PREPARATIONS FOR BATTLE.

39

Book IV.

and Peleus command the

Jason and him. self and their

while the other

should wait near

1132 With all the fere þat hym folowes, furse men of

Armys;
And ze sothely your-selfe, þat soueran are here, one ; and that

they, along with
With your company clene as ye come hider.
Jason full iustly aioynet to my-seluon,

soldiers, should

form an ambush 1136 With a soume of soudiours assignet vs with,

under the city Draw furthe in the derke er þe day springe,

walls, Wyn us to be wallis, wacche pere vndur,

Vmset all the Citie er þe sun rise ; 1140 Lurke vnder leuys logget with vines

Till tithaundes in toune be told to be kyng,
Of our come to pis coste, and þe case wist.

He will aray hym full rad with a route noble, 1144 And shape hym to our shippes with his shene

knightes;
Vnwar of our werkes wete vs not þere.

band, under
þat o per part of our pupull put we in thre;

Nestor, Castor,

and Pollux,
Nestor with a nombur of noble men all,
1148 ffare shall before the forward to lede:

the ships to
Castor with his company come next after,
Pollux with his pupull pursu on the laste.

These batels on the banke abide now here, 1152 ffeght with hym fuersly and his fell pupull;

The Citie to sese in þe same tyme,
We shall found by my feith, or ellis fay worthe:

So may we sonyst the souerain distrye. 1156 To werke on this wise and our wille haue,

I hope it shall happon in a hond w[h]ile."
Hit likit well þe lordes þat þe lede said,

The council adopt

the plan, and And plainly the pupull purpast þerfore. 1160 Then Telamon full tyte with a triet pupull,

Pelleus with a power, & þe prise Ercules,
Jason full iustly and Joly knightes moo,

(fol. 200.) With all the here þat þei hade highet belyue, 1164 Armet at all peces abull to fight;

Wonen vp wynly vppon wale horses,

engage the
enemy.

prepare to
execute it.

Silen to the Citie softly and faire ;

Lurkyt vnder lefe-sals loget with vines,
1168 Busket yndur bankes on bourders with-oute.

Þes oper batels at the banke abidyng full stille,
The kyng for to kepe and þere course holde.

And whiles þese renkes þus rest þan rises pe sun, 1172 Bredis with his beames all þe brode vales.

Hit was noiset anon þat a noumbur hoge
Of Grekes were gedret & þe grounde hade.
When þe kyng hade knowyng he comaund

beliue
1176 þat the Citye samyn were assemblet In haste,

Iche buerne on his best wise batell to yelde.
Comyn to be kyng in companies grete,

Mony stithe man in stoure on stedis enarmyt, 1180 All redy for þe rode Arayet for the werre.

The kyng depertid his pupull, put hom in twyn,
In batels on his best wise for boldyng hym-seluyn.

Vnwar of þe weghes þat by the walles lay,
1184 (He knew not the caste of pe curste pepull,

Ne dred no dissait þat hym derit after,)
He busket to be banke with a bolde chere,

With his freikes in filde to be fight on þe playne. 1188 Be Grekes hym agayne with a grym ffare,

ffaryn to þe fight with a frike wille.
Duke Nestor anon, nobli arayed,

Countres the kyng with a cant pupull :
1192 Bothe batels on bent brusshet to-gedur;

With stithe strokes and store, strong men of

armys,
Shildes throgh shote shalkes to dethe;

Speires vnto sprottes sprongen ouer hedes, 1196 So fuerse was the frusshe when þai first met.

All dynnet pe dyn the dales Aboute,
When helmes and hard stele hurlet to-gedur;
Knightos cast doune to pe cold vrthe.

The Greeks under
Nestor are the
first to meet the
Trojans.

(fol. 21 a.)

LAOMEDON ENCOUNTERS NESTOR.

41

Book IV.

both sides,

into confusion :

Castor.

Laomedon rushes to their aid:

way.

does much

1200 Sum swalt in a swym with-outen sware more,

Mony perysshet in pe plase er pe prise endit. Many perish on
The Troiens were tyde, & tid þere be bettur,
And the grekes on pe ground were greatly as- The Greeks fall

toynet.
1204 ben Castor the kyng comys vpponone,

are restored by Restoris hom with strenght pat distroyet were. ben þe crie wax kene, crusshyng of wepyns,

And the fight so felle of þe fresshe knightes, 1208 Þe Troiens were torne tynte of þere folkes. The Trojans are

sore pressed : Lamydon, þat hom led, as a lion fore, Bare don mony bolde & brittonede to dethe;

the Greeks give Mony kilde the kyng to be cold vrthe, 1212 Mony woundit we from his weppont paste.

