University of Virginia Library

xvij Boke. Off the Counsell of the Grekes ffor the Dethe of Ector / & Þe iiijrt Batell.

Herkinys now a hondqwile of a hegh cas,
And I schall tell you full tomly how hom tide aftur!
When the day ouer drogh, & the derk entrid,
The sternes full stithly starond o lofte;
All merknet the mountens & mores aboute;
The ffowles þere fethers foldyn to gedur.
Nightwacche for to wake, waites to blow;
Tore fyres in the tenttes, tendlis olofte;
All the gret of the grekes gedrit hom somyn.
Kynges & knightes clennest of wit,
Dukes & derffe Erles droghen to counsell,
In Agamynon gret tent gedrit were all.
There only was ordant of Ectors dethe,
With all Soteltie to serche opon sere wise;
ffor sothely þai saidon, and for sure holdyn,
But þat doghty were dede & his day comyn,
Thaim happynt not the herhond to haue of hor fos.
He was fully the fens & the fyn stuff
Of all the tulkes of Troy, þat hom tene wroght;
ffuerse on his foes, fellist of other,
And dethe to the derfe grekes delt hym aboute.
Then by ordinaunce of all men, as abliste þerfore,
Achilles by chaunse may chefe to þe worse,
And be dede of his dynttes, but if desteny let.
When this purpos was plainly putto an end,
Then partid the prinsis, and the prise dukes,
Turnyt to þere tenttes & tarit no lengur;
And Rapit to þere rest, rioll & other.
When the light vp launchit, littid the erthe,
The derke ouer-done, and þe day sprange,
All the grekes in hor geire gedrit to feld,
Were boun on the bent on hor best wise.
And þe stithest in stoure, sturnyst of knightes,
Honerable Ector, þat eger was ay,
Euer waker and vnwar, wightist in armys,
Past furth with his pepull fro the pure Cité:
ffore euyn to þe fild with fuersmen of Troye,
That hym self hade assignet surest of othir.
Eneas afturward with abill men ynow;
Paris þen put furthe with a proude folke;
Deffebus drogh next with a derfe pepull;
Troiell, the tru knight, with a triet menye,
And other, þat Ector had ordant before,
Suet furth to þe semely, as þai assignet were.
The first of þo fuerse men, þat to fight past,
Was Ector, hym aune selfe, with odmen of troye,
As Dares in his dytyng of his dedis tellis.
ffro the Cité, the same day, soght to þe fild,
With the prinse, to the plase, and his prise brether,
& iij. .M. thro men, þriuond in armys,
And v. .M. fer, fuersmen & noble.
Þen gird thai to-gedur with a grym will!
The stere was full stithe; þere starf mony knightes!
Paris, with the perseans, presit in first,
With his bowmen full bold bykrit with the grekes.
Mony woundit tho weghis & wroght vnto dethe,
And harmyt full hogely with þere hard shot.
Than Agamynon the grete gird into batell!
Ector full egerly etlit hym to mete,
Gird hym Euyn to þe grond with a grym hurt:
Halfe dede of þe dynt þere þe duke lay.
Than Achilles with a choise sword choppit to Ector,
Alto hurlet the helme of þe high prinse;
But hym seluyn was safe, & his seate helde.
Than Troilus full tite, & tidé Eneas,
Chefyn to Achilles with choise men ynogh,
Hurlit hym hastely, harmyt hym full mekull,
Bere hym bak of þe bent & his buernes all.
Then Diomede, the derfe kyng, drof to Eneas,
Woundit hym wykkidly, & to þe whe saide:—
“Now, welcum I-wysse, for þi wale counsell,
Þat in presens of Priam pursuet me to fle!
Wete hit full well for þi wyll febill,
If þou contynu by course, & cum into batell,
You shall happyn in my handis hardly not faile,
And be ded of my dyntis for þi dissire old.”
Þen he drof to the duk with a dynt fell,
Vnhorsit hym in hast, had hym to ground.
Ector eftirsons ettlyt on Achilles,
And greuit hym full gretly with a grym stroke,
Alto hurlit his helme, hurt hym full euyll,
Wold haue takyn hym full tit, but at tene fell
A sad man full sone, þe sun of Theseus,
Segh Achilles myscheuyt, choppit to Ector:
With a swyng of his sword swagit on þe prinse.
Ector, for þe stithe stroke stoynyt no thyng,
Gryppit to his gode sword in a grym yre,
Drof vnto Diomede, þat deryt hym before,
Þat hedstoupis of his horse he hurlit to ground.
Þat Toilus in þe toile þis torfer beheld,
Segh Dyomede with a dynt dryuyn to fote,
He lyght doun full lyuely leuyt his horse,
And dressit to Dyamede with a derfe chere.
Þe freke hym defendit with a fyn wyll,
Were hym full wightly, and his woche past.
Achilles and Ector angarely faght!
Furse was þe fare þo fyn men betwene;
But þer hastid on hond help vnto bothe,
With batels full byg, þat on bent met.
Þen Menelay þe myghti, & monly Vlixes;
Palomydon, Philomytes, Philothetes þe grete;
Neptolon þe nobill, & Nestor þe duk;
Theseus, & Thoax, & mony tryed knight;
Menestaus þe myghty, & modé Girilius;
Stelleus, þe stythe kyng, with a sturne wyll;
Þes gyrd in o þe grekys side with a grym ost.
