HECTOR AT THE BODY OF PATROCLUS. 6444 But Glaucon the grete, with a grym batell, Theseus, pe tore kyng, turnyt hym agayn, With iij. M. pro men pronge hym aboute, And socurd the same kyng with hor sad helpis. 6448 But the first of po frekes pat he fell to, 209 Book XV. rescued by Was Archilacus, a choise kyng, hym cheuit The Dethe of full ille: The buerne, with his bare sword, bere hym to dethe, bat he felle of his fole flat to pe ground! 6452 Mony on he martrid at the meane tyme! Archilacus by (fol. 100 b.) The pruddist, þat hym preset, plainly he slogh. The battle rages fiercely; yet despoil Patroclus; 6456 Yet Ector, eftsones, ettillit to assay, And Patroclus proud geere preset to haue. He light doune full lyuely, lettid he noght, With two thowsaund pro knightes, & pronge And Myrion, þat I mynt, with his men all. þat þai warnit hym his wille, & away put: But fele dynttes he delt, & to dethe cast, And other weghis hym with woundet the grekes. Idomeneus and Merion with their men throng towards him to prevent it. 6468 When he segh þat hym-selfe was set vppon fote, Seeing himself And so fele of his fos fuerse hym aboute, All horset but he, & on hegh set, He aforset hym felly with his fyn strenght; 6472 Gird to the grekes in his grete yre. Mony woundis he wroght, weghis to dethe; Mony foteles freike of his fell dinttes; 6476 ffele horses with his hond hew he to dethe, surrounded by so slashes right and left, till he makes way for himself. Book XV. Till all shent fro pat shene, & pe shalke leuyt! Of po tulkes, with tene, pat hym take wold. Merion presses to 6480 Than Merion, pe mody kyng, þat I mynt first, Presit to Patroclus in place pere he lay, the body of Patroclus, and bears it to his tent. The Greeks so press around Hector, and attempt to capture his horse, that it is impossible to remount. (fol. 101 a.) A faithful servant of the prince strikes down the knight Carion, and another: then calls on the Trojan knights to rescue their leader. Braid vp the body on his big horse, And so the freike hym before ferkit to his tent. 6484 Now the grekes with grem gedrit vnto Ector, His horse for to haue, & hym away lede. Thay caupit at the knight, kene men of armys, Segh his maistur at mischefe amonges his fos; 6496 At the knight Carion cast he þat one, As he mellit with his maistur, merkit hym euyn, Hit hym so hitturly with a hard dynt, bat he gird to pe ground, & pe gost yalde. 6500 pen anoper, þat was next, noyet hym alse, Mellit with his maistur at pe mene tyme, The tother speire, pat he sparit, spent vpon hym: Brochit hym prough pe body pat pe buerne swalt. 6504 Then criet he full cantly þe knightes vpon, And the tyde men of Troy, with a tore steuyn, Synabor, a natural 6508 pen Synabor, forsothe, with a sad pepull, brother of Hector, with his company dashed upon the Greeks; slew thirty of them; and succoured Hector. Neghit to be note,-his naturall brother; He come to be crye with a cant will, And gird to the grekes mony grym dynt, 6512 ffelled mony fuerse men with his fyne strenght, BUT CUTS HIS WAY OUT. Made wais full wide, wan to his lord, Halpe hym full hertely, hurt of his fos; 6516 Thretty of pe proest he pronge out of lyue: pen the troiens full tyt tokyn þere hertes, 6520 Getyn pere ground with a gret strenght, 6524 And as wode as a wild bore wan on his horse. Book XV. 211 The Trojans thus assisted take heart and drive the Greeks back. Hector remounts his horse, and (fol. 101 b.) pressing fiercely He shouuyt þurgh his sheltrum, shent mony on the enemy, grekes, And mard of po men, out of mynd fele; Gird hom to ground with mony grym hurt. All þat met hym with malis in pe mene tyme, 6528 Auther dyet of his dynttes, or were ded wondit. 6532 cuts them down on all sides. break and flee. The grekes, for pe greuaunce, gyuen hym þe way, In terror they ffled all in fere, ferd of hor dethe. Mony batell he broke, myche bale wroght, All his wedis wex wete of hor wan blode : 6540 There Troilus the tried, turnyd to fight With the frigies fell, þat pe freike lad, There mynget pai pere men, machit hom to-gedur; Menesteus, Duke his division joins of Athens, with battle with Troilus, Machaon, Alcanus, and Xantippus. Book XV. Troilus is un horsed, but still fights bravely. Menesteus and his knights surround him. (fol. 102 a.) He is captured and led away to their tents. 6548 Big was the batell vpon bothe haluys, And myche slaghtur in slade, & slyngyng to ground! Troilus, in the toile, turnyt was of hors, ffaght vppon fote felly agayne: 6552 Mony woundit the wegh of his wale fos. Segh Troiell in toile, & tynt had his horse, 6556 And myche harme with his hond happit to do. knightes, Troilus to take and to tent lede. Presit hym full prudly with his prise folke, 6560 Halit hym fro horse fete, & in hond toke. Then he led hym furthe lyuely, and his wille But Miseres calls or be disgraced. Alcanus, with a great spear, presses after the Greeks, who guard Troilus. hade. But a mon of pat mighty, þat Myseres was cald, "Alas! ledis of pis lond, þat ye lyfe haue! 6568 With torfer be takon, & turnyt away? If ye let hym be led furthe, your lefe haue ye tynt, And of sham, þat be shapyn you, shent be ye neuer. Mellis you with monhod & might of your seluyn, 6572 To Restore the rynke in a rad hast, Er he be led out of lenght, & lost of your sight, bat Troilus hade takon, hym tenyt full ylle. THE RESCUE. So he frusshet to a freike, pat the fre led, bat sodenly he seit doun, soght out of lyue; 6580 And anoper, anon, he nolpit to ground, Shent of po shalkes, shudrit hom Itwyn. So fuersly he fore, and freikes pat hym halpe, bat Troilus was takyn, & turnyt furth louse, 6584 And don out of daunger for the due tyme. The freke pen in fuerse hast ferkid on horse, Grippit to a grym sword, gird on his fos, ffor to comford the kyng, þat hym caght hade. 6588 his Xantipus soght forth with a sad dynt To Mynestaus with might, & pe mon hit, That pe freike hade ben fay but for his fyn armur. Then Menestaus mournyt, & mykell sorow hade, 6596 Mony derf, to pe deth, vndur dyntes yode; 6600 Mony weghys in hys wrath welt to pe ground; And sore greuyt pe Grekys with his grete dyntys. Menestaus pe mighty, þat mekill was in yre, 6604 ffor he faylit of pe freke, pat he first toke, As he rod purgh þe rout with his roid fare, be troiens to tene with his tore strenkyth, He met with pis Myseres at pe mene tyme, 6608 By qwom he lost pe lord, þat he laght hade. He knew hym full lyuely by colore of his armys, And frunt euyn to pe freke with a fell spere, Hurlet hym to hard vrthe vndur horse fete; 6612 But pe lede vppon lyue leuyt he pen, Book XV. 213 (seit = sied dropped.) Rushing upon them, he scatters them, and sets Troilus free. (fol. 102 b.) Menesteus, grieved that Troilus had been rescued, urges his men to be revenged. Menesteus meets with Miseres, who had rescued Troilus, and hurls him to the earth. |