So fuersly he fore with his felle dynttes,
þat þe Grekes with gremy geuyn hym way.
ben Pollux aperit with pepull ynogh,

Pollux brings up

fresh troops and 1216 Brusshit into batell & moche bale wroght;

damage.
Alse wode of his wit as be wild ffyre,
Mony-bolde buerne on pe bent the bold king
(slogh),

(MS. has

shogh.")
Mony turnyt with tеne topsayles ouer,
1220 bat hurlet to be hard vrthe & bere horse leuyt.

Lamydon at the laste lokit besyde,
Segh his folke so fare & his fos kene,

ffor wothe of be worse & of weirdis feble, 1224 He with-drogh hym A draght & a dyn made, (fol. 21 b.)

Gedrit all his gynge And his grounde held.
Duke Nestor Anon nemly persayuit

bat he was prinse of þe pepull & þe power led, Laomedon. 1228 He left all his ledis & a launse caght,

Launches euyn to Lamydon with a light wille.
be king consayuit his come, keppit hym

swithe,
Ricchis his reynys & th Reenke metys:

They micet, and

Laomedon pieres 1232 Girden to-gedur with pere grete speires.

Nestor resolves to attack

Book IV.

the shield of
Nestor; the
spear is shivered,
and he is hurled
to the ground.

Nestor, unhorsed by a young knight Sedar, is at the mercy of Laomedon.

The king share thrugh his shild with be sharpe

ende, And the rod all-to roofe right to his honde;

The Duke had dyed of þe dynt doutles anon, 1236 But the souerayn hym-seluon was surly enarmyt,

And the kyng with the caupe caste to þe ground,
With a warchand wounde thurgh his wedis all.

He feynyt not for pe fall ne pe felle hurtte,
1240 But stert vp stithly, straght out a swerde

And flange at the freike with a ffyn wille.
A zonge knight and a zepe, zyneris of hert,

High[t] Sedar for sothe, suet to pe Duke
1244 With a bir on þe brest, þat backeward he zode,

And fuersly of his foole fell to be grounde.
he king fayne of þe falle and be freke segh,

And bare to þe bolde with a bigge sworde.
1248 The bourder of his basnet brestes in sonder,

And videt the viser with a vile dynt,
Gaffe hym a great wounde in his grete face.
He hade slayne hym slighly for sleght þat he

couth,
1252 But a gret nowmbur of Grekes gedrit hym vmbe,

And put hym fro purpas þof þai payn þolit: bai hurlet hym fro horse fete & of hond toke,

Set hym in his sadill þof he vnsound were.
1256 Castor the king conceyuit beline,

That Nestor with noy was nolpit to ground,
He Richet his Reynes and his roile stroke,

Suet ynto Sedar with a sore wepyn,
1260 To deyre hym with a dynt for þe Dukes sake.

And er he come to the king, so his course fell,
One caupet with hym kenely, a cosyn of Sedars,

And set hym a sad dynt, Secorda he high[t]: 1264 His shafte all-to sheuerit the shalke was unhurt,

And Castor in the caupyng the knight euyll

wondyt,

The rescue.

(fol. 22 a.) Castor, seeing Nestor wounded, rushes upon Sedar.

Book IV.

Sedar fights with Castor, and wounds him.

Pollux with seven hundred men comes to the rescue.

A Sore dynt in the syde at the same coursse.

Sedar was sory for sake of his cosyn,
1268 Carue euyn at Castor with a kene sworde,

He shilde away share vnto the shyre necke,
And all þe haspes of his helme þat þe hede zemyt;
With a swinge of his sworde swappit hym in þe

fase,
1272 Bare hym ouer backeward to be bare vrthe.

When þe freke was fallen & on foote light,
He laid vppon lyuely & no lede sparit, .

Zald hym not zet for zynernes of hert.
1276 ban pollux full pertly aprochet in hast
With seuyn hundrithe sad men assemblit hym

with,
ffrochit into be frount & a fray made;

Bere backeward the batell & his brother toke, 1280 Horsit hym in haste, halpe hym olofte ;

And pollux with a proude wille prickit to an

oper,
One Eliatus, a lede, and hym o liue broght.

The kynges son of Cartage & a knight noble, 1284 Aliet vnto Lamydon by his lefe suster,

Cosyn to the kyng, & he his kyde Em,
Pitá of þat pert knight persit his hert,

þat the shire water shot ouer his shene chekys. 1288 Myche woo hade þe wegh for þe wale knight,

And assemblit his sad men on a soppe hole,
With a horne þat he hade, in a hond while,

(Seuyn thousand be sowme all of sure knightes,) 1292 And charget hom chefely for chaunse vppon

vrthe,
ffor to dere for the dethe of his dere cosyl.
Þen the Troiens full tite tariet no lengur,
Gird
euyn

to the Grekes with a grym fare ;
1296 Slogh hom downe sleghly & slaunge hom to

grounde;

(Alyattes, king of Lydia.)

(fol. 22 b.)

The Trojans are rallied, and drive the Greeks to their ships.