FOR THE SECOND BATTLE.

199

sorrow!

now

Brynge pe to bale for pi bold dedys;

Book XV. bat pou couet be-curse to caire into woche,

lead you to And ouer fer on þi fose fare by þi seluyn ! 6124 I pray be full prestli, with all my pure saule, I beseech you, do

not act rashly or þat þou kepe þi corse, for case þat may fall,

foolishly, And fare not with foli oure fos for to glade,

Ne wirk not vnwyly in þi wilde dedis,
6128 þat þi manhod be marte thurgh þi mysrewle;

But bere be in batell as a huerne wyse,
þat þi fose thurgh þi foli þe faynen not worthe, lest your enemies
Ne be cheryst with chere thurgh our chaunse despise yon.

Go forth then,

and may fortune febyll !

be with you! 6132 Go furthe with fortune, þat þe fayre

happyn ! Our goddis the gouerne, & soche grace leue, (fol. 95 b.) bat pou the victorie wyn, thi worship to saue,

May our gods

guide you; give And to bis Citie in sound þi seluyn may come."

you the victory;

and bring you 6136 Than Troilus tomly talket agayne :

back in safety."

Troilus replied :“ Dere sir, of my dedis doute no thing! “ Doubt not, dear

Sir, for by the With grase of our goddes, in our gate furthe, grace of our gods

I shall ever strive Your comaundement to kepe, as my kynd to obey you."

brother,
6140 And my lord, þat is lell, my lust shalbe ay !”

Than he past with his pepull to the playn fild,
Thre thowsaund thromen, without prepe more.

This the bold knight bare for his bright armys; 6144 All his shelde was to shew shynyng of gold,

With pre lions lyuely launchound þerin,
Ouer-gilt full gay, gomys to behold :

And so he fore to his fos with a fyne wille !
6148
The furthe batell in the burghe the bold knight The fourth

battalion, of 3700 arayet,

brave knights, he

assigns to Of fell fightyng men full þre thowsaund, Hippothous, king

of Larissa, All of knightes full kene, kyddest in armys,

And seven hundreth besyde, all of sure knightes, 6152 Vnder ledyng of a lord in Larrys was kyng, —

man, and a famous warrior.

Hector attaches

own brother Democoon.

Book XV.

Hupon the hoge, a hegh mon of stature, a massive, tall

And in batell full big, bold of his hondes ;

Dissyrus was the Duke in dedes of armys, 6156 Of all the Troiens, to tell, torest in fight,

Saue Ector the honerable, oddist of knightes.

And in his company come a kyd mon in armys, To this battalion

On Ardelaus full auntrus, ahill of person, Ardelaus, and his 6160 þat come with the same kyng fro his kythe riche,

And was doughty of his dedis, derf on a stede. bes laughten þere leue at þe lefe prince,

And gone to pe grekes with a grym chere, (fol. 96 a.) 6164 Soghten the same yate softly to gedur;

And on Damake, by-dene, þat was dere brother,
To Ector hym owne selfe, auntrid hom with,

As for doghty of dede & for dere holdyn. The fifth battalion 6168 The ffyfte batell of bold men, þat the buerne is assigned to

made,
He ordant on Oysom, the honerable kyng,

Of the ledis of the lond the ledyng to haue,
Polydamas.

With Polidamus of prise, the prinses owne

brother. The men of this division were tall

6172 Des Oysoms all were od men of strenght, and massive

Massily made, mykell as giaunttes, almost giants.

And all þere colouris to ken was of clene yalow,

With-outen difference to deme dubbit þerin: 6176 All luttyn the lord & þere lene toke,

And foren onon to be fild þaire fos to assaile.

The Sexte Batell, þat was sent fro þe Cité þen, battalion, composed of men Ordant by Ector [of] odmen & noblefrom Pæonia, was headed by their

6180 The pepull of Poyem, with þere pure kynges, kings and Seripes.

And Seripes, a sad Duke of the same lond,

hat were fond to the fight, fell of hor dedis. They were all

Vnarmyt were pai all, aunter was the more, archers, and wore neither helm nor 6184 No helmys, ne hawberghes, ne no hard shildes, —

Bowmen of the best, þo buernes were all, They wrought

Well enfourmet of pe fete, & hade fyne takell :

The sixth

hauberk,

FOR THE SECOND BATTLE.

201

fearful destruction
on man and
horse.

To this division

command

Esdras.

amber.

Mony woundis þai wroght, wete ye for sothe, Book XV. 6188 Bothe on horse & on here harmyt full mekull.

By ordinaunce of Ector, þes odmen to lede, . Was Deffibus demyt of his dere brother :

Deiphobus was hen þai lacchen bere leue at the lord euyn, attached. 6192 fforen to the fild with a fyn will.

