THE FOURTH BATTLE. 7368 Achilles by chaunse may chefe to pe worse, And be dede of his dynttes, but if desteny let. When the light vp launchit, littid the erthe, 7380 Euer waker and vnwar, wightist in armys, Paris pen put furthe with a proude folke; Deffebus drogh next with a derfe pepull; Troiell, the tru knight, with a triet menye, 7388 And other, þat Ector had ordant before, Suet furth to pe semely, as pai assignet were. ffro the Cité, the same day, soght to be fild, & iij .M. thro men, priuond in armys, 7396 And V.M. fer, fuersmen & noble. ben gird thai to-gedur with a grym will! 239 Book XVII. Achilles is chosen to accomplish his death. Next day the Greeks take the field in their best array; (fol. 115 a.) and Hector leads out his chosen band. Æneas, Paris, Deiphobus, Troilus, and the other Trojan leaders follow, each with his own division, The stere was full stithe; pere starf mony The battle is knightes! Paris, with the perscans, presit in first, 7400 With his bowmen full bold bykrit with the grekes. begun by Paris with the Persians and archers. Book XVII. Agamemnon is struck down by Hector, who is next set on by Achilles; and has his helmet broken. Troilus and him. Diomedes attacks Eneas; wounds (fol. 115 b.) him severely; taunts him; and with a fierce blow unhorses him. Hector rushes on Achilles; breaks his helmet; wounds him severely; Mony woundit tho weghis & wroght vnto dethe, Gird hym Euyn to pe grond with a grym hurt: Than Achilles with a choise sword choppit to 7408 Alto hurlet the helme of þe high prinse; Chefyn to Achilles with choise men ynogh, 7416 'Now, welcum I-wysse, for þi wale counsell, hat in presens of Priam pursuet me to fle! Wete hit full well for pi wyll febill, If pou contynu by course, & cum into batell, 7420 You shall happyn in my handis hardly not faile, And be ded of my dyntis for þi dissire old." pen he drof to the duk with a dynt fell, 7424 Ector eftirsons ettlyt on Achilles, And greuit hym full gretly with a grym stroke, but is stunned by 7428 A sad man full sone, pe sun of Theseus, a blow when about to capture him. Recovering, he strikes Diomedes to the ground, Segh Achilles myscheuyt, choppit to Ector: Drof vnto Diomede, þat deryt hym before, THE BATTLE BECOMES GENERAL. 7436 Segh Dyomede with a dynt dryuyn to fote, He lyght doun full lyuely leuyt his horse, And dressit to Dyamede with a derfe chere. be freke hym defendit with a fyn wyll, 7440 Were hym full wightly, and his woche past. Achilles and Ector angarely faght! Furse was pe fare po fyn men betwene; But þer hastid on hond help vnto bothe, 7444 With batels full byg, þat on bent met. ben Menelay pe myghti, & monly Vlixes; Palomydon, Philomytes, Philothetes pe grete; Neptolon pe nobill, & Nestor pe duk; 7448 Theseus, & Thoax, & mony tryed knight; Menestaus þe myghty, & modé Girilius ; Stelleus, pe stythe kyng, with a sturne wyll; þes gyrd in o þe grekys side with a grym ost. On the tothir Side fro Troy turnyt in swith, 7452 241 Book XVII. where he is set upon by Troilus; but defends himself bravely. Achilles and Hector again meet and fight furiously. Menelaus, Ulysses, and other (fol. 116 a.) All pe kyngis, þat were comyn by course of and to resist the þere helpe, With pere batels full big & mony buerne felle, As honerable Ector hade ordant before. allied kings and their divisions, that had come to assist Hector. 7456 Hit is wonder to wete of po weghes pen, 7464 doun; But his armour was od good & angardly picke, 7468 Then shamet pe shalke for pe shene Elan, Menelaus engages with Paris: dashes him to the earth. Paris is ashamed. Book XVII. Ulysses fights with Adrastus; pen Vlixes & Arest angurdly faght: Vlexes gird hym to grond, grippit his horse, strikes him down, 7472 Sent hym by a seruaund sone to his tent. and captures his horse. Polymetes kills Hupon. Neoptolemus and Archilochus unhorse each other. Polydamas strikes down Palamedes. Stelleus fights with Carras, and unhorses him. Pylamenes strikes down the Polimytes, pe proud kyng, presit vnto Hupon, Wondit hym wickedly, warpit hym to dethe. Neptolemus, the noble, nolpit to Archilagon, 7476 That both went backward & bult vppon the erthe. Polidamas to Palomydon presit so fast, hat he gird hym doun grymly with a grym wound; Spake to hym spitously, dispisit hym foule; 7480 ffore with hym fuersly all in fell angur. Stelleus, the stithe kyng, stroke vnto Carax, Hurlet hym of horse, hade hym to ground. Philmen, the fuerse, with a fell dynt Duke of Athens, 7484 Drof to the derfe duke, doughty of Athens; and captures his horse. (fol. 116 b.) Philoctetes and Remus are Hurlit hym doun hedlynges, & his horse toke; unhorsed: so also 7488 Till bothe welt backward of hor bare sadles. are Theseus and Eurialus. The brothers of many Greeks, and wound many kings. Telamon fights with Sarpedon till both fall to the ground sore wounded. Achilles and his cousin Thoas fall upon Hector, and Theseus, a tore kyng, tachit on Eurialon, That aither wegh other woundit, & welt to pe grene. The noble brether naturell naited pere strenght, 7492 Mony woundit in wer wroght po pat day; Mony grekes, thurgh hor grefe, on pe ground leuyt; Mony woundit po worthy of paire wale kynges. Toax, þat other, a tore mon of strenght, THE FOURTH BATTLE. With the strenght of hor stroke, & hor store fare, 7504 The helme of his hede pai hurlit to peces; Woundit hym wickedly with wepon aboue, 243 Book XVII. wound him in the head: bat pe Rinels of red blode ran doun his chekes. Hector in a rage But Ector in angur aykeward he stroke, 7508 Tachit vpon Toax, toke hym in the face, He hade of pe halfe nase to pe hard chekes ; And he, for dere of pe dynt, droppid on pe laund. strikes at Thoas and cuts off half his nose. ben his noble brother naturell neghit hym The brothers aboute, 7512 Socurd hym full sone with paire sad helpis. come to Hector's Greeks, capture Mony grekes pai gird doun with pere grym fare! wound Telamon. Kyng Toax þai toke, & to toun led; Telamon, pat tore kyng, so tenfully wondit, 7516 þat he was borne on his brode sheld with buernes to his tent, As for ded of the dynt, dressit of pe fild, 7520 pe freke forto felle fondit at all; 7524 But Paris, with a prise arow put into Venum, knightes, As for dede of pe dynt, so derit hym sore; 7528 And Menelay with malis meuit vnto batell, Presit vnto Paris with a prise speire, Wold haue hurt hym full hidusly, or had hym to ground. Paris wounds Menelaus with a poisoned arrow. (fol. 117 a.) Menelaus having had his wound dressed, again attacks Paris. 7532 But Encas come ouerthwert, as aunters befelle, Eneas separates And Keppit the caupe on his clene shild, them, and |