Book IV.

In times past, always victorious.

Laomedon, the

cause of their

coming, and of all that may follow.

The treasures of
Troy will prove

an abundant
spoil.

1100 Hit was neuer herd, as I hope, sith heuyn was o loft, In any coste where ye come but ye were clene

victorius,

And happet the herre hond to haue at pe last. Lamydon, þat is lord, has vs ledde hedur, 1104 ffor to wreke vs of wrathe, & þe wegh harme : hat is the cause of the course þat we come hidur. And syn our goddes haue vs graunt pe ground for to haue,

Hit is spede-full to speike of our spede fur, 1108 And of gouernaunce graithe at our gret nede, ffor to fillyn our fare & our fos harme;

Hald all our hestes, harmles our-seluyn ;

The tresour to take pat to Troy longes,
1112 þat us abides in the burgh & we þe better haue.
Hit is knowen in cuntres & costis o fer,

hat the tresour of Troy is of tyme olde,
Out of nowmber to nem & nedefull to vs;

1116 Iff vs fallus in fight þe fairer at ende,

We shall haue riches full riffe & red gold ynogh
Our ffyne shippes to fille and our fraght make:
Now fraist we before how fairest wille be,

1120 And speike for our spede while we space haue."

Hercules proposes to attack before

daybreak, in two bands:

(fol. 20 a.)

that Telamon

ERCULES.

Then Ercules the Avntrus onswarid Anon,-
"Sothely, Sir kyng, ye haue said well,
Wise wordes I-wis & of wit noble;

1124 Iff it be worship & wit wisdom to shewe,
Hit [is] sothely more soueran to see it in werke.
I will say for myself, sauyng a bettur,
As me thinkes full throly with-outyn threp more.
1128 Let us dres for our dede er þe day springe,

And thrugh lemys of light pe lond vs perseyue:
Part we vs pertly pe pupull in two,
In the ton shall be Telamon, pat is a tore kyng,

1132 With all the fere pat hym folowes, furse men of

And

Armys;

Book IV.

and Peleus command the

ze sothely your-selfe, þat soueran are here, one; and that With your company clene as ye come hider.

Jason full iustly aioynet to my-seluon,

1136 With a soume of soudiours assignet vs with,
Draw furthe in the derke er þe day springe,
Wyn us to be wallis, wacche pere vndur,
Vmset all the Citie er þe sun rise;

1140 Lurke vnder leuys logget with vines

Till tithaundes in toune be told to be kyng, Of our come to pis coste, and pe case wist. He will aray hym full rad with a route noble, 1144 And shape hym to our shippes with his shene knightes;

Vnwar of our werkes wete vs not pere.

bat oper part of our pupull put we in thre;
Nestor with a nombur of noble men all,

1148 ffare shall before the forward to lede:

Castor with his company come next after,
Pollux with his pupull pursu on the laste.
These batels on the banke abide now here,
1152 ffeght with hym fuersly and his fell pupull;
The Citie to sese in þe same tyme,

We shall found by my feith, or ellis fay worthe:
So may we sonyst the souerain distrye.

1156 To werke on this wise and our wille haue,
I hope it shall happon in a hond w[h]ile."
Hit likit well be lordes pat pe lede said,
And plainly the pupull purpast perfore.
1160 Then Telamon full tyte with a triet pupull,
Pelleus with a power, & pe prise Ercules,

they, along with Jason and himself and their soldiers, should form an ambush under the city

walls,

while the other band, under Nestor, Castor, and Pollux, should wait near the ships to engage the enemy.

The council adopt
the plan, and
prepare to
execute it.

Jason full iustly and Joly knightes moo,
With all the here þat þei hade highet belyue,

(fol. 20 b.)

1164 Armet at all peces abull to fight;

Wonen vp wynly vppon wale horses,

Silen to the Citie softly and faire;

Lurkyt vnder lefe-sals loget with vines,
Busket vndur bankes on bourders with-oute.
pes oper batels at the banke abidyng full stille,
The kyng for to kepe and pere course holde.
And whiles pese renkes pus rest pan rises pe sun,
Bredis with his beames all pe brode vales.
Hit was noiset anon þat a noumbur hoge
Of Grekes were gedret & pe grounde hade.
When pe kyng hade knowyng he comaund
beliue

hat the Citye samyn were assemblet In haste,
Iche buerne on his best wise batell to yelde.
Comyn to pe kyng in companies grete,
Mony stithe man in stoure on stedis enarmyt,
All redy for pe rode Arayet for the werre.
The kyng depertid his pupull, put hom in twyn,
In batels on his best wise for boldyng hym-seluyn.
Vnwar of þe weghes pat by the walles lay,
(He knew not the caste of pe curste pepull,
Ne dred no dissait þat hym derit after,)

