University of Virginia Library

Here were faste devyces founde in Armes.

But þanne in hast, doun fro Troye toun,
Of worþi knyȝtes freschely armyd new,
With diuises of many sondri hewe,
With-out abood, schortly to conclude,
Þer cam doun so gret a multitude,
Eche his armys depeint vp-on his schelde,
Þat in her comyng gletereth al þe felde
Of her armwre and þe sonne briȝt;
And whan þat þei wer entrid in-to fiȝt,
Grekis metyng, felly be envie,
Þei set vp-on, fret wiþ malencolie,
With swiche a wille, of hert[e] an[d] corage,
Wiþ swiche furie in her mortal rage,
Þat vntacord was noon oþer mene,
But slauȝtre and deth hem to go betwene,
Þoruȝ strok of axe, of dagger, & of spere,
Þat of force coact þe Grekis were
To retourne bakward to þe stronde.
To whos rescus anoon þer cam to londe
Þe kyng Vlixes with his hool navie,
And ful knyȝtly, with his chiualrie,
Towardis Troyens enhasteþ him anoon;
And of on herte þe Grekis with him goon,
And her corage hooly þei reswme,
And gan her foon felly to conswme
Vn-to þe deth, her damage to revenge,
Þat no wiȝt may iustly hem chalenge
Of vnmanhod, so wel þei han hem born,
To quite ageyn her harmys do be-forn.
At whiche tyme, lik a ferse lyoun
Among[es] Troyens renging vp and doun,
Vlixes went with his swerde in honde:
He kylleth, sleth, & knyȝtly gan to fonde,
Þilk[e] day lyk a man be founde;
And her & þer, with many mortal wounde,
Vp-on Troyens he wrouȝt al þis wrak,
Hem beryng doun on fote and hors[e]-bak,
In his Ire his strokis wer so kene.
At whiche tyme worþi Philomene,
Lord & kyng of Pafogonye,
Whan he behild, wiþ his companye,
So many Troyan of Vlixes slawe,
Towardis hym anon he gan him drawe
On hors[e]-bak, with a spere rounde,
Out of his sadil bar hym to þe grounde;
But Vlixes ros vp anon riȝt,
Takyng his hors, lik a manly knyȝt;
Þe whiche anon as Philomene haþ seyn,
Toke eft a spere and rod to hym ageyn
So myȝtely, and with swiche violence,
Þat finally þer geyneth no diffence,
But þat he smet him evene þoruȝ þe scheld,
þe whiche fley a-sondre in þe feld;
And þoruȝ his platis, with-outen any fail,
Þe sperehed ran, & rested in þe mail,
Þat forged was of steel ful schene & briȝt,
Whiche to perce þe sperehed had no myȝt,
So trewly made was þe haberioun;
But with þat strok Vlixes was bore doun
Ȝet eft ageyn; but he vp ros anon,
Whiche of his stroke harme ne felt[e] non,
And rauȝt a spere, scharp[e] whet & grounde,
And Philomene he ȝaf swiche a wounde,
With al þe myȝt of his armys tweyne,
Of Irous herte, with so gret a peyne,
Þat þoruȝ his schelde, boþe plate & mail,
He smet hym vp þoruȝ his aventail,
In-to þe gorge þat þe strok gan glide,
Þat from his hors he fil doun a-side,
Ful perlously piȝte vp-on his hed,
His knyȝtes wenyng sothly he were ded.
Whiche toke hym vp & leyde him on a scheld,
And bar him hom in hast out of þe feld,
With gret daunger or þei myȝt hym wynne,
Þoruȝ þe Grekis with her lord to twynne.
And for Troyens supposid sykerly
Þat Philomene, with-oute remedye,
Had be ded, þei wer astonyed alle:
Þat ȝif þis cas þat day nad[de] falle
Of Philomene, Grekis on þe stronde
Hadde be outtraied, ariving vp to londe,
Þoruȝ þe knyȝthod—þis is dout[e]les—
Of Philomene, whom þat Vlixes
Vnhorsed hath with a mortal wounde,
In knyȝtly wyse Troyens to confounde—
Wher-of þei wer astonyd euerychon.
But Thoas þanne and Agamenoun,
Of Grekis host lord & Emperour,
Ariued is vn-to her socour
Wiþ al his knyȝtes, and Menelaus,
And eke þe worþi Thelamonyus,
Callid Aiax, is to lond[e] come;
And þei at leyser han her hors [y-]nome,
While oþer Grekis Troyens occupie,
So[re] fiȝtyng, and þei gan fast[e] hye
Toward[es] hem, makyng no delay;
Al on a frussche, in al þe hast þei may,
Þei ran y-fere and her speris brak,
With herte envious, vp-on hors[e]-bak.
Þer myȝt[e] men þe worþi knyȝtes se
On her stedis eche at oþer flee
With stif swerdis, schaftis gret & rounde,
With hedis square, þe pointis kene grounde—
Þer myȝt[e] men, in her furious tene,
Se many knyȝtes ded vp-on þe grene!
But most þe slauȝter and confusioun
Fil þilk[e] tyme of hem of þe toun:
Þe Grekis wern so myȝti & so strong.
