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Book XVIII.

Achilles slays the 7640 king of Larissa.

Hector slays
Anthoneus.

Diomedes slays

Antiphus.

Epistrophus and 7648

Tedius set upon

Hector.

Agamynon the grete, [&] þe goode duke of Athens.
With the kyng of Larris full cantly caupit
Achilles,

hat he droffe hym to dethe with the dynt of a
speire.

Antoneus on Ector full egerly met,

But, er he past fro the prinse, he was pale ded.
7644 Then Diomede, the derfe kyng, deghit out of lyue
Xantipus, þe same tyme, þat was a sure kyng.
Two kynges pere come, þat were kyde brether,-
Epistafus pe pert was propurly pat one,
And Tedius, pat tothir,-tydé men bothe:
Vppon Ector ernistly pos egir men set.
Ephistafus hym presit with his proude wordes,
As a ribold with reueray in his Roide speche,
Sythen spurnit hymdispitously with a speire felle;
But he hurt not pat hynd, ne hade hym to ground;
Ne the deire of his dynt dasit hym but litle.

7652

'Since you love fliting so well;

go, flite on the dead!'

Tedius summons a thousand

knights to avenge

the death of

Epistrophus.

(fol. 119 a)

Eagerly they follow Heetor over the field,

7656

THE DETHE OF EPHISTAFUS BY ECTOR SLAYNE.

Ector, wrathed at his wordis, waynit at the kyng,
þat he gird to pe ground and the gost yald :
ben warpid he pes wordis in his wild hate :-
"ffor pou of flytyng was fuerse with frekes vppon
lyue,

Go dresse þe to dedmen, & dyn pere a while.”
7660 This, Tedius the tothir full tomly beheld.
Gret pytie with payne persit his hert;

7664

7668

ffor the dethe of pat dere doublit his sorow.
He cald of his knightes of clene men a thowsaund,
That all hastid to þat hend hertly & mo.
He bade hom full boldly, for bale vpon erthe,
All folow to pat freke, pat his fere slogh.
On his broder bale dethe baldly to venge,
All suyt on pat syre in a sad hast,

And laited aftur þe lede with a light wille;

THE FIFTH BATTLE.

Saght þai the sure prinse thurgh the syde batell. fforsit hym with fight, fellyn hym aboute, 7672 Vnhorset hym in hast, hade hym to fote. Tedius, the tore kyng, in a tene yre,

fflappit at hym felly with a fyne swerde, The worthy to wound, & warp vnto dethe. 7676 Then auntrid þat Ector aurthwert beheld The stroke of pe stith; with a strenght arme He keppit the caupe on his clene sheld, And britnet the bold with a breme dynt :

249

Book XVIII.

and at last surround him.

Tedius aims a blow at Hector, which is caught

on his shield.

Hector cuts off the right arm of

7680 The right arme, with a rappe, reft fro þe shul- Tedius; hurls

durs;

Hurlit hym to hard erthe, hue hym to dethe.

Eneas to Amphimak angurdly drof,

And the lede with a launse out of lyue broght!

7684 Then the grekes full grymly gedrit in somyn, Menelay the mighty with a maine batell!

The Duke of Athens full derf, & Dyamede the

kyng,

Telamon the tydé, & tristy Vlixes;

7688 Archillaus also, Agamynon hym selfe,

And Machaon þe mighty, meuit hym with.

All pes bold with pere batels brochet in swithe,
ffell was the fight at the first stoure!

7692 Buernes vpon bothe halues brittoned full mony!
Gret slaght in pe slade, & slyngyng to ground,
And mony lost hade pe lyffe, or pe larke endit!
Be þat the Sun in his Sercle set was o loft,
7696 At the merke of pe mydday with his mayn course;
When the grekes were gedrit, & gird into fight,
With all the forse of the fell ost frusshet by-dene;
That pe Troiens with tene turnyt to flight,
7700 ffor oppressing with payne, & of pale strokes ;
Than Achilles with a chop chaunset to sle
Philles, a fre kyng, with his fyn strenght.

him to the earth; and slays him.

The Greek leaders
collect their
forces, and charge
upon the Trojans.

(fol. 119 b.)

The Trojans flee.

Achilles slays
Philes.

Book XVIII.

Hector slays
Amphenor and
Doreus.

Encouraged by

Hector and their leaders, the

Trojans rally and

drive back the

Greeks.

Epistrophus comes from the

city with 3000

knights,

and the Monster Archer,-half

horse, half man.

("fell," skin.)

Having the face of a man, yet all over haired and neighing like a horse, and with flaining eyes, he terrified the Greeks.

THE DETHE OF AMPHENOR AND DURIWS BY ECTOR SLAYNE.

There-at Ector was angry, & out of his wit! 7704 Two kynges he kyld of the kene grekes,

Amphenor the fuerse, and the freike Durius; And wonderfully wroght at the wode stoure. Thurgh pouer of the prinse & his pert knightes, 7708 The Troiens turnyt in full tyte, tokyn the fild, ffoghtyn full fuersly, fell mony grekes,

Beron hom abacke with a breme wille.

