Book XVII. causes Paris, who was unarmed, to be led into the city. Hector rushes on Menelaus, and tries to capture him: the Greeks prevent him. The Greeks are put to flight: night ends the battle. And so went he to wer wilfully hym selfe, 7536 þat wist well the wale kyng, þat waited hym so, To haue slayn hym full sleghly with sleght of his hond. Eneas eftir, with abill knightes mony, Send hym to pe Cité for the same cause, Merkit hym to Menelay, the mon for to take; sone, 7544 And put hym fro purpos with a prese hoge, That he leuit the lede, launchit aboute, Gird doun of pe grekes grymly with strokes, ffrusshit þurgh the frount, fell hom to dethe! 7548 Thurghe the pouer of pe prince, & his pert knightes, ben fled all in fere, & the fild leuit; Turnit to pere tenttes with tene at þere hertis. 7552 And turnyt to be toune, taried no lengur ! xviijt Boke of the ffyuet Batell in the ffelde. As hit happit of pþes hynd, herkyn a while! 7560 And of maters to mene in þe mene tyme, (fol. 117 b.) The Trojans are arrayed; but Priam determines that his army shall rest for one The kyng sent for his sons and souerains of He sends for Troy, Ector, & Eneas, and Alexsaunder Paris, Troilus pe tru knight, tristy of hond, 7564 Deffebus pe doughty, & derfe Palidamas. "Wot ye not worthy, pe wale kyng Toax Is put in our pouer, our prison within, 7568 pat myche harme with his hond happont to do, And with his pouer hath preset oure pepull to sle, Oure Citie to sese and oure side londes! ffor his hardines here, & his hegh malis, Hector, Encas, Polydamas: 7572 He shold be done to pe dethe by domys of right, and proposes to To be hangit in hast, or his hede tyne : witte !" put Thoas to death. That he should be kept as a prisoner for exchange. (fol. 118 a.) To this counsel Priam answered, that the Greeks The[n] answard Eneas easely agayne :— The noise of your nobilté were noyet for euer ! nold ffor mykill of pis medill erthe pat myschefe to se: Therfore, sothely me semeth, sauyng your wille, 7588 Hit is bettur þis bold kyng in the burgh hold. He may be chaungit by chaunse for sum choise other, hat is takon of Troy, if hit tyde so; And the lure be pe les pen the lyfe tyne." 7592 Ector to Eneas egerly assentid, would deem them 7596 cowards but he And confermyt his counsell in cas for þe best; When this speche was sped, speke þai no fferre. To se hir in sight, and solas pat fre. He toke with hym Troilus & trusty Antenor, A THUNDER STORM. 7608 There segh þai pat semly, & with soft wordys, Comford hur kyndly with carpyng of mowthe. The grekes for pe greuaunce & the grete harmys, ffor the tene, put hom tyde, & tynyng of pepull, 7612 Made myche murmur & menit hom sore, As folis, pat folily hade faren fro home 7616 With mony harmys, þat hom hepit of hor hede persons, And might haue lengit in hor lond, & pe lak voidet. The same night was a note, noyet hom all A thondir with a thicke Rayn thrublit in pe skewes, 7620 Ouershotyng with shoures thurgh pere sheno tenttes, As neuer water fro the welkyn hade waynit before. The flode was so felle, with fallyng of Rayn, Hit was like, by the lest, as oure lord wold 7624 With water haue wastid all pe world efte: So kene was pe course of the cold shoures! And more greuit the grekes by pe grym windes, hat wacknet so wodely, walt ouer the logges; 7628 Ouertyrnit the tenttes, teghit vp the ropes ; And alto rafet & rent all the riche clothes. When the derke ouerdrogh, & pe dym voidet, The stourme wex still, stablit the course; 7632 The sun in his sercle sette vpo lofte; All clerit the course, clensit the aire; The grekes hor geire grippit anone, Bounet vnto batell, and to bent droghe! 7636 Achilles, of all men auntrid hym first, ffore euyn to the fild with a felle pepull : Then Diomede the doughty, & derfe Menelaus, 247 Book XVIII. The Greeks bewail their sad account themselves fools for having engaged in this war. A great storm of thunder and rain comes down, with fierce winds. The tents of the (fol. 118 b.) to pieces, or overturned. Next morning the Greeks array themselves for battle. Book XVIII. Achilles slays the 7640 king of Larissa. Hector slays Diomedes slays Epistrophus and Hector. 7648 Agamynon the grete, [&] pe goode duke of Athens. hat he droffe hym to dethe with the dynt of a Antoneus on Ector full egerly met, But, er he past fro the prinse, he was pale ded. 7652 THE DETHE OF EPHISTAFUS BY ECTOR SLAYNE. : Ector, wrathed at his wordis, waynit at the kyng, 7656 þat he gird to pe ground and the gost yald: ben warpid he þes wordis in his wild hate:"ffor pou of flytyng was fuerse with frekes vppon lyue, 7660 7664 7668 Go dresse pe to dedmen, & dyn pere a while." Gret pytie with payne persit his hert; ffor the dethe of þat dere doublit his sorow. |