A COUNCIL OF WAR.

Yet hopit he full hertely, for his hegh prowes,
And doghtenes of dede with his dregh strokes,
If he gright with the grekes to graunt hom his
helpe,

9316 pat pai the lond shuld leue & lightly go home.
ben Achilles did cherisshe the cheftan of all.
Palomydon, the prise, by purpos of hym,
All the grete of the grekes gedrit hym somyn,
9320 To a counsell to come for the comyn proffet.

When prinses & prise kynges were in pale

:

"Now, fryndes faithfull, in feliship here!

9324 Kynges, & knightes, & other kyde Dukes,

303

somyn,

Among tho mighty with mouthe menit Achilles addresses
Achilles :-

the council:

9332 Vnto a cuntre vnkynd, with care at oure herttes:
Oure godys, oure gold vngaynly dispendit,
And oure persons be put vnto pale dethe.
Oure kynges are kyld, & oure kyd Dukes :
9336 Oure buernes with baret britnet in feld,

þat might haue leuet in hor lond, as lordes at
hame.

Book XXII.

And my selfe, sothely, suffert full hard,
Wickedly woundit, wasted my blode.

He hopes to

prevail upon the

Greeks to leave

the land.

At his request, Palamedes calls a general council.

(fol. 144 a.)

"Now, faithful friends! what folly and

That the charge, & the chaunse hase of pis rashness have choise wer,

possessed us:

Thurgh oure might & oure monhod maintene to

gedur!

What whylenes, or wanspede, wryxles our
mynd?

9328 pat for meuyng of a man,-Menelay the kyng,-
And the wille of a woman, as ye weton all,
Oure londes haue leuyt, & oure lefe godys,
Our childur, oure choise folke, & chefen fro
hom

that for a woman, we have left our land and all we hold dear;

and have exposed ourselves to

death.

304

Book XXII.

Helen is not of so great price, that our kings should die for her.

In every land

there are many
noble ladies, from
whom Menelaus
may choose a
wife.

And it is no light

matter to overcome this people.

What we have done may suffice: we may return with honour. And though we leave Helen, have we not Hesiona, the king's sister?"

Thoas, Menelaus, and the chief captains oppose such measures.

ACHILLES PROPOSES TO RAISE THE SIEGE.

9340 At the dethe of the derfe prince, soche a dynt

hade,

I wend neuer, witturly, walked on fote.

Hit greuys me full gretly, & to ground brynges,
Whethur Elan be so honerable, or of so hegh

prise,

9344 ffor hir, oure Dukes to dethe, & oure derfe

kynges.

In yche lond, lelly, pat lithe vnder heuen,

Are wemen to wale, of worship full mony,

pat Menelay may mightily mell hym to haue, 9348 And chose hym a choise, withouten charge heuy;

And not so mony be mard, ne on mold ded,
Ne all grece for to greve, with no ground harme.
Hit is not light for vs lite, pis lond to dystroy,
9352 þat haue a Cité full sure, & Surffetus mony,
Bothe of kynges, & knightes, & kid men of

armes:

And we, the worthiest in wer, haue wastid in dethe,

Kyld of oure kynges, and other kyd Dukes. 9356 This suffises, me semys, to ses with oure worship;

Kayre to oure cuntre, & couet no more!

þof Elan leue in þis lond, & not laght worthe,

Hit greues not full gretly, ne no ground harme,

9360 Syn we Exiona, the suster of the sure kynges,

At hom holdyn for hir, þat is a hede lady,
And more honerable pan Elan, of auncetre
grete."

9364

When the wegh hade thies wordis warpit to

end,

Here he seset full sone, said he no more.
pan Toax, the tore kyng, talkys agayne,
With Menelay & mo, mighty of astate,
Gright with the gret & agayne stode:

FAMINE IN THE GREEK CAMP.

9368 All the most of po mighty, with a mayn wille,
Dyssaisent to the dede, demyt hit for noght.
Achilles at tho choise men cheuert for anger,
Vne wrothe at hor wordes, & wightly he send
9372 To all the Mermydons, his men, and his mayn the Greeks.

