8576

8580

HECTOR RALLIES THEM.

Wold haue takon the talle kyng, & to toun led: Book XXI.
He was a proude son of Priam, & a prise knight, Priam, attacks
And a wight man in wer, þof hym woo happnit.
Achilles were hym full wightly, & the wegh and is slain;

Achilles,

slogh;

Bare hym bak to pe bent, & the buerne deghit.
ben was clomour & crye for care of hym one,
And myche dole for his dethe, pat derit hom all!
Telamon, the toure kyng, pe Troiens pursuet;
Paris hym put of, & preset hym sore,
With other kynges & knightes, and the kyde
brether;

8596

Than kaght þai the corse of pe kynges son,
Broghtyn into burgh with baret & crye.

8588 When Ector herd of pat hynde vnhappely was

dede,

pan fraynit þat fre, who pe freike sloghe.

"Achilles the choise kyng," oon chaunsit to say, "ffell hym in fight & fele of oure knightes!" 8592 Ector, wode of his wit for woo of his brother, Haspit on his helme, & his horse toke; Went out wightly, vnwetyng his fader. Two Dukes full derne, he to dethe broght, And manly with mayn mellit with other; Kyld downe knightes, karve hom in sonder. Mony wondet the weghe, & to woo caste; Britnet hom on bent, and on bake put. 8600 The grekes, for his greffe, girdyn hym fro,

8584 But hom worthe to be worse, wete ye for sothe, Paris and his And soghtyn to the Citie in a sad hast!

brothers protect the rear,

279

the Trojans
bewail him.

Then the Troiens full tyte to the toune floghen,
Issuet out egurly Ector to helpe;

8604 Gird evyn to the grekes, and hor ground toke ;

ffoghten full felly, and hor fos harmyt.

(fol. 133 a.) Telamon pursues the Trojans :

and carry off the body of their brother.

Hector enraged by his brother's death, rushes to the fight unknown to his father:

the Greeks in
terror give way

Thay knew hym full kyndly be caupe of his before him.
sword.

The Trojans

come to his aid, and recover their ground.

Book XXI.

Hector cuts down a guard of

200 Greeks, and

rescues

Polydamas.

And the grekes in his grem gird he to dethe,—
Two hundreth in hast, þat the hend led,-
And deliuert the lede with his lyfe hole!
8612 This a grete of the grekes graidly beheld,

Had meruell full mekyll, macchet hym to Ector,
(Liochydes, the large, so pe lord hight):
He wend, the prinse in the prese haue put out
of lyue.

8616 Ector wrathit hym with, and the wegh hit,
bat he deghit of the dynt, er he doun fell.
Achilles, this chaunse choisly beheld,

bat so mony of paire men were marrid by hym,

Achilles perceives 8620 He hopit but if happely þat hardy were slayne,

that the Greeks

þat neuer greke shuld haue grace the ground for

Leocides attacks Hector, and is felled to the earth.

(fol. 133 b.)

cannot take

Troy, unless
Hector be slain:

and plans how to accomplish that end.

Polidamas, the pert, was presset so fast, hat he was wonen in wer, & away led: 8608 Than Ector in yre Egerly faght,

Hector kills
Policenes;

to wyn;

Ne neuer Troye for to take, terme of hor lyue. He bethoght hym full thicke in his thro hert, 8624 And all soteltie soght, serchit his wit,

On all wise in this world, þat werke for to end,
And the prinse with his power put vnto dethe.
As he stode pus in stid, starit hym vpon,
8628 Policenes, a pert Duke, pat in prese rode,

hat was chere to Achilles, cherisit with loue,
And thidur soght, for his sake, his sistur to
haue,

A mon he was of More Ynde, mighty of godes,
8632 pere hit auntrid full euyn, þat Ector hym met,
And the lede with a launse out of lyue broght.
Achilles the chaunse cheuit for to se:
Vne wode of his wit, walt into angur.

8636 The dethe of þat Duke he dight hym to venge.

To Ector full egurly he etlit anon :

Ector keppit the kyng er he caupe might,

Drof at hym with a dart, & pe Duke hit. 8640 Hit was keruond & kene, & the kyng hurt,

And woundit hym wickedly thurght the waist
euyn,

bat he sesit of his sute, soght he no ferre.

THE DETHE OF ECTOR, BY ACHILLES TRAYTURLY SLAYN.

Achilles for the chop cherit hym not litle,
Braid out of batell, bound vp his wounde,
Stoppit the stremys stithly agayne;
Lep vp full lyuely, launchit on swithe,
To pat entent, truly, as the trety sais,
To deire Ector with dethe, or degh pere hym

seluyn.

As Ector faght in the fild fell of the grekes,

He caupit with a kyng, caght hym anon; Puld hym, as a prisoner of prise for to wyn, 8652 With strenght thurgh the stoure, as the story

8644

8648

TREACHEROUSLY SLAYS HIM.

