Book IV.

and Peleus command the

Jason and him.

while the other

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

Armys;
And ze sothely your-selfe, þat soueran are here, one; and that

they, along with With your company clene as ye come hider.

self and their Jason full iustly aioynet to my-seluon,

Boldiers, should

form an ambush 1136 With a soume of soudiours assignet vs with,

under the city Draw furthe in the derke er þe day springe,

walls, 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 be case wist.

He will aray lym 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.

band, under pat o per part of our pupull put we in thre;

Nestor, Castor, Nestor with a nombur of noble men all,

and Pollux,

should wait near 1148 ffare shall before the forward to lede:

the ships to 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 pe 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 þat þe lede said, The council adopt

the plan, and And plainly the pupull purpast perfore.

prepare to 1160 Then Telamon full tyte with a triet pupull,

Pelleus with a power, & pe prise Ercules,
Jason full iustly and Joly knightes moo,

(fol. 200.) With all the here þat þei hade highet belyue, 1164 Armet at all peces abull to fight;

Wonen vp wynly vppon wale horses,

engage the
enemy.

:

a

execute it.

Book IV.

The two bands are arranged: the ambuscade is set.

At sunrise
Laomedon is
informed that
the Greeks have
landed and are in
battle array.

He suininong his troops and prepares to meet the enemy.

Silen to the Citie softly and faire;

Lurkyt vnder lefe-sals loget with vines,
1168 Busket yndur bankes on bourders with-oute.

Þes oper batels at the banke abidyng full stille,
The kyng for to kepe and þere course holde.

And whiles þese renkes þus rest þan rises þe sun, 1172 Bredis with his beames all be brode vales.

Hit was noiset anon þat a noumbur hoge
Of Grekes were gedret & pe grounde hade.
When þe kyng hade knowyng he comaund

beliue
1176 þat 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, 1180 All redy for þe 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,
1184 (He knew not the caste of þe curste pepull,

Ne dred no dissait þat hym derit after,)
He busket to be banke with a bolde chere,

With his freikes in filde to be fight on be playne. 1188 be Grekes hym agayne with a grym ffare,

ffaryn to be fight with a frike wille.
Duke Nestor anon, nobli arayed,

Countres the kyng with a cant pupull :
1192 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,
1196 So fuerse was the frusshe when þai first met.

All dynnet pe dyn the dales Aboute,
When helmes and hard stele hurlet to-gedur;
Knightes cast doune to be cold vrthe.

The Greeks under
Nestor are the
first to meet the
Trojans.

(fol. 21 a.)

Book IV.

both sides.

into confusion :

Castor,

Laomedon rushes to their aid:

way.

does much

1200 Sum swalt in a swym with-outen sware more,

Mony perysshet in pe plase er þe prise endit. Many perish on
The Troiens were tydé, & tid þere be bettur,
And the grekes on pe ground were greatly as- The Greeks fall

toynet.
1204 Pen Castor the kyng comys vpponone,

are restored by Restoris hom with strenght þat distroyet were. ben be crie wax kene, crusshyng of wepyns,

And the fight so felle of pe fresshe knightes, 1208 Þe Troiens were torne tynte of þere folkes. The Trojans are

sore pressed : Lamydon, þat hom led, as a lion fore, Bare don mony bolde & brittonede to dethe;

the Greeks give Mony kilde the kyng to be cold vrthe, 1212 Mony woundit we from his weppont paste.

So fuersly he fore with his felle dynttes,
þat þe Grekes with gremy geuyn hym way.
ben Pollux aperit with pepull ynogh,

Pollux brings up

fresh troops and 1216 Brusshit into batell & moche bale wroght;

damage.
Alse wode of his wit as be wild ffyre,
Mony bolde buerne on pe bent the bold king
(slogh),

shogh.")
Mony turnyt with tеne topsayles ouer,
1220 Dat hurlet to be hard vrthe & þere horse leuyt.

Lamydon at the laste lokit besyde,
Segh his folke so farc & his fos kene,

ffor wothe of þe worse & of weirdis feble, 1224 He with-drogh hym A draght & a dyn made, (fol. 21 b.)

Gedrit all his gynge And his grounde held.
Duke Nestor Anon nemly persayuit

bat he was prinse of þe pepull & þe power led, Laomedon. 1228 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 reynys & th Reenke metys:

They meet, and

Laomedon pierces 1232 Girden to-gedur with pere grete speires.

H

(M8. has

Nestor resolves to attack

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 king share thrugh his shild with þe sharpe

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

The Duke had dyed of þe 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 zonge knight and a zepe, zyneris of hert,

High[t] Sedar for sothe, suet to pe Duke
1244 With a bir on þe brest, þat backeward he zode,

And fuersly of his foole fell to be grounde.
Þe king fayne of þe falle and be freke segh,

And bare to be bolde with a bigge sworde.
1248 The bourder of his basnet brestes in sonder,

And videt the viser with a vile dynt,
Gaffe hym a great wounde in his grete face.
He hade slayne hymn slighly for sleght þat he

couth,
1252 But a gret nowmbur of Grekes gedrit hym vmbe,

And put hym fro purpas pof pai 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,
Fle Richet his Reynes and his roile stroke,

Suet ynto 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,

The rescue.

(fol. 22 a.) Castor, seeing Nestor wounded, rushes upon Sedar.

Book IV.

wounds him.

rescue.

A Sore dynt in the syde at the same coursse.
Sedar was sory for sake of his cosyn,

Sedar fights with

Castor, and 1268 Carue euyn at Castor with a kene sworde,

be shilde away share vnto the shyre necke,
And all be haspes of his helme þat þe hede zemyt;
With a swinge of his sworde swappit hym in þe

fase,
1272 Bare hym ouer backeward to be bare vrthe.

When pe freke was fallen & on foote light,
He laid vppon lyuely & no lede sparit,

Zald hym not zet for zynernes of hert. 1276 han pollux full pertly aprochet in hast

Pollux with seven

hundred men With seuyn hundrithe sad men assemblit hym comes to the

with,
ffrochit into be frount & a fray made;

Bere backeward the batell & his brother toke, 1280 Horsit hym in haste, halpe hym olofte ;

And pollux with a proude wille prickit to an

oper, One Eliatus, a lede, and hym o liue broght. (Alyattes, king

of Lydia.)
The kynges son of Cartage & a knight noble,
1284 Aliet vnto Lamydon by his lefe suster,

Cosyn to the kyng, & he his kyde Em,
Pité of bat pert knight persit his hert,

þat the shire water shot ouer his shene chekys. 1288 Myche woo hade pe wegh for be wale knight,

And assemblit his sad men on a soppe hole,
With a horne pat he hade, in a hond while,

(Seuyn thousand be sowme all of sure knightes,) (fol. 22 d.) 1292 And charget hom chefely for chaunse vppon

vrthe, ffor to dere for the detbe of his dere cosyl. ben the Troiens full tite tariet no lengur, The Trojans are

rallied, and drive Gird euyn to the Grekes with a grymn fare ;

their ships. 1296 Slogh hom downe sleghly & slaunge hom to

grounde;

the Greeks to