AGAMEMNON RE-ELECTED.

Priam a prise towmbe prestly gart make,
And the bodyes of po bold buried perin,
With solenité & Sacrifice suche as pai vsit:

9616 Conert hom clanly, closet hom to-gedur.

9620

made,

With dynnyng & dole for dethe of hor lord.
pai broght hym to berynes, po buernes onon,
And closit hym clanly in a clere towmbe.
Den to-gedur thai gone, the gret by assent,
To chese hom a cheftain by charge of hom all,
By assent of hom-selfe a souerain to make,

9624 Syn Palomydon pe prise put was to dethe.
By agrement of po grete, & the good Nestor,
pai grauntid Agamynon the gre for to haue,
Ches hym for cheftain, & chargit hym perwith.

313

Book XXIII.

(fol. 148 b.)

Myche tene in the tenttes with tulkes was Mourning of the

Greeks for
Palamedes.

Agamemnon is again chosen to command the Greeks.

The battle is resuined great slaughter on both sides.

A great storm of rain bursts over the field.

(fol. 149 a.)

The Greeks are driven back to their tents:

314

xxiiij Boke: of the xiiij and xv Batell of þe Cite.

9628

The Secund day suyng, sais me the lyne, he Troiens full tymli tokyn þe feld; All boun vnto batell on hor best wyse, And pe grekis home agayn gyrdyn with yre. 9632 Brem was pe batell vpon both haluys!

Mony gyrd to pe ground and to grym deth; Mony stoute pere was storuen vnder stel wedis; And mony britnet on bent, & blody by-ronnen! 9636 That day was full derke, dymmyt with cloudes, With a Ropand Rayne rut fro the skewes; A myste & a merkenes in mountains aboute, All donkyt the dales with the dym showris. 9640 Yet the ledis on the land left not perfore, But thrappit full throly, thryngyng thurgh sheldis,

Till the bloberond blode blend with the rayn.
And the ground, þat was gray, gret vnto red.
9644 Mony knightes were kyld of pe kene grekes;
Mo were fere mart of þe mayn troiens.

Then Troiell, full tite, turnyt vnto batell
With a company cleane of cant men of armys.

9648 The freike was so fuerse, & fell of his dynttes,
There was no buerne on the bent his birre to
withstond,

THE GREEKS DRIVEN TO THEIR TENTS.

But fled hom in fere, ferd of hor dethe,
Turnit to pere tenttes, tenyt full euyll,
9652 Thurgh the rug, & the rayn, þat raiked aboue,
All wery for wete, & for wan strokes ;

9656 Dang hom to dethe in the dym water,

And ay the troiens with tene tyrnyn hom doun, the Trojans
ffelly with fauchons folowet hom after,

pursue and cut
them down:
but the storm
compels them to
desist and return
to the city.

Pursewit hom with pyne vnto pere pure tenttes,
There leuit thay laike, and the laund past:
ffor the wedur so wete, and the wan showres,

9660 Soght vnto the Citie soberly & faire,

9680

And entrid full easely, euyn as hom liked.

Troy

ffore euyn to be fight, & the fild toke;

9664 And the grekes hom agayne, with a grym fare
Launchit furth to be laund, lepon to-gedur.
Speires vnto sprottes sprongyn ouer heddes ;
Sheldis thurgh shot with the sharpe end;
9668 Swyngyng out swerdes, swappyn on helmys,
Beiton purgh basnettes with the brem egge.
Mony derf þere was ded and to dole broght!
Troiell, in pat tyme, turnyt to batell

9672 With a folke, pat was felle, fightyng men all.
He gird doun the grekes with so grym fare,
hat no buerne vpon bent his buffettes might
thowle.

315

Mony knyghtes he kyld, comyns by-dene :
9676 Barons of the best, and of the bold vrles,
Deghit pat day with dynt of his weppyn.
Thus macchit pose men till the merke night;
The store was full stith, pen stynt þai for late,
And aither syde, after sun, soght to pere holde.
Then vij dayes euyn þai semblit in þe felde,
With strong batell & brem till the bare night,

Book XXIV.

