Book XV. Hupon and Hiripisus, with their companies, hie to the battle; and are met by Prothenor and Archelaus with their hosts. Many fall on both sides. And nolpit to another, þat hym noiet at, Gird hym vne to be ground in hys gret yre. ben Hupon, pe hoge kyng, highet to batell. 6616 With mony tulkys of troy, tryet in were; And Eripa also auntrid hym with, With all pe ledys of Larris led hom betwene. And fro pe grekys com gyrdond agaynes po two, 6620 Prothenor, a prise kyng, & pert Archelaus, With all pe buernes of Boyes, bold men of hond. ben þe fyght wex fell, & mony freke deghyt! Sone after, forsothe, o pe Cité halue, Polydamas, son of 6624 Polidamas aprochit with a proud ost,— Antenor, drives with his company to assist the Trojans. (fol. 103 a.) Antenor aune son abill of dedys. He segh pe troiens so tore, & turnyt so pik, 6628 Anon to anothir side naitli he dryuys, Remus too, with a 6632 Remys, pe Ryche kyng, with a rught batell, great body of Polydamus presses to Duke Merion, and hurls 6640 him to the ground. Menelaus, enraged at Remus, rushes upon him; And presit in prudly with a proud wyll, And fell to pe fyght with pe freke alse. here was kyllyng of knyghtis, crusshyng of 6636 Bold men bakward borne of hor horses: THE DEATH OF CELIDUS. 6648 With all þe bir in hys brest, for hys bale angur. He raght vnto Remys with a roid dynt, Hys weghys all wend, for pe wale stroke, Book XV. 215 wounds him severely, and dashes him to the earth. His company begins to break. Polydamas rallies them, and urges them to carry off their leader. And warnet vppon all wyse his weghis to go, ffond with hor forse pe freke for to wyn, 6660 Hurle hym fro horse fete, haue hym away, Ber hym out fro pe batell to pe burgh euyn. With myche wepyng & wo, weghis of his aune Luggit hym out to be laund, lefte hym for ded; and then leave And fore agayne to pe fyght paire feris to help. 6664 With grief they drag him forth, him for dead, THE DETHE OF CELIDIS THE KYNG BY POLIDAMUS. Kyng Celidis, forsothe, semliest of knightes, The qwene of femyné þat freike so faithfully More he sat in hir soule pen hir-selfe ay. 6672 Polidamas to put doun, & his pride felle ; And he, wode of his wit for pe wale dynt, Corve euyn at the kyng with a kene sword, Hurlit þurghe the helme & the hed bothe, 6676 That he braid ouer backward & on bent light. Honerable Ector, euer vppon-one ffell of po fuerse men, & purgh the fild rode : Mony batels he broke, buernes he slough, 6680 And made wayes full wide purgh the wale ost. (fol. 103 b.) King Celidus,the fairest of all the kings,addresses him to Polydamas, and smites him with a spear: but Polydamas smites him to the earth with a sword. Hector, who had been beating down and slaying all over the field, cuts his way to Thessalus, Book XV. leader of the people of Salamis, when Theuter wounds him sorely with a spear. (fol. 104 a.) Hector is surrounded by the Greeks, when Theseus warns him to leave the battle. Hector thanks him courteously. Menelaus and ben he soght to a syde, pere salamé folke Were fightyng full fell with the fuerse troiens, With Thessall the tried kyng, & hor true hede, 6684 That was lord of pe lond, & the ledes aght. This Thessall, in the toile myche tene wroght, Tyrnit doun Troiens with mony toure dynttes: Mony woundit the wegh, & warpit to ground, 6688 Myche dere he hom did with dynttes of hond. pen Teuser, with tene turnyt to Ector, Sparrit to hym with a speire spitusly fast; Woundit hym full wickedly in his wild yre; 6692 Hurt hym full hidiously, hastid away. Ector richit his reyne, the Renke for to mete, 6696 ffrusshet purgh the folke forth of his sight. "Sir, buske fro the batell er you bale worthe, world." 6708 Ector full onestly pat onerable panket : And yet the batell on bent was breme to behold! HECTOR RESCUES POLIDAMAS. 6716 The freike for to felle, & ferke out of lyue. Telamon hym tacchit on with a tore speire, Book XV. 217 Telamon, with a great spear, bears him to the ground, wounds Bare hym downe backward with a bir hoge, 6720 Tokyn hym full tyte, pof hym tene thoght. His helme of hurlit, & his hed bare. takes him pai led hym furth lightly, pof hym loth thught, 6728 Takon with torfer, hym tenyt full euyll. 6732 And xxx in the throng thrucchit to dethe; 6736 Wan on hym wightly, & of woche past. The kyng Bisshop the bold, byg Menelaus, But Hector, dashing upon guard him, cuts down thirty rescues the And Thelamon the tore kyng, with theire tite Menelaus and batels, All assemblit on a sop in a sad hast, 6740 And fell to the frigies in a fuerse wille. pai foghton so felly with the freikes pen, Derit hom with dynttes, delt mony woundes, Hurlet hom on hepis, hurt of hor knightes, 6744 fferket hom to flight fuersly by-dene. All-pof Ector was on, þat odmony slogh, Hym-selfe might not suffise to pat soume hoge. 6748 His horse, in þat hete, was hurlit to dethe, And he foght vpon fote with po felle grekes, Telamon collect Great deeds are wrought by Hector: but his horse is slain. Book XV. Although on foot, he holds the Greeks at bay. His brothers missing him assemble and agree to search for him. They dash through the ranks, and wound Telamon. Wore hym full wightly, & myche wo did: Was non so bold in pat batell, of po buernes all, 6752 fforto deire hym with dynt, ne pe Duke touche, Ne negh hym with noy, for nolpis of his hond. His nobill brether naturile nemly persayuit, bat pe troiens in the toile had turnyt pe backe, And segh not pere souerain, paire sorow was pe 6756 more, Wend pere lord hade ben lost, or of lyue broght. hai assemblit on a sop sone vpon-one, ffrusshet to pe fight, þe freike for to laite. 6760 full bremly purgh the batels pe buernes can pas, Dynadorus hurls 6764 his horse, seizes it, and leads it to his brother Hector, who quickly mounts. (fol. 105 a.) Deiphobus leads on his archers, who hurt and slay many of the Greeks. Deiphobus wounds Theuter in the face. And wan to þat worthy, pat in woche stode; 6772 Myche greuaunce & grem to pe grekes did. Mony woundit po weghis & warpit to ground, 6780 Mony shalke purgh shot with pere sharpe gere, And myche hyndrit the hepe with pere hard shot. Deffibus the doughty, with a derfe wepyn, Tachit vpon Teutro, a full tore dynt, 6784 Vne fourme in the face foule to behold. |