Book XVII.

Ulysses fights

with Adrastus;

pen Vlixes & Arest angurdly faght:

Vlexes gird hym to grond, grippit his horse,

strikes him down, 7472 Sent hym by a seruaund sone to his tent.

and captures his

horse.

Polymetes kills

Hupon.

Neoptolemus and

Archilochus

unhorse each

other.

Polydamas strikes

down Palamedes.

Stelleus fights with Carras, and unhorses him.

Pyliemenes

strikes down the Duke of Athens,

and captures his horse.

(fol. 116 b.)

Philoctetes and

Remus are

Polimytes, pe proud kyng, presit vnto Hupon,

Wondit hym wickedly, warpit hym to dethe. Neptolemus, the noble, nolpit to Archilagon, 7476 That both went backward & bult vppon the erthe. Polidamas to Palomydon presit so fast,

þat he gird hym doun grymly with a grym wound;

Spake to hym spitously, dispisit hym foule; 7480 ffore with hym fuersly all in fell angur.

Stelleus, the stithe kyng, stroke vnto Carax,
Hurlet hym of horse, hade hym to ground.
Philmen, the fuerse, with a fell dynt
7484 Drof to the derfe duke, doughty of Athens;

Hurlit hym doun hedlynges, & his horse toke;
Raght hym full radly to a rynke of his owne.
Philoc with felle angur frusshet to Remo,

unhorsed: so also 7488 Till bothe welt backward of hor bare sadles.

are Theseus and

Eurialus.

The brothers of
Hector slay

many Greeks,

and wound

many kings.

Telamon fights

with Sarpedon till both fall to the ground sore wounded.

Achilles and his cousin Thoas fall upon Hector, and

Theseus, a tore kyng, tachit on Eurialon,

That aither wegh other woundit, & welt to pe

grene.

The noble brether naturell naited pere strenght, 7492 Mony woundit in wer wroght po pat day;

Mony grekes, thurgh hor grefe, on pe ground leuyt ;

Mony woundit po worthy of paire wale kynges. Telamon, the tore kyng, with a togh speire, 7496 With the kyng of Capadoys caupit so harde, bat bothe were pai bold men borne to be grene, Woundit full wickedly in wer of hor lyues: In the brest of pe batell pere pe buernys lay! 7500 pen Achilles cherfull, & his choise cosyn Toax, þat other, a tore mon of strenght, Ayren vnto Ector angardly sore!

With the strenght of hor stroke, & hor store fare,

7504 The helme of his hede pai hurlit to peces;

Woundit hym wickedly with wepon aboue,

Book XVII.

wound him in the head:

þat þe Rinels of red blode ran doun his chekes. Hector in a rage

But Ector in angur aykeward he stroke,

7508 Tachit vpon Toax, toke hym in the face,

He hade of pe halfe nase to þe hard chekes ;

And he, for dere of pe dynt, droppid on pe laund.

strikes at Thoas and cuts off half

his nose.

Den his noble brother naturell neghit hym The brothers

aboute,

7512 Socurd hym full sone with paire sad helpis.

come to Hector's aid; kill many Greeks, capture Thoas, and

Mony grekes þai gird doun with pere grym fare! wound Telamon.

Kyng Toax þai toke, & to toun led;

Telamon, þat tore kyng, so tenfully wondit,

7516 þat he was borne on his brode sheld with

buernes to his tent,

As for ded of the dynt, dressit of þe fild,
And left halfe lyueles with ledis of his aune.
Menelay with malys meuyt hym to Paris,

7520 be freke forto felle fondit at all;

But Paris, with a prise arow put into Venum,
Hurt hym so hidously, pat he his horse leuyt,
And was borne to his bare tent with his bold

knightes,

7524 As for dede of pe dynt, so derit hym sore;
But leches full lyuely lokid his wound;
With oile and with ointment abill perfore,
Bond it full bigly on hor best wise.

7528 And Menelay with malis meuit vnto batell,
To venge on his velany & his vile harme;
Presit vnto Paris with a prise speire,

Wold haue hurt hym full hidusly, or had hym

to ground.

7532 But Eneas come ouerthwert, as aunters befelle,

And Keppit the caupe on his clene shild,
ffor the buerne was bare of body vnarmyt,

Paris wounds Menelaus with a poisoned arrow. (fol. 117 a.)

Menelaus having had his wound dressed, again attacks Paris.

Eneas separates them, and

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 80, 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,
7540 ffor marryng of Menelay at þe mene tyme.
þen Ector come egurly, euyn vpon-one,

Merkit hym to Menelay, the mon for to take;
But þe multitude was so mekill, þat marrit hym

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,

þen fled all in fere, & the fild leuit;

Turnit to pere tenttes with tene at þere hertis.
Thai sesit of pe sute, pe sun was to rest,

7552 And turnyt to be toune, taried no lengur!

xviijt Boke of the ffyuet Batell in the ftelde.

As hit happit of þes hynd, herkyn a while! When the derke was don & the day sprang, Thes kynges and knightes, kid men of arms, 7556 Were assemblit full sone in hor sure wedis. Then Priam full plainly purpos hade takon, That no freike to be fight shold fare out of toun,

But yche renke take his rest right as hym liked.

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

day.

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.

When the knightes were comyn, þus the kyng

said:

"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, Æneas,
Paris, Troilus,
Deiphobus, and

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:

Thus me semyth for certain, now sais me your

witte !"

put Thoas to death.

Book XVIII.

The[n] answard Eneas easely agayne :—

Eneas answered, 7576 "Lord, with your leue, þat were a laithe dede!

that such would

be a wicked deed.

In return for

which, the Greeks

might put some

noble Trojan to

death: it might

Syche a chaunse for to chefe choisly of you,

The noise of your nobilté were noyet for euer !
Syne he is gret of degre, groundit of old,

7580 And mony syb to hym selfe of souerans & other,
Ye haue ledis, þat ye loue, & lightly may happyn

Of your sons to be sesit, or sum sib other:

pen the grekes for grem in hor grete yre,

be one of Priam's 7584 Wold dight hym to dethe, your dole to increse.

own sons.

That he should be kept as a

prisoner for exchange.

(fol. 118 a.)

To this coursel

Hector assents.

Priam answered, that the Greeks

Hit might sothely be siche on, as your self

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

And confermyt his counsell in cas for þe best;
And lowet the lede for his leue speche.
Then Priam to be purpos prestly can say :—
"If we leue hym on lyue, & the lede kepe,
Oure fomen, in faith, for faint will vs deme;
And hold vs vnhardy oure harmys to venge!
But, neuertheles, as you list, of þat lord wirke;
7600 And, as yo counsell in the cas, I comaund be
done."

When this speche was sped, speke pai no fferre.
Eneas to Elan Etlit to wend,

To se hir in sight, and solas pat fre.

7604 He toke with hym Troilus & trusty Antenor,

And went in full wightly into a wide halle.
There was Ecuba pe honerable, & Elan to-gedur,
With women of worship, the worthiest of Troy: