Book XXV.

through the prowess of Troilus they are put to flight.

They are rallied by Ajax.

(fol. 155 a.)

Again put to flight by Troilus,

who captures one hundred of the

nobles.

Hard was the hurtelyng tho herty betwene, And mony bold vpon bent brittenet to dethe. Then Troiell with tene turnyt in swith, 10056 Gird to the grekes with a grete yre;

Woundit hom wickedly, walt hom to ground; Oppresit hom with payn, & with pale strokes. Thurgh the helpe of þat hynd & his hond one, 10060 The grekes fleddon in fere, & pe fild leuyt,

Turnyt to pere tenttes, taried no lengur,

With all the hast of pere horses, houet pai noght. Than Aiax the auntrus come angardly fast, 10064 hat was Telamon tore son, & of Troy comyn, He gird in with the grekes, greuyt full mekill. han the grekes with grym fare getyn the feld, ffellyn to be fight felly agayne,

10068 As breuyt is in boke, & moche bale wroght: ffull sharpe was the shoute, shent were pere mony,

Of knightes and comyns & other kyd lordes. Troilus so toilus with his triet strenght, 10072 Marit of the Mirmydons meruell to wete, Breke purgh the batels with his bronnd fell, And mony gret of þe grekes vnto ground broght, With the might of his monhode & his mayn swerd.

10076 So wonderfully be wegh wroght at þat tyme,
The grekes flowen in fere & the feld leuyt,
And turnyt to pere tenttes tenyt full euyll.
There Troiell with his troiens myche tene wroght,

10080 ffolowet on hom fuersly, frunt hom to ground,
ffel hom with fawchons, foynet hom purgh.
A hundreth hede men he with hond toke,
And sent to pe Cité with sure men to kepe;
10084 pan leuit the laike for late of pe night,

Aither pertie full prist preset to pere hold.

ACHILLES STILL LOVE-BOUND.

The mirmydons with mournyng meuit to

Achilles,

With woundis full wete & wofully dight:
10088 Thai told hym full tite, pe tene þat þai polet,
And the murthe of his men purgh the main
Troiell :

There were fellit in the feld, founden of hom,
A hundreth with hond hewen to dethe.
10092 The chere of Achilles chaunget with pat,

ffor care of his knightes, þat were cold dede.
The buerne to his bed buskit anon,

As hit come hym by course of þe kynd night, 10096 And lay in his loge, litill he sleppit,

But wandrit & woke for woo of his buernes. Mony thoghtes full pro prappit in his hert, And gird hym in grefe his grem for to venge; 10100 ffor his men, þat were mart, meuyt hym so, hat he was frike to the fight his fos to anoye. But Pollexena the pert, with hir pure loue, Enforce so pat fre in his felle angur, 10104 Abated the bremnes in his bale yre,

And stoppet the strif of his strong hert;
ffor hit meuyt to his mynd in the mene tyme,
If he fore to be fild, and pe fight entrid,

10108 That the Loue of the Lady lost were for ay,
Withouten hope of þat hynd to haue in his lyue,
And vntrew of his trawth trust neuer after.
Of the forword he fest with his fre wille,

10112 To Priam in priuete, and his prise qwene,

Neuer in fild to be founden, ne his folke harme,
Mony day he endurit in his depe thoght,
And ay compast pe cases in his clene hert.

HERE DAI FAGHT VIJ DAYES TO-GEDUR, AT YS NOT

RECONT: NO BATELL.

10116 Than the Troiens on a tyme tokyn the feld,

329

Book XXV.

The Myrmidons, sad at heart,

relate to Achilles the disasters that have befallen

them.

Overcome with grief he cannot sleep:

he longs to

avenge the death of his friends.

His love for Polyxena soon cools his anger.

(fol. 155 b.)

He remembers his promise to Priam and

Hecuba.

Book XXV.

Achilles overcome with love still

abides in his tent.

Agamemnon demands a truce:

only time to bury the dead is granted.

