Book XV.

King Thoas is

assailed by the

brothers of

Hector, in

revenge for the

death of

Cassibelan,

The Duke of
Athens comes to

his aid; is sorely

wounded by

Paris,

(fol. 108 a.)

but succeeds in rescuing Thoas,

Toax pat tyme purght the toile rode,

bat Cassibilan had kyld, the kyngis son of Troy: 6960 He fell of pe frigies with his fuerse dynttes, And myche wo with his weppon wroght at þe

6964

6968

6972

tyme.

Cassibilan kynd brether pen þe kyng segh,
Wonyn to be wegh in hor wode hate,

Vmset hym full sone in a sop hole,

And gird hym euyn to be ground in a gret Ire.
Brokyn was the blade of his bright swerd,
Hade no wepyn hym to weire fro pere wild
harmys;

The haspes of his helme were hurlit in sonder;
All bare was the buerne aboue on his hed.
He hade lelly ben lost & of lyue done,
Ne hade pe derfe Duke of Athens drawen hym to
With fuerse men in fight, & fell to þe stoure.
To Qwintilion the quem he qwithit a dynt,
Woundit hym wickidly, warpit hym to ground,
Dressit hym with dere to dele with another.
6976 pen Paris, pe prise knight, with a pile sharp,
Rut hym in thurgh þe rybbis with a roid wond,
bat pe duk for pe dynt derit hym but a littell.
Toax in þe toile out of tene broght,

6980 Wan hym wightly away wondit full sore.

Humerius wounds

Hector with an arrow,

Hector, in a rage, cleaves him to the saddle.

THE DETH OF HUMERIUS BY ECTOR SLAYN.

As Ector rod thurgh þe rout with his roid dyntes, Miche greuanse and grem to pe grekys dyd, Humerius pe mighty, with a mayn bow, 6984 ffrunt hym euyn in pe fase with a fyn arow. be worthi at þe wond wrathit hym sore, ffore euyn to be freke with a fyn sworde; Hit pe hathill o pe hede in his hote angur,

6988 And rent hym doun roidly ryght to be sadill: He bend neuer bow more, ne no buerne hurt,

THE TROJANS RE-ENFORCED.

But was ded of þe dynt er he doun lyght.
ben hastid on heterly, & a horne blew.

6992 vij .M. said grekys semblit hym vmbe.
To Ector full egerly with enuy pai drogh,
fforto lache pe led, or of lyue brynge,

And he were hym full wightly, wondit full mony.

6996 Mony derf to pe deth of his dyntis 30de!

pen he bounet fro batell, & pe bent leuyt,
Issit out of pe ost angarely fast;

ffore euyn to his fader in a furse hast,

Book XV.

225

At the blast of a horn 7000 Greeks surround Hector.

Dashing from
out the host, he
goes to his father;
obtains 3000

7000 Bad hym socore hom sone with his sure knightes; of the bravest And he fore to be fyght with a fryke wyll, With pre pousond pro knyghtis prong into

batell,

ffurse men, & fel, & of fyn strenkyth. 7004 þai gyrd to pe grekys & myche grem wroght, Slogh hom doun sleghly in þe slade moue. Ector and Aiax auntrid to mete:

With fyn spers in þe frount frochit togedur, 7008 pat aythir bakward was borne to pe bare erthe. Menelaus, a myghti out of mayn Troi,

With his wepyn he wondit, & warpit to deth.
Selidonas, a son of þe self Priam,

7012 Slogh Moles pe myghty, a mon out of Oreb,
bat to Toax, pe tore kyng, was a tru cosyn.
Madon, a myghty kyng,-pe Medion was cald
Of pe grekys full gret, he gaf soche a dynt,
7016 bat bothe his Ene out brast & on bent light.
Serdill, anoper son of the same kyngis,
Slogh a grete of pe grekes, þat was a grym syre.
Margariton, a mighty of po mayn brether,

7020 Tachet vpon Thelamon, & tenfully woundit.
Famen, a fuerse of po fell children,

Presit to Protheus & put hym to grond.

So all pe noble brether naturyll of pe naite kynge,

7024 Priam sous, pe prise kynges prestly pai foghten,

knights, and returns to the Greeks.

Hector and Ajax meet.

(fol. 108 b.)

Celidonus, a son
of Priam, slays
Moles, cousin to
Thoas.

Madon strikes out
the eyes of a
noted Greek.

Famen strikes Prothenor to the earth.

Book XV.

Anglas presses Mnestheus, and is severely wounded.

His brother
Dyanor in revenge
unhorses
Mnestheus;

another brother comes to his aid; and the three would have slain Mnestheus had not Theuter come to the rescue.

Hector slays a thousand knights:

cuts down Memnon:

and is wounded by Mnestheus.

And mony buerne in pe batell broght vnto ground.
Anglas, the able kyng, antrus of dede,

To Menestaus mightyly, pe maistur of Attens, 7028 He gird with a gret speire, greuit hym sore; And the duke with a dynt derit hym agayn,

hat the viser & the ventaile voidet hym fro: The noble kyng in the nase hade an euyll wound. 7032 Then Dianior the doughty, pat pe dede segh, How his brother on the bent was blody beronyn, He merkit to Menestaus with a mayn dynt, hat he hurlit fro his horse to pe hard erthe; 7036 But the Renke vp rose with a rad wille, And foght vpo fote as a freke noble. Anoper brother of po bold to pe buerne rode, And foght with hym felly as he on fote was: 7040 Throly the pre men thronght hym aboute, The bold for to britton or to burghe lede;

But manly he macchit hom with his mayn

strokes,- †

[--and anon he was succoured by the king Theuter. But Hector then assayled them both, and without fault they had not escaped, had not Ajax the strong and valiant knight haue come to the reskue with a thousand knights, that he had in his company. Then came on the King of Perse with fiue thousand knights, that Paris lead; and so did all the other Troyans, and made the Greeks recule, and goe back by force. Dares writeth in his Boke, how that Hector slew a thousand knights, onely in this assault.

