Book XVI. Again Hector and Achilles is borne down, and barely escapes capture. He remounts; again fights with Hector; and is sorely wounded. Diomedes and and smite each other to the ground. Diomedes remounts, and with a sword bursts the helmet of Troilus, who kills Diomedes' horse. 7244 And shot purgh pere sheltrons, shent of pe pepull. 7248 pat his speire alto sprottes sprent hom betwene, But he was put fro his purpos with prese of the 7252 And reskewet full radly by renkes of his owne, 7256 pat greuit hym full gretly, gert hym to stoupe; 7260 Heturly his helme hurlit in sonder, bat the fas in the fell hast femyt on blode. ffull big was the batell po buernes betwene! Hade it last but a litle on pe laund so, 7264 Auther doutles had deghit of po derfe knightes; But other batels full big vppon bothe haluys, ffrusshet in fuersly po frekes betwene, And depertid hom with prese of paire palo dynttes. 7268 ben Diomede the derfe drogh into batell, With mony grekes full grym of a gret will; 7272 That aither backward was borne & on bent lay; And wightly for all the woo wan on his horse; 7276 Sundret the sercle of his sure helme. þat other freke vpon fote, purgh his fyn strenght, TROILUS CAPTURED AND RESCUED. Diomedes dere horse vnto dethe broght. And so the freikes on fote foghton to-gedur! 235 Book XVI. (fol. 113 b.) 7280 But the grekes paire gay kynge getyn appoloft, Again they are And the Troiens pat tother on a tried stede. 7284 But Diomede in daunger duly hym toke, mounted and fight together. Troilus is captured by Wold haue broght furth the buerne to his big Diomedes, and tent; But he was tarriet with the Troiens, & tenit full euyll, 7288 And wernit of his wille, pof hym wo thoght; His pray fro hym puld, & his pepull slayn. Then to batell was boune bold Menelaus, rescued by the Trojans. Battle between the forces of 7292 Withoutyn tarying o pe tother side titly cam Menelaus and Paris, With mony triet knight of Troie, & the toile entrid. So bycceret pe batells vppon bothe haluys, And Restoret with stithe men þe stoure was full 7296 Mony doughty pat day deghit in the fild, 7300 Ector euermore egerly foght, Breke of pere batell, britnet pere knightes, Mekyll greuit the grekes with his grete strenght, And kild all to kold dethe, pat countrid hym with. 7304 There come launchand o pe lond a lyuely yong knight, Now made at the note, & nomet Boethes. He auntrid hym to Ector euyn at the tyme, Paris. Hector makes havoc among the Greeks. A young knight, Boetes, engages with him; and is cloven to the navel. 236 Book XVI. Archilochus, to avenge the death of his cousin Boetes, rushes on Hector, and is cloven down. (fol. 114 a.) Prothenor unhorses Hector; but is soon after cut in two. DEATH OF ARCHILOCHUS AND PROTHENOR. 7308 Carve hym euyn fro the creste cleane to pe nauell, bat he gird vnto ground & the gost yalde; And sesit hys sure horse & a seruand betaght. THE DETHE OF ARCHILACUS THE KYNG, BY ECTOR SLAYN. And ayres vnto Ector Angardly swithe. THE DETHE OF PROTHENOR, BY ECTOR SLAYN. Prothenor, a pert knight, preset hym ner, Was horset in hast, hent to his sword, 7324 Preset to Prothenor in a proude yre; He merkit hym in mydward the mydell in two, þat he felle to be flat erthe, flote he no lengur. Achilles pan auerthward pis auntre beheld, Achilles, enraged 7328 How Prothenor was perysshet, his aune pure at the death of his cousin Prothenor, collects the Greeks, and charges on the Trojans. The Greeks break and flee to cosyn: He angurt hym full euyll, & egerd hym with, ffor the dethe of pe dere his dole was þe more. ben he gedrit the grekes with a grete yre: 7332 Of po kynges, þat were kild, & oper kene mony, Wold haue vengit of pe velany, & pe vile harme. pen preset pai full prudly, & pynet hom selfe. The Troiens hom tenyt and tyrnit to dethe; 7336 Wet hom with woundes, warpit hom doun; Greuit hom full gretly, gird hom abacke. pen fled all in fere, & the fild leuyt, 7340 7344 THE GREEKS FLEE TO THEIR TENTS. Turnyt to pere tenttes, pe troiens hom aftur, 237 Book XVI. Trojans pursue, and cut them down. Slogh hom in the slade, slang hom to ground; their tents. The Night ends the battle. 238 xvij Boke. Off the Counsell of the Grekes ffor the Bethe of Ector / & pe iiij Batell. (fol. 114 b.) Night. The Greek leaders They have no hope of taking the city so long as he lives. Herkinys now a hondqwile of a hegh cas, aftur! 7348 When the day ouer drogh, & the derk entrid, All merknet the mountens & mores aboute; 7352 Nightwacche for to wake, waites to blow; 7360 hor fos. He was fully the fens & the fyn stuff 7364 Of all the tulkes of Troy, pat hom tene wroght; ffuerse on his foes, fellist of other, And dethe to the derfe grekes delt hym aboute. Then by ordinaunce of all men, as abliste perfore, |