HECTOR AND ACHILLES. Armyt at all peses abill to fyght, Araiet on a rout redy to batell. Achilles the choise chargit to batell, 7212 And Diomede the derfe drogh next aftur; Monelay the mighty meuit with the prid; The Duke of Athens after auntird with the iiij. bus ordant were all men angardly mony, 7216 In batels full big all boune to be werre, ffaire yche furde folowand on other, And past furth prudly into pe plaine feld. Ector, on the other side, egor hym selfe, 7220 Dressit for pe dede, deuydyt his pepull. 7224 Troiell, the tru knight, betakon was the first, Ector to Achilles amyt hym sone, hat he knew well be course was his kene fo; And he keppit hym kenely, and coupid to-gedur, 7232 That bothe went bakward & on bent lay. But Ector the honerable erst was on fote, Lepe on a light horse, leuyt Achilles, Breke purgh batels, britnet the grekes, 7236 Kyld mony knightes, kest hom to ground. Mony hurlet to pe hard erthe & pere horse leuyt ; Mony woundit wegh fro his wepyn past! So he hurlit hom on hepis with his hard dinttes, 7240 Till he was blody of pe buernes, & his bright wedis. Achilles also afterward rose, Hit on his horse, hurlit into fight, Mony Troiens ouertynyt, tumblit to dethe, 233 Book XVI. under the command of Achilles, Diomedes, Menelaus, and Mnestheus. Hector arrays the Trojans, and gives Troilus command of the first division. Hector and Achilles meet in battle: both are unhorsed. Hector remounts, and leaves Achilles on the ground. (fol. 113 a.) Book XVI. Again Hector and Achilles is borne down, and barely escapes capture. He remounts; again fights with Hector; and is sorely wounded. Diomedes and and smite each other to the ground. Diomedes remounts, and with a sword bursts the helmet of Troilus, who kills Diomedes' horse. 7244 And shot purgh pere sheltrons, shent of pe pepull. 7248 pat his speire alto sprottes sprent hom betwene, But he was put fro his purpos with prese of the grekes; 7252 And reskewet full radly by renkes of his owne, And auntred vppon Ector a full od dynt. 7260 Heturly his helme hurlit in sonder, hat the fas in the fell hast femyt on blode. 7264 Auther doutles had deghit of po derfe knightes; And depertid hom with prese of paire pale dynttes. 7268 ben Diomede the derfe drogh into batell, With mony grekes full grym of a gret will ; 7272 That aither backward was borne & on bent lay; And wightly for all the woo wan on his horse; 7276 Sundret the sercle of his sure helme. bat other freke vpon fote, purgh his fyn strenght, TROILUS CAPTURED AND RESCUED. Diomedes dere horse vnto dethe broght. And so the freikes on fote foghton to-gedur! 235 Book XVI. (fol. 113 b.) 7280 But the grekes paire gay kynge getyn appoloft, Again they are And the Troiens pat tother on a tried stede. 7284 But Diomede in daunger duly hym toke, mounted and fight together. Troilus is captured by Wold haue broght furth the buerne to his big Diomedes, and tent; But he was tarriet with the Troiens, & tenit full euyll, 7288 And wernit of his wille, pof hym wo thoght; His pray fro hym puld, & his pepull slayn. rescued by the Trojans. Battle between the forces of 7292 Withoutyn tarying o pe tother side titly cam Menelaus and Paris, With mony triet knight of Troie, & the toile entrid. So bycceret pe batells vppon bothe haluys, And Restoret with stithe men þe stoure was full 7296 Mony doughty pat day deghit in the fild, 7300 Ector euermore egerly foght, Breke of pere batell, britnet pere knightes, Mekyll greuit the grekes with his grete strenght, And kild all to kold dethe, pat countrid hym with. 7304 There come launchand o pe lond a lyuely yong knight, Now made at the note, & nomet Boethes. He auntrid hym to Ector euyn at the tyme, Paris. Hector makes havoc among the Greeks. A young knight, Boétes, engages with him; and is cloven to the navel. 236 Book XVI. Archilochus, to avenge the death of his cousin Boetes, rushes on Hector, and is cloven down. (fol. 114 a.) Prothenor unhorses Hector; but is soon after cut in two. DEATH OF ARCHILOCHUS AND PROTHENOR. 7308 Carve hym euyn fro the creste cleane to pe nauell, þat he gird vnto ground & the gost yalde; And sesit hys sure horse & a seruand betaght. THE DETHE OF ARCHILACUS THE KYNG, BY ECTOR SLAYN. Archilacus, a choise kyng & cheftain of grece, The Prinse hym persayuit & preset hym agayn; THE DETHE OF PROTHENOR, BY ECTOR SLAYN. Prothenor, a pert knight, preset hym ner, Was horset in hast, hent to his sword, 7324 Preset to Prothenor in a proude yre; He merkit hym in mydward the mydell in two, bat he felle to be flat erthe, flote he no lengur. Achilles pan auerthward pis auntre beheld, Achilles, enraged 7328 How Prothenor was perysshet, his aune pure at the death of his cousin Prothenor, collects the Greeks, and charges on the Trojans. The Greeks break and flee to cosyn: He angurt hym full euyll, & egerd hym with, ffor the dethe of pe dere his dole was þe more. pen he gedrit the grekes with a grete yre: 7332 Of po kynges, þat were kild, & oper kene mony, Wold haue vengit of pe velany, & pe vile harme. ben preset pai full prudly, & pynet hom selfe. The Troiens hom tenyt and tyrnit to dethe; 7336 Wet hom with woundes, warpit hom doun; Greuit hom full gretly, gird hom abacke. ben fled all in fere, & the fild leuyt, THE GREEKS FLEE TO THEIR TENTS. Turnyt to pere tenttes, pe troiens hom aftur, 237 Book XVI. 7340 Slogh hom in the slade, slang hom to ground; their tents. The Woundit hom wikkidly, walt hom of horse. 7344 Entrid in all somyn, euyn at hor wille; ffore to pere Innes, & pus the fight endit! Trojans pursue, and cut them down. Night ends the battle. |