8656

8664

Thurgh the body with the bit of the bright end, 8660 That he gird to pe ground, & the gost yald. This Sedymon segh, þat soght out of Troy : Evyn wode for þat worthy was of lyue done, He cheuet to Achilles with a chop felle, hat he braid to the bent with a brem wound; And for ded of pat dynt the Duke pere hym leuit. The Myrmaidons, his men, paire maistur can take, Bere hym on his brode sheld to his big tent, 8668 There left hym as lyueles, laid hym besyde: But yet deghit not the Duke, pof hym dere tholit.

281

Book XXI.

and wounds
Achilles with
a dart.

Achilles binds up
his wound,

and goes to
seek Hector.

(fol. 134 a.)

tellus.

His sheld on his shulders shot was behynd,
And his brest left bare, so the buerne Rode,

To weld hym more winly þat worthy to lede.
Achilles grippit a gret speire with a grym wille, when Achilles
Vnpersayuit of the prince prikit hym to,
Woundit hym wickedly, as he away loked,

steals upon him,
and strikes him
dead with a spear.

Hector, with his
shield shot
behind, is leading
a noble prisoner
to his tent,

Achilles is struck
down, and carried
to his tent as
dead.

Book XXI.

The Trojans lose heart, and flee to the city.

The body of Hector is brought to Troy.

The grief and despair of the people.

(fol. 134 b.)

Some, even, lose their reason.

Then the Troiens with tene turnyt them backe, Soghten to pe Citie with sorow in hert, 8672 Entrid all somyn angardly fast,

And the body of the bold prinse broghtyn hom with.

When the corse of pat comly comyn was to

toun,

Miche dole & dyn was dole [for] to here,

8676 With Sobbyng pro the Cité, & Syling of teris, With gawlyng & grete the grettist among.

All the Citiesyns, for sothe, for sorow of the

prinse,

Miche water pai weppit, wringyng of hond: 8680 The dit & the dyn was dole to be-hold!

All the wemen of wit thurgh the wale toune, Wyfes, & wedowes, & worshipfull maidnes, Within houses & hallis hard was pere chere. 8684 Wyth myche dole vppon dayes & on derke nightes,

Sum walt into wodenes, & of wit past :

The petie & the playnt was pyn for to here!
Euer thai said in hor sagh, as pai so might,

8688 pai had no hope of pere heale, ne pere hede

children,

All hor trust þan was tynt, truly þai said,

Thurgh the dethe of pat dere, & done out of

hope!

"Alasse, the losse and the lure of oure lefe
prinse !

8692 Now sesit be oure Citie with oure sad fos;
Our husbandes to hard dethe, & our hede slayne;
We set vnder seruage, in sorow to abyde!"
On this wise all the weke, woke pai within,
With Remyng & rauthe, Renkes to be-hold.

8696

THE GRIEF OF PRIAM AND HIS FAMILY.

The body of pat bold was broght to his fader, With all the kynges full clene, & pe kid Dukes. With myche care & crie pai comyn hym with, 8700 Rent of pere riche clothes, ryuyn pere chekes, And setton hym full sorily þat souerain before. When Priam, the prise kyng, on the prinse loked,

Suche a sorow full sodenly sanke in his hert, 8704 þat he fainted for feble fell on his corse In a swone & a swogh, as he swelt wold. He was ded, as to deme, pat day mony tymes, ffor the dole & the deire of his dere sone.

Ne hade the buerne from the body bigly ben

draghen,

He hade doutles be dede, & his day comyn.

Miche bale hade his brether, and his blithe

8708

sister:

Hom hade leuer then the lond out of lyue be. 8712 What of Ecuba the honerable, pat was his aune

moder?

Of po ledis þat hym louyt, no lettur might tell!
The body of this bold, pat barely is ded,
Most follow by fourme the freeltie of man :
8724 Hit may not long vpon loft ly vncorruppit,

Ne be keppit thurgh kynd for vnclene ayre.
Then Priam, the prise kyng, prestly gert come
Maisturs full mony, & men þat were wise.

283

Book XXI.

The body of
Hector is borne to
the palace.
All the Trojan
leaders
accompany it,
with loud
wailing.

The sorow pat ho suffert were solly to here;

& the dole of Andromaca, þat was his dere wife, and of
What blod & bright watur on hir brest light!
8716 & the sobbyng & the sorow, pat sought hir
within,

Hit were tore any tunge tell hit with mouthe!
The dole for pat doghty of his dere fryndes,
Of wepyng, & wayle, & wryngyng of hondes,
8720 Clamur & crie, crakkyng of fyngurs,

The grief of

Priam and his

family

Androinacha, no
tongue can tell.

(fol. 135 a.)

Priam consults
with wise masters
how they might