Then kyng Bisshop the bold fro the burghe come 7712 With thre thowsaund pro knightes, prong into

batell,

All wight men in wer, willy to fight,

And boldly the bekirt, britnet pere fos.

There come with this kyng a coynt mon of shappe,

7716 ffellist in fight, and a fyn archer :

ffro the Nauell netherward he was an able horse,
And euyn made as a man fro the medill vp.
The fell of pat freike, fuerse to beholde,
7720 ffro pe hede to pe hele herit as a capull!
Thof his face was fourmyt as a fre mon,
Hyt was colourt by course as a kowlt red.
His Ene leuenaund with light as a low fyn,
With stremys full stithe in his stepe loke.
He was a ferfull freke, in fas to beholde ;
And mony ledes with his loke laithet full euyll!
He neyt as a nagge, at his nose thrilles !

7724

Without harness, 7728 No hawberke he hade, ne harnes of mayle,

and having only

(fol. 120 a.)

a bow and quiver, he goes to battle.

7732

But bare into batell with a bowe stronge,
With gret arowes & grym in a gay qwyuer.
When this feerfull freike frusshet into batell,
The grete horses on the grene girdon abacke,
Sparit for no Spurse, speddyn to the flight,
And grete affray in the fild for feare of hym one.

A MONSTER ARCHER.

Thurghe the birre of his bowe & his big Arme, 7736 Mony woundit the wegh to be wale dethe,

And myche greuit the grekes with his grym fare.

251

Book XVIII.

He sorely afflicts the Greeks.

7740

THE DETHE OF POLEXENAS BY ECTOR SLAYNE.

Ector faght in the fild felle of his Enmys.
Polexenas, a pert Duke, þat þe prinse met,
He dang to the dethe with his derfe weppon,
And wonderfully wroght in his wild yre.
This orribell archer so angardly wroght,
Renyng thurgh the route with his roid arowes,

7744 With the Troiens so tore, tydé men alse,

Hector slays

Polyxenus.

His skill and prowess, the horror of the monster archer, and the bravery

drive the Greeks to their tents.

That myche greuit the grekes, gird hom abacke. of the Trojans,
Then flagh all in fere, and the fild leuyt;
Turnyt to pere tenttes, tariet no lengur.

7748 Thaire Enmys hom after angardly sore,
Pursuet hom with pyne, put hom to ground.
There it felle hom by fortune a ferfull cas!
As pis mysshapon mon marrit of þe grekes,
7752 The Troiens in the tenttes tenyt hom also,

Oppressit hom with payne & with pale strokes.
Diamede, the derfe kyng, þat don was to flight, Diomedes
Presit to a pauilyon the pepull before,

7756 Wold haue wonen away & of woche p st,
And haue sauet hym selfe, & he so migi t.

There met hym pis Ma vl own, þat was o
mysshap,

Euyn forne in his face, as he fle wold.

7760 He myght no wise away for wothe of his dethe,
But auther aunter vppon hym, or angardly moue.

He se his fomen so felle and fuerse at his backe,
hat wold lelly the lede out of lyue bryng;

encounters the Monster.

(fol. 120 b.) The Trojans are

behind; this

Monster before him; there is no

7764 And if he turnyt hade tyte, pen hym tyde shuld, escape.

The warlagh with a wicked arowe woundit hym

behynd.

He auntrid on this Vnbest angardly fast.

Book XVIII.

Diomedes attacks 7768

and kills the fierce Archer.

The Greeks rally,

and drive back the Trojans.

Hector and
Achilles meet;

both fall.

Achilles captures

Hector's horse.

Hector calls on his knights to pursue and recapture it.

Antenor slays many of the

Gree s:

(fol. 121 a.)

As the shalke shuld haue shot at the shene

kyng,

Dyamede with a dynt dang hym to ground,
With a swap of his swerd he swalt in the place.
Then the grekes with grym there gedurt pere
hertes,

ffrusshet out felly, and the ffild toke;

7772 Bore backward the batell of pe bold troiens; Kyld of hor knightes and kene men of armys! Ector to Achilles angardly rode;

And he keppit hym full kenely, pai caupit togedur,

7776 That bothe were backward pere borne of pere

horses,

And light on the lond the lordes in fere.

But Achilles aftir auntrid to rise,

Highet to his horse in a hote yre,

7780 Grypit vnto galathe, þat was the gode stede Of honerable Ector, & etlit away.

Ector cryed on his knightes with a kant wille, Bade hom hast hom in hygh, and his horse take. 7784 pen highet furth in haste of his hede knightes, ffelyn vmbe the fuersse kyng, foghtyn full hard. His nobill brether naturell naitly pai strekyn, Gird downe of the grekes, grippit pe roile,

7788 Raft hym the Renke with a roide fare,

Restorit pe stithe horse to be stuerne prinse !
He was fayne of the fole, fongit hym anon,
Wan on hym wightly, & his way held.
7792 ben fell he to fight with a fyne sworde,
Kyld mony knightes vnto cold dethe;

Oppressit hom with payne, put hom to ground, And mony deghit pat day purgh dynt of his hond. 7796 Antenor the auntrus angardly faght!

Thurghe might of his manhode mony distroyed,
And in batell full boldly bare hym þat day.

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