Achilles, in a
rage, orders his
Myrmidons to
withdraw from

pepull,

That no freke to the feld fare shuld to batell; Ne to go with þe grekes, to greue hom with-in. ben hit auntred in the ost of the od grekes, 9376 þat hom failed the fode, and defaute hade: Hongur full hote harmyt hom þen,

And fayntid the folk, failet pe strenkith.
Palomydon a perlement puruait anon,

9380 And the grete of the grekes gedrit he somyn.
pan ordant thei all men Agamynon the kyng,
With mony shippes full shene shapon perfore,
To fecche hom som fode, & filsyn hor strenght.
9384 Agamynon, full goodly, by grement of all,
Meuyt vnto Missam with mayn shippes fele,
& rofe pere full radly, raiket to the kyng.
And Thelaphon hym toke with a triet chere;
9388 ffylde all his fyne shippes, & his fraght made ;
Stuffit hym with store, pat hom strenght might.
Toke leue at þe lord, and the land past ;

Sailet hom soundly to the sure tenttes;

9392 Was welcom I-wis to the weghes all.
ffayne were po freikes of pe fre kyng!
Palomydon, the prise kyng, prestly gart ordan
All the shippes full shene shapyn to rode;

9396 And all the navy full noble, naitly aray,
Atyrit with takell, & trussyng of Ropes,
To be Redy for the Rode, yf þai Red toke.

305

Book XXII.

Famine in the
Greek camp.

Agamemnon
with a number of
vessels, goes to
King Telephus for
victuals.

(fol. 145 a.)

Palamedes orders
the fleet to be

repaired, and
kept in readiness.

And so pai lyue pere in legh oure lord gyf us tegh ==ley,

Ioye!

leisure, liberty,
security.)

The truce is ended.

Deiphobus strikes down Cressus.

The Crecks give way.

(fol. 145 b.)

Diomedes, Palamedes, and Ajax, with 20,000 men, come to the assistance of the Greeks.

306

Here Begynnys the xxiij Boke: of the xij and xiij Batell.

9400 The tyme of the tru turnyd to end,

Vnto batell pai busket vppon bothe haluys:
ffuersse was the folke, pat to feld came,
And with a stoure, þat was stronge, stryken to-
gedur.

9404 Deffibus derfly drof to a greke,

bat Cresseus was cald, kyng of Agresta;

He gird hym thurgh the guttes with a grym speire,

þat he light on the lond, & the lyue past.

9408 Myche sorow was pere sene for pe sure kyng,

Sore greuyt the grekes for grefe of hym on!
All fond to be fight, febill of hertis,

The bold men on bake were borne with the
troiens,

9412 And mony kant man kyld with
swerdes.

caupyng

of

Then Dyomede, the derfe kyng, drogh into batell,
Palomydon full prudly, with prise men of armys,
With auntrus Aiax, abill of dedis,

9416 And xxti M. pro men prang in with thes.

The stoure was full stithe, po stuerne men betwene,

Mony dyet in pe dale, dole to be-hold!

DEIPHOBUS AND PALAMEDES.

Hit auntrid, pat Aiax so angardly met
9420 On Forson, a fyn knight, with a fell dynt,—
A prise son of Priam, with a proude wille,—
He woundit hym wickedly in his wale face,
And vnablit after with angur to fight.
When Deffibus with dole of pe dede segh,
ffor bale of his brother brest out to wepe,
He walte into wodenes for his wan angur,

And tachit vppon Thelamon with a tore speire, 9428 Hurlit hym to hard yerth, hurt hym full sore!

9424

THE DETHE OF DEFFIBUS BY PALOMYDON SLAYN.

Palomydon persayuit & preset hym to venge, He droffe vnto Deffibus with a dynt felle, Shott purgh the sheld & pe shene mayle, 9432 Bare hym þurgh the brest with a bright end,

þat þe Rod alto Rofe right to his hond: A trunchen of the tre & the triet hed Abode in his body, & in his brest stake. 9436 pan Paris persayuet the pyn of his brother, hat was stad in the stoure & the strong fight, Myche water he weppit, wailyng of sorow. With pyne out of prese, & pité in hert,

9440 Deffebus he drogh furth, & drissit to light: By a syde of the Cité set hym to ground, Laid hym on the laund with a laith chere,

With myche wepyng & woo for want of hym one. 9444 As Deffebus, with dole of his depe wound,

Thus lay on the laund, he lift vp his egh,
Blusshet on his broder, & bailusly said :-

307

brest,

Go, buske vnto batell my bone for to venge,
And oppresse the with payn, & present hym

dethe;

Book XXIII.

Ajax beats down Phorcys, a son of Priam.

Deiphobus in revenge rushes on Ajax, and wounds him.

Deiphobus is severely wounded.

Paris drags him from the crowd and stays to tend him.

"A! dere brother, er I degh, or droupe in-to helle, Deiphobus 9448 And er þis trunchyn, me tenys, be takon of my

desires him to

(fol. 146 a.) avenge his death.