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COUNSEL OF AGAMEMNON.

If ye deme it in dede, Dukes and other,
hat we mightily to Messam our men send,
To fecche vs som fode, or we firre passe.

5176 In pat prouyns is plenty all of prise vitell,
Of corne, & of catell, & mony kyd Rewme;
perfore, sone let vs send sum of our folke,
Worthy to wale, & wise of hor dedis,

5180 To trie of the trewist, & turne into ship,
And set furth to the se with soudiours ynow,
Pas to þat prouyns, prese to pe londe,

169

Book XIII.

send to Messana for a supply before we pass hence.

In that province there is abundance of

every kind of victual; let us send wise and trusty men with a suitable guard, to procure provisions,

(fol. 81 a.) and to forward

And make puruiaunce plentie, while prese lastis, 5184 That may cum vs, by course, to comford our ost, And abundantly broght with buernes betwene, them as they may ffor to stall our astate and our strenght hold." When pis counsell was kyd, he carpis no ferr,

be required."

5188 Was alowet with the lordis, & all pe ledis after. The proposal is

By assent of po souerains, & sithen of all, Achilles was chosyn chefe of pis erend ; And Thelephus, pat tother, ton to his fere, 5192 Was Ercules aune son eldist for sothe.

bes assignet for pe se, with soudiours ynogh, And fuerse men in fight a felle nowmber: pes drest for pe dede and droghen to ship, 5196 And merkit vnto Messam with a mekyll nauy. In þat yle was onest, an honerable kyng,

As men told in his tyme, and Teutras his name, hat his countre in kuit hade keppit full longe, 5200 And regnit in rest with riches ynogh.

He hade fightyng folke fele of his owne, And knightes full kene, & konyng of werre. Sum sain it for sothe, and for sure holdyn, 5204 The same yle I said you, Cicill is calt,

Ay abundand of blisse, & bret full of vitaill, And menyt was with men Messan to nome; ffor a cité in the same lond so gat was cald, 5208 Bild on a banke at a brode hauyn,

accepted, and Achilles with Telephus are chosen for the purpose.

With suitable
men and a strong
guard they set
sail for Messana,

Some say this island was called Sicily, and also Messana, from a city of that name in the island;

Book XIII.

which was so called, because of its abundance

of corn or by a king of that name who founded it.

(fol. 81 b.)

Achilles and
Telephus, with

3000 knights and

many ships,

arrive at the

harbour.

The king of

Messana comes to

ffull longe, & large, louely with all,

And a pesable port pight full of shippes,

þat comen for corne to contres aboute; 5212 And because of the corne, cald was it Messan, pat past fro the port to prouyns o fer. And sum of hit sain, & for sure holdyn, hat the Cité was so calld by a sure kyng,

5216 That biggit the burgh bigly hym-seluyn,

And callid it Messan be mowthe, in mynd of

his nome;

But Dares, in his dyting, dewly noght tellus
Of the Cité, for sothe, ne the selfe lond;

5220 But how po mighty were made to Messan to
wende,

ffode for to fecche to pe felle ost.

Som othir Cicill hit sothly myght be,

hat was geynde to grece, pen the grete yle, 5224 þat ferly was fer be-30nd fele Rewmes. Into this prouynce past po pepull to-gedur, Achilles the choise, and his chere felow,

With thre thowsand tristé all of pro knightes, 5228 And mony shippes full shene, shot o pe depe, hat hit into hauyn, houyt not longe,

But bounet to pe bonke po buernys anon.

Then the kyng of pe cuntre, with cumpany grete

oppose them with 5232 Of fell fightyng folke, þat on fote were,

a great army;

and a furious

battle ensues.

Past to pe port, pere the prinse lay.

The grekys, þat were gedrit & to grounde comyn, With all pere cumpany clene of the cloise shippes,

5236 Segh the kyng of the cuntre cum hom agayne, With fele folke vppon fote, pat hom fray wold. hai wan to pere weppon wightly anon.

In defense of pe folke, pai fuersly were armyt, 5240 And girden to-gedur with mony grym dyntus. Bigge was the batell opon bothe haluys,

THE KING OPPOSES ITS LANDING.

Mony fallyn were fey of pe fell grekes,

But mo of the meny, pat mellit hom with.

5244 pof the grekes were grym & of grete myght,

171

Book XIII.

Many fall on both sides, but the Greeks were unable to

pai hade no strenght to withstonde pe striff of withstand their

þe pepull,

hat were pro men in threpe, & thretyms mo.

enemies, who were three times their number.

here the grekes hade grymly ben gird vnto dethe, 5248 Hade not Achilles ben cheualrous & choise of Achilles boldly

his dedis.

He shot thurgh the sheltrone & shent of hor

(fol. 82 a.) rushes to the fray and kills many of

knightes Mony doughty were ded thurgh dynt of his hond. the bravest men.

