THE FIFTH BATTLE.

Saght pai the sure prinse thurgh the syde batell. fforsit hym with fight, fellyn hym aboute, 7672 Vnhorset hym in hast, hade hym to fote. Tedius, the tore kyng, in a tene yre, fflappit at hym felly with a fyne swerde, The worthy to wound, & warp vnto dethe. 7676 Then auntrid þat Ector aurthwert beheld The stroke of pe stith; with a strenght arme He keppit the caupe on his clene sheld, And britnet the bold with a breme dynt : 7680 The right arme, with a rappe, reft fro pe durs;

shul

Hurlit hym to hard erthe, hue hym to dethe.
Eneas to Amphimak angurdly drof,

And the lede with a launse out of lyue broght!

7684 Then the grekes full grymly gedrit in somyn, Menelay the mighty with a maine batell!

The Duke of Athens full derf, & Dyamede the

kyng,

Telamon the tydé, & tristy Vlixes; 7688 Archillaus also, Agamynon hym selfe,

And Machaon pe mighty, meuit hym with.
All pes bold with pere batels brochet in swithe,
ffell was the fight at the first stoure!

7692 Buernes vpon bothe halues brittoned full mony!
Gret slaght in þe slade, & slyngyng to ground,
And mony lost hade pe lyffe, or pe larke endit!
Be pat the Sun in his Sercle set was o loft,

7696 At the merke of pe mydday with his mayn course;
When the grekes were gedrit, & gird into fight,
With all the forse of the fell ost frusshet by-dene;
That pe Troiens with tene turnyt to flight,
7700 ffor oppressing with payne, & of pale strokes ;
Than Achilles with a chop chaunset to sle
Philles, a fre kyng, with his fyn strenght.

249

Book XVIII.

and at last surround him.

Tedius aims a blow at Hector, which is caught on his shield.

Hector cuts off
the right arm of
Tedius;
hurls
him to the earth;
and slays him.

The Greek leaders
collect their
forces, and charge
upon the Trojans.

(fol. 119 b.)

The Trojans flee.

Achilles slays
Philes.

Book XVIII.

Hector slays
Amphenor and
Doreus.

Encouraged by

Hector and their

leaders, the Trojans rally and drive back the Greeks.

Epistrophus

comes from the city with 3000 knights,

and the Monster Archer, half horse, half man.

("fell," skin.)

Having the face of a man, yet all over haired and neighing like a horse, and with flaming eyes, he terrified the Greeks.

a bow and quiver, he goes to battle.

THE DETHE OF AMPHENOR AND DURIWS BY ECTOR SLAYNE.

There-at Ector was angry, & out of his wit! 7704 Two kynges he kyld of the kene grekes,— Amphenor the fuerse, and the freike Durius; And wonderfully wroght at the wode stoure. Thurgh pouer of the prinse & his pert knightes, 7708 The Troiens turnyt in full tyte, tokyn the fild,

ffoghtyn full fuersly, fell mony grekes,

Beron hom abacke with a breme wille.

Then kyng Bisshop the bold fro the burghe come 7712 With thre thowsaund pro knightes, prong into

batell,

All wight men in wer, willy to fight,

And boldly the bekirt, britnet pere fos.

There come with this kyng a coynt mon of shappe,
7716 ffellist in fight, and a fyn archer:

ffro the Nauell netherward he was an able horse,
And euyn made as a man fro the medill vp.
The fell of pat freike, fuerse to beholde,
7720 ffro pe hede to be hele herit as a capull!
Thof his face was fourmyt as a fre mon,
Hyt was colourt by course as a kowlt red.
His Ene leuenaund with light as a low fyn,
7724 With stremys full stithe in his stepe loke.

He was a ferfull freke, in fas to beholde;

And mony ledes with his loke laithet full euyll!
He neyt as a nagge, at his nose thrilles !

Without harness, 7728 No hawberke he hade, ne harnes of mayle,

and having only

(fol. 120 a.)

But bare into batell with a bowe stronge,
With gret arowes & grym in a gay qwyuer.
When this feerfull freike frusshet into batell,

7732 The grete horses on the grene girdon abacke,
Sparit for no Spurse, speddyn to the flight,
And grete affray in the fild for feare of hym

one.

A MONSTER ARCHER.

Thurghe the birre of his bowe & his big Arme, 7736 Mony woundit the wegh to be wale dethe, And myche greuit the grekes with his grym fare.

THE DETHE OF POLEXENAS BY ECTOR SLAYNE.

