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xvij Boke. Off the Counsell of the Grekes for the Dethe of Ector / & þe iiij* Batell.

(fol. 114 b.)

Night.

The Greek leaders
meet in the tent
of Agamemnon
to plan how they
may accomplish
Hector's death.

They have no hope of taking

the city so long as he lives.

Herkinys now a hondqwile of a hegh cas,

And I schall tell you full tomly how hom tide
aftur!

7348 When the day ouer drogh, & the derk entrid,
The sternes full stithly starond o lofte;
All merknet the mountens & mores aboute;
The ffowles pere fethers foldyn to gedur.

7352 Nightwacche for to wake, waites to blow;
Tore fyres in the tenttes, tendlis olofte;

All the gret of the grekes gedrit hom somyn.
Kynges & knightes clennest of wit,
7356 Dukes & derffe Erles droghen to counsell,
In Agamynon gret tent gedrit were all.
There only was ordant of Ectors dethe,
With all Soteltie to serche opon sere wise;
ffor sothely pai saidon, and for sure holdyn,
But þat doghty were dede & his day comyn,
Thaim happynt not the herhond to haue of
hor fos.

He was fully the fens & the fyn stuff

7364 Of all the tulkes of Troy, þat hom tene wroght;

ffuerse on his foes, fellist of other,

And dethe to the derfe grekes delt hym aboute.
Then by ordinaunce of all men, as abliste perfore,

THE FOURTH BATTLE.

7368 Achilles by chaunse may chefe to be worse,
And be dede of his dynttes, but if desteny let.
When this purpos was plainly putto an end,
Then partid the prinsis, and the prise dukes,
7372 Turnyt to pere tenttes & tarit no lengur ;
And Rapit to pere rest, rioll & other.

When the light vp launchit, littid the erthe,
The derke ouer-done, and þe day sprange,

7376 All the grekes in hor geire gedrit to feld,
Were boun on the bent on hor best wise.
And pe stithest in stoure, sturnyst of knightes,
Honerable Ector, þat eger was ay,

7380 Euer waker and vnwar, wightist in armys,
Past furth with his pepull fro the pure Cité :
ffore euyn to be fild with fuersmen of Troye,
That hym self hade assignet surest of othir.
7384 Eneas afturward with abill men ynow;

Paris pen put furthe with a proude folke; Deffebus drogh next with a derfe pepull; Troiell, the tru knight, with a triet menye, 7388 And other, þat Ector had ordant before,

Suet furth to be semely, as pai assignet were.
The first of po fuerse men, pat to fight past,
Was Ector, hym aune selfe, with odmen of troye,
7392 As Dares in his dytyng of his dedis tellis.

ffro the Cité, the same day, soght to þe fild,
With the prinse, to the plase, and his prise
brether,

& iij .M. thro men, priuond in armys,

7396 And v .M. fer, fuersmen & noble.

pen gird thai to-gedur with a grym will!

239

Book XVII.

Achilles is chosen

to accomplish his death.

Next day the Greeks take the field in their best array;

(fol. 115 a.)

and Hector leads out his chosen band.

Eneas, Paris, Deiphobus, Troilus, and the other Trojan leaders follow, each with his own division.

The stere was full stithe; þere starf mony The battle is

knightes!

Paris, with the perseans, presit in first,

7400 With his bowmen full bold bykrit with the

grekes.

begun by Paris with the Persians and archers.

Book XVII.

Agamemnon is

struck down by Hector,

who is next set on by Achilles; and has his helmet broken.

Troilus and

Eneas rescue

him.

Diomedes attacks
Eneas; wounds

(fol. 115 b.) him severely; taunts him;

and with a fierce

blow unhorses

him.

Hector rushes on

Achilles; breaks

his helmet;

wounds him

severely;

Mony woundit tho weghis & wroght vnto dethe,
And harmyt full hogely with pere hard shot.
Than Agamynon the grete gird into batell!
7404 Ector full egerly etlit hym to mete,

Gird hym Euyn to be grond with a grym hurt:
Halfe dede of pe dynt pere pe duke lay.

