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THE FOURTH BATTLE.

With the strenght of hor stroke, & hor store fare,

7504 The helme of his hede pai hurlit to peces ;

243

Book XVII.

wound him in the head:

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,

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 pe laund.

strikes at Thoas and cuts off half his nose.

ben his noble brother naturell neghit hym The brothers

aboute,

7512 Socurd hym full sone with paire sad helpis.

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

Mony grekes þai gird doun with pere grym fare! wound Telamon,

Kyng Toax þai toke, & to toun led;

Telamon, pat tore kyng, so tenfully wondit,

7516 þat he was borne on his brode sheld with

buernes to his tent,

As for ded of the dynt, dressit of pe 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, pat he his horse leuyt,
And was borne to his bare tent with his bold

knightes,

7524 As for dede of pe dynt, so derit hym sore;
But leches full lyuely lokid his wound;
With oile and with ointment abill perfore,
Bond it full bigly on hor best wise.

7528 And Menelay with malis meuit vnto batell,
To venge on his velany & his vile harme ;

Presit vnto Paris with a prise speire,

Wold haue hurt hym full hidusly, or had hym

to ground.

Paris wounds Menelaus with a poisoned arrow. (fol. 117 a.)

Menelaus having had his wound dressed, again attacks Paris.

7532 But Eneas come ouerthwert, as aunters befelle, Eneas separates

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

them, and

Book XVII.

causes Paris,

who was unarmed,

to be led into

the city.

Hector rushes on
Menelaus, and

tries to capture

him: the Greeks prevent him.

The Greeks are put to flight:

night ends the battle.

And so went he to wer wilfully hym selfe,

7536 þat wist well the wale kyng, þat waited hym so, To haue slayn hym full sleghly with sleght of

7540

his hond.

Eneas eftir, with abill knightes mony,

Send hym to pe Cité for the same cause,

ffor marryng of Menelay at þe mene tyme.
pen Ector come egurly, euyn vpon-one,
Merkit hym to Menelay, the mon for to take;
But pe multitude was so mekill, pat marrit hym

sone,

7544 And put hym fro purpos with a prese hoge,
That he leuit the lede, launchit aboute,

Gird doun of pe grekes grymly with strokes, ffrusshit þurgh the frount, fell hom to dethe! 7548 Thurghe the pouer of pe prince, & his pert knightes,

þen fled all in fere, & the fild leuit;

Turnit to pere tenttes with tene at þere hertis.
Thai sesit of pe sute, pe sun was to rest,

7552 And turnyt to pe toune, taried no lengur !

xviijt Boke of the ffyuet Batell in the ffelde.

(fol. 117 b.)

The Trojans are arrayed; but

As hit happit of þes hynd, herkyn a while!
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.
Then Priam full plainly purpos hade takon,
That no freike to pe fight shold fare out of toun,
But yche renke take his rest right as hym liked. day.
And of maters to mene in pe mene tyme,

7560

Priam determines that his army shall rest for one

The kyng sent for his sons and souerains of He sends for

Troy,

Ector, & Eneas, and Alexsaunder Paris,

Hector, Eneas,

Paris, Troilus,
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, pe wale kyng Toax

Is put in our pouer, our prison within,

7568 þat myche harme with his hond happont to do, And with his pouer hath preset oure pepull to sle,

7572

Oure Citie to sese and oure side londes!

ffor his hardines here, & his hegh malis,

He shold be done to pe 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

witte !"

put Thoas to

death.

Book XVIII.

The[n] answard Eneas easely agayne :

Eneas answered, 7576 "Lord, with your leue, pat were a laithe dede!

that such would

be a wicked deed.

In return for

which, the Greeks

might put some

noble Trojan to

death it might

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

ben the grekes for grem in hor grete yre,

be one of Priam's 7584 Wold dight hym to dethe, your dole to increse.

own sons.

That he should be kept as a

prisoner for

exchange.

(fol. 118 a.)

To this coursel
Hector assents.

Priam answered, that the Greeks

Hit might sothely be siche on, as your self

nold

ffor mykill of pis medill erthe pat myschefe to se: Therfore, sothely me semeth, sauyng your wille, 7588 Hit is bettur þis bold kyng in the burgh hold. He may be chaungit by chaunse for sum choise

other,

pat is takon of Troy, if hit tyde so;

And the lure be pe les pen the lyfe tyne."

7592 Ector to Eneas egerly assentid,

would deem them 7596

cowards but he

would command

that Thoas be

kept as they had proposed.

Æneas, Troilus,

and Antenor go

to comfort Helen.

And confermyt his counsell in cas for þe best;
And lowet the lede for his leue speche.
Then Priam to pe purpos prestly can say :—
"If we leue hym on lyue, & the lede kepe,
Oure fomen, in faith, for faint will vs deme;
And hold vs vnhardy oure harmys to venge!
But, neuertheles, as you list, of pat lord wirke;
7600 And, as yo counsell in the cas, I comaund be
done."

When this speche was sped, speke pai no fferre.
Eneas to Elan Etlit to wend,

To se hir in sight, and solas pat fre.

7604 He toke with hym Troilus & trusty Antenor,

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

A THUNDER STORM.

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

Comford hur kyndly with carpyng of mowthe. The grekes for pe greuaunce & the grete harmys, ffor the tene, pat hom tyde, & tynyng of pepull, 7612 Made myche murmur & menit hom sore,

As folis, pat folily hade faren fro home.

To put hom in perell to perysshe pere lyues ;
Myche gold & goodes vngraidly dispendit,

7616 With mony harmys, pat hom hepit of hor hede

persons,

And might haue lengit in hor lond, & pe lak

voidet.

The same night was a note, noyet hom all ;

A thondir with a thicke Rayn thrublit in pe

skewes,

7620 Ouershotyng with shoures thurgh pere 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 pe grym windes, þat wacknet so wodely, walt ouer the logges; 7628 Ouertyrnit the tenttes, teghit vp the ropes; 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, Bounet vnto batell, and to bent droghe! 7636 Achilles, of all men auntrid hym first, ffore euyn to the fild with a felle pepull : Then Diomede the doughty, & derfe Menelaus,

247

Book XVIII.

The Greeks
fates; and

bewail their sad

account

themselves fools for having engaged in this

war.

A great storm of thunder and rain comes down, with fierce winds.

The tents of the Greeks are torn (fol. 118 b.) to pieces, or overturned.

Next morning the Greeks array themselves for battle.

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