All þat warnyt hym þe way he warpet to

ground,

5252 Till he come to be kyng, be course as hym list,
And flang at hym fuersly with a fyne swerde;
The haspes of his helme heturly brast;
Braid of his basnet to pe bare hede;

5256 Woundid hym wickedly, warpit hym to ground.

He was wode of his wit, wild as a lione,

Wold haue brittonet the bold with a bare swerd.
Hof vp his hond heturly to strike,

5260 With a fouchon felle to ferke of his hede,

And Thelephus, pe tothir, titly persayuit

He strikes the king to the ground fearfully wounded;

and is about to kill him with a sword,

when Telephus starts under the

That Teutra with torfer shuld tynt haue his liff. stroke, receives it

He stert vnder the stroke with a store shild,

5264 And keppit by course the caupe of his sword;
And Achilles the choise kyng cherly he prayit,
To let the lorde haue his lyffe for lewté of hym,
That woundit was wickedly to be wale dethe ;-
5268 þat he graunt wold godly pat gome for to leue.
pen to Thelaphus, þe tore kyng, tomly can say ;-
"What causes ye, by course, so kenly to pray,
This syre for to saue, pat is our sad enmy;
5272 And has wackont vs wer purghe will of hym

seluyn,

on his shield,
and begs Achilles
to spare the king.

"Why spare the one who has caused this war?

Book XIII.

Since he was

first to begin, let

him be first to fall."

"Once I came into this country a stranger, and

(fol. 82 b.)

he showed me

great kindness:

it would grieve

me to see him put to death."

"Do with him

then as you

please."

And harmyt vs hogely with his hond one.
Syn he boldly with bate pis baret began,
Gode faithe will he first fall in his turne."
5276 ben Thelaphus tomly talkyt agayne:-

5280

5284

5288

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"He was a frynde to my fader, & a fyn louer,
Worshippit hym on allwise & his will did.
Hit felle me, be fortune, forwith pis tyme,
Into this coste for to come, vnknowen my selfe ;
And he worship me worthely, & his weghes all.
With giftes full gay & of his gode mekyll,
Assignet me soueraines, sure men ynogh.
Hit sothely with sorow sounys to my hert,
To se pat doughty be dede & don out of lyue."
pen Achilles to pat chere choisly can say :-
"Take hym here tyt, & tent as ye list,
And wirke with pat worthy, as ye wele likes."
Thus halpe he þat hynd fro hond of Achilles,
And dro hym fro dethe, as for pat due tyme:
So the batell was barly broght to an end.
The grekes hade pe gre & gone into ship,
And Teutra the true kyng was trust on a litter,
Had hom to his halle, halfe out of lyue.
At whose prayer, full prestly, po prise men two
Wentte with pat worthy vnto his won riche,
Receyuit with reuerence & renke of astate,
Honouret with all men onestly & well,

And all daintethes hom dight dere for pe nonyst.
When few dayes faren were pe fre kyng Teutra
Wex weike of his wound & widrit to dethe:
ffeblit full fast of his fyn strenght,

Se his dethe on hym drogh dressit hym perfore.
He sent after, sothely, pe souerain Achilles,
And Thelaphe, pat tothir, vnto his owne
chaumbur.

When pai comen to pe kyng, po curtes to-gedur,
ben fond þai pat fre febill in his bed

SENDS FOR TELEPHUS.

5308 All in point for to pas with paynes of dethe.
Then Teutra po triet men tretid o pis wise:-
"Ye worshipfull weghes, well be you euer,

And gode hele mot ye haue with hop of your
lyues!

5312 I say you now sothely, as my sad fryndes,
My lif is not long lastand in erthe.

Done are my dayes, I draw to an end;

And non eire of myn own neuer yet I hade, 5316 þat I my londes might leue, lyuely to kepe, That I getton haue & gate with moche gret trauell,

And holdyn of hard, & with my hond werit

Vnto now, pat with noy is myn end comyn.

5320 The whiche lond I hade lost long tymes past,

173

Book XIII.

When at the point

of death he addressed them thus:

"I am now drawing to my

end, and there is no heir to whom I may leave my lands.

(fol. 83 a.)

Lands which

would have been

Hade not helpe ben of hym, was hardiest of lost long ago, but

othir,

Most doughty of dedis, dreghist in armys,

And the strongest in stoure, þat euer on stede

rode,

5324 Ercules, pat honerable, edist of my knightes. He was pi fader so fuerse, þat me faithe eght, hat preset at my prayer to this pure rewme, In hast me to helpe with his hede strenght,

5328 When my fos were so fell, & fuerse me agayn,

þat þai occupiet ouer all, euyn as hom list, And I vncertayn, for-sothe, to sese it on lyue. But he sothely, hym-selfe, of his sad strenght, 5332 Thurgh hardynes of hond & helpe of hym one, All my fos in fight felly distroyit;

Breke all pere batells, britned hom to dethe, And so rid he this rewme of my ranke fos, 5336 Euer sythen, for sothe, to pis same tyme,

And deliuert me pis lond, & left it in pes.
Thus the septur & the soile sithyn haue I
zemyt,

for the help of Hercules, the

bravest of my knights.

When my foes
occupied my
lands, and all
seemed to be lost,
he broke their
bands, put them
to flight, and
delivered the land
from their sway.

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