FOR THE SECOND BATTLE. Brynge pe to bale for pi bold dedys; bat pou kepe pi corse, for case pat may fall, 6128 þat þi manhod be marte thurgh þi mysrewle; þat þi fose thurgh þi foli pe faynen not worthe, 6132 Go furthe now with fortune, þat þe fayre Our goddis the gouerne, & soche grace leue, 6136 Than Troilus tomly talket agayne : "Dere sir, of my dedis doute no thing! With grase of our goddes, in our gate furthe, Book XV. lead you to 199 I beseech you, do not act rashly or foolishly, lest your enemies despise you. Go forth then, and may fortune be with you! (fol. 95 b.) May our gods guide you; give you the victory; and bring you back in safety." Troilus replied :"Doubt not, dear Sir, for by the grace of our gods I shall ever strive Your comaundement to kepe, as my kynd to obey you." brother, 6140 And my lord, þat is lell, my lust shalbe ay!" Than he past with his pepull to the playn fild, And so he fore to his fos with a fyne wille! 6148 The furthe batell in the burghe the bold knight The fourth arayet, Of fell fightyng men full pre thowsaund, All of knightes full kene, kyddest in armys, And seven hundreth besyde, all of sure knightes, 6152 Vnder ledyng of a lord in Larrys was kyng,— battalion, of 3700 brave knights, he assigns to Hippothous, king of Larissa, Book XV. a massive, tall man, and a famous warrior. To this battalion Hupon the hoge, a hegh mon of stature, Hector attaches own brother Democoon. (fol. 96 a.) armys, hat come with the same kyng fro his kythe riche, And was doughty of his dedis, derf on a stede. þes laughten pere leue at þe lefe prince, And gone to pe grekes with a grym chere, 6164 Soghten the same yate softly to gedur; The fifth battalion 6168 is assigned to Polydamas. The men of this division were tall and massivealmost giants. The sixth battalion, composed of men from Pæonia, was headed by their kings and Seripes. They were all 6172 And on Damake, by-dene, þat was dere brother, He ordant on Oysom, the honerable kyng, Of the ledis of the lond the ledyng to haue, þes Oysoms all were od men of strenght, And all pere colouris to ken was of clene yalow, With-outen difference to deme dubbit perin: 6176 All luttyn the lord & pere leue toke, And foren onon to be fild þaire fos to assaile. archers, and wore They wrought FOR THE SECOND BATTLE. Mony woundis pai wroght, wete ye for sothe, 6188 Bothe on horse & on here harmyt full mekull. By ordinaunce of Ector, þes odmen to lede, 6192 fforen to the fild with a fyn will. To pes bowmen bold, þat of burgh went, 201 Book XV. fearful destruction on man and To this division Deiphobus was attached. A large number of noble knights A gret nowmber for the nonest, noble knightes under the all, 6196 Vnder care of two kynges, þat þai come with: Philon the fuerse, faithly was on, And Esdras pat other, eddist in wer, With all the gomes of Agresta, gode men & abill. 6200 This Philon the fre kyng, þat I first nemyt, Hade a chariot full choise, as pe chalke wyte, All of yuer full onest, ordant for hym; And the whelis full wheme, all of white aumber. 6204 Couert with a cloth all of clene gold, Dubbit full of diamondis, & oper dere stones, fframet ouer fresshly with frettes of perle. Two dromoudarys drowe hit, dressit perfore, 6208 And led it furth lyuely with light men of armys, Vne full for the fight, & fuerse men & nobill. With the kynges in company comaund the prinse, His aune brother full bold, barly to wend, 6212 þat hym fell on his fader side a fighter full nobill. Nowther lut he pe lord, ne no leue toke, But kaires fourthe with the kyng & his course held. command (fol. 96 b.) of Pylæus and Esdras. This Pylæus had a splendid ivory chariot with wheels of white amber. It was covered with a cloth of gold set with diamonds and pearls; and drawn by two dromedaries. The Seuynt, þat assignet was the souerain before, To the seventh 6216 Was auntrus Eneas, abill of person; battalion Eneas In his company clene, the knightes of the lond, chief knights of bat heldyn in hede of pat high Cité, the city, and a Book XV. division of the commons under Euphemus. To the eighth was attached. (fol. 97 a.) Hector warns him not to fight till he should be near at hand to assist him. The last battalion was led by Hector himself. He took with him 10 of his brothers, and 5000 of the bravest knights. Mounted on his famous charger Galathea he went to take leave of the king, his father. With fele fightyng folke of the fuerse comyns, 6220 þat were gouernet by a gome, þat was graith holdyn, A fyne squier & a fuerse,-Eufemius he hight; 6224 Vnder Serces for-sothe, the souerain of Percé, & nobill, And his brother of blud, þat he best loued. Paris he put to pere pure hede, 6228 And said hym full soberly, all in soft wordes, 66 Sir, your comaundement to kepe, I cast me forsothe, With all the might, þat I may, at þis mene tyme." He lut hym full lelly, & his leue toke, 6236 And past furth with his pepull to þe playn fild. The last batell to lede of his lege pepull. ffor to fare to be fight with paire fre prinse. bat Galathe, with gomys gyuen was to nome, Of whose mykill, & might, & mayn strenght, Dares, in his dytyng, duly me tellus. 6248 When the lede was o lofte, as hym list be, Armyt well at [all] peces, as I er said, 6252 PRIAM IS TO GUARD THE CITY. He caires furth to pe kyng & his kynd fader, : Ye shall haue in a here of hend men a thous aund, All of knightes full kene, & kid men of armys, 6256 Abidis here at the border, buske ye no fer! 6260 I haue messangers with me, made for pe nonest, bat ffor perell or purpos shall pas vs betwene, Bodword for to bryng, as we best lykys ;— All tythondys to tell, as tydis vs in fight, 6264 How vs happys to haue, in hast shall ye wete. And wysly bes ware waytys to be towne, On yche half forto hede, pat no harme fall, hat our fos with no faulshed in þe fyght tyme, 62-68 Sese not our Cité, our seluyn to pyne, Ne rob not our ryches, ne our ryf godys. Be ye wayt for pe wallis, warden of all, Book XV. 203 Bowing to him he said:"Dear father, with your guard of knights and foot-soldiers watch well the entrances to the city. Strike down any straggler who may attempt to pass. (fol. 97 b.) I have detailed messengers who are to communicate between us, and to inform you of our hap. Beware of ambuscades, lest the enemy thus attempt to seize the city while the battle rages. Guard well the walls; and be if we be hard pressed." And a post for all perellis youre pepull to saue, ready to aid us 6272 As stuf of our strenkyth, yf we stond hard !” ben Priam to pe prinse prestly onswart :"Dere son, all be don, as pou demyt has ! I haue no hope of no halp, after hegh goddys, 6276 But in stuf of þi strenkyght, & pi stythe arme; proposed: for In þi wyt, and pi warnes, & pi wyght dedys, With pi gouernanse graythe, & pi gode rewle! berfore, prestly I pray to oure pure sanctys, 6280 þat þai saue pe in sound, sent to þi hele ; Kepe pe fro cumbranse, & fro cold dethe; Priam replied:"Dear son, all shall be done as you have on you only, after our gods, do I rely! May our pure saints preserve thee!" |