The next day full naitly, the noble men of Next day the

battle is renewed;

Troilus makes havoc among the Greeks.

(fol. 149.)

The battle rages for seven days.

Book XXIV.

The Greeks, oppressed with the stench of the dead bodies,

demand a truce

for two months.

Agamemnon
sends Nestor,
Ulysses, and
Diomedes to
Achilles.

They reprove him for having urged on the war, and now withdrawn from it.

And yche day was pere dede mony derfe

hundrith.

9684 ben hit greuit the grekes of the gret murthe, Of the bodies on bent brethit full euyll;

The corses, as caryn, corit hom with stynke, ffor the murthe was so mykull in þe meane

tyme.

9688 pan to Priam, the prise kyng, prestly the sent ffor a tru to be takon of a tyme short,

Two monythes, & no more, paire men for to

9692 Hit was gruntid agayn by grement with-in, And affirmyt with faith the frekes betwene.

bery,

And to frete hom with fyre, þat were fey worthen.

Within the tyme of the tru, as pe trety says,
Agamynon the gret full gredly did send
9696 Nestor, the noble duke, another-Vlyxes-
And Dyomede, the derfe Kyng, to doghty
Achilles,

9700

9704

Prayond hon full prestly by po prise kynges,
ffor to buske hym to batell, & po buernes helpe
In offence of hor fos, and hor fuerse socour,
Thurgh might of his monhode & his mayn

strenght.

When pai comyn to be kyng, to kyde men in fere, He welcomyt po worthy with a wille faire, And solast hom somyn syttyng with hym. The first of po fre, fat to pe freike said, Was Vlyxes, the lord, with his lythe wordes :"Ne was hit not your wille, & your weghes all, 9708 With other kynges in company, & kyde men of

worship,

ffro our prouyns to passe, and our prise londes, With a pouer full preste on Priam to venge;

ULYSSES PLEADS WITH ACHILLES.

His body to britton, & his burgh take; 9712 All his stid to distroy, and his stith holdis? What will is pere waknet in your wild hert, Or what puttes you in plite pis purpos to leue, To enclyne to be contrary, & no cause haue, 9716 Syn hit happis vs suche harmes to haue now, They relate the

alace :

disasters that have befallen the Greeks;

And oft reskewet oure renkes, or pai ruth polit;
If hit like you now, lell sir, lyft vp your hertte,

9736 Mayntene youre manhode & your men helpe,
ffaris into fight your folke to releue,

bat with-outyn helpe of your hond happis the

worse.

317

Therfore hent vp your hert & your high wille, 9740 Meue you with monhode to mar of your fos; To wyn vs oure worship, & our wille haue:

Book XXIV.

Oure kynges bein kylde, and our kyd dukes;
Oure bachelors on bent brittynet full thicke;
Oure tenttes to-torne, takyn oure godes;
9720 Oure barges brent vnto bare askes,

And other harmes full hoge hent in a whyle?
Hit was hopit full hertely of oure hegh pepull,
Thurgh prowes of your person, & your prise
dedis,

9724 þat vs hap shuld the herhond haue of our fos,
Syn ye honerable Ector auntrid to sle,
That all the Troiens trust truly was in.

And now Deffibus is dede, deires no more,

9728 pat furse was in fight, and oure folk sloght;
So (happeth) paire hope is in hard deth,

And febill in hor fight, faynt in hor hertis.
Syn 30 alosit of longtym, lusti in armys,
ar,

Since he has won
so great renown,

9732 And oure folke has defendit with 30ur fyn they urge him to

strenkith,

maintain it: and to rouse himself

With pe blode of 30ur brest thurgh be bright again to the war.

maille,

(fol. 150 a.)

and how much

they had hoped

to win by his aid.

(MS. has

'that both.')