Book XXI.

Agamemnon calls

a council of the

leaders,

(fol. 138 a.)

and thus addresses

them :

"Till this day, I

have acted as

8916

8920

And by agrement of the gret, & pe graunt

hoole."

When the souerain hade said, þen he sest here And of this mater no more was menyt at pat tyme.

The same day, Sothely, sais me the lyne,
At euensangtyme afterward, Agamynon hym
seluyn

Somond all po souerains somyn to appere,
And the knightes by course, comyns & other,
In presens of pat prinse with pere pure wittes.
The secund day sewyng, before hym-self euyn,
8924 ben gedret were the grete with pere gyng all,
Comyn to be kyng and pere course held.

ben be worthy pes wordes warpit hom too:-
"Now, fryndes & ffelowes, fayrly to pis,

;

your commander; 8928 I haue ben chargit as cheftain, be chaunse of

and, through the

help of our gods,

everything has prospered.

It is proper that you discharge

me, and elect another to be your chief."

our goddes;

And haue traueld with tene, oft turnyt my wit, All oure wayes to wale, pat worship might folow; þat the grete on this ground, & paire gomys hole, 8932 Might suerly be sauyt, & paire sute haue.

Hit has happont me hiderward, thurgh help of our goddes,

þat all oure fare & oure fortune hath fallyn to þe best.

Syn hit is Reason & right, þat renkes so mony, 8936 Noght ay obaye to on buerne, ne his bone kepe,

þat are so mony, & mighty, & more of astate Now is tyme in this tru, or any toile rise,

e;

To discharge me as cheftain, & chaunge my lif,

8940 That have maintenede with monhode mony yere

past.

Let sum kyng of oure company, or sum clene

prinse,

By assent of all somyn, set hym perto,

And gouerne vs with graithnes & with gret wit, 8944 To be charget as cheftain by choise of vs all."

8948

Book XXI.

The leaders are pleased, and

proposal.

ben assentid full sone souerain & other, And were glad of þe graunt, þat the grete said; assent to the ffor hit is couyt by a comyn, by corse of þere wit, Ay hor cheftain to chaunge, pof hit chefe wors; And ay fayne of the freike in his first tyme, hof hit worthe to be worse: wete ye for sothe. han þes lordys to Election lyuely þai went, To chese hom a cheftan with charge of hom all, Who shuld falle it by fortune of the fre kynges. Palomydon for prise the pert kynges toke, And ordant hym Emperour by oppyn assent, 8956 The ost for to honour, & agh hym as lord :

8952

And his alligiaunce to loute liked hom all.
When cause of thies kynges was comyn to an
end,

All turnyt to pere tenttes, when the tyme asket. 8960 Then hit chaunsit þat Achilles of pe choise herd, That Palomydon was prinse, & put doun the tother:

Hit heuet hym hogely of pat hard chaunce.

Hit was vnfittyng, he said, pere souerain to voide;
8964 ffor the graithnes of Agamynon, & the gret wit,
Was passand Palomydon & the prinses all;
And a choise shuld in chaunge be chosen for

the bettur.

But it comyn was be course of comyn assent,

Palamedes is
chosen :

and acknowledged
as commander.
(fol. 138 b.)

Achilles is

dissatisfied with

the choice;

8968 And confirmit by the kynges, he keppit hit for but submits to it.

goode :

No more in the mater mellit hym as then,

But past furth to his pale, & here a pase endis.

292

To avenge the death of Hector, Priam himself arranges the

Trojan forces,

and leads them to battle.

(fol. 139 a.)

First Deiphobus

leads forth his

division; then Paris, then

Priam ;

then Æneas,

Memnon, and
Polydamas.

(MS. has Mirion)

Here Begynneth the xxij Boke: the Elleuynt

Batell of the Citie.

Euery Wegh, þat will wete of this werke ferr,

8972 Lengis here a litle, lysten my wordes!

When tyme of this tru turnyt was to end,—
Two monethes meuyt, as I ment first,

Priam, the prise kyng, purpast hym-seluyn
8976 ffor to deire for the dethe of his dere son.
He bounet hym to batell on his best wise,
And assignet hym-self souerains aboute,
Tho ledis to lede, as hym lefe thoght.
xx. M. thro knightes, pryuond in armys,
He assignet for hym-selfe at the same tyme,
(As Dares breuyt in his boke, & barly can tell)
& x. M. pro men, þristy of hond;

8980

8984 And ffyfty M. fere, fell men of will,

Turnyt out of Troy with the triet kyng.

