AMAZONIA AND THE AMAZONS.

Withouten mon, owther make, to medil hom

with.

10812 pai were strong of hor stature, stithest in armys, And well enformet of the fete, pat to fight longit. Euen before in pe frunt of pat faire yle,

Was a prouynse of prise, & praty men in; 10816 ffull of all frute, and fode of the best, Wond pere no wemen, ne no wegh ellis, But men on þat mold, & mony pai were. Now the maner was most of po mylde wemen, 10820 Thre mones with mirthe po men for to viset; Euermore in Auerill auntrid hom so,

With the monith of May, & the mery Ione, There to leng with hor louys in lykyng a while. 10824 Oft in wanton werkes wex pai with childe,

And sithen of solas soghton to pere londes.
When po burdis paire birthe hade borne of pere
sydes,

If hit a woman were, with worship hit keppit, 10828 And fostred hit furthe vppon faire wise;

And if þat sam had a sun of hir selfe borne,
Hit shuld be keppit full cleane, as pe clause
tellus,

Thre yere thristely throngen to end,

10832 Than sent to pe syre, and soiourne with hym.
Thus tide hit pat tyme, as I telle of,

There was a lady in pat lond, þat be lyne aght
All the kythe, & the crowne, & the kleane

soile,

10836 A maidon full of might, & monly in armys,
Boldest in batell, best of hor hondes,—

Pantasilia, pat pert prestly was cald,
That honerable Ector od myche louyt,

10840 ffor his prowes of prise, and his pert dedis,
And for wightist in wer of þis world þen.
Hit was told with a true of a tryet ost

353

Book XXVII.

near which was a province where only men dwelt.

In April, May, and June, the women visited the men.

If the child was
female it was
kept; but if male,
it was sent to the
father.

(fol. 166 a.)

Book XXVII.

Penthesilea brings 1000 Amazons to assist Priam.

Of grekes þat were gedrit to be great troye, 10844 Priam to oppresse, & his pure londes;

And ho come for þat cause, þat kyng for to helpe, With hir maidons full myld, mightily in armys, A thowsaund full pro, prepand in wer. 10848 ffor loue of pat lede, þat was of lyue past, To pe Cité ho soght with hur sute hoole, Noght knowing the case of pe kyd prinse, þat the doghty was dede & drepid for ay. Hector was slain. 10852 Whan þat worthy hit wist of his wale dethe, Myche sorow & sykyng sanke in hir hert,

Her grief on hearing that

She prays Priam

to allow her to lead the Trojans.

Pylæmenes, Æneas, and Polydamas, with their companies, follow Penthesilea.

A flerce battle ensues. Menelaus is unhorsed by the Queen.

(fol. 166 b.)

Diomedes and
Penthesilea.

And mony dayes for dole pat doghty can wepe. This lady at the last lefte of hir sorow, 10856 And prayt vnto Priam all with pure wordes, His buernes vnto batell bainly to ordan, And pull vp a port, let hom passe furthe. Sho purpost hir plainly with hir pure maidons, 10860 The grekes to greue, & she grace hade, In fight for to fele of hir fell dynttes, And of maidyns might make hom to know. pan Priam his prise men prestly comaundit, 10864 Philmen, the fuerse kyng, & his feres all, Eneas also, abill of dedis,

Polidamas the pert, with a prise batell,
With Pantasilia the pure prestly to wend.
10868 Dardan to vndo pe doghty comaundit,
And all fore to þe fight in a frunt hole.
The grekes gird hom agayn with a grym
fare,
And with launses on the laund lepyn to-gedur.

10872 Breme was the broche in the brest pan!
Pantasilia so presit proud Menelaus,
bat ho gird hym to ground with a grym dynt.
The horse of þat hathell hent ho belyue,
10876 And raght by the Reynes to a ranke maiden.
Dyomede the derfe drofe to pe qwene,

With a course of his caple, and a kene speire.

THE GREEKS ARE DRIVEN BACK.

bat mighty hym met with a mayn stroke,

10880 þat he bend in the backe to pe bare sadell, Vnneth held hym on horse for harme pat he

polet.

Ho raght to hym radly, reft hym his sheld,

And betoke [hit] full tite to a triet maiden.

10884 Telamon with tene turnyt to be lady,

355

Book XXVII.

She hurls Tela

mon to the

To venge of hir velany, & voide hym of harme. ground;
He launchit to pat louely with a light wille,

And ho keppit the kyng, kest hym to ground,

10888 Till his head with the hard yerthe hurlit full

sore.

So faght pat freike with hur fyne strenght,

þat ho knowen was for kene with kaupe of hir
swerd,

And myche dut for hir dynttes or pe day

endit.

