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,
7812 How hit happit in hast of thes hed kynges!
Sone as pe sonne rose & set vppon hegh,
Bothe pe grekis on pe grene, & pe grym troiens,
Mettyn with mayne paire myghtis to kythe:

7816 per was fyghtyng full fell pe fuerse men betwene,
All pat day, with dole, to pe derk nyght.
Mony lyueles lede leuyt on þe bent,
And mony wondyt whe pat away past;

7820 Mony knyghtis wer kyld of the kene grekys,
But mo were pere mard of the mayn troiens.
be grekys fellyn in fyght þe feghur þat day,
And be bigger in batell, as pe boke saise.
7824 When pe nyght come anon pe nobill depertid,
And bounet fro batell vppon bothe haluys.
The secund day suyng, as says vs the story,
be grekys by agrement of þe grete all,

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,
Of a tru forto trete in pe triet Cité,

7832 To be grauntid of pe grete by grement of all.
hes Messangers met with a mayn knight,

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:
pere menyt pai paire message & with mouthe told.
Priam to pe prise men prestly onswart :-

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;
And of oure wyll in þis werk, I wete 30w say."
He was ymyddis þe mete with men of astate,
7844 Kyngis in his cumpany, & knyghtis full nobill.

ben gedrit were pe grete to pe gay kyng,
And assentid full sone, somyn to pe dede.
All affermyt hit fast with a fyn wyll,

7848 Saue Ector þe honerable, pat egerly with-stod,
Disasent to pe dede, & dernely he sayde:-
"Hit is falshed in faythe & of fer cast!

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
Hector,

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
provisions.

(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.
Priam, at the prayer of po prise kynges,
Deliuert the lady with a light wille,

7904 In eschaunge of po choise, pat chaped before,-
Toax þat I told and þat tothir duke.

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.
He toke hym to his tent, talket with hym fast;
ffraynet at the freike of his fell dedis:

And as pai spekon of pere spede in hor spell pere,
Thies wordes to þat worthy warpit Achilles :-

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;
Syn þat fortune before fell me neuer ere,
To se pi body all bare out of bright wedis.
But it shall sitte me full sore with sorow in hert

7924 But the happyn of my hond hastely to degh,
Thurgh strenght of my strokes in our stoure enys,
And I thi bane for to be with my brond
I haue feld of pi forse, & pi felle dynttes;
7928 Thy might & pi monhode mykell hath me greuit.

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.
But trust me for tru, and pis tale leue,

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.