During the last night of the truce,

Andromacha dreams that

Hector will be slain on the next

day.

She prays him not to go to battle.

(fol. 181)

Hector blames
Andromacha:

274

The xxj Boke. Of the viij Batell: And of the Breme of Ector wyffe.

Lengye here at a litill, lystyn my wordes,
I shall tell you full tyte how hom tyde after,
When thes dayes were done, & dryven to an
ende,

8424 All pai fforen to pe fight, & the fild toke!
Of Andromaca drem I dresse me to telle,
How hir noyet in the night, er þai to note yode.
As pis burde was in bed with hir blythe lorde,
8428 And slippit vpon slepe, slomeryng a while,

Sho was affrayet full foule with a fuerse dreme,
That she met of hir maister, & masit full euyll.
At hir wakonyng ho wist, as the writ sayes,
8432 Iff the bold vnto batell busket pat day,

He shuld doutles be dede, & drepit for euer!
Andromaca for drede of her dreme felle,

Miche water ho weppit, and wackont the prince.
8436 As pai bothe were in bed, pe burd to hym saide,
And told hym by tale, as her tyde hade.
Sho prayet the prinse with hir pure hert,

ffor drede of hir drem, & deire pat might falle, 8440 On nowise in thys world the walles to passe, ffor to bowne vnto batell, ne of burghe wend. han the worthy at his wife wrathet a litle, And blamyt the burde for hir bold speche. 8444 Hit was vnfittyng, he said, a sad man of wit,

8448

8452

ANDROMACHA'S DREAM.

Any dremys to drede, or deme hom for trew,
Syn þai feble are & faint, & falsly dissayuyn,
And be-lirten yche lede, pat leuys perapon.
When the day vp droghe, & the derke voidet,
The burd bownet fro bed, & of boure past:
To his fader ho fore, & his fre moder.
All ho told hom in tale, as her tyde hade,
Besechis the souerain, with sykyng in hert,
Hir lord for to let, for lure pat might happyn:
On nowise þat he went, for wothe of his lyf!

When the sun vp set with his softe beames, 8156 All the batels of the burghe bownet to feld, Ordant of Ector efter his deuyse.

Troiell, the triet knyght, toke the feld sone;
Then Paris full prest put hym next aftur.

8460 Deffebus drogh furth with a derfe pepull;
Eneas afturward auntred to feld.

Polidamas, the proud knight, past on swithe; Then the fuerse kyng Forcius folowet anon; 8464 And Philmen, the freke, with a felle batell. Then all the kynges by course, pat comyn were to Troy,

275

With his worshipful wife wrathit hym pen. Withouten leue of the lord, þat hym let wold, 8476 To his seruondes he saide in a sad haste,

Book XXI.

says, it is silly to give heed

to dreams.

Andromacha pleads with Priam and Hecuba to prevent Hector going to that fight.

The Trojans take
the field, led by
Troilus, Paris,
Deiphobus, and
Aeneas:

Polydamas,
Phorcys,
Pylæmenes and
the allied kings.

The citie to socour, with pere sute hoole,
Passit furth fro Priam to pe playn feld,

8468 With leue of pe lord, þat the lond aght.

Priam commands
Hector to stay

Then Priam to be prinse prestly can send,
That he bownet to no batell, ne pe burgh past, within the city.
On nowise in this world, for worship or other.
8472 Therat Ector was angry, & angardly wrothe,
Repreuet the prinses with a pale face:

Hector is angry :

(fol. 131 b.)

orders his
servants to bring

To bryng hym his bright geire, bownet to feld, his armour; and
And arayed for the rode with a ronke wille.

arrays himself.

Book XXI.

Andromacha takes her infant

in her arms,

and falls at Hector's fect.

She pleads with him to stay.

Hector refuses:

she clasps his feet and swoons.

His mother, his sisters, and Helen, fall at his feet,

Than his wif was war of his wille sone, 8480 Myche watur ho weppit, wailyng for sorow.

Two sonnes hade pat semly, with the sure
prinse,-

On Lamydon was litle, and his leue brother
Astionac also, pat after was borne,—

8484 þat were bothe at the brest of the bright norse,
Noght put fro the pappe to no prise fode.
The ton toke ho full tyte in hir true armys,
To the fote of pat fre fell ho belyue :

8488 Hit was dole & deire, pat dere to be-hold!
With myche wepyng & woo þes wordes ho said:-
"A! my lord, & it like yow at this lefe tyme,
I be-seche you, for my sake sober youre wille:
8492 Put of youre purpos, preses no fer,

ffor all the loue in our lyue, pat light vs betwene!"

He denyet hir anon: hir noy was the more. And sho braid with the barne to pe bare erthic, 8496 Vmbfoldyt his fete, felle vnto swone.

