Book XVII.

wound him in the head :

strikes at Thoas

his nose.

come to Hector's aid; kill many Greeks, capture

With the strenght of hor stroke, & hor store fare, 7504 The helme of his hede þai hurlit to peces;

Woundit hym wickedly with wepon aboue,
þat þe Rinels of red blode ran doun his chekes. Hector in a rage
But Ector in angur aykeward he stroke,

and cuts off half 7508 Tachit vpon Toax, toke hym in the face,

He hade of pe halfe nase to pe hard chekes ;
And he, for dere of þe dynt, droppid on þe laund.
Den his noble brother naturell neghit hym The brothers

aboute,
7512 Socurd hym full sone with paire sad helpis.

Thoas, and Mony grekes þai gird doun with pere grym fare! wound Telamon, Kyng Toax þai toke, & to toun led;

Telamon, þat tore kyng, so tenfully wondit, 7516 bat he was borne on his brode sheld with

buernes to his tent,
As for ded of the dynt, dressit of þe fild,
And left halfe lyueles with ledis of his aune.

Menelay with malys meuyt hym to Paris, 7520 be freke forto felle fondit at all ;

But Paris, with a prise arow put into Venum,
Hurt hym so hidously, þat he his horse leuyt, poisoned arrow.
And was borne to his bare tent with his bold (fol. 117 a.)

knightes,
7524 As for dede of be dynt, so derit hym sore ;

But leches full lyuely lokid his wound;
With oile and with ointment abill perfore,

Bond full bigly on hor best wise. 7528 And Menelay with malis meuit vnto batell, Menelaus having To venge on his velany & his vile harme ;

dressed, again Presit vnto Paris with a prise speire, Wold haue hurt hym full hidusly, or had hym

to ground. 7532 But Eneas come ouerthwert, as aunters befelle, Æneas separates

them, and
And Keppit the caupe on his clene shild,
ffor the buerne was bare of body vnarmyt,

Paris wounds
Menelaus with a

had his wound

attacks Paris.

Book XVII.

causes Paris,
who was unarmed,
to be led into

the eity.

Hector rushes on Menelaus, and tries to capture him: the Greeks prevent him.

And so went he to wer wilfully hym selfe, 7536 pat wist well the wale kyng, þat waited hym so,

To haue slayn hym full sleghly with sleght of

his hond.
Eneas eftir, with abill knightes mony,

Send hym to be Cité for the same cause,
7540 ffor marryng of Menelay at pe mene tyme.

ben Ector come egurly, euyn vpon-one,
Merkit hym to Menelay, the mon for to take;
But þe multitude was so mekill, þat marrit hym

sone,
7544 And put hym fro purpos with a prese hoge,

That he leuit the lede, launchit aboute,
Gird doun of þe grekes grymly with strokes,

ffrusshit þurgh the frount, fell hom to dethe ! 7548 Thurghe the pouer of pe prince, & his pert

knightes, ben fled all in fere, & the fild leuit; Turnit to þere tenttes with tеne at bere hertis.

Thai sesit of þe sute, pe sun was to rest, 7552 And turnyt to be toune, taried no lengur !

The Greeks are put to fight : night ends the battle.

xviijt Boke of the tfyuet Batell in the ffelde.

a

Priam determines

As hit happit of pes hynd, herkyn a while ! (fol. 1176.)
When the derke was don & the day sprang,

Thes kynges and knightes, kid men of arms, 7556 Were assemblit full sone in hor sure wedis. The Trojans are

arrayed; but Then Priam full plainly purpos hade takon, That no freike to be fight shold fare out of toun, shall rest for one

that his army But yche renke take his rest right as hym liked. day. 7560 And of maters to mene in þe mene tyme, The kyng sent for his sons and souerains of He sends for

Hector, Æneas, Troy,

Paris, Troilus, Ector, & Eneas, and Alexsaunder Paris,

Deiphobus, and

Polydamas: Troilus pe tru knight, tristy of hond, 7564 Deffebus pe doughty, & derfe Palidamas.

