254 xix Boke. Of the vj Batell. At sunrise the battle begins: is continued until night. The Trojans suffer more than the Greeks. (fol. 121 b.) On the second day, the Greeks sent Diomedes and Ulysses to Priam Lystenes a lyttyll of pis laike more, 7816 per was fyghtyng full fell pe fuerse men betwene, 7820 Mony knyghtis wer kyld of the kene grekys, to treat regarding 7828 Sent to pe Cite soueran men two,— a truce. Dyamed, pe derf kyng, & dughty Vlixes. bai past furth to Priam pertly to-gedur, 7832 To be grauntid of pe grete by grement of all. A derf mon to dem, & Delon his nome. THE GREEKS DESIRE A TRUCE. He was borne in þe burgh a bold mon of hond, 7836 Went with po worthy, & þe way taght; Present hom to Priam, þat was prise lord: 255 Book XIX. Priam promises to consult with 7840 "I wyll haue counsell in pe case of clene men his lords. of wit, By Assent of Seniours, & sum of my knightys; ben gedrit were pe grete to pe gay kyng, 7848 Saue Ector þe honerable, pat egerly with-stod, All paire tretyng of tru turnys vs to harme. 7852 pai colowrne hom coyntly with a cause febill, fforto beri pe bodys of hor bold frendys ; All assent save who declares that the Greeks are faint for lack of food; and, under pretence of burying their dead, they seek a And lighyng, by my lewte, now lakky's hom pe truce, that they fode. pai wold stuf hom full stithly, strenkyth hom agayn, 7856 With mete in pe meneqwile, & mony othir thinges; And we oure store schall distroi, & stynt of oure sped. We are folke full fele; in þis fre hold, Of Lordis, and Ladies, and other lesse pepull, 7860 Assemblit in this Cité oure seluyn to kepe And pof we maitles marre, may we no fer." 7864 may obtain (fol. 122 a.) But syn the souerain assentid, with other sad Because the king lordes, He agreet to the grete, & grauntid with all ffor pere-as men are so mony, & of might grete, and his lords had assented to the truce, Hector does not oppose it. Book XIX. A truce for three months is granted: and prisoners of war are exchanged. Thoas is exchanged for Antenor. Calcas pleads with Agamemnon to request Priam (fol. 122 b.) to send Briseis his daughter. And of wit for to wale, wisest of other, All put in a purpos with a plain wille; pof the syngle mon say, & it sothe be, 7868 Hit is demyt for dulle, & done out of heryng. Syn it is sothely said, & for sure holdyn, hof a yong mon be 3epe, & of yeres lite, His wit shuld be waled of wise men in age: 7872 So the prinse to pere purpos prestly assent, pof hit worche to be worse, pat wist be hym seluyn. Then takyn was the true, and with trauthe fest, Thre monethes & no more, po mighty betwene, 7876 By assurans full sad vpon suche wise, bat non offens shuld pere fall po freikes betwene; But yche kyng & knight comyn with other, Bothe in tent & in towne, while the true last. 7880 Than þai spekon in spase of hor spede after, Made a chaunge by chaunse of hor choise lordes. Toax, fro Troy, was turnyt to the grekes, ffor Antenor aunterous, pat aftur was takyn : 7884 Deliuert were po lordes, lawsit of prisone, ffro ayther syde by assent, & suet to pere fryndes. Than Calcas the clerke, pat come out of Troy, Hade a doughter full dere,-a damsell faire,7888 pat bright was of ble, and Breisaid she hight: So cald was the clere with comyns and other, Within the Cité forsothe, pere hir-selfe dwellit. This Calcas to the kyngis contynually prayet, 7892 Bothe Agamynon the grete, & the grekes all, That pai Priam shuld pray for this prise lady, To be sent to hir Sir, if he so lyked; And pai the bysshoppis bone bainly haue graunted, 7896 And sent to pat souerain for þe same cause, Dessirond full depely delyuerans of hir, With Speciall speche to spede at the tyme. HECTOR IN THE GREEK CAMP. But the triet men of Troy traitur hym cald, 7900 And mony pointtes on hym put for his pure shame, bat disseruet full duly pe dethe for to haue. 7904 In eschaunge of po choise, pat chaped before,- In the tyme of the true, as þe trety saith, Ector with other egurly went 7908 ffro the burghe to pe batells of pe bold grekes, 257 Book XIX. Priam delivers Briseis with the other prisoners. During the time of the truce, Hector goes to the tents of the ffor to sport hym a space, & speike with po Greeks. kynges, To se the maner of po men, & mirth hym a stound. Achilles, the choise kyng, with a chere faire, 7912 Welcomyt þat worthy, as a whe noble ! 7916 He hade solas of pe sight sothely of hym, ffor his body was bare out of bright wedes. And as pai spekon of pere spede in hor spell pere, THE WORDES BETWENE ACHILLES AND ECTOR IN THE TENTE. "Now Ector, in ernyst, I am euyn fayn 7920 Of pe sight of þi Self, to se pe vnarmyt; 7924 But the happyn of my hond hastely to degh, egge. Achilles welcomes him, and takes him to his tent. "I have great pleasure to see thee unarmed. (fol. 123 a.) I know that thou art very strong, for I have often proved it. Book XIX. Yet, because you slew my dear friend Patroclus, (MS. has 'where.") before this year be past your blood shall pay for his." "Marvel not, Achilles, that I seek to slay thee; for I can have no love for him who seeks my life, and has come to my land to slay my people. (fol. 123 b.) My body hath pou brisit, & my blode shed, With thy strokes full store of þi stithe arme! hof my wille be so wilde to waite on pin end, 7932 ffor the sake of my selfe and othir sib fryndes, More feruent in faith pi falle I dessyre, ffor Patroclus, my pure felcw, pou put vnto dethe. I louet hym full lelly, no les pen my seluyn; 7936 And pou partid our presens with pi prise wepyn, hat with faith and affynité [were] festinyt to gedur ; And dang hym to dethe pat deires me full euyll. 7940 Er hit negh to an end of this next yere, The dethe of pat doughty shalbe dere yolden With the blode of þi body, baldly me leue! And in so myche, for sothe, I say ye zet ferre, 7944 pat I wot the in witte to waite on myn end, My wonsped to aspie in dispite ay, And to deire me with dethe yche day new." THE ANSWARE OF ECTOR TO ACHILLES. Than Ector hym answared Esely agayn ; 7948 With wordis full wise vnto the wegh said :"If auntur be, sir Achilles, I am the to sle, And hate pe in hert, as my hede foo, Withouten couenable cause, or cast for pi dethe; 7952 Thow might meruell the mykell of my misrewle, But þat wottes in thi wit by wayes of right, bat pere longes no loue ne leŵte to ryse, To hym pat dressis for my dethe with a ded hate, 7956 And pursewis to my prouyns my pepull to sle. ffor of werre by no way wackons pere loue, Ne neuer charité be cherisst þurghe a chele yre: Luff ingendreth with ioye, as in a iust sawle, 7960 And hate in his hote yre hastis to wer. |