Book XXVII.

Telamon fights

with the Queen,

who hurls him to

the ground.

(fol. 168 a.)

The Myrmidons are driven back by the Amazons.

Pylæmenes set free.

Pyrrhus rallies the Myrmidons.

As the glyssenond glemes pat glenttes on po sknowe.)

10972 Tho myld with the Mirmydons mellit so hard,
bat mony worthy pai woundit, & warpit to dethe.
pan Telamon come tyte with a tried wille,

To Pantasilia preset with a proud dynt.
10976 He gird hir to ground, and greuit hir yll,
And ho stithly in the stoure start vppon fote,
Turnyt hir to Telamon tite with a swerd,
Hit hym so heturly with a hert wille,
10980 þat he hurlit down hedlonges to the hard erthe,
And lay gronond on ground with a grym noyse.
Than the maidnes with might, at the mene tyme,
Theire lady vppolofte lyftyn onon,

10984 bat was ffrike to the fight & of fyne strenght,
And as lion on the laund launchit aboute.
hat worthy was war of pe woo sone,

How Philmen the fre kyng was fongid in hond; 10988 Sho macchit hir manly the Mirmydons to,

With hir maydnes of might, & of main strenght. So po wemen in wer welton doun the knightes, Deyrit hom with dynttes, dryvon hom abacke, 10992 þat all fled hom for fere, ferd of hor dethe. Pirrus pis prowes pertly beheld,

How his Mirmydons with might were mellit to ground:

Philmen the fre kyng, þat he in fyst hade, 10996 He lete to be large, lause of his hondes.

He criet on his knightes with a kene wille :"Ne shamys you not shalkes to shunt of þe fild, ffor the weiknes of wemen woundis a litell! 11000 Turnes yow full tyte, & taries a while,

Let vs wend to yon wemen, walt hom of horse;
With swyng of our swerdes
swap hom in sonder,
deyring of other."

And dyng hom to dethe for

11004 Pantasilia the pride of Pirrus ouer-herd;

PENTHESILEA AND PYRRHUS.

Of his mote, & his manas, not mykell ho roght. When he neighed hur negh, naitly ho said bes wordes to the wegh, þat he well herd :11008 "I am not ferd of pi fare, ne pi fell speche,

:

pof pi fadur with falshed, & with foule treason,
Honerable Ector egurly slogh:

Whose vilany to venge, & pe vile dede,

11012 All the world shuld wilne, wemen & oder.
And we, pat in wer, wemen ye call,

Of oure dynttes dedly shall dele with you sone."
Pyrrus wex pale at hir pure wordes,

11016 And come with a course of his kene yre,

þat doghty to dere with a dede stroke.
The womon was war of his wille sone,

And keppit hym full cantly: pai caupit to-gedur,
11020 With paire glaiues full grym, on the grene laund,
bat Pirrus with pyne was putto pe erthe,
And his speire vntto sprottes sproungen on þe

qwene.

He launchit vp lyuely, lacchit a swerd,

11024 Bere to pat bold with a breme fare;

And ho keppit hym full kantly, kobbit with

hym sore,

Woundit hym wickedly in hir wode angur,

Wold haue dongyn hym to dethe, hade pai delt

long.

11028 þan þe Mirmydons, his men, mightely comyn,
Lepyn to pere lord, lugget hym away,
Halpe hym to horse in a hond qwhile,

Thurgh strenght of pat stoure, & of stithe fight.
11032 þan Agamynon the grete, with grekes ynow,
Dyomede drogh nere with a derfe pepull;
Antenor also auntrid to batell,

With a company clene of kyd men of armys. 11036 Phylmen pe freke, pat fuersly withtakon, bat passit fro Pirrus by the prise qwene,

359

Book XXVII.

Penthesilea defies
Pyrrhus.

(fol. 168 b.)

They fight
together.

Penthesilea wounds Pyrrhus :

the Myrmidons rescue him.

Book XXVII.

Pylamenes thanks Penthe

silea for saving his life.

A fierce skirmish.

Lut to pe lady, & of his lyff panket, Mony sithes for sothe, er he sese wold. 11040 pan he semblid his sorte on a sop holl,

And Pantasilia full pertly all hir prise maidnes,
Palidamas, the pert knight, þat put was to fote,
Was prast prough the prong, & of prepe past,
11044 Horsit in hast, highit agayne,

With fuerse men in fight a full fell nowmber.
Eneas also with angardly mony,

Kyng Remys the Riche, with a roghe batell, 11048 Thies hurlet on a hepe with a hard shoure. Dynttes full dedly were delt hom among,

And mony

freike vndurfote frunt of hor horse.

Pyrrus bym paynet to pyne of his fos,

Glaucus slain by 11052 And the wemen wightly walton doun pe grekes.

Pyrrhus.

(MS.has "Glaym")

(fol. 160 a.)

The Queen and
Pyrrhus.

Polydamas revenges the death of his brother.

