Book XIV. Therefore, delay no longer. The attack must be made." All were pleased with this counsel (fol. 88 a.) and determined to follow it. At day-break all are ready. One hundred ships with fierce men and all sorts of missiles to annoy the enemy are sent first then, another squadron of one And with fightyng full fell with a fuerse pepull, And the dom, pat he dulte, duly was kept. There plainly thaire purpos putto an end. 5656 With baners o brede bret for þe werre; hundred; and the 5660 With sailes vp set on þe same wise, whole fleet follow. When they reach the city, the sails are dropped; boats are All wroght for the werre & wight men perin. pen folowet all the flete fast oponon, Euyn kepyn hor course, as pai kend were, 5664 Turnet euyn to be toune, tariet no lengur, Till o sithen pai segh pe Cité at hond, And the bonkes aboute to pe bare walles. Then þai turnyt hor tacle tomly to ground, lowered; and all 5668 Leton sailes doun slide, slippit into botes, make for the land. Launchet vp to the lond lyuclé bedene, But the Trojans saw their boats THE HARD ARIVALL OF THE GREKES. 5672 But the Troiens, truly, þes tourfer beheld, THE BATTLE AT THE LANDING. How the filete of pere fos fell to pe bonke, And armyt hom [at] all peces abill to fight; Lepon vpon light horses, lappit in stele; 5676 Withouten leue of the lege, or pe leffe prince, Bowet euyn to pe banke or pai bide wold ; Out of rule or aray raungit on lenght. The Grekes in the gret shippes graidly beheld, 185 Book XIV. making for the bank, and mounting their horses dashed down to prevent the landing. (fol. 88 h.) The Greeks marvel at the 5680 Segh the pepull so plaintiouse, presaund in number and armes, The bonke to forbede, bold men ynow: Thai hade meruell full mekyll in hor mynd all, To se the gouernaunce graithe, & the grete chere, 5684 How wisely po werriours wroghten vndur shild. There was no Greke so grym, ne of so gret wille, Durst abate on po buernes, ne to bonke stride; Ne afforse hym with fight to ferke out of ship. 5688 But for hom gaynet no ground to get at pe tyme, But þurghe strenght of strokes, & of strong fight, Seeing there was pai armyt hom at all peces all the ost well, 5692 Wonyn to pere weppons wyghtly by-dene, nothing to be got but by hard fighting, at length they seizo their weapons and drive to And girdyn vp to pe ground with hor grete land Prothessalon the proude, of Philace was kyng, He was formast on flete with the first hundrith, Protesilaus was 5696 pat boldly to bonke braidis to fight. 5700 foremost of those; but his ships were rocks. But his shippes were shent with a sharpe wynd, shattered on the pen the fight wex fell po fuerse men amonge, Many of his men were drowned; and those who slain. got to land were The battle became fierce: the air Book XIV. was thick with arrows and cross-bow bolts, and resounded with the din of arms. (fol. 89 a.) But the second division, through better skill, reached the bank, and press on fiercely. The Trojans resist stoutly; but the Greeks, with bow and cross bow, bicker on them and confuse their ranks: then driving upward press them hard. Protesilaus now 5708 5712 5716 Of Arowes & Awblasters pe aire wex thicke, And dynnyt with dyntes, pat delte were pat tyme. The rynels wex red of the ronke blode, hat were slayne in the slicche, & in slym There sothely was sene what sorow & pyne, But the secund sort sothely, pat sewet hom Were graither of gouernaunce, grippet hor sailes, 5720 And light vnto lond lyuely and sound. More wisely pai wroght purgh warnyng before. hai preset vp proudly with panys in hond, In refut of hor felowes, pat were foule mart; 5724 And the Troiens tyt turnyt hom agayne, 5728 ffor-bode hom the banke with mony bale dintes. knightes. 5732 The shalkes for pe shot shout fro pe banke, THE BATTLE AT THE LANDING. There wonderfully wroght his weghis to helpe; 5740 Mony Troiens with tene tyrnyt to ground, Thurgh swap of his sword swaltyn belyue! 187 Book XIV. displayed his great strength and cut down many brave Mony doughty were ded with dynt of his hond, Trojans. And myche fortherit his feris in hor fell angur! 5744 Hade not the freike ben so fuerse with his fell But for him the dyntes, All the grekes hade ben gird vnto grym dethe, comyn. But what fortherit his fight, pof he fell were, Greeks had been cut down to a man. (fol. 89 b.) But what could even he do with 7000 brave 5748 With seven thowsaund pro men prongen to-gedur, 100 men against bere a hundrith hole were on a hepe somyn All triet men of Troy þat hom tene wroght? Mony dynttes full dedly delt were anon! 5752 The Grekes were gird doun, & on ground lay, Mony swonyng, & swalt, & in swym felle. The grekes were so greuyt, & to grem broght, hai wold fayn haue ben forthe, fled on hor way, Fain would the 5756 But no wise might po weghis wyn into ship; Ne to lepe fro pe lond into pe low se, Hit was not holsom for hom, so hard was the Hom was leuer on pe lond leng at hor aunter, Greeks have fled; but they could not. They make a rush against the Trojans, who soon drive many of them into the sea. And were ded in the depe withouten dyn more. holde, 5768 But all borne were pai backe to þe buerne syde, And hade deghit by-dene with dynttes of hond; Again they would have been over Archelaus, who rallies them; and another fierce combat ensues. Book XIV. Nestor, with his men, then reaches the bank, (fol. 90 a.) and rushed in to their aid, and the air resounds with the shouts of men and crash of arms. Ascalaphus and Alacus then land, And fell vnto fight his feris to helpe. And mony deghit with dynt of po derfe pepull: 5780 With his shippis full shene, & sharpe men of armys, Hard hastid to helpe with heturly wille, And sodainly with his sort soght into batell! 5784 Arowes vp in the aire ysshit full picke; and uniting with 5792 And aryuen full rad with pere rank shippes: their friends drive the Trojans back. But fresh troops come up, and they regain their ground. Ulysses and his men then land and rush upon the enemy. With pere pouer full prist past fro þe water, 5796 Obacke went the batell of pe burghe folke; touchit, hat gird into the grekes with a grym will, And all backward hom bere to pe buerne side, 5800 pat fer from þe flode might no freke wyn. Then Vlexes come vp vne with his folke, Wan out of pe water & his weghis all, And braid into batell with a brem wille. 5804 Sharpe was the shoure the sheltrun [amonge]! |