An Alliterative Romance Translated from Guido de Colonna's "Hystoria Troiana" ::

As Ector rod thurgh þe rout with his roid dyntes,
Miche greuanse and grem to þe grekys dyd,
Humerius þe mighty, with a mayn bow,
ffrunt hym euyn in þe fase with a fyn arow.
Þe worthi at þe wond wrathit hym sore,
ffore euyn to þe freke with a fyn sworde;
Hit þe hathill o þe hede in his hote angur,
And rent hym doun roidly ryght to þe sadill:
He bend neuer bow more, ne no buerne hurt,

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But was ded of þe dynt er he doun lyght.
Þen hastid on heterly, & a horne blew.
vij .M. said grekys semblit hym vmbe.
To Ector full egerly with enuy þai drogh,
fforto lache þe led, or of lyue brynge,
And he were hym full wightly, wondit full mony.
Mony derf to þe deth of his dyntis ȝode!
Þen he bounet fro batell, & þe bent leuyt,
Issit out of þe ost angarely fast;
ffore euyn to his fader in a furse hast,
Bad hym socore hom sone with his sure knightes;
And he fore to þe fyght with a fryke wyll,
With þre þousond þro knyghtis þrong into batell.—
ffurse men, & fel, & of fyn strenkyth.
Þai gyrd to þe grekys & myche grem wroght,
Slogh hom doun sleghly in þe slade moue.
Ector and Aiax auntrid to mete:
With fyn spers in þe frount frochit togedur,
Þat aythir bakward was borne to þe bare erthe.
Menelaus, a myghti out of mayn Troi,
With his wepyn he wondit, & warpit to deth.
Selidonas, a son of þe self Priam,
Slogh Moles þe myghty, a mon out of Oreb,
Þat to Toax, þe tore kyng, was a tru cosyn.
Madon, a myghty kyng,—þe Medion was cald
Of þe grekys full gret, he gaf soche a dynt,
Þat bothe his Ene out brast & on bent light.
Serdill, anoþer son of the same kyngis,
Slogh a grete of þe grekes, þat was a grym syre.
Margariton, a mighty of þo mayn brether,
Tachet vpon Thelamon, & tenfully woundit.
Famen, a fuerse of þo fell children,
Presit to Protheus & put hym to grond.
So all þe noble brether naturyll of þe naite kynge,
Priam sons, þe prise kynges prestly þai foghten,

226

And mony buerne in þe batell broght vnto ground.
Anglas, the able kyng, antrus of dede,
To Menestaus mightyly, þe maistur of Attens,
He gird with a gret speire, greuit hym sore;
And the duke with a dynt derit hym agayn,
Þat the viser & the ventaile voidet hym fro:
The noble kyng in the nase hade an euyll wound.
Then Dianior the doughty, þat þe dede segh,
How his brother on the bent was blody beronyn,
He merkit to Menestaus with a mayn dynt,
Þat he hurlit fro his horse to þe hard erthe;
But the Renke vp rose with a rad wille,
And foght vpo fote as a freke noble.
Anoþer brother of þo bold to þe buerne rode,
And foght with hym felly as he on fote was:
Throly the þre men thronght hym aboute,
The bold for to britton or to burghe lede;
But manly he macchit hom with his mayn strokes,— [OMITTED]

[_]

Folio 109 is missing in the MS. The following notes summarise the missing narrative:

Hector slays a thousand knights: cuts down Memnon: and is wounded by Mnestheus.

The Greeks are put to flight, and their tents are pillaged.

Garmentes full gay all of grete furris,
Bright beidis & Brasse broght þai with-all,
And voidet all as victors avauntage to haue;
And euyn laiked as hom list, lettid hom noght.
Þat was duly the day & desteny wold,
Þat for euer hade ben ende Angur to voide;
And þai wonen þaire wille neuer the werre aftur,
Ne neuer greke hom haue greuyt ne to grem broght;
But wirdis, þat is wicked, waitis hir avauntage,
With ffortune so felle, þat is of fer cast.
All þat desteny with dole has demyt to falle,
Ay puttes of þe purpos, þat it enpaire shuld,
And ay ertes to þe end ordant before.

University of Virginia Library

THE DETH OF HUMERIUS BY ECTOR SLAYN.