THE TROJANS ARE WITHDRAWN.

229

bat pe troiens in hor tenttes shuld tene hom no

more,

Ne dere hom with dinttes whille pat day last, Ne folow hom no furre, ne felle of hor pepull. 7104 ben vnhappely hys hest he hastid to do,

þat angart hym after angardly sore,
Turnyt hym to tene & all the tit Rewme.

With the tuk of a trump, all his tore knightes
7108 He assemblit full sone, & sad men of armys,
And comaundit hom kyndly, kynges & all,
Το
go bake fro pe batell, & buske vnto troy,
And mene hym no more, ne hor men kylle.
7112 The Troiens paire tore shippis hade turnyt on The Trojans had

(fol. 111 a.)

ffyre,

Wold haue brent hom barly, botis & other;
Haue grippit the goodis, & the gomes qwellet,
And no lede vpon lyue left in þe fild.

set fire to the
Greek ships and
would have
consumed them,
had Hector not
recalled them.

7116 But at the biddyng of pe bold, pat pe buernes led,
bai were assemblit full sone, & myche sorow hade,
Wentton to be wale toun wailyng in hert,
Entrid with angur, and to pere Innes 30de.

7120 Thus curstly pat knighthode for a cause light, Voidet pere victory for vanité of speche,

pat neuer auntrid hom aftur so ably to wyn;

But þurgh domys of destany dreuyt to noght, 7124 And ay worth vnto werre, as ye shall wete aftur.

Book XV.

putting an end to
the battle.

Hector grants the
request; and,
assembling his
forces, commands
them to retire
within the city.

Sad and angry,
the Trojans enter
the city.

In the morning the Trojans arm to assail the Greeks.

(fol. 111 b.)

But the Greeks demand a truce for two months:

which is granted.

The Greeks collect their dead:

rvj Boke. Of a Trew Takyn two Monethes: And of the thrid Batell.

230

Wen
en fortun wyth fell angur feftis on hond,
ffull tid in hire tene turnys he pe qwell!

Wen pes ffounet folk were faryn to toune,
7128 And entryd full Esely erdyng in sorow.

After settyng of pe Sun pai Seyn to pe zates, Braidyn vp þaire briggis, barrit hom fast; Iche Rink to paire rest Richit hom seluyn, 7132 And esit hom all nyght after paire deuyse.

7136

7140

Wen þe day vp drogh, & þe dym voidit,
All pe troiens full tit tokyn paire armys,
That were hoole and vnhurt hastid to ffild,
By the ordinaunce of Ector erly at morow,
To fare to pe fight þere fos to distroy,
And make an end of pere note naitly pai

thoght.

But the grekes, in the gray day, graidly did send.
A message full myldly to be maistur of Troy,
Of a true for to trete of a tyme short,—
Two monethes, and no more, po mighty dessirit.
Hit was grauntid agayn of po grete all;
7144 Of Priam, & the prinse, & the pert Dukes.
Then the grekes were glad, gedrit pere folke,
That were brittnet in batell, broght hom to-
gedur.

DURING THE TRUCE.

Thai gird into graves þe grettist of astate, 7148 And beriet hom bairly on hor best wise.

All the Remnond and Roke radly pai broght,
And brent vp the bodies vnto bare askis,-
Consumet the corses for vnclene aire,

7152 As the custome was comynly in cuntres of grece.
Achilles, the choise kyng, was of chere febill,
ffor Patroclus, his pere, þat put was to dethe:
Myche weping & wo, waylyng of teris,
7156 And lamentacioun full long for loue of hym one.

He araiet for pat Rioll, all of Riche stones,
A faire toumbe & a fresshe all of fre marbill,
There closet he the kyng vppon cleane wise,
7160 With Sacrifice and solempnite vnto sere goddes;
And Prothessalon, the pert kyng, put in another,
Wroght for þat worthy vppon wise faire;
And Merion, the mighty, into mold put

7164 With soche worshipfull werkes, as þe weghis

Helit pere hurt men þurgh helpis of leches.
By two monethes were myldly mouit to end,

231

7176 Weping and woo, þat þe weghis made,

Book XVI.

some are buried, and some are burned.

vsit.

All the Troiens, on the tother side, while the The Trojans
tru last,

attend to their
wounded.

Sho brast out in a birre, & to pe bold said :-
"A! wrecches vnwar, woo ys in our hond!
Why Sustayn ye pat sorow, pat Sewes for euer,

Achilles bewails the death of Patroclus.

