FOR THE SECOND BATTLE.

Brynge pe to bale for pi bold dedys;
pat pou couet be-curse to caire into woche,
And ouer fer on þi fose fare by pi seluyn !
6124 I pray pe full prestli, with all my pure saule,

bat pou kepe pi corse, for case pat may fall,
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 pe in batell as a buerne wyse,

þat þi fose thurgh þi foli pe faynen not worthe,
Ne be cheryst with chere thurgh our chaunse
febyll!

6132 Go furthe now with fortune, þat þe fayre
happyn!

Our goddis the gouerne, & soche grace leue,
bat pou the victorie wyn, thi worship to saue,
And to pis Citie in sound þi seluyn may come."

6136 Than Troilus tomly talket agayne :

"Dere sir, of my dedis doute no thing!

With grase of our goddes, in our gate furthe,

Book XV.

lead you to
sorrow!

199

I beseech you, do not act rashly or foolishly,

lest your enemies despise you.

Go forth then, and may fortune be with you!

(fol. 95 b.) May our gods guide you; give you the victory; and bring you back in safety." Troilus replied :"Doubt not, dear Sir, for by the

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

arayet,

Of fell fightyng men full pre thowsaund,

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,—

battalion, of 3700 brave knights, he assigns to Hippothous, king of Larissa,

Book XV.

a massive, tall

man, and a

famous warrior.

To this battalion

Hupon the hoge, a hegh mon of stature,
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
On Ardelaus full auntrus, abill of person,

Hector attaches
Ardelaus, and his 6160

own brother Democoon.

(fol. 96 a.)

armys,

hat come with the same kyng fro his kythe riche, And was doughty of his dedis, derf on a stede. þes laughten pere leue at þe lefe prince, And gone to pe grekes with a grym chere, 6164 Soghten the same yate softly to gedur;

The fifth battalion 6168 is assigned to

Polydamas.

The men of this division were tall and massivealmost giants.

The sixth battalion,

composed of men from Pæonia, was headed by their

kings and Seripes.

They were all

6172

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 ffyfte batell of bold men, þat the buerne
made,

He ordant on Oysom, the honerable kyng,

Of the ledis of the lond the ledyng to haue,
With Polidamus of prise, the prinses owne
brother.

þes Oysoms all were od men of strenght,
Massily made, mykell as giaunttes,

And all pere colouris to ken was of clene yalow, With-outen difference to deme dubbit perin: 6176 All luttyn the lord & pere leue toke,

And foren onon to be fild þaire fos to assaile.
The Sexte Batell, þat was sent fro pe Cité pen,
Ordant by Ector [of] odmen & noble,—
6180 The pepull of Poyem, with pere pure kynges,
And Seripes, a sad Duke of the same lond,
hat were fond to the fight, fell of hor dedis.
Vnarmyt were pai all, aunter was the more,-
No helmys, ne hawberghes, ne no hard shildes,—
Bowmen of the best, po buernes were all,
Well enfourmet of pe fete, & hade fyne takell:

archers, and wore
neither helm nor 6184
hauberk.

They wrought

FOR THE SECOND BATTLE.

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

By ordinaunce of Ector, þes odmen to lede,
Was Deffibus demyt of his dere brother:
ben þai lacchen pere leue at the lord euyn,

6192 fforen to the fild with a fyn will.

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

201

Book XV.

fearful destruction

on man and
horse.

To this division Deiphobus was attached.

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:

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, Hade a chariot full choise, as pe chalke wyte, 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, fframet ouer fresshly with frettes of perle. Two dromoudarys drowe hit, dressit perfore, 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 þat hym fell on his fader side a fighter full

nobill.

Nowther lut he pe lord, ne no leue toke,

But kaires fourthe with the kyng & his course

held.

command

(fol. 96 b.)

of Pylæus and Esdras.

This Pylæus had a splendid ivory chariot with wheels of white amber.

It was covered with a cloth of gold set with diamonds and pearls; and drawn by two dromedaries.

The Seuynt, þat assignet was the souerain before, To the seventh

6216 Was auntrus Eneas, abill of person;

battalion Eneas
was assigned:
it consisted of the

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

the city, and a

Book XV.

division of the commons under Euphemus.

To the eighth
battalion under
Xerxes, king of
Persia, Paris

was attached.

(fol. 97 a.)

Hector warns

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

The last battalion was led by 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.

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

A fyne squier & a fuerse,-Eufemius he hight;
At Ector pai 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,
hof he bownet fro the burgh to the batell euyn,
hat 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;—

66

Sir, your comaundement to kepe, I cast me forsothe,

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 þe 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 paire fre prinse.
6244 Hym selfe on a sad horse surely enarmyt,

bat 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,

6252

PRIAM IS TO GUARD THE CITY.

He caires furth to pe kyng & his kynd fader,
Lowtis euyn to pe lord, & on lowde saide :-
"Dere fader, full faire, & my fre kyng!

:

Ye shall haue in a here of hend men a thous

aund,

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

6256 Abidis here at the border, buske ye no fer!
Lokis well to pe 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 pe nonest,

bat ffor perell or purpos shall pas vs betwene, Bodword for to bryng, as we best lykys ;— All tythondys to tell, as tydis vs in fight, 6264 How vs happys to haue, in hast shall ye wete. And wysly bes ware waytys to be towne, On yche half forto hede, pat no harme fall, hat our fos with no faulshed in þe fyght tyme,

62-68 Sese not our Cité, our seluyn to pyne, Ne rob not our ryches, ne our ryf godys.

Be ye wayt for pe wallis, warden of all,

Book XV.

203

Bowing to him he said:"Dear father, with your guard of knights and foot-soldiers watch well the entrances to the

city. Strike down any straggler who may attempt to pass.

(fol. 97 b.)

I have detailed messengers who are to communicate between us, and to inform you of our hap.

Beware of ambuscades, lest the enemy thus attempt to seize the city while the battle rages.

Guard well the

walls; and be

if we be hard pressed."

And a post for all perellis youre pepull to saue, ready to aid us 6272 As stuf of our strenkyth, yf we stond hard !” ben Priam to pe prinse prestly onswart :"Dere son, all be don, as pou demyt has ! I haue no hope of no halp, after hegh goddys, 6276 But in stuf of þi strenkyght, & pi stythe arme; proposed: for

In þi wyt, and pi warnes, & pi wyght dedys, With pi gouernanse graythe, & pi gode rewle! berfore, prestly I pray to oure pure sanctys, 6280 þat þai saue pe in sound, sent to þi hele ;

Kepe pe fro cumbranse, & fro cold dethe;
And leue me pi lyf in lykyng to se !"
So pe lede toke leue, lut to hys fader,

Priam replied:"Dear son, all

shall be done as you have

on you only, after our gods, do I rely!

May our pure saints preserve thee!"