks whether

Achilles.

Whethur is bettur in batell abide in this lond,
Or kaire to our cuntre, and the kythe leue?"

10596 Iche whe, in þis werke, has for wit kast,
paire domes were full dyuers, doublit full picke:
Sum lordes to lenge lusty pai were,

Sum frike to be fare pere fryndes to se.

10600 O sythen, po souerains were of asent hole,
herein batell to byde, & the burghe sege.
hof hom auntrid Achilles with angur to lose,
And fail hom in fight with his fyn strenght,

the siege is to be continued, or raised.

All determine to continue the

siege,

(fol. 162 b.)

10604 paire goddis will not gab, þat grauntid hom first and rely on the

The cité to sese, as hom selfe lyked:

Troy with his touris tyrne vnto ground,

promise of the gods.

Book XXVI.

Ajax proposes to send for the son of Achilles,Neoptolemus,

for without him they could not succeed.

Menelaus is sent to fetch him from king Lycomedes.

(MS, has
"hengyng")

(MS. has xxti)

The summer solstice.

(fol. 163 a.)

And hewyn vppon hom, þat þe hold kepis. 10608 þan Aiax the Auntrous atlet to say,

In myddes of po mighty meuit to stond ;-
"Lordes, yf hit like you, lystyn my wordis,
And hedis me with heryng, herkyn a litle !
10612 pof auntrus Achilles, abill of dedis,

Be drepit with dethe, and done fro our helpe;
Let send for his son, a sad mon of hond,
Oddest in armys, & auntrus in were,
10616 A fuerse mon in fight, & in frike youthe,
Our knightes to comford & our kid pepull:
Of pis toun, ellis truly, tidis vs non end,
On no wise forto wyn, ne our wille haue."
10620 Then affirmyt hit fast all pe fyn councell,
And assentid to be sound po souerains all.
On þis message was made Menelay the kyng,
By agrement of po grete, as for graith holdyn.
10624 He was chosyn for chere of his choise wedis,
Neptolyn, the nobill son, naitly to seche,

Of pe duke þat was dede, doghty Achilles.

He was (lengyng) in lond with Licomed the kyng,

10628 He was graunser of pat grete, & for graith holdyn.

OFF THE (XXII) BATELL.

Now hit tide for to tell pe tyme of pe yere.
The sun vndur 3odiake set was olofte,
At pe poynt forto passe, & put into canser;
10632 When pe season of somer was set at the last,
And the day of pe dreight dryuyn vppo long;
By domys of deuynours, pat delyn þerwith,
Abill of astronomy, þat auntris on se,
10636 Sadmen of Syens, þat settyn hom perto,
Solstacion, for sothe, sayn hit to hat.
In the monyth to merke, the myddis of Ioyne,

THE TROJANS ARE LED BY PARIS.

The sextene day sothely, sais me the lyne, 10640 The boldmen to bent bounet full picke,

Sadly on aither syde soghtyn to ffild.

The grekes hom greithed, the grettist & other, Dyomede the doughty, & derf Menestaus ; 10644 Agamynon also auntrid hym with ;

Menelaus among meuit to ffeld.

All buskes hor batels on hor best wise, And past furth to the pase, po pouer togedur. 10648 pan Priam, the prise kyng, puruait onon His knightes in companyes cantly to wend, Vndur gouernaunce graithe how þai go shuld, And assignet hom hym-selfe, as souerain & lord. 10652 Moche dole and doute po doghty men hade, Syn hom lacked the lede of the lorde Ector, hat was stithist of stoure, stabill of hert, And the wit, þat hom wantid, of the worthy

Deffibus,

10656 With the truthe and the trist of Troiell the

knight.

In defaute of tho fuerse, the fyne Duke Paris
ffore to the fight with a fell pouer.

Myche watur he weppit of his wale ene,

10660 Ouer-flowet his face, fell on his brest,

With streamys out straght þurgh his stithe
helme.

The murmur was mykill of his mayn knightes,

With gronyng & gref for pere gret angur,

10664 Ay in doute of the dethe, dredyng hom-seluyn.
Than Polidamas full prest put next after;
Philmen, the fuerse kyng, with a folke hoge;
Esdyas also auntrid hom with;

10668 Eneas also after hom went;

All the ledis to the listes on the laund past.
Paris with the percians, prise of all archers,
Assemblit full sone with a sad pepull.

347

Book XXVI.

The Greeks are
led by Diomedes,
Mnestheus,
Agamemnon, and
Menelaus.

The Trojans are disheartened by the loss of Hector, Deiphobus, and Troilus.

Paris leads them, weeping as he goes:

Polydamas,
Pylæmenes,
Adrastus, and
Eneas, with their
companies, follow.