And in þe feld þis contvneth long,
Til Prothesilaus, þe strong myȝti kyng,
Whiche al þe day in skarmusche & fiȝtyng
Ful lik a kynȝt had occupied be
Ageyn[e]s Troyens, in his cruelte,
Of manhod only and of wo[r]þines,
Of auenture, in his werynes
Hym to refresche & to taken eyr,
And to abreth hym, makyd his repeir
To þe stronde, where he dide ariue:
Wher as him þouȝt, his hert[e] gan to ryue
Of cruel Ire and also of pite,
Þat he kauȝt, only for to se
His men lyn slayn endelong þe stronde,
And some of hem comynge vp to londe,
Dreint in þe se among þe flodis depe.
For whiche þing he gan anoon to wepe
Ful pitously, al wer it nat espied,
Whos woful eyne myȝt[e] nat be dreyed
For þe constreynt which sat so nyȝe his hert.
Til at þe last, among his peynys smert,
So cruel Ire gan his hert enbrace,
Þat sodeynly with a dispitous face,
With-out abood, þouȝt[e] how þat he
Vp-on her deth wolde avengid be,
Or finally attonis with hem deye.
And on his stede he toke þe riȝt[e] weye
Toward his foon, ful Irous in his rage;
And lyne riȝt he holdiþ his passage,
Swift as grehond þat renneþ oute of lees;
And where he saw þat þer was grettest pres,
He preseþ þoruȝ, amiddis of þe feld;
And with þe swerd whiche in his hond he held,
Þat ground[e] was to keruen and to bite,
Ful mortally a-boute hym he gan smyte,
Þat Troyens myȝt hym not asterte.
Some he riveth evene to þe herte,
And some he woundeth, sothly, to þe deth,
And some he made to ȝelden vp þe breth,
And he vnhorseþ somme cruelly;
And whom he mette þat day, outterly,
From his hors he made hym to alyȝte:
For where he rood þei fled out of his siȝt,
And his presence as þe deth eschewe;
But euere in on, he gan aftir sewe
In his chaas, as a wood lyoun.
Þis pley he pleyeth with hem of þe toun,
Til Perseus, of Ethiope kyng,
From þe cite com sodeinly ridyng
Wiþ many knyȝt & many lifly man;
At whos comyng of new[e] þer be-gan
A fresche skarmusch, furious & wood,
Þat many Greke þat day lost his blood,
So fel assaut Troyens on hem make.
And among hem þe Ethiopes blake
So manly bar hem, fiȝtyng here & þere,
Þat wher Troyens wern a-forn in fere,
Remounted ben and of new assurid;
Þat þoruȝ her help þei han þe feld recurid,
And made hem lese also moche ageyn
As þei to-forn wonnen on þe pleyn:
For þei so hool & so myȝtily
Kept hem to-gidre, and so avisely
Gouerned hem, with pavis, spere, and schelde,
Þat Grekis werne compelled in þe felde,
Maugre who gruccheþ, of necessite,
To þe stronde bakward for to flee,
Almost dispeired, maat and confortles.
But in þat while, kyng Palamydes
To her rescus cam to a-ryvaille,
And lusty fresche entriþ in bataille
Wiþ his knyȝtes & his hool meyne,
Takyng her hors fast[e] by þe se;
And ful proudly enbusched al attonys,
With spere & swerd grounde for þe nonys,
By conveying of her worþi kyng,
Han so oppressid at her in-comyng
Þe manly Troyens, þat it was a wondre
To sen hem lyn, slay[e]n here and ȝondre.
And þis contuneþ til among þe pres
Of auenture þat Pallamydes,
Brennyng ay in his furious hete,
Amid þe feld happeþ for to mete
A worþi knyȝt callyd Sygamoun,
Whiche broþer was to [þe] kyng Menoun,
Nevew also, as Guydo doth reherse,
Þis manly man, to þe kyng of Perse,
Whiche Grekis had þat day sore oppresed
By his knyȝthod, as it is expresid:
For he Grekis by his worþines
Had ofte brouȝt in ful gret distres
Þe same day, to his grete encres.
But of fortune, allas, Pallamydes,
As I ȝow told, hath in þe feld hym met,
And with a spere, square & scharp[e] whette,
Whan he of knyȝthod was most in his pride,
He rood at hym & smet him þoruȝ þe syde.
And with þat last dedly fatal wounde,
From his stede he bare hym to þe grounde;
And on þe pleyn, of his blood al red,
Pallamydes lefte hym pale and ded,
Amongis hem þat of Troye were;
And furþe he rood, & bare doun here & þere
Al þat euere in his weye stood—
He was on hem so furious & wood—
Maugre Troyens to-forn him on þe pleyn,
Made resorte to þe wal ageyn,
His manly knyȝtes, alwey fast[e] by,
On his awaytyng ful en[ten]tifly
Redy to hond at euery gret emprise.
