Book XIX. On earth, every one despises you; and in hell you must dwell with fiends. (fol. 126 a.) Thinkest thou the Greeks will trust you? Surely, it was not the god Apollo, but some fiend of hell that advised you." "Daughter, the gods would be against us, if we did not obey them. As thy fall and þi faith is foulé loste, And þi worship is went & wastid for euer, Of shame & shenship shent bes pou neuer : 8120 Euery lede will pe lacke and pi lose file, And þe fame of þi filth so fer wilbe knowen. Ne hopis pou not hertely, for pi hegh treason, If men laith with pi lyf, lyffyng in erthe, 8124 That the shall happon in helle hardlaikes mo, ffor thy filthe & pi falshed with fyndes to dwelle ? Hit were bettur the to byde with buernes of þi kyn, In sum wildurnes wilde, & won þere in lyf, Now appolyn with answare hase euyll the begiled, 8136 And sorily to syn, and þi selfe lose! Hit was neuer appollo the pure god, þat put the in mynd, But sum fend with his falshed, faren out of helle, þat onsward the owkewardly, ordand þe skathe, 8140 fforto set the in sorow, and þi soule tyne!" Thus the lady at the last left of hir speche, With myche sobbyng & sorow, sylyng of teris. Than the bysshop to his barne barely onswart, 8144 And shend to pat shene all in short wordes. "Ne hopis pou noght, hend doghtur, þat our hegh goddes Wold be wrothe at our werkes, & wisshe vs to skathe, If we bowet not hor biddyng, & hor bone kept. 8148 And nomly in pis note, pat noyes to pe dethe, 8152 8156 8160 8164 BRISEIS FORGETS TROILUS. Oure seluyn to saue, and oure saule kepe 265 Book XIX. I know that Troy shall be destroyed, and all her people. Therefore we are better here." (fol. 126 b.) The Greeks are pleased with Briseis; All the grekes were glad of þat gay lady, tolde, ffrely with faire chere, pat thei frayn wold. she answers their questions about Trojans. The kynges full curtesley cald hir pere doughter, They call her, daughter; promise to defend her; and give her rich presents. 8168 To be worshypt well with welthis ynow; 8172 Now, she desires to abide among Now is Troiell, hir trew luff, tynt of hir thoght, Troilus is forgotten. And yomeryng for-yeton, & yettyng of teres. 8176 Lo, so lightly ho left of hir loue hote, 8180 And chaunget hir chere for cherisshyng a litle ! 266 The xx Boke. Of the vijnt Batell, and Skarmiches Lastyng xxx dayes Betwene the Towne & the tenttes. (fol. 127 a). The truce is ended: the Trojans prepare for battle. Hector, with a division of 15,000, goes forth first: then Troilus with 10,000: then Paris with the Persian archers, 3000 strong: then Deiphobus with 3000: then Æneas, and all the other leaders in their order. The Trojans were 100,000 strong. Of the Grecks After the monethis were meuyt of pe mene true, ben waknet vp were and myche wale sorow! 8184 The secund day suyng, says me þe lyne, There bownet vnto batell from the burgh euyn, And Troiell with x .M. turnit forth aftur. 8192 Then Paris put furth, the percians hym with,— Abill men of archery, auntrus in wer,— Three M. thro and thristy of hond, Vppon horses full hoge, hardy men all. 8196 Then Deffibus drogh furth, & to pe dede went, With thre M. thro men, prepond in armys. Eneas afturward with angardly mony, And oper kynges full kant, as pere course fell. 8200 As Dares in his dyting duly me tellus, The sowme of the sowdiouris, that fro pe Cité came, ffor to tell at this tyme of triet men & noble, A C. M. all hoole, herty to stryke! 8204 ffro the tenttes come tyte of the trict grekes, THE SEVENTH BATTLE. Menelay full monly, with a manur pepull, Seuyn M. be sowme assignet for hym. Then meuit with as mony, mighty Dyomydes, 8208 And Achilles with choise men chosen of the same. Than sought furth Xantippus with sad men a hepe, Thre thowsaund thristy, prong to the fild. Than Agamynon the grete gird on the last, 8212 With a noyus nowmbur, nait men of strenght. The first, þat to fight past, was Philoc the kyng, harde, 267 Book XX. Menelaus came first with 7000 men: then Diomedes with as many more: then Achilles, and Xantippus, and Agamemnon. (fol. 127 b.) Hector slays King 8216 That he gird to the ground & the gost past. 8228 Turnit to the Troiens, tenit hom full euill; "The dethe of Xantipus by Ector Stayn." revenge his death. Mony woundit full wickedly, & warpit of horse. Mony ledes with his launse out of lyfe broght. 8232 Two Dukes full derne vnto dethe kyld, ffull bold men in batell, & myche bale did. Hit auntrit, þat Ector was angrit full euill, 8236 Woundit full wickedly, wist not of woo, many both with sword and lance, Hector is severely wounded in the face; Book XX. the Trojans are borne back Vne before in the face, with a fell stroke, towards the walls. 8240 With myche noye for pe note of pere noble Hector observes some ladies standing on the walls; (fol. 128 a.) ashamed of his position, he turns in rage and kills Merion. prinse. But the knight, in his kene yre, cast vp his egh, 8244 Elan an other, the oddest of Troy, His worshipful wife, þat he well louet, With his Suster beside, the semliest on lyue, hat were sory for pe sight, Semple of chere. 8248 And the grekes so grymly had gird hom abacke þat euyn borne were pai bigly to the bare wallis Than shamet was the shalke for the shene ladies, And euyn wode of his wit wex he belyue. Achilles rushes on Hector with a great spear. Hector with a fierce blow hurls through the helmet of Achilles, and stuns him. THE DETHE OF MYRION BY ECTOR SLAYN. 8252 He kyld þere a kyng, cosyn to Achilles, On Merion the myghty,-thurgh the mayn dynt. He hurlet thurgh the helme, pat the hed yemed, hat the brayn all-to brast, & on bent leuyt. 8256 Achilles aurthwart this aunterd to se, 8260 8264 Grippet to a grete speire with a grym wille ; Mart of his mailes, meuit hym noght; And nauther hurt he the hathell, ne hade hym to ground. ben Ector in angur, angardly fast, With the bit of his brond, on the bold light; Achilles, with a chop, cheuyt on syde; All in wer for to walt, wayueronde he sote, |