And when ho wacknet of wo, thies wordes ho said:

"If ye no mercy haue on me, for mysse pat I

thole,

Haue pité on youre pure sonnes, pat mone payne thole!

Again she pleads 8500 To be done to pe dethe with hor dere moder,

with him to stay.

Or be shot out with shame fro youre

shene

landes;

Exiled for euermore endles to sorow,

Pight vnder pouert and penaunce to lyue!" 8504 Then his moder the myld qwene, & his meke

syster,

Cassandra the clene, & clere Polexena,

And honerable Elan also, with hom:

Thies fellyn hym to fete with a foule chere,

HECTOR AND ANDROMACIA.

8508 Prayond the prinse (pitie was to se)

To put of his pale wedis, & his pale entre;
And abyde in the burgh to the bare night.
He hade no ruthe of hor remyng, ne pe rank
teris,

8512 Ne þe prayer of po prise persit not his hert;
But past furth prudly his purpos to hold,
And bounet toward batell, bode he no lengur.
ben Andromoca for dol drogh out of wit,
8516 Vne fore as a fole, fonnet at all;

Past vnto Priam, pe prinsis aune fadur,
With a rufull rore rent of hir clothis;
Rafit pe red chekis roidly with hond,
8520 And þe hore of hir hede heterly pullit!
So þat ffre with hir face fore at þe tyme,
hat all blod was pe bright in hir ble qwit:
Ho was vnkyndly to knaw of hir kyd frendis.
8524 So disfigurt of face & febill of hew,

To pe fete of pe fre kyng fel ho belyue,
Besechond pat soueran, in a sad hast

ffor to high to þat hynd, & hold hym within, 8528 þat he fore not to fight, ne the fild toke! Than Priam in pure hast preset to horse, Lept vp full lyghtly, & the lede folowet: Ouertoke hym full tyte, taried hym þan, 8532 Raght to the reynes of his riche bridell:

Vne wrothe in his wille weppit full sore,
Comaundand þat comly, as his kynd fader,
By all hor goddes so gret, & greuyng of hym,

8536 þat he fare shuld ne ferre, ne the feld entre.

At the last, þurgh the likyng of his lege kyng,
And offence of his ffader, the freke agayne
turnyt:

Past euyn to his palais, & the place entrid. 8540 He wold put of no plate of his prise armur,

But abode in the burgh in his bright wedis.

277

Book XXI.

pleading that he abide in the city till night.

(fol. 132 a.)

Hector will not yield. He goes forth to battle.

Andromacha

in despair rusl.es to Priam.

Tearing her face and hair,

she falls at his feet, beseeching him

to detain Hector within the city.

Priam overtakes
Hector:

commands and entreats him to desist.

with great
returns:

reluctance he

but will, on no account put off his armour.

Book XXI.

Then the batell was brem in the brode feld, Mony fell in the fight at the first tyme! 8544 Dyamede that duke, & the derfe Troilus, Evyn macchit hom to mete with two mayn speires :

(fol. 182 b.)

With all the bir in hor brest and hor byg horses,
So pai cast hom to caupe with a course felle,

and would have

killed each other

had not Menelaus 8548 The ton hade doutles ben dede, & drepit for ay,

parted them.

Diomedes and
Troilus fight
with great spears:

Menelaus unhorses, and captures Miseres.

Polydamas rescues him.

The Greeks again

take him, and

would have

killed him;

but Troilus rescues him.

Telamon and

Achilles,

combining their forces,

drive the Trojans towards the city.

Megaron, son of

Hade not Menelay mightyly met hom betwene,
With a batell full big bere hom in sonder.

He frunt to a fuerse kyng of frigies lond,

8552 A mon full of might, þat Meseron was cald :
He had hym of horse, hyndward anon,

And he was takon full [tite] & turnyt away.
Polidamas, the prise knight, come prikond

belyue

8556 With a folke þat was felle, & the fight entrid. He Reskewet the Renke, russhet vnfaire,

And myche baret on bent to the buernes dyd:
pan the grekes agayne grippit the kyng,

8560 Wold haue [had] of his hede in a hast pere,
But Troiell full tydely turnyt hom agaynes,
Kyld doun pere knightes, and the kyng toke!
He deliuert the lord, lete hym of hond;
8564 And fell of his foos fuersly pat tyme.
Telemonius Aiax come angardly fast,

With pre thowsaund pro men prang into batell; Gird in with the grekes, & myche grym wroght, 8568 And mony tulke out of Troy tyrnit to ground. ben burghe chaunse of Achilles & his choise

helpe,

pai bere the burgh-men abacke to the baro walles :

pai bounet fro batell, & the bent leuyt, 8572 ffled all in fere frikly to toune!

Mageron the mighty macchet with Achilles,