University of Virginia Library

Agamynon hys grekys graythyt to feld:
Twenty batels full bold of byg men of armys,
And sex other besyde, all of sure knyghtys.
Patroclus, þe proud kyng, put to þe first,
With all þe folke, þat hym; folowet, and fele other moo.
Achylles choise men cheuyt hym with;
Hym-selfe fore to no fyght for hys fel wondys,
But lay in hys loge, lechit hys sores.
Þis patroclus, þe proud kyng, was full pure ryche,
Of aunsetre olde, abyll of kyn,
Wel manert & meke, myghti of pupull.
Achylles, þe choise kyng, cherist hym mekill,
And louyt hym no lesse þen hym lefe seluyn.
Þay were so festenyt with faythe, & wythfyn loue,
Þat bothe þaire saulis & þaire self were set on a wyll
And qwat so tendit to þe totheris was all.
The secund batell, forsothe, assignet was þen
To Merion, a mody kyng, þat mekull couth of were,
With þre thousond þro knyghtis, þrepond in Armys,
And Menestaus the mighty, with his men of Attens.
To Atholapo, a tore kyng, takyn was the þrid,
And Philmene, his faire son, fre in his hond,
With all the company clene of compaynes pepull,—
Wise men in wer, wight of hor dedes.
The ffourthe batell in feld, he fourmet to leng
With Archelaus, a lede lyuely in armys,
And Prothenor, a prise kyng, with his pepull holl:
In the same was Segurda, with sad men & noble.
The fyfte, þat was fourmit of þo fuerse batell,
Was Menelay the mighty, with his men all,
With the pepull of his prouynse, & his pert knightes.
The Sext of þat sort, þat soght to þe fild,
Was kyng bysshop the bold, with his buernes felle;
And Selidis, for sothe, soght in his honde,
With all the here, þat he hade, highet hym with.
The Seuent of the soum, þat I said ere,
Was Telamon þe tidé, with mony tried knightes,
Þat suett hym from salerne, sad men & noble,
With foure Erles in fere, fell men of wer,—
Theseus the tru, & tide Amphimake,
And on Domys, the doghty, doutid in fild,
With Polisarius the pert, of person full abill:
Thes comyn with the kyng in his clene batell.
The viij ffreke, þat to feld fore with his batell,
Was Toax, a tore kyng, & tidé of hond.
The ix of the nowmber, to nem þom full euyn,
Was Aiax Oelius, with od men to wale.
And Philoc, the fell kyng, fore with the tenth.
Nestor, the noble Duke, an old man with all,
The xi with odmen auntrid to fild.
The xij vnthwyuond, þat twyet not in fight,
Was Maumbert mayn son, mightfull Henex.
The xiij thro batell þrong with Vlixes,
That past to the playn with proud men of armys.
The xiiij to þe fight fore with Arestes.
Humelius, the hasty, highit with the fyftene.
Protessalous proud son presit with the sextene,
ffor to dere for the dethe of his dere fader.
Polidarius, the porknell, and his pere Machaon,
Suet with the xvij, sad men & noble.
The riche kyng of the Rodes raiked with the xviij,
With fell men in fight to the fild past.
The xix of the nowmbur a nobill mon toke,
One Gumplius a gome, þat mony grekes led.
And Philoc the freke fore with the twenti,
Þat of Larris was lord & a lege kyng.
With xxj auntrid abill men two,—
Amphimas, a fre kyng, and his fere Cepton.
With xxij vnthwyuond twyet to filde,
Dyomede, the derfe kyng, and doughty Celernis.
Eneus, the nobill kyng, þat neghit fro Sypris,
With xxiij þriuond, þronge to the playne.
Procholus, a prise kyng, presit with another.
Now xxiiij fully are faren to þe batell.
Cupenor, a cant man, come with the next,—
The xxv fully, all of fyn knightes.
The xxvj of the soume, þat I said first,
Of bold batels & bigge, þat to bent come,
Led Agamynon the grete, with grekes full mony,
And fore euyn to þe fight, & the fild toke.