Ector faght in the fild felle of his Enmys. Polexenas, a pert Duke, þat þe prinse met, 7740 He dang to the dethe with his derfe weppon, And wonderfully wroght in his wild yre. This orribell archer so angardly wroght, Renyng thurgh the route with his roid arowes, 7744 With the Troiens so tore, tydé men alse,

Book XVIII.

He sorely afflicts the Greeks.

Hector slays
Polyxenus.

251

His skill and prowess, the horror of the monster archer, and the bravery

drive the Greeks to their tents.

That myche greuit the grekes, gird hom abacke. of the Trojans, Then flagh all in fere, and the fild leuyt; Turnyt to pere tenttes, tariet no lengur. 7748 Thaire Enmys hom after angardly sore,

Pursuet hom with pyne, put hom to ground. There it felle hom by fortune a ferfull cas! As pis mysshapon mon marrit of þe grekes, 7752 The Troiens in the tenttes tenyt hom also,

Oppressit hom with payne & with pale strokes.

Diamede, the derfe kyng, þat don was to flight, Diomedes

encounters the

Presit to a pauilyon the pepull before,

Monster.

7756 Wold haue wonen away & of woche p st,
And haue sauet hym selfe, & he so migl.t.
There met hym pis Ma vl own, þat was o

mysshap,

Euyn forne in his face, as he fle wold.

7760 He myght no wise away for wothe of his dethe,

But auther aunter vppon hym, or angardly moue.

(fol. 120 b.)

He se his fomen so felle and fuerse at his backe, The Trojans are

behind; this Monster before him; there is no

pat wold lelly the lede out of lyue bryng;

7764 And if he turnyt hade tyte, pen hym tyde shuld, escape.

The warlagh with a wicked arowe woundit hym

behynd.

He auntrid on this Vnbest angardly fast.

Book XVIII.

As the shalke shuld haue shot at the shene

kyng,

Diomedes attacks 7768 Dyamede with a dynt dang hym to ground,

and kills the

fierce Archer.

With a swap of his swerd he swalt in the place.
Then the grekes with grym there gedurt pere

hertes,

The Greeks rally,

and drive back the Trojans.

Hector and

Achilles meet; both fall,

Achilles captures
Hector's horse.

Hector calls on his knights to pursue and recapture it.

Antenor slays many of the Greeks:

(fol. 121 a.)

ffrusshet out felly, and the ffild toke;

7772 Bore backward the batell of pe bold troiens;

Kyld of hor knightes and kene men of armys!

Ector to Achilles angardly rode;

And he keppit hym full kenely, þai caupit

togedur,

7776 That bothe were backward pere borne of pero

horses,

And light on the lond the lordes in fere.
But Achilles aftir auntrid to rise,

Highet to his horse in a hote yre,

7780 Grypit vnto galathe, pat was the gode stede Of honerable Ector, & etlit away.

Ector cryed on his knightes with a kant wille, Bade hom hast hom in hygh, and his horse take. 7784 pen highet furth in haste of his hede knightes, ffelyn vmbe the fuersse kyng, foghtyn full hard. His nobill brether naturell naitly þai strekyn, Gird downe of the grekes, grippit pe roile, 7788 Raft hym the Renke with a roide fare,

Restorit pe stithe horse to pe stuerne prinse !
He was fayne of the fole, fongit hym anon,
Wan on hym wightly, & his way held.

7792 ben fell he to fight with a fyne sworde,
Kyld mony knightes vnto cold dethe;
Oppressit hom with payne, put hom to ground,
And mony deghit pat day purgh dynt of his hond.
7796 Antenor the auntrus angardly faght!

Thurghe might of his manhode mony distroyed,
And in batell full boldly bare hym pat day.

CAPTURE OF ANTENOR.

Then the grekes on hym gedrit in so grete
nowmber,

7800 Oppressit hym with pyne, & with pale strokes, He had no forse hym to fend of so fele othir: pai toke hym full tite, & to tenttes led.

253

ffor the day wex dym, doun was the sun, 7808 The night was so nighe, pat noyet hym sore, Merkit the mountayns & mores aboute. Iche freke to his fre held & so pe fight endis.

Book XVIII.

is captured and led away.

Polidamas, the pert knight, þat was his prise son, His son 7804 Myche sorow for his syre sothely did make ;

Polydamas
attempts to
rescue him; but

Mony stithe men in stoure stroke he to ground, fails.
Wold haue fongit his fader, but pe freike no
might.

Night ends the battle.