To pes bowmen bold, þat of burgh went,
Ector did ordan od men of armys,

A large number

of noble knights A gret nowmber for the nonest, noble knightes under the

all, 6196 Vnder care of two kynges, þat þai come with:

(fol. 96 6.)

of Pylæus and Philon the fuerse, faithly was on, And Esdras pat other, eddist in wer,

With all the gomes of Agresta, gode men & abill. 6200 This Philon the fre kyng, þat I first nemyt, This Pylæus had

a splendid ivory Hade a chariot full choise, as pe chalke wyte, chariot with

wheels of white All of yuer full onest, ordant for hym;

And the whelis full wheme, all of white aumber. 6204 Couert with a cloth all of clene gold,

Dubbit full of diamondis, & oper dere stones, gold set with fframet ouer fresshly with frettes of perle. pearls; and

drawn by two Two dromoudarys drowe hit, dressit perfore, dromedaries. 6208 And led it furth lyuely with light men of armys,

Vne full for the fight, & fuerse men & nobill.
With the kynges in company comaund the

prinse,

His aune brother full bold, barly to wend,
6212 bat hym fell on his fader side a fighter full

nobill.
Nowther lut he þe lord, ne no leue toke,
But kaires fourthe with the kyng & his course

held.

The Seuynt, þat assignet was the souerain before, to the seventh 6216 Was auntrus Eneas, abill of person ;

battalion Æneas was assigned :

it consisted of the In his company clene, the knightes of the lond, chief knights of bat heldyn in hede of þat high Cité,

It was covered with a cloth of

diamonds and

Book XV.

division of the commons under Euphemus.

To the eighth battalion under Xerxes, king of Persia, Paris was attached.

(fol. 37 a.)

Hector warns him not to fight till he should be near at hand to assist him.

With fele fightyng folke of the fuerse comyns, 6220 Dat were gouernet by a gome, þat was graith

holdyn,-
A fyne squier & a fuerse,-Eufemius he hight;
At Ector þai asket leue, & yssuit furth somyn.
The Eghtid Batell in the burgh, þat the buerne

set,
6224 Vnder Serces for-sothe, the souerain of Percé,

With all the pepull of his prouynce, prise men

& nobill,
And his brother of blud, þat he best loued.

Paris he put to pere pure hede,
6228 And said hym full soberly, all in soft wordes,

pof he bownet fro the burgh to the batell euyn, bat he fell not to fight with no felle grekes,

Till hym selfe were beside for socour at nede. 6232 And Paris to the prinse pertly aunsward ;

“Sir, your comaundement to kepe, I cast me for

sothe, With all the might, þat I may, at þis mene

tyme.”

He lut hym full lelly, & his leue toke,
6236 And past furth with his pepull to be playn fild.

Then Ector, hym owne selfe ordant belyue,
The last batell to lede of his lege pepull.

Of the truemen of Troy & his triet brether,
6240 He toke with hym ten, most tristy in wer,

And fyue thowsaund fuerse, all of fyn knightes,
Wise men of were, & of wit nobill,

ffor to fare to be fight with þaire fre prinse.
6244 Hym selfe on a sad horse surely enarmyt,

hat Galathe, with gomys gyuen was to nome,
Of whose mykill, & might, & mayn strenght,

Dares, in his dytyng, duly me tellus.
6248 When the lede was o lofte, as hym list be,

Armyt well at [all] peces, as I er said,

The last battalion
was led Hector
himself. He took
with him 10 of his
brothers, and
5000 of the bravest
knights.

Mounted on his famous charger Galathea he went to take leave of the king, his father.

PRIAM IS TO GUARD THE CITY.

203

Book XV.

Bowing to him
he said :-
“Dear father,
with your guard

foot-soldiers watch well the entrances to the

down any

pass.

(fol. 97 b.) I have detailed messengers who are to communicate

He caires furth to be kyng & his kynd fader,

Lowtis euyn to be lord, & on lowde saide : 6252 "Dere fader, full faire, & my fre kyng!

Ye shall haue in a here of hend men a thous- of knights and

aund, All of knightes full kene, & kid men of armys, city. Strike With all the fotemen in fere, þat are to fight

straggler who abill.

may attempt to 6256 Abidis here at the border, buske ye no fer !

Lokis well to be listis, pat no lede passe !
If any stert vpon stray, strike hym to dethe,

Oure Cité to saue fro our sad fos !
6260 I haue messangers with me, made for þe nonest,

hat ffor perell or purpos shall pas vs betwene,
Bodword for to bryng, as we best lykys ;-

between us, and All tythondys to tell, as tydis vs in fight, to inform you of

our hap. 6264 How vs happys to haue, in hast shall ye

wete.
And wysly bes ware waytys to be towne,
On yche half forto hede, þat no harme fall,

hat our fos with no faulshed in þe fyght tyme, the enemy thus 6268 Sese not our Cité, our seluyn to pyne,

the city while the Ne rob not our ryches, ne our ryf godys. Be ye wayt for þe wallis, warden of all,

walls; and be And a post for all perellis youre pepull to saue, ready to aid us 6272 As stuf of our strenkyth, yf we stond hard !” pressed."

ben Priam to þe prinse prestly onswart :
“Dere son, all be don, as pou demyt has ! Priam replied :-
I haue no hope of no halp, after hegh goddys,
But in stuf of þi strenkyght, & þi stythe arme ; proposed : for
In þi wyt, and þi warnes, & þi wyght dedys, on you only,

after our gods, With pi gouernanse graythe, & þi gode rewle ! do I rely!

berfore, prestly I pray to oure pure sanctys, 6280 þat þai saue be in sound, sent to þi hele ;

May our pure
Kepe pe fro cum branse, & fro cold dethe;
And leue me pi lyf in lykyng to se!”
So be lede toke leue, lut to hys fader,

Beware of ambuscades, lest

attempt to seize

battle rages.

Guard well the

if we be hard

“Dear son, all shall be done as

6276

you have