He causes the bodies of Patroclus and Protesilaus to be laid in gorgeous tombs.

7168 Iche freike was fyn hole of pere fell hurttes.

Care hade the kyng for Cassibilon his son,

(fol. 112 a.)

ffor he was noblist & next of his naite children, ffull tendurly with teris tynt myche watur, 7172 And mournet full mekull, for he þe mon louyt. Cassibelan, who is

Priam mourns for his son

buried in the
Temple of Venus.

In Venus temple þe worthy, in a wale toumbe
He bereit that bold on his best wise.
Cassandray, the kynges doughtur, consayait the

dole,

Cassandra bewails the sad fate of the Trojans, and

urges them to make peace with

Book XVI.

the Greeks or worse will befall them.

By Priam's order she is shut up in prison.

Palamedes

murmurs against Agamemnon;

and thinks that he himself is more worthy to be commander.

(fol. 112 b.)

Agamemnon arrays the Greeks

7180 With care for to come, & cumbrans to all?
Why proffer ye not pes, or ye payne thole,
And be done to pe dethe with dynttes of swerdes?
This Cité and pe soile be sesit you fro,

7184 Ouertyrnet with tene, temple and oper;

So

Modris pere myld childer with mournyng behold,
Be set vnder seruage & sorow to byde!
Elan was neuer honour auenant so mykell,
7188 Ne so precious of prise to pay for vs all!
mony to be martrid for malice of hir!
All our lyuys to lose for lure of hir one!"
When the kyng had consayuit Cassandra noise,
IIe comaundet hir be caght, & closit full hard:
In a stithe house of ston stake hir vp fast ;
There ho lengit full longe, as þe lyue says.
Palomydon, the proud kyng, prise of the

Grekes,

Made murmur full mekyll in the mene tyme,
Agamynon the grete was of no gre chere

To beire the charge as cheftan of po choise

7192

7196

7200

kynges.

More syttyn he saide hym seluyn to haue,
As Richer of Renttes, & Riollier of astate;
Held hym for no hede, ne wold his hest kepe,
ffor he Chargyt was for no cheftain, ne chosyn
by hym

Ne of xxxti other pro kynges, pat priuond were

all;

7204 Was non assentyd to pat souerain sothely but thre,

Without ordinaunce of other only or assent: But of pat mater was meuit nomore at pat tyme.

When the tyme was ourtyrnyt, and pe tru vp, 7208 Agamynon þe grekys gedrit in þe fild,

Armyt at all peses abill to fyght,
Araiet on a rout redy to batell.
Achilles the choise chargit to batell,
And Diomede the derfe drogh next aftur;
Monelay the mighty meuit with the prid;
The Duke of Athens after auntird with the iiij.
pus ordant were all men angardly mony,
In batels full big all boune to be werre,
ffaire yche furde folowand on other,
And past furth prudly into pe plaine feld.
Ector, on the other side, egor hym selfe,
7220 Dressit for pe dede, deuydyt his pepull.

Troiell, the tru knight, betakon was the first,
In his company to kayre mony kene buerne;
Other batels full bigge, with bold men to ride,
7224 He araiet full Riolly by rede of hym seluyn.
Then the prinse with his power past to the lond,
And gird furth on his gate with a grym chere.
He met hom full monly with his mayn dynttes,
7228 And gird hom to ground & to grym dethe.

Ector to Achilles amyt hym sone,

hat he knew well be course was his kene fo; And he keppit hym kenely, and coupid to-gedur, 7232 That bothe went bakward & on bent lay. But Ector the honerable erst was on fote, Lepe on a light horse, leuyt Achilles, Breke purgh batels, britnet the grekes,

7236 Kyld mony knightes, kest hom to ground. Mony hurlet to pe hard erthe & pere horse leuyt; Mony woundit wegh fro his wepyn past!

7212

HECTOR AND ACHILLES.

7216

So he hurlit hom on hepis with his hard dinttes, 7240 Till he was blody of pe buernes, & his bright

wedis.

Achilles also afterward rose,

Hit on his horse, hurlit into fight,

Mony Troiens ouertyrnyt, tumblit to dethe,

233

Book XVI.

under the
command of

Achilles,
Diomedes,
Menelaus, and
Mnestheus.

Hector arrays the Trojans, and gives Troilus command of the first division.

Hector and Achilles meet in battle: both are unhorsed.

Hector remounts, and leaves Achilles on the ground.

(fol. 113 a.)