THE BATTLE AT THE LANDING. The Grekes geton hor ground, pat [graidly was Book XIV. 189 The Greeks, thus encouraged, lost], And myche comford hom the co[m of pat kene gain ground: knight]: Mony woundes pai wroght, [and warpit to dethe]! 5808 Vlixes with vtteraunse vnder [his shild], and Ulysses, dashing wildly through the Mony stithe in stoure stroke on [þere helmes]; enemy, works 5812 Sum he stroke in the stoure streght to pe erthe; sad havoc among them. (fol. 90 b.) Pylæmenes The proud kyng of Pafligon persayuit his dede, struck him to the One Philmene, a freike of the ferre halue, 5816 He gird hym to ground with a grym speire; And he fell vppon fote, faght with the kyng. And Philmene the fuerse, with a fell dynt, 5820 pat hit shot prough the shilde & pe shire maile, To be bare of pe body, pat the blade folowet; 5824 And frusshit at Philmene with a fyn launse. ground with a spear; but still he fights, He is again dashed to the ground with a sore wound; but starting up he wounds Pylæmenes in the throat, and ground. With all the might & the mayn, pat the mon hade, hurls him to the bat he breke purgh the burd to the bare throte; 5828 Hurlet þurghe the hawbergh, hurt hym full sore; The gret vayne of his gorge gird vne ysondur, hat the freike, with the frusshe, fell of his horse, 5832 The Troiens for pat tulke had tene at hor hert; The Trojans drag Kayron euyn to the kyng, caght hym belyue; Harlet hym fro horsfet, had hym away. [He] for ded of pe dynt was drest on his shild, 5836 [And bourne on the burde to pe burgh hom; nother him from the ground and carry him to the city on his shield. Book XIV. (fol. 91 a.) Menelaus and his men then land, dash into the battle to aid their friends, and [Myche harm to pem] happit here at pis tyme! 5840 [The Grekes were] so grym þat were to ground comyn, [Mony dukes were] ded of pe derfe Troiens. 5844 [Come launchond to] lonnd and hor lordes all: ffull radly arofe, raiked to lond; Halet vp horses, highet olofte; sorely oppress the 5848 And fellon vnto fight pere feres to helpe, Trojans. Protesilaus, worn out with his long, hard struggle, now withdraws rest a little on the bank. hat were strongly be-stad in a stoure hoge. To the Troiens pai turnyt & mekill tene wroght! The frusshe was so felle, po fuerse men betwene, 5852 Crakkyng of cristis, crusshyng of speiris, The clynke & pe clamour claterit in the aire, And mony dongen to dethe of the derfe Troiens. lond from the battle to 5860 ffirst in the forward, þat his folke lost, He was wery for-wroght, & woundet full sore,― Hade laburt so longe, hym list for to rest,— And bowet fro the batell to pe bonke side, 5864 ffor to beld hym on pe bent, & his brethe take. And o sithen he soght to þe se euyn, When he saw that all his band had perished, he was overcome with grief and rage. pere pe fight was first, & the folke drounet; hen he plainly persayuit his pepull were ded, -5868 pat no lede of pat lordes vppon lyue was. Soche a sorowe of pat sight sanke to his hert, hat his wedis wex wete of his wan teris, And he, stithely astonyt, stert into yre; 5872 More breme to pe batell his baret to venge, THE BATTLE AT THE LANDING. Of his folke pat were fallyn vnto fell dethe, 5876 Onon with a naked sword neghit to batell, Then Perses the proude kyng prise mon of ynde, 191 Book XIV. Rushing against the enemy, he (fol. 91 b.) cut down a great many. 5884 At whose come the cuntre-men comford were all, The Trojans again And restoret the stithe fight stuernly agayn; As fresshe to pere fos as at the first tyme, All the batell to pe bonke, & mony buerne slogh. pere the grekes hade ben grymly gird vnto dethe, 5892 Ne hade Palomedon, the prise kyng, preset to lond, With fele fightyng folke of fuerse men of armys; Wonyn on wightly, wentyn to batell, 5896 His folke to refresshe with a fyn wille. The assembly was sorer o pe se banke ; Mony deghit full dernly, dole to be-holde! Then the grekes agayne geton þere hertes, 5900 And myche comford kaght of his come pen. This Palomydon paynyt hym pepull to slee, And mony woundys he wroght in his wild yre. He soght to on Symagon, a sad mon of armys,5904 Kyng Merion pe mighty was his met brother, bat fele had confoundit of the fuerse grekes ;He bere to be bold with a big sworde, And rof purgh the Ribbes right to be hert, take heart, and press the Greeks back to the shore. But for the arrival of Palamedes, they would have been destroyed. The Greeks then recover themselves; and Palamedes, meeting Symagon, drives his sword into his heart. Book XIV. (fol. 92 a.) Such havoc he works among the Trojans, that they scatter and begin to flee; but the noise of the battle had reached the ears of Hector, and he rushes to their assistance. Driving in among the Greeks, he cut his way right and left. He presses to and with a fierce swing of his sword clove him to the middle. 5908 þat he fell of his horse flat to be ground, 5912 Mony knight don cast to pe cold erthe. And fer in the fight fell hom the worse, Vne boun fro pe batell busket to fle, 5920 Vntill Ector eris hit entrid belyue The great noise of pe noy, pat in note was. Thre lions the lord bare all of light goulis, 5928 þat were shapon on his shild, shalkes to beholde. He gird to the grekes with a grym yre; In the brest of the batell, pere buernes were thicke, He ffrusshet so felly freikes to ground; 5932 Made wayes full wide pe weghis among; Shot thurgh the sheltrons, shent of pe pepull. To Prothesselon he preset, pat pepull hade slayn, And myche wo had wroght on pe wild troiens. THE DETHE OF PROTHESSOLON BY ECTOR SLAYN. 5936 He swappit at hym swithe with a swerd felle; Hit on his hede a full hard dynt ; Clefe purghe the criste & the clene maile; THE BATTLE AT THE LANDING. Slit hym down sleghly thurghe the slote euyn, 5940 Bode at the belt stid, and the buerne deghit. Then leuet he the lede, launchet on ferre, Mony dange to the dede with dynt of his hond : 5944 Mony brem in the batell britnet to dethe, Sundrit the soppis vnsarkonly with hondes: All gird of his gate, gevyn hym the way. Iche freike of þat furse fraynit at other, 5948 pat our folke pus felly flynges to ground: ben þai knowen by course of his clene shap, 193 Book XIV. The Greeks perceive that it is hat it was Ector the honerable, eddist of Hector who is knightes. Thai fled fro the fase of his felle dynttes, 5952 So bold was no buerne his bir to withstond, Ne pe caupe of his kene sword kast hom to mete. Mony grekes with grem he gird to the dethe. Left his feris in þe fild fightyng full hard. 5964 Then grekes agayne getton þere herttes, ffrushet þe ffrigies felly to ground; So hit tid hom tensiche betymys þat day. But pe Troiens full tore turnyt agayne, 5968 ffoghten so felly, frunt hom o backe, Kyld mony knightes, cacchit on hard, Greuyt so the grekes, pai graithet to fle, Were borne to pe banke with baret ynogh. 5972 Then Achilles the choise cheuyt to land, upon them, and no one dares to oppose him. Their courage fails, and they are driven back to the sea. Hector quits the field for a time. The Greeks again take heart; make a rush on the enemy, but are driven back with much loss. (fol. 93 a.) |