When the knightes were comyn, þus the kyng

said :-
“Wot ye not worthy, þe wale kyng Toax

Is put in our pouer, our prison within,
7568 bat myche harme with his hond happont to do,

And with his pouer hath preset oure pepull to sle,
Oure Citie to sese and oure side londes !

ffor his hardines here, & his hegh malis, 7572 He shold be done to be dethe by domys of right, and proposes to

To be hangit in hast, or his hede tyne :
Thus me semyth for certain, now sais me your

put Thoas to

Book XVIII.

that such would be a wicked deed.

In return for

:

own sons.

He may

The[n] answard Eneas easely agayne :
Æneas answered, 7576 “Lord, with your leue, þat were a laithe dede !

Syche a chaunse for to chefe choisly of you,
The noise of your nobilté were noyet for euer !

Syne he is gret of degre, groundit of old,
7580 And mony syb to hym selfe of souerans & other,

Ye haue ledis, þat ye loue, & lightly may happyn which, the Greeks might put some

Of your sons to be sesit, or sum sib other : noble Trojan to

ben the grekes for grem in hor grete yre, death : it might be one of Priam's 7584 Wold dight hym to dethe, your dole to increse.

Hit might sothely be siche on, as your self

nold ffor mykill of pis medill erthe þat myschefe to se:

Therfore, sothely me semeth, sauyng your wille, That he should 7588 Hit is bettur þis bold kyng in the burgh hold. be kept as a prisoner for

be chaungit by chaunse for sum choise exchange.

other,
hat is takon of Troy, if hit tyde so;

And the lure be þe les þen the lyfe tyne.” (fol. 118 a.) 7592 Ector to Eneas egerly assentid,

And confermyt his counsell in cas for þe best;

And lowet the lede for his leue speche. Priam answered, Then Priam to pe purpos prestly can say :would deem them 7596 “ If we leue hym on lyue, & the lede kepe,

Oure fomen, in faith, for faint will vs deme; that Thoas be

And hold vs vnhardy oure harmys to venge ! kept as they had proposed.

But, neuertheles, as you list, of þat lord wirke; 7600 And, as yo counsell in the cas, I comaund be

done."

When this speche was sped, speke þai no fferre. Æneas, Troilus,

Eneas to Elan Etlit to wend, and Antenor go to comfort Helen. To se hir in sight, and solas þat fre.

7604 He toke with hym Troilus & trusty Antenor,

And went in full wightly into a wide halle.
There was Ecuba be honerable, & Elan to-gedur,
With women of worship, the worthiest of Troy:

To this coursel
Hector assents.

that the Greeks

cowards : but he would command

Book XVIII.

bewail their sad

account themselves fools

war.

A great storm of thunder and rain

fierce winds.

7608 There segh þai þat semly, & with soft wordys,

Comford hur kyndly with carpyng of mowthe.
The grekes for þe greuaunce & the grete harmys, The Greeks

ffor the tene, þat hom tyde, & tynyng of pepull, fates ; and 7612 Made myche murmur & menit hom sore,

for having As folis, þat folily hade faren fro home

engaged in this To put hom in perell to perysshe pere lyues ;

Myche gold & goodes vngraidly dispendit,
7616 With mony harmys, þat hom hepit of bor hede

persons,
And might haue lengit in hor lond, & þe lak

voidet.
The same night was a note, noyet hom all ;-
A thondir with a thicke Rayn thrublit in þe comes down, with

skewes,
7620 Ouershotyng with shoures thurgh þere shene

tenttes,
As neuer water fro the welkyn hade waynit

before.
The flode was so felle, with fallyng of Rayn,

Hit was like, by the lest, as oure lord wold 7624 With water haue wastid all þe world efte:

So kene was pe course of the cold shoures !
And more greuit the grekes by be grym windes,

þat wacknet so wodely, walt ouer the logges ; 7628 Ouertyrnit the tenttes, teghit vp the ropes; (fol. 1180.)

to pieces, or And alto rafet & rent all the riche clothes. When the derke ouerdrogh, & pe dym voidet,

The stourme wex still, stablit the course; 7632 The sun in his sercle sette vpo lofte;

All clerit the course, clensit the aire ;
The grekes hor geire grippit anone,

Next morning

the Greeks array Bounet vnto batell, and to bent droghe ! themselves for

battle. 7636 Achilles, of all men auntrid hym first,

ffore euyn to the fild with a felle pepull :
Then Diomede the doughty, & derfe Menelaus,

The tents of the
Greeks are torn

overturned.