He busket to pe banke with a bolde chere,
With his freikes in filde to pe fight on pe playne.
he Grekes hymn agayne with a grym ffare,
ffaryn to pe fight with a frike wille.
Duke Nestor anon, nobli arayed,

Countres the kyng with a cant pupull :

Bothe batels on bent brusshet to-gedur;

With stithe strokes and store, strong men of

armys,

Shildes throgh shote shalkes to dethe;

Speires vnto sprottes sprongen ouer hedes,
So fuerse was the frusshe when þai first met.
All dynnet þe dyn the dales Aboute,
When helmes and hard stele hurlet to-gedur;
Knightes cast doune to pe cold vrthe.

1200 Sum swalt in a swym with-outen sware more, Mony perysshet in þe plase er pe prise endit. The Troiens were tydé, & tid pere pe bettur,

1204

1208

Book IV.

Many perish on both sides.

And the grekes on pe ground were greatly as- The Greeks fall

toynet.

þen Castor the kyng comys vpponone, Restoris hom with strenght þat distroyet were. ben þe crie wax kene, crusshyng of wepyns, And the fight so felle of pe fresshe knightes, be Troiens were torne tynte of pere folkes. Lamydon, þat hom led, as a lion fore, Bare don mony bolde & brittonede to dethe; Mony kilde the kyng to be cold vrthe, 1212 Mony woundit we from his weppont paste. So fuersly he fore with his felle dynttes, bat pe Grekes with gremy geuyn hym way. ben Pollux aperit with pepull ynogh, Brusshit into batell & moche bale wroght; Alse wode of his wit as pe wild ffyre, Mony bolde buerne on pe bent the bold king (slogh),

1216

Mony turnyt with tene topsayles ouer,

1220 þat hurlet to be hard vrthe & pere horse leuyt. Lamydon at the laste lokit besyde,

1224

1228

Segh his folke so fare & his fos kene,

ffor wothe of pe worse & of weirdis feble,
He with-drogh hym A draght & a dyn made,
Gedrit all his gynge And his grounde held.

Duke Nestor Anon nemly persayuit

into confusion:

Nestor resolves

to attack

hat he was prinse of pe pepull & pe power led, Laomedon.

He left all his ledis & a launse caght,
Launches euyn to Lamydon with a light wille.

be king consayuit his come, keppit hym
swithe,
Ricchis his
& th Reenke metys:
1232 Girden to-gedur with pere grete speires.

reynys

They meet, and

Laomedon pierces

Book IV.

the shield of Nestor; the

spear is shivered,

and he is hurled to the ground.

Nestor, unhorsed

by a young knight Sedar, is at the mercy of

Laomedon.

The rescue.

(fol. 22 a.) Castor, seeing

Nestor wounded, rushes upon

Sedar.

The king share thrugh his shild with pe sharpe ende,

And the rod all-to roofe right to his honde;

The Duke had dyed of pe dynt doutles anon, 1236 But the souerayn hym-seluon was surly enarmyt, And the kyng with the caupe caste to pe ground, With a warchand wounde thurgh his wedis all. He feynyt not for pe fall ne pe felle hurtte, 1240 But stert vp stithly, straght out a swerde And flange at the freike with a ffyn wille. A 3onge knight and a 3epe, 3yneris of hert, High[t] Sedar for sothe, suet to pe Duke 1244 With a bir on pe brest, pat backeward he 3ode, And fuersly of his foole fell to be grounde. be king fayne of þe falle and pe freke segh, And bare to be bolde with a bigge sworde. The bourder of his basnet brestes in sonder, And videt the viser with a vile dynt,

1248

Gaffe hym a great wounde in his grete face.
He hade slayne hym slighly for sleght pat he

couth,

1252 But a gret nowmbur of Grekes gedrit hym vmbe,
And put hym fro purpas pof þai payn polit:
pai hurlet hym fro horse fete & of hond toke,
Set hym in his sadill þof he vnsound were.
1256 Castor the king conceyuit beliue,

That Nestor with noy was nolpit to ground,
He Richet his Reynes and his roile stroke,
Suet vnto Sedar with a sore wepyn,

1260 To deyre hym with a dynt for pe Dukes sake.
And er he come to the king, so his course fell,
One caupet with hym kenely, a cosyn of Sedars,
And set hym a sad dynt, Secorda he high[t]:

1264 His shafte all-to sheuerit the shalke was unhurt,
And Castor in the caupyng the knight euyll

wondyt,