AMAZONIA AND THE AMAZONS.

353

In April, May, and June, the women visited

the men,

Withouten mon, owther make, to medill hom Book XXVII.

with.
10812 pai were strong of hor stature, stithest in armys,

And well enformet of the fete, pat to fight longit.
Luen before in pe frunt of þat faire yle,
Was a prouynse of prise, & praty men in; near which was

a province where 10816 ffull of all frute, and fode of the best,

only men dwelt, Wond þere 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 þo burdis þaire birthe hade borne of þere

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 be clause

tellus,

Thre yere thristely throngen to end,
10832 Than sent to be syre, and soiourne with hym.

Thus tide hit þat tyme, as I telle of,
There was a lady in þat 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, þat pert prestly was cald,
That honerable Ector od myche louyt,

(fol. 166 a.) 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

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

Book XXVII.

Penthesilea brings Amazons to assist Priam.

to allow her to

Of grekes þat were gedrit to þe great troyo, 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 þro, þrepand in wer. 10848 for loue of þat lede, þat was of lyue past,

To pe Cité ho soght with hur sute hoole,

Noght knowing the case of þe kyd prinse, Her grief on

bat the doghty was dede & drepid for ay. hearing that Hector was slain. 10852 Whan þat worthy hit wist of his wale dethe,

Myche sorow & sykyng sanke in hir hert,
And mony dayes for dole þat doghty can wepe.

This lady at the last lefte of hir sorow,

10856 And prayt vnto Priam all with pure wordes, She prays Priam

His buernes vnto batell bainly to ordan, lead the Trojanis. 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.

han Priam his prise men prestly comaundit,
Pylümenes, 10864 Philmen, the fuerse kyng, & his feres all,
Æneas, and
Polydamas, with

Encas also, abill of dedis, their companies,

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 be fight in a frunt hole.
The grekes gird hom agayn with a grym fare,

And with launses on the laund lepyn to-gedur. A flerce battle 10872 Breme was the broche in the brest þan! Menelaus is

Pantasilia so presit proud Menelaus, unhorsed by the Queen.

hat ho gird hym to ground with a grym dynt.

The horse of þat hathell hent ho belyue, (fol. 166 6.) 10876 And raght by the Reynes to a ranke maiden.

Dyomede the derfe drofe to þe qwene,

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

follow Penthesilea,

ensues.

Diomedes and

THE GREEKS ARE DRIVEN BACK.

355

Book XXVII.

hat mighty hym met with a mayn stroke, 10880 Hat he bend in the backe to pe bare sadell,

Vnneth held hym on horse for harme þat he

þolet.
Ho raght to hym radly, reft hym his sheld,

And betoke [hit] full tite to a triet maiden. 10884 Telamon with tеne turnyt to be lady,

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

She hurls Telamon to the

sore.

So faght þat freike with hur fyne strenght,
Hat ho knowen was for kene with kaupe of hir

swerd,
And myche dut for hir dynttes or be day

endit.
19892 So þat worthy in wer wroght at þat tyme,

hat Telamon ho toke, & turnyt away.
Diomede, þat Duke was duly beside,

Negh wode of his wit for þe wale kyng ; 10896 So he fore pere in fight with his fell strokes,

pat the lede fro the ladis lawse away past.
han 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 þat hynd, and hir hed maidons,

hat all fell to be flight, & the feld leuyt. 10904 The wemyn, as the went, welt hom to ground,

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 ener, cuyn at þat tyme,

The Greeks break
and flee before
the Amazons.

The prowess of Diomedes savea the Greeks from destruction.

Book XXVII.

(fol. 167 a.)

The Amazons and Trojans return to the city.

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.

The joy and hope of Priam.

-called also

HIERE FAGIT HAI TWO MONETHES.
Two monethis with might þai 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

To Lycomede, pe lell kyng, & the lede broght,Pyrrhus.

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, þat I neuynt hauo,

Knowen in his cuntre, kyndly by aither. Joy of the Greeks When he come to þe cost þere be kynges lay, and Myrmidons :

10932 Hym welcomyt tho worthy, as a wegh noble;

And the mirmydons mighty, for maistur hym

toke, Were glad of þe gome, & gretly honouryt. The grekes fayne of þat freike, and with a frunt

light, Neoptolemus is 10936 Retaynit hym with Reuerence, po Riche men all, knighted,

And honeret hym by ordinaunce with order of

knight.
Telamon full tyte, tristy of dedis,

REJOICING OF THE GREEKS.

357

Book XXVII.

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, þogrete with hor

hondes;
10944 pai betoke hym the tent of his tried fader,

And all the harneis hoole of þat hed kyng.
There bai fourmyt a fest with a fyne wille,

Serten dayes by-dene, duly to hold;
10948 With Sacrifice solemne soghten þere halowes,

And all glad were po grete of pe gome pan.

and receives the tent and armour of his father,

(fol. 167 b.)

THE XXII & XXIII BATELL OF THE CITE.

Pyrrhus jousts with Polydamas;

When hit drogh to be 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,

þat 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 bai caght not the kyng, þof pai care polit. 10968 Pantasilia come pertly with hir pure maidnes,

Brusshet into batell with a breme fare.
(All þaire colouris by corse were of cleane white,

unhorses, and captures Pylæmenes.

The rescue of
Pylæmenes.

Penthesilea and her Amazons rush upon the Myrinidons.