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Book XIV.

Achilles has

landed his forces,
and now drives
wildly into
battle.

His arrival cheers the Greeks,

and the struggle

becomes fierce.

The Trojans suffer severely, and are sore pressed by Achilles.

The last of the ships now come

to land; and the Greeks are so numerous that the Trojans in

despair flee to the

city.

In the pursuit,

Achilles has slain

so many,

that he is drenched with blood.

With his shippes in a sheltrun, & skalkes
within;

Gird vp to pe ground with a grym fare,
With pre thowsaund pro men pristé in armys;

5976 ffell to be fight on a fuerse wise.

Myche tene the Troiens tid of his hond!

The grekes keuriyt for comford by comyng of hym.

ffell was the fight po frekes betwene! 5980 Mony gird to pe ground, and to grym dethe; Mony lede out of lyue light on the erthe! The stoure was so stithe po strong men among, That full mekull was the murthe, & mony

were ded.

5984 The Troiens full tyte were tyrnit to ground:
Thurghe Achilles chiualry hom cheuyt the worse.
Mony fell pat freike with his fuerse dynttes!
Myche blode on the bent, bale for to se;
5988 Of myrthe & of murnyng thurgh might of hym

one.

Then the last of po lefe shippis launchit to bonke,

And all the fighting folke fell to pe lond;

Gyrdyn in grymly into grete batell.

5992 The multitude was so mykyll at þe mene tyme,
Of the grekes vppon ground, & of grym folke,
The Troiens for tene tyrnyt the backe,
ffleddon in fere, & the filde leuyt;

5996 All somyn to the Cité soghten by-dene,

With myche clamur & crie for care of hor dethe.
Mony warchond wound, and weré at all,
Mony chivalrous Achilles choppit to dethe:
6000 All his wedis were wete of paire wan blode!

As pai flaghe in the filde, pe freke with his hond,
So he gird hom to ground with a grym sword,
To pe Cité forsothe, cessit þai noght.

THE BATTLE AT THE LANDING.

6004 Moche angre at the entré auntrid to falle,

To the Troiens with tene, er þai toun entred. Myche slaghte in the slade, & slyngyng of horse! Mony derfe pere deghit, was dole to beholde ! 6008 ffull myche was the murthe, & more hade pere bene,

Hade not Troilus the tene turnyt to fight, And Paris the prise with pepull ynogh, With Deffebus the derfe, of dedis full felle, 6012 þat fell to pe frusshe of þe fuerse grekes ; Issuet out egurly, angret full mony,

And so sesit the suet, soghtyn no ferre.
The night was so nigh, noye was the more,
6016 The day was done, dymmet the skyes.
The Troiens full tite tyrnyt the gates,
Barret hom bigly with barres of yrne.
Achilles with his chiualers chefe to pe bonke,
6020 All the grekes agayn Agamynon vnto.

The Emperoure hym owne selfe ordant onon,
fforto bilde vp tenttes, tariet no lengur.
Sithen hym selfe assignet the gret

6024 Placis of pauylions, for the prise kynges
Grete tenttes to graide, as paire degre askit;
Logges to las men, with leuys of wod.

Iche buerne, on his best wise, busket to lenge, 6028 ffor the night was so neghe, noyet hom all. Stablit vp hor stedis & hor stithe horses,

On suche maner as pai might, for the mene

tyme;

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And all necessaries for pe night, pat pai naite Necessaries for

shuld,

6032 ffecchit fro the flete, & ferkit to bonke.

Thaire shippis in sheltrons shotton to lond,
Knyt hom with cables & with kene ancres,

And bound hom full bigly on hor best wise.

6036 As Agamynon the grete the gomys commaundyt,

the camp are
brought from the
fleet, which is
now anchored and
moored in safety.

Book XIV.

Fires and torches are kindled:

(fol. 94 a.)

and the watch is

set.

The Trojans

remain close in

the city.

Agamemnon is busy all night arranging the guards;

appointing the watchwords;

and providing for the wounded.

All through the night the men

remain under

arins.

Brode firis & brem beccyn in þe ost,
Torchis and tendlis the tenttes to light,

That yche freike in the fild his felow might
know,

6040 Alse light on to loke, as þe leue day.

Other feris opon fer the freikes withoute,
With skowte wacche for skathe & skeltyng of
harme.