Deffibus drogh furth with his derfe pepull,
Then Paris with prise put next after,

8988 pen the souerain hym-selfe, the sure kyng Priam ;
Eneas afterward etlit anone,

ben [Menon], the mighty kyng, meuit to feld: Polidamas, the pert knight, presit on the last. 8992 When thies batels full bold were to beut comyn, Thay hurlit furth hard to the hegh laund, ffrickly pere fos found for to greue.

Palamydon, þat was prinse of the proude grekes,

8996 All his Renkes had arayet, as he rede toke,
And met hom with mayn, machit to-gedur.
ffell was the frusshe, fey were þere mony:
Mony kynges were kyld, & kant men of armes !
9000 Priam to Palamydon preset so fast,

þat he gird hym to ground of his grete horse:
There leuyt he the lede, launchet aboute,
And fell in the feld mony fyn knight.

9004 Mony woundet þat worthy, & wroght vnto dethe;
Mony gird vnto ground, with his grym dynttes.
Hit is wonder to wete, in his wode anger,
How doghtely he did pat day with his hond;

9008 Or þat any freike vpon feld of so fele yeres,

So mightely with mayn shuld marre of his fos.
Deffibus, the derf knight, dang hom to ground
ffuersly & fast, with a fell weppon.

Book XXII.

Palamedes arrays the Greeks: a fierce battle follows.

Priam smites down Palamnedes:

kills and wounds many.

His feats of arms are wonderful.

9012 Kyng Seppidon, for sothe, a sad mon of strenght, Sarpedon and Bounet vnto batell with a brem wille,

And to Neptilon anon, a noble mon of Grese,
As by stowrnes of strenght, streght on hym met.
9016 This Seppidon, for sothe, he set soche a dynt,
That he gird with a grone to the ground euyn:
But the freke vpon fote fuersly can wyn,
Braid out a big sword, bare to hym sone

9020 With a dedly dynt, & derit hym full euyll

Throgh the thicke of the thegh, throly with hond.
The kyng of Persy came full prest with a proud
batell,

And Seppidon fro the Soile set vpo lofte.

9024 Thurgh the tulkes of Troy, & hor triet helpe,

9028

Neoptolemus rush on each other.

(fol. 189 b.) Sarpedon is borne down, but wounds Neoptolemus in the thigh.

The Duke of Athens drogh in, & derf Menelaus, Menelaus and

With a noyus nowmbur, nowble men all,
Vmcloset the kyng and his knightes als.

the Duke of Athens, with their forces, rush

in kill the king of Persia: and

The kyng of Persy pai put down vnto pale dethe; beat back the
Bare the Troiens abacke, & myche bale did.

Trojans.

Book XXII.

Priam slays many Greeks.

Sorrow for the death of Hector

restores the strength of his youth.

The Greeks cut off the Trojans from the city.

(fol. 140 a.)

Priam comes to their rescue :

Paris also brings

up his company of archers.

In defence of his folke, the fuerse kyng Sepidon ffull worthely wroght with his wale strenght. 9032 Thedur Priam can prese with his prise knightes, And his noble sons naturell, þat naitly hym folowet,

On yche syde for his socour, soght hym aboute. Then the Troiens full tyte, in hor tore angur, 9036 Girdon to the Grekes with a grym fare.

The noble Priam full prest put hom to ground,
Slogh hom doun sleghly with sleght of his hond.
Of all the Troiens so tore & tydé of wer,

9040 Was non so doughty pat day, ne did halfe so
well,

Ne so wight in his werkes, as the wale kyng, pat for sorow & sorgrym of his sonnys dethe, Restouret hym his strenght as in stuerne yowthe. 9044 Then the Grekes by a-grement gedrit hom somyn, Betwene the Troiens & the towne, yf þai turne

wold,

In companys cleane, knightes full mony, All pight on a playn, þere þai passe shuld. 9048 When the grekes with grem gird hom abacke, fforset were pai sone with a sad pepull,

bat faght with hom felly, & mony frekes slogh. Hard hurlyng in hast, highet hom betwene. 9052 Mony buernes on the bent blody beronen ! Ne hade Priam the prise kyng preset hom aboute,

9056

hat was feghtyng in the feld on the fer syde, Myche murthe of his men & myschefe hade

fallyn;

And of his ledis ben lost mony lell hundrith.
Parys pen preset in with a prise batell

Of noble men, for the nonest, naitist of wille, All with bowes full big, & mony bright arow; 9060 Gird euyn to the grekes, greuit hom full sore,