On the tothir Side fro Troy turnyt in swith,
All þe kyngis, þat were comyn by course of þere helpe,
With þere batels full big & mony buerne felle,
As honerable Ector hade ordant before.
Hit is wonder to wete of þo weghes þen,
How fell was þe fight of þe fuerse pepull!
How stith men & stedis were strikon to ground,
And mony derf þat was ded er þe day endit!
Agamynon þe grete, & his gay brother,
Menelay with mayn macchit hom in fere,
And presit vnto Paris all with pale hate,
The duke for to deire & to dethe bringe.
Menelay hym met with a mayn speire,
And woundit hym wickedly, warpit hym doun;
But his armour was od good & angardly þicke,
And sauit þat Syre, socurd his lyfe.
Then shamet þe shalke for þe shene Elan,
Þat he held in his hate fro þe hed kyng.
Þen Vlixes & Arest angurdly faght:
Vlexes gird hym to grond, grippit his horse,
Sent hym by a seruaund sone to his tent.
Polimytes, þe proud kyng, presit vnto Hupon,
Wondit hym wickedly, warpit hym to dethe.
Neptolemus, the noble, nolpit to Archilagon,
That both went backward & bultvppon the erthe.
Polidamas to Palomydon presit so fast,
Þat he gird hym doun grymly with a grym wound;
Spake to hym spitously, dispisit hym foule;
ffore with hym fuersly all in fell angur.
Stelleus, the stithe kyng, stroke vnto Carax,
Hurlet hym of horse, hade hym to ground.
Philmen, the fuerse, with a fell dynt
Drof to the derfe duke, doughty of Athens;
Hurlit hym doun hedlynges, & his horse toke;
Raght hym full radly to a rynke of his owne.
Philoc with felle angur frusshet to Remo,
Till bothe welt backward of hor bare sadles.
Theseus, a tore kyng, tachit on Eurialon,
That aither wegh other woundit, & welt to þe grene.
The noble brether naturell naited þere strenght,
Mony woundit in wer wroght þo þat day;
Mony grekes, thurgh hor grefe, on þe ground leuyt;
Mony woundit þo worthy of þaire wale kynges.
Telamon, the tore kyng, with a togh speire,
With the kyng of Capadoys caupit so harde,
Þat bothe were þai bold men borne to þe grene,
Woundit full wickedly in wer of hor lyues:
In the brest of þe batell þere þe buernys lay!
Þen Achilles cherfull, & his choise cosyn
Toax, þat other, a tore mon of strenght,
Ayren vnto Ector angardly sore!
With the strenght of hor stroke, & hor store fare,
The helme of his hede þai hurlit to peces;
Woundit hym wickedly with wepon aboue,
Þat þe Rinels of red blode ran doun his chekes.
But Ector in angur aykeward he stroke,
Tachit vpon Toax, toke hym in the face,
He hade of þe halfe nase to þe hard chekes;
And he, for dere of þe dynt, droppid on þe laund.
Þen his noble brother naturell neghit hym aboute,
Socurd hym full sone with þaire sad helpis.
Mony grekes þai gird doun with þere grym fare!
Kyng Toax þai toke, & to toun led;
Telamon, þat tore kyng, so tenfully wondit,
Þat he was borne on his brode sheld with buernes to his tent,
As for ded of the dynt, dressit of þe fild,
And left halfe lyueles with ledis of his aune.
Menelay with malys meuyt hym to Paris,
Þe freke forto felle fondit at all;
But Paris, with a prise arow put into Venum,
Hurt hym so hidously, þat he his horse leuyt,
And was borne to his bare tent with his bold knightes,
As for dede of þe dynt, so derit hym sore;
But leches full lyuely lokid his wound;
With oile and with ointment abill þerfore,
Bond it full bigly on hor best wise.
And Menelay with malis meuit vnto batell,
To venge on his velany & his vile harme;
Presit vnto Paris with a prise speire,
Wold haue hurt hym full hidusly, or had hym to ground.
But Eneas come ouerthwert, as aunters befelle,
And Keppit the caupe on his clene shild,
ffor the buerne was bare of body vnarmyt,
And so went he to wer wilfully hym selfe,
Þat wist well the wale kyng, þat waited hym so,
To haue slayn hym full sleghly with sleght of his hond.
Eneas eftir, with abill knightes mony,
Send hym to þe Cité for the same cause,
ffor marryng of Menelay at þe mene tyme.
Þen Ector come egurly, euyn vpon-one,
Merkit hym to Menelay, the mon for to take;
But þe multitude was so mekill, þat marrit hym sone,
And put hym fro purpos with a prese hoge,
That he leuit the lede, launchit aboute,
Gird doun of þe grekes grymly with strokes,
ffrusshit þurgh the frount, fell hom to dethe!
Thurghe the pouer of þe prince, & his pert knightes,
Þen fled all in fere, & the fild leuit;
Turnit to þere tenttes with tene at þere herti
Thai sesit of þe sute, þe sun was to rest,
And turnyt to þe toune, taried no lengur!