The Troiens with tene, pat in the towne were, 6044 Neghit hom not negh, ne no noy did,

But closit the clene yates, keppit hom within. This Agamynon, the grete, gaynit no slepe. Bisé was the buerne all the bare night, 6048 To ordan for his Enmyes, as I er saide, ffolke opon fer, the firis withoute,

ffor to wacche and to wake for wothis of harme, With qwistlis, & qwes, & other qwaint gere,

6052 Melody of mowthe myrthe for to here;

And men of armys full mony made for to stond,
In soppes on sere halfe the sercle to kepe;
The ost out of angur & auntur to were,

6056 Wacche wordes to wale, þat weghis might know;
Sore men & seke soundly to rest,

hat were feblet in fight, & hade fele woundes,
To lie in hor lodges a littell at ese.

6060 Armet were all men for auntur to come,
Till the derke was don, & the day sprange,

And the sun in his sercle set vppo lofte.

This fight was the first po felous betwene,

6064 Syn thay light on the lond:-lord giffe vs ioye!

rb Boke. Of the Ordinaunce of the Troiens to the Secund Batell.

Ector the Honerable, erly at Morne,

When the sun vp soght with his softe beames,

Ledar of the ledis, þat longit to Troy,

6068 He purpost his pepull with his pure wit,

ffor to fare to the fight, & the fild take.
He somond all the Cité vppon sere haluys,
Euery buerne to be boun on hor best wise,

6072 Armyt at all peses abill to fight;

And assemblit in sad hast hym seluyn before,
On a place, þat was playn, plesaund with all,
There a temple was tild of tide Diana,
6076 ffull worthely wroght weghis to beholde.

Thidur comyn the kynges with knightes enarmyt,
And were pertid full pristly, put into batell,

By deuyse of the duke, pat doghtie was aye,
6080 As for the fight at the full on the first day.
ffor to 3arpe vp the 3ate, he 3epely comaund,
þat hight Dardan by-dene duly to nome.
Of his cosyns he cald kyde men two :
6084 On Glaucon, a gome þat graithe was in armys,
(He was a knight full kant, the kynges son of

Lice,

And a wight mon in wer, wild of his dedis)

And Synabor, forsothe, the secund was he,

6088 Ector owne brother, abill to fight.

Hector

determines to

attack the Greeks
early in the
morning.
(fol. 94 b.)

He commands his forces to assemble at the

temple of Diana.

When they are arranged as on the previous day,

he orders the Dardan gate to be opened.

To Glaucus and

Synabor he assigns 1000 of the

Book XV.

bravest and best knights of Lycia and Troy:

and the division marches off to

battle.

He then assigns
1000 knights to
Theseus and.
Archilochus.

(fol. 95 a.)

To the second battalion, of 3000 knights, he

appoints

Xantippus and

Ascanius, kings

of Phrygia.

To the third battalion, of the same number, he appoints Troilus, his brother; and counsels him thus:

"Dear brother! I am afraid your

eagerness will

To hom assignet the souerain, all of sure

knightes,

A thowsaund full pro, priuaund in wer,
Strong men in stoure, sturnest of will,

6092 Witty and wild, waled men all

Of the ledis of Lice & of leue troy.

In Neptune nome & nobill goddis other,
Bad hom wend for hor worship tho worthy to-

gedur ;

6096 And þai glode furth gladly at the grete yate,
Tawardes the grekes on the ground in a grym ost.
ben ordant Ector, of honerable knightes,
Of wise men in wer, wightly a thowsaund;

6100 Betaght to Teseus, of trasy was kyng,

With archilacus a choise knight in his chere

som;

Gaf loue to po lordys, let hom pas on, Bed hom fare to pe frekys, pat before were, 6104 And bothe in a batell as hom best lyket. The secund batell, sothely, pe soueran araiet, Of thre thowsond pro knyghtis, pryuond togedur,

And assignet hom, for soueran, Xantipus pe kyng,

6108 And Ascane also, abill of dedys,

bat of frigie pe faire, pai were fre kynges.

ben be leue of pe lord, po ledys in fere

Bowet to be brode zate, hor burnys hom with, 6112 And gon tooward pe grekis with a grete chere. The prid batell in þe burgh, þat þe buerne made, Was as mony abill knyghtes, auntrus of hond, Of pe tulkys of troy, tidé men all,

6116 With Troilus to turne furthe, truest of knyghtes. And ector full onestli his aune brother taght, With fayre wordis in faythfull of hys fre will :— "Dere brother and derfe, I dout me full sore,

6120 Lest pi friknes so furse, in þi fell hert,

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