Pyrrhus, Telamon, and

Diomedes rally the Greeks.

On (Glaycon), a gome, gird was to dethe
With Pirrus in prise, Polidamas brother,
Antenor avne sun, aldist but he,

11056 Gettyn in his gamyn on a gay lady.
Pantasilia presit Pirrus full fast,

And the freike hym defendit with a fyne chere.
So burly po big brusshit to-gedur,

11060 pat backe to be bent borne were pai aither;
Stithly pai start vp, strekyn to-gedur

Tyll the prese of the pepull partid hom sonder.
Polydamas, for payne of his pure broder,
11064 Gird doun the grekes, and myche grem did:
With woundes full wide walt hom of horse,
And wonderfully wroght to wreke of his grem.
Thurgh helpe of his hond, & the hede qwene,
11068 The grekes of pe ground were gird to pe flight:
pai folowet fast on pe fare, with hor fell dynttes
Dang hom to dethe, & deiret hom mekill.

Pirrus, with pyne, and the proud Thelamon,

11072 Dyamede the doughty, dernly with-stode,

Gert the grekes with greme on the ground stad,

PENTHESILEA AND PYRRHUS.

bat fled were before, & the fild leuyt.

han the sun wentto set, seset the fyght, 11076 Aither halfe to pere hold highet onone,— Bothe to toun & to tent,-taried no lengur ; ffor the derke vp drogh, and the day endit.

HERE THAY FAGHT A MONETHE

361

Book XXVII.

Than a moneth with might pai met in the fild, During this time 11080 With strokes full stith starf mony knightes.

With-in tyme of þis toile, tellis the story,
Ten thawsaund by tale were tirnyt to ground,
In batell on bothe haluys, þat on bent lay;
11084 And mony of hir maidnes missit the qwene,
hat were lost on the laund or pat laike endit.
Aftur a moneth & more, on a myld day,

Bothe the batels to bent bounet full swithe :
11088 Restorit full stithly opon strong wise,
Shot into sheltrons shoggond full picke.
Kene was the crie with crusshyng of weppyn:
Stedes doun sticked, stith men vnder!

11092 Pantasilia & Pirrus presit to-gedur,

With dynttes full dedly in hor depe hate. The roddis all to-Roose right to paire hond, And in hor sadles full sound setyn þai still. 11096 But a trunchon of a tre with a triet hede,

Abode in the body of the bold Pirrus. han the crie wex kene for care of þe grekes: Mony preset with pyne to the pert qwene, 11100 To dere hir with dethe for dole of his hurt. bai frusshet hir so felly with hor fyne swerdes, bat pe haspis of hir helme hurlit in sonder.

THE DETH OF PANTASILIA BY PYRRUS

Than Pirrus with payne, in his pale angur,

10,000 fall on both sides.

Penthesilea and
Pyrrhus again
(fol. 169 b.)

fight.

Pyrrhus is

severely wounded.

The Greeks surround Penthesilea.

Pyrrhus, heed

less of his wound,

11104 ffor all the trunchyn of pe tre, pat tenit hym rushes on the

Queen;

sore,

Book XXVII.

and with a swing of his sword cuts her

arm off by the body.

She falls dead.

Pyrrhus falls down as dead:

is carried on his shield to his tent.

The Amazons in revenge fall upon the Myrmidons.

(fol. 170 a.)

Noght hedit his harme, ne his hurt meuyt,
And meuyt with malis to be myld qwene.

Sho was bare of hir breast to pe bright mayll, 11108 Hade no helme on hir hede fro harmys to weire; Yet sadly ho sete, sewit hym agayne,

Thoght the freike with a fouchon first for to

strike.

But Pirrus hym paynet with all hys pure
strenght,

11112 And flang at hir felly with a fyne swerd;
Share of pe sheld at a shyre corner;

Vnioynet the Jawmbe of pe iust arme,

hat hit light on pe laund lythet full euyn: 11116 pen deghit þat doghty, dolle to be-hold, ffell of hir fole to pe flat erthe!

And Pirrus with payn puld of his brest, The spyll of his speire, in a space short: 11120 Myche blode of his body bosshet out after, And he gird to be ground gronond full sore,

Halfe dede of pat dynt drogh into swone! The Mirmydons mightely pere maistur þan toke, 11124 With the shalke on a sheld shoke to his tent; As a lede out of lyue laid hym to ground, With weping and wo for his wale harme. The maidnes of pe mighty qwene masit were all, 11128 ffor the dole & the dethe of hor dere lady. Thai afforset hom felly with hor fyn might, The vilany to venge of þe vile grekes. pai mellit with the mirmydons, pat maisturles

were,

11132 Put hom doun prestly, pallit hom purgh,

Slogh hom full sleghly for sleght pat pai couthe, And other grekes, in hor greme, gird to pe deth: Two thawsaund, full þroly, þai prang out of lyue, 11136 So fuersly pai fore in hor fell Ie,

ffor the losse of hor lady, pat hom lede shuld.