Among all other things, Hector encountred the King Menon before a Tent, and said to him: "ha, euill traitour, that thou lettest me to take the armes of Patroclus:" and then he smote him so great a stroke that he fell downe to the ground. And after Hector alighted downe, and smote off his head, and would haue taken his armes from him: but Menesteus letted him, and smote upon Hector ouerthwart, by such force that he gaue him a great wound, and went then his way without more tarrying, doubting the fury of Hector. Then Hector went out of the throng and bound up his wound, that it bled no more; and after went in againe into the prease, and slew in his comming many Greekes. And Dares sayth, that after he had bound up his wound, he slew the same day a thousand Knights, and there was none had courage to auenge him

+ Fol. 109 is awanting in MS. See Note.

OF HIM THAT NOTES NOT HIS TIME.

against him, or defend himselfe, but he put them all to flight; and the Troyans entred into their Tents, and pilled and robbed them, and tooke all the best that they could finde.] Guido di Colonna: (from The Ancient Historie of The Destruction of Troy. Sixth Ed. London, 1636.)

Garmentes full gay all of grete furris,
7044 Bright beidis & Brasse broght pai with-all,

And voidet all as victors avauntage to haue;
And euyn laiked as hom list, lettid hom noght.
hat was duly the day & desteny wold,

7048 pat for euer hade ben ende Angur to voide;

Book XV.

227

The Greeks are

put to flight, and their tents are pillaged.

(fol. 110 a. Marked 109 in

MS.)

The Trojans divide the spoils.

On this day the Trojans might have had the

victory, if fortune

And þai wonen paire wille neuer the werre aftur, had consented.
Ne neuer greke hom haue greuyt ne to grem

broght;

But wirdis, pat is wicked, waitis hir avantage, 7052 With ffortune so felle, pat is of fer cast.

All þat desteny with dole has demyt to falle,
Ay puttes of pe purpos, þat it enpaire shuld,
And ay ertes to pe end ordant before.

OFF HYM AT NOTES NOT HIS TYME WHEN GOD HASE

GRAUNTID: BY ECTOR.

7056 And Ector of all men euyll hit dissayuet,
þat his pepull, and his prouyns, & his pure hele,
Might soundly haue sauit with his sad strenght;
And all his fos in the fight felly distroyet,

7060 Doutles pat day, withouten deire aftur,
And all perels ouer put plainly for euer.

Hit is lelly not louable in no lede oute,

Of no wise mon to wale, when wirdes has
grauntid,

7064 ffor to tary on his tyme, when hym tydes faire,

And put of a purpos, þat empaires after,

Hector might have saved his

people, his

himself; and

country, and

crushed his
enemies.

Or þat draghes to dethe, and deres at þe ende. He pat tas not his tyme, when pe tyde askes, 7068 But lettes it deuly ouerdryve with delling to opportunity,

He that improves not his

noght,

Book XV.

must not blame

his fortune when evil betalls.

On that day

great Hector

had the better of

his enemies, and (fol. 110 b.)

might have

vanquished

them:

but unfortunately Telamon-Ajax encountered him.

Hector recognizes

him as his cousin. german.

Rejoiced at the meeting, he raises his visor, and invites Ajax to visit his

cousins in Troy.

Ajax excuses himself for the time, but begs Hector to show

that his love for him is real, by

Wite not his wirdis, pof hym woo happyn!

And he pat kepis not kyndly the course of his heale,

But sodanly forsakes pat sent is of god,

7072 Hit shalbe gricchit hym þat grace in his grete
nede.

So happit hit here to pis hed prinse,
Honerable Ector, oddist of knightes,

That holly the herhond hade at his wille,
7076 And haue vttred his Enmyes angur þat tyme;
His worship haue wonyn, & his wille hade;
And all his fos in the filde fuersly ouer-comyn.
Then it cheuyt pus by chaunse of pat choise
knight,

7080 þat the sun of Exiona, þat was his sib mon, And Telamon, pe triet kyng, þat was his true

fader,

hat cald was be course of the kynges syde,

Telamonius Aiax truly to nome,

7084 That a mon was of might & of mayn strenght,
He auntrid hym to Ector ernystly with fight.
The stoure was full stithe of po stuerne knightes!
As þai fughtyn in fere with pere felle swerdis,
7088 Hit auntrid þat Ector, be ame of his speche,
Knew hym for his cousyn comyn of his Aunt,
And syb to hym-selfe, sewyng of blode.
He was glad of the gome, & o goode chere
7092 Voidet his viser, auentid hym seluyn,

And said to pat semly all in sad wordis,
Prayond hym prestly, as his pure frynd,
Turne vnto Troy & talke with his cosyns,
7096 His honerable Em, & other of his ffryndes.
He denyet hym anon with a nait wille;

His ledis for to leue hym list not as pen.

But he prayet the prinse with his pure hert, 7100 Iff he louyt hym, as he let to leue for pe tyme,