And the grekes hom agayn with a grym fare: Seyuyn dayes somyn sesit þai noght. Mony doghty with dynt vnto dethe yode, 10120 And mony in the mene tyme marrit of the grekes. Yet the lede in his loge with his loue hote, Neuer bownet vnto batell, ne to bright armys, But in thoghtes full pro prappit with hym-seluyn, 10124 As a mon out of mynd, maset full euyll. pan Agamynon the grete, by grement of all, To the toun for a trew tristy men sent; ffor the murthe was so mykull of pe mayn grekes, 10128 pen dut hym the Duke for destany felle; But the troiens full tite of the trew hym denyet, Any tyme for to tary, for tene pat might happyn, But a space for his spilt men spedely to graue, 10132 And bryng hom to berynes, and barly no more.

The rrvj Boke: of the (xx) Batell of the
Cite,

When paste was the pes, parties were gedirt
ffro the tenttes & the toun, takyn the feld:
Assemblit were sadly soudiouris full noble,
10136 Andina stoure, pat was stith, stuernly pai foghtyn.
Menelay met vpon mayn Paris,
That bothe were pai backeward borne of pere Paris,
horses,

With the lippe of pere launsis so launchet pai
somyn.

10140 Polydamas the pert preset to Vlixes,

With the caupe of a kene swerd kerue on his
helme.

(MS. has xviij.)

The freike with a fauchon fendit hym well,

And faght with the fuerse knight felly agayne.
10144 Menestaus the mighty with a mayn dynt,
Antenour in angur angardly stroke,
Unhorset the here, hade hym to ground,

With the lip of a launse, pof hym lothe were. 10148 Philmen the fuerse kyng with a fyne speire, Gird to Agamynon, & the gome hit;

Greuit hym full gretly, gert hym to stoupe, hat he wauerit perwith, & weikly he sete. 10152 Telamon come tyte, & the tother met,

Bare hym ouer backeward with a big dynt,

(fol. 156 a.)

Jousting between
Menelaus and

Polydamas and
Ulysses,

Mnestheus and
Antenor,

Pylæmenes and
Agamemnon,

Book XXVI.

Antilochus and
Bianor.

Troilus avenges the death of Bianor;

(fol. 156 b.)

kills and wounds many of the Myrmidons, and at last puts them to flight.

(MS. has "skrew.")

The clash and clamour are heard by Achilles.

Woundit hym wickedly, & the we halpe.

Achilacus, a choise son of the cheffe Nestor,
10156 Presit to a prise son of Priam the kyng,
One Bynour the bold, as the boke sais,
And the lede with a launse out of lyue broght:
ffor the dethe of this dere myche dole rose.
10160 The Troiens with tene toiled full hard,
With a Rumour full roide & a roght hate;
And to Troiell was told, hym tenyt þerwith.
With a fouchon full felle fuersly he stroke:
10164 Mony britnet the bold for his brother sake,

Of the grekes in his grem, & to ground cast.
All the pepull hade he put to pe pure flight,
Ne hade the Mirmydons mightely his malis with-
stonnd.

Hyet hom hedlynges, & paire hold toke.

He pursues them 10176 Troiell with the troiens turnyt hom after,

to their tents, and

cuts them down.

10168 Than Troilus with tene turnyt hym swithe,
Mellit with the Mirmydons, marrit hom thicke,
Gird hom to ground and to grym dethe,
Woundit hom wickedly, walte hom besyde.
10172 His dynttes so dedly durit so longe,

þat all the Mirmydons men meuit hym fro,
ffell to the flight and the feld leuyt :

Woundit hom wickedly in hor wale tenttes,
ffellyn to fote, foghten full sore,

And mony at the mene tyme murtherit to dethe. 10180 The clamour was kene, crying of pepull,

ffor the murthe was so mykill amonge the grekes, The (skiew), for pe skrykyng & skremyng of folke, Redoundet with dyn drede for to here.

10184 The noyes noise neghit to Achilles,

As he lay in his loge, of ledis were hurt:
He spird at those specially, that spede hom to fle,
The cause of hor care & the crie hoge.