Book XXII.

Achilles, in a

9368 All the most of po mighty, with a mayn wille,
Dyssaisent to the dede, demyt hit for noght.
Achilles at tho choise men cheuert for anger,
Vne wrothe at hor wordes, & wightly he send
9372 To all the Mermydons, his men, and his mayn the Greeks.

pepull,

That no freke to the feld fare shuld to batell; Ne to go with þe grekes, to greue hom with-in. þen hit auntred in the ost of the od grekes, 9376 pat hom failed the fode, and defaute hade: Hongur full hote harmyt hom þen,

And fayntid the folk, failet pe strenkith.
Palomydon a perlement puruait anon,

9380 And the grete of the grekes gedrit he somyn.
pan ordant thei all men Agamynon the kyng,
With mony shippes full shene shapon perfore,
To fecche hom som fode, & filsyn hor strenght.
9384 Agamynon, full goodly, by grement of all,
Meuyt vnto Missam with mayn shippes fele,
& rofe pere full radly, raiket to the kyng.
And Thelaphon hym toke with a triet chere;
9388 ffylde all his fyne shippes, & his fraght made;
Stuffit hym with store, pat hom strenght might.
Toke leue at þe lord, and the land past;
Sailet hom soundly to the sure tenttes;

9392 Was welcom I-wis to the weghes all.
ffayne were po freikes of þe fre kyng!
Palomydon, the prise kyng, prestly gart ordan
All the shippes full shene shapyn to rode;
9396 And all the navy full noble, naitly aray,

Atyrit with takell, & trussyng of Ropes,

To be Redy for the Rode, yf þai Red toke.

rage, orders his Myrmidons to withdraw from

Famine in the
Greek camp.

Agamemnon

with a number of vessels, goes to King Telephus for victuals.

(fol. 145 a.)

Palamedes orders
the fleet to be
repaired, and
kept in readiness.

And so pai lyue pere in legh: oure lord gyf us ("legh"=ley,

Ioye!

leisure, liberty, security.)

306

The truce is ended,

Deiphobus strikes down Cressus.

The Greeks give way.

(fol. 145 b.)

Diomedes,
Palamedes, and

Ajax, with 20,000
men, come to the
assistance of the
Greeks.

Here Begynnys the xxiij Boke: of the xij and xiij Batell.

9400 The tyme of the tru turnyd to end,

Vnto batell pai busket vppon bothe haluys:
ffuersse was the folke, pat to feld came,

And with a stoure, þat was stronge, stryken to-
gedur.

9404 Deffibus derfly drof to a greke,

bat Cresseus was cald, kyng of Agresta ;

He gird hym thurgh the guttes with a grym speire,

þat he light on the lond, & the lyue past.

9408 Myche sorow was pere sene for pe sure kyng, Sore greuyt the grekes for grefe of hym on!

All fond to pe fight, febill of hertis,

The bold men on bake were borne with the

troiens,

9412 And mony kant man kyld with caupyng of

swerdes.

Then Dyomede, the derfe kyng, drogh into batell,
Palomydon full prudly, with prise men of armys,
With auntrus Aiax, abill of dedis,

9416 And xxti M. pro men prang in with thes.

The stoure was full stithe, po stuerne men be

twene,

Mony dyet in þe dale, dole to be-hold!

Hit auntrid, þat Aiax so angardly met

9420 On Forson, a fyn knight, with a fell dynt,—
A prise son of Priam, with a proude wille,-
He woundit hym wickedly in his wale face,
And vnablit after with angur to fight.

9424 When Deffibus with dole of þe dede segh,
ffor bale of his brother brest out to wepe,
He walte into wodenes for his wan angur,

And tachit vppon Thelamon with a tore speire, 9428 Hurlit hym to hard yerth, hurt hym full sore!

Book XXIII.

Ajax beats down Phorcys, a son of Priam.

Deiphobus in revenge rushes on Ajax, and wounds him.

THE DETHE OF DEFFIBUS BY PALOMYDON SLAYN.

Palomydon persayuit & preset hym to venge, He droffe vnto Deffibus with a dynt felle, Shott þurgh the sheld & pe shene mayle, 9432 Bare hym þurgh the brest with a bright end, þat þe Rod alto Rofe right to his hond :

A trunchen of the tre & the triet hed Abode in his body, & in his brest stake. 9436 pan Paris persayuet the pyn of his brother, hat was stad in the stoure & the strong fight, Myche water he weppit, wailyng of sorow. With pyne out of prese, & pité in hert,

9440 Deffebus he drogh furth, & drissit to light:
By a syde of the Cité set hym to ground,

Laid hym on the laund with a laith chere,
With myche wepyng & woo for want of hym one.

9444 As Deffebus, with dole of his depe wound,
Thus lay on the laund, he lift vp his egh,
Blusshet on his broder, & bailusly said :---

Deiphobus is severely wounded.

Paris drags him from the crowd and stays to tend him.

desires him to

"A! dere brother, er I degh, or droupe in-to helle, Deiphobus 9448 And er þis trunchyn, me tenys, be takon of my

brest,

Go, buske vnto batell my bone for to venge,
And oppresse the with payn, & present hym

dethe;

(fol. 146 a.) avenge his death.

Book XXIII.

Paris, overcome

with grief and

rage, dashes into battle to seek

Palamedes.

hat he so sleghly be slayn with sleght of þi 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 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 pat duke, & of derfe other, pai were boun to gyffe bake, & the bent leue.

THE DETHE OF PALOMYDON BY PARIS.

vp

Paris bend his bow with his big arme,
Waited the wegh in his wit ouer,

In what plase of his person to perse of his wede;
And to deire hym with dethe he duly deuyset,
With a narow full noble of a nait shap,
hat put was in poison ouer the pale hede.
He woundit þat worthy in his wide prote,

Gird þurgh the gret vayne, grusshet the necke, bat he hurlyt doun hedlonges, harmyt no moo, 9484 And deghit of þe 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,

pen 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,

Girdyn to pe grekes with a grym fare;

9500 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 xxx" M. promen þryuond 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

styrn ost,

9512 ffor the smorther, & the smoke of pe 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,--

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