19892 So þat worthy in wer wroght at þat tyme,

bat Telamon ho toke, & turnyt away.
Diomede, pat Duke was duly beside,

Negh wode of his wit for pe wale kyng; 10896 So he fore pere in fight with his fell strokes, pat the lede fro the ladis lawse away past. pan Pantasilia the pert with a pure steuyn, Criet on hir company with a cant wille;

10900 Assemblit hir sorte on a sad hepe,

And so fuersly pai faght with the felle grekes,
Thurgh helpe of pat hynd, and hir hed maidons,
pat all fell to be flight, & the feld leuyt.

captures, and leads him away.

He is rescued by
Diomedes.

The Greeks break

and flee before

10904 The wemyn, as the went, welt hom to ground, the Amazons.

With swappis of hor swordes swelt mony

knightes;

Chasit hom with choppis po chyuallurs ladis,

To the side of the sea, or pai sesse wold.

10908 There the grekes with grem had the gre lost, And endit for euer, cuyn at pat tyme,

The prowess of Diomedes saves the Greeks from destruction.

Book XXVII.

(fol. 167 a.)

The Amazons and

Trojans return to the city.

The joy and hope of Priam.

Hade not Dyomede with dynttes done with hondes,

So wondurly well at the watur side.

10912 There delt þai with dynttes, till the derke night, All left þai for late & lackyng of Sun.

Pantasilia the pert, and hir prise maidnes, Kyng Philmyn the fuerse, with his fyne knightes,

10916 The prise men of Pafigon fro þe prese went, Soghtyn to the Cite with hor sute hole,

Entrid full esely onon, as hom liked.

pan Priam was proude, & prestly beleuyt 10920 ffor to couer of care thurgh hir kyd helpe.

HERE FAGHT PAI TWO MONETHES.

Two monethis with might pai metton on bent,
Bothe the batels full breme, as the boke sais,
Duly yche day delton þai strokes,

Menelaus returns 10924 Till Menelay the mene tyme hade the mere past

with Neoptolemus

-called also Pyrrhus.

Joy of the Greeks and Myrmidons:

Neoptolemus is knighted,

To Lycomede, pe lell kyng, & the lede broght,-
Neptolon the noble, next to Achilles.

He was sun to pat same, as I said ere,
10928 þat is Pirrus in proses propurly cald.

Two nomys had pat noble, pat I neuynt haue,
Knowen in his cuntre, kyndly by aither.
When he come to pe cost pere pe kynges lay,
10932 Hym welcomyt tho worthy, as a wegh noble;
And the mirmydons mighty, for maistur hym

toke,

Were glad of pe gome, & gretly honouryt.

The grekes fayne of þat freike, and with a frunt

light,

10936 Retaynit hym with Reuerence, po Riche men all, And honeret hym by ordinaunce with order of

knight.

Telamon full tyte, tristy of dedis,

REJOICING OF THE GREEKS.

Gird hym full graidly with a gay sworde, 10940 Bad hym nait hit nemly, and noy of his fos,

And dere for the dethe of his dere fader.
Two spurres full spedely spent on his helis,
hat were gaily ouer-gilt, po grete with hor
hondes ;

10944 pai betoke hym the tent of his tried fader,
And all the harneis hoole of pat hed kyng.

There pai fourmyt a fest with a fyne wille,
Serten dayes by-dene, duly to hold;

10948 With Sacrifice solemne soghten pere halowes,
And all glad were po grete of pe gome pan.

THE XXII & XXIII BATELL OF THE CITE.

When hit drogh to þe day, the Dukes with-oute
Busket vnto batell, and the burgh alse.

10952 Tho mighty with mayn metton in the ffeld,
And girdon to-gedur on a grym wise.
Pirrus vnto prese put hym anon,

In the honerable armys of his avne fader. 10956 Polidamas he preset with a prise swerd,

With sleght for to sle, & slyng vnto ground;
But hit passit his pouer, for his pure helpe
Of Phylmen, the fuerse kyng, fendit hym wele.

10960 Pirrus, that proud kyng, presit so fast,

hat he gird hym to ground of his gret horse.
He macchit hym with might be mon for to
take,

As by witnes in wer, & away lede: 10964 But the Pafigons prudly put hym agayn,

Thaire lord to deliuer with his lyf hoole. The Mirmydons mightely mellit hom with, bat pai caght not the kyng, pof pai care polit. 10968 Pantasilia come pertly with hir pure maidnes, Brusshet into batell with a breme fare. (All paire colouris by corse were of cleane white,

357

Book XXVII.

and receives the tent and armour

of his father.

(fol. 167 b.)

Pyrrhus jousts with Polydamas ;

unhorses, and captures Pylæmenes.

The rescue of
Pylæmenes.

Penthesilea and her Amazons rush upon the Myrmidons.