Than Achilles with a choise sword choppit to
Ector,

7408 Alto hurlet the helme of pe high prinse;
But hym seluyn was safe, & his scate helde.
Than Troilus full tite, & tidé Eneas,

Chefyn to Achilles with choise men ynogh, 7412 Hurlit hym hastely, harmyt hym full mekull, Bere hym bak of pe bent & his buernes all. Then Diomede, the derfe kyng, drof to Eneas, Woundit hym wykkidly, & to be whe saide:"Now, welcum I-wysse, for þi wale counsell, hat in presens of Priam pursuet me to fle! Wete hit full well for pi wyll febill,

7416

If pou contynu by course, & cum into batell, 7420 You shall happyn in my handis hardly not faile, And be ded of my dyntis for pi dissire old."

pen he drof to the duk with a dynt fell,
Vnhorsit hym in hast, had hym to ground.

7424 Ector eftirsons ettlyt on Achilles,

And greuit hym full gretly with a grym stroke,
Alto hurlit his helme, hurt hym full euyll,
Wold haue takyn hym full tit, but at tene fell

but is stunned by 7428 A sad man full sone, pe sun of Theseus,

a blow when

about to capture

him.

Recovering, he strikes Diomedes

to the ground,

Segh Achilles myscheuyt, choppit to Ector:
With a swyng of his sword swagit on pe prinse.
Ector, for pe stithe stroke stoynyt no thyng,

7432 Gryppit to his gode sword in a grym yre,

Drof vnto Diomede, pat deryt hym before,
hat hedstoupis of his horse he hurlit to ground.
bat Toilus in pe toile pis torfer beheld,

THE BATTLE BECOMES GENERAL.

7436 Segh Dyomede with a dynt dryuyn to fote,

He lyght doun full lyuely leuyt his horse,

And dressit to Dyamede with a derfe chere.
be freke hym defendit with a fyn wyll,
7440 Were hym full wightly, and his woche past.
Achilles and Ector angarely faght!
Furse was pe fare po fyn men betwene;
But per hastid on hond help vnto bothe,
7444 With batels full byg, þat on bent met.

þen Menelay þe myghti, & monly Vlixes;
Palomydon, Philomytes, Philothetes þe grete;
Neptolon pe nobill, & Nestor pe duk ;

7448 Theseus, & Thoax, & mony tryed knight;
Menestaus pe myghty, & modé Girilius ;
Stelleus, pe stythe kyng, with a sturne wyll;
bes gyrd in o pe grekys side with a grym ost.

7452 On the tothir Side fro Troy turnyt in swith,

241

Book XVII.

where he is set upon by Troilus; but defends himself bravely.

Achilles and
Hector again meet
and fight
furiously.

Menelaus,

Ulysses, and other
Greek leaders
hasten with their
divisions to
assist Achilles;

(fol. 116 a.j

All þe kyngis, þat were comyn by course of and to resist the þere helpe,

With pere batels full big & mony buerne felle,

As honerable Ector hade ordant before.

7456 Hit is wonder to wete of po weghes pen,
How fell was pe fight of pe fuerse pepull!
How stith men & stedis were strikon to ground,
And mony derf þat was ded er þe day endit!
7460 Agamynon þe grete, & his gay brother,
Menelay with mayn macchit hom in fere,
And presit vnto Paris all with pale hate,
The duke for to deire & to dethe bringe.

7464 Menelay hym met with a mayn speire,

allied kings and their divisions, that had come to assist Hector.

Menelaus engages with Paris :

And woundit hym wickedly, warpit hym wounds him and

doun;

But his armour was od good & angardly picke,
And sauit pat Syre, socurd his lyfe.

7468 Then shamet pe shalke for þe shene Elan,
bat he held in his hate fro pe hed kyng.

dashes him to the earth.

Paris is ashamed.

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.

Pylamenes

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,

hat 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, þat bothe were pai bold men borne to þe 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!

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