But þo began þe noise to arise,
Þe woful clamour and þe pitus crie
Of hem of Troye, þe whiche outterly
Ageyn[es] Grekis myȝt[e] nat sustene;
Þe mortal swerd was so scharp & kene
Of þe noble worþi famous knyȝt,
Pallamydes, þat with his gret myȝt
Þe long[e] day hath y-born hym so
Ageyn his foon, and so knyȝtly do,
In his persone, þoruȝ his hie renoun,
[Þat] Chased hath almost to þe toun
Troyens echon, manly made to fle.
Þe noise of whom is entrid þe cite,
Þe hidous crie and þe mortal schout,
Wher-of amevid, Hector isseth out
Furiously, in al þe hast he can,
Þe sone of Mars, þis knyȝt, þis manly man,
Of alle worþi ȝit þe worþiest
Þat euere was, and þe hardiest.
For as Phebus with his bemys clere
Amonge sterris, so dide he appere,
Excellyng all in stel armyd briȝt,
On whom it was a verray heuenly siȝt:
For it was he, þat, boþe nyȝe & ferre,
Of worþines was þe lode-sterre.
Þe whiche whan he entrid in-to feld,
Liche as I rede, bare þat day a schelde,
Þe feld of whiche was of purid gold
With þre lyouns, in story as is told,
Of whos colour is made no mencioun;
But, as I fynde by discripcioun,
Þei wer passaunt, ȝif I report ariȝt,
Born on þe brest of þis Troyan kniȝt,
Þat was þe ground & rote of hiȝe prowes
And flour acounted of al worþines.
Þe whiche so manly, with-out more abood,
Amongis his knyȝtes to þe Grekis rood,
So like a man, þat þei in his comyng
Astonyd wern, as he gan in þring
Amonges hem, whiche killeth doun & sleth,
And whom he mette þer was nat but deth.
A-forn his swerd Grekis go to wrak;
And her wardis of knyȝtly force he brak,
And maugre hem seuered hem assondre,
And bare al doun, ridyng here and ȝondre.
And casuelly he meteth in his way
Prothesilaus, whiche al þe longe day
Had sore fouȝte ageynes hem of Troy
And slaw alle [þo] þat come in his woye,
Þis hardy knyȝt, þis worþi, ferse kyng,
Whiche on Troyens was euer purswyng—
He to hem had so hertly gret envye.
Þe whiche þing whan Hector gan espie,
And of his knyȝthod gan to taken hed,
Towardis hym he gan to reyne his stede;
And lyne riȝt of hasty Ire he rood,
And with his swerd, disteyned al with blod,
He rof his hed, þoruȝ his bas[e]net,
With swiche a myȝt þat his strok nas let
By force of maille nor of þikke plate:
But finally, by ful mortal fate,
Þe swerd of Hector, þoruȝ nerf, bon, & veyne,
Þis worþi kyng parted haþ on tueyne;
For outterly, þer geyneth noon armvre
Ageyn þe strok of Hector to endure—
But þat þis kyng, so ful of worþines,
Strong & myȝty, and of gret hardines,
Receyved hath his last[e] fatal wounde,
And lith now ded, parted on þe grounde.
And Hector furthe among þe Grekis ryt;
And who-so-euer þat his strok abit,
Refute was non nor diffence but deth;
And many Greke þilke day he slethe:
For whiche of hem in his wey[e] stood,
His scharp[e] swerd he baþid in his blood,
Þat also fer as þei myȝt hym se,
As þe deth, from his swerd þei fle—
So mortal vengaunce up-on hem he wroȝt.
And many Greke at his felaw souȝt,
And gan enquere what he myȝt[e] be;
For al her lyue þei koude neuer se
Non so knyȝtly haue hym in bataile,
And pleynly dempte, as be supposaile,
It was Hector, þe noble werriour,
Whiche of knyȝthod may bere aweye þe flour
Among alle þat euer ȝit were born:
For þer nas Greke þat hym may stond a-forn;
Of alle þat day he gan hem so enchase
To þe strond, euene a-form his face—
For þei ne durst his mortal st[r]ook abide.
And whan he had vppon euery syde
Þe Grekis chacid to þe wawy se,
Wounded & maat, in gret aduersite,
Þan hym to rest, þis Troyan knyȝt anon,
Lik Mars him silf, hom to Troy is goon.
At whos partyng, Grekis eft preswme
Manly a-geyn her hertis to reswme,
And of newe her fomen for to assaille,
And to iupart, ȝif it wolde availle,
Lif & deth to setten at outtraunce
On Fortune, ȝif sche wolde avaunce
Her part ageyn in recure of þe felde,
And hem enforce, with myȝt of spere & scheld,
To wynne ageyn on Troyens, ȝif þei may,
Anon forþe-with, and make no delay.
For heiȝt[e] tyme sithen þei be-gonne
Þe feld þei han þat day lost & wonne,
Lyke as Fortune list to don hir cure,
Vp or down for to turne hir ewre:
For as hir whele went aboute rounde,
Riȝt so þat day þei wan & lost her grounde.
But specialy þei wer most dismaied
Whan Hector cam, whiche haþ hem so outra[i]ed
Þoruȝ his knyȝthod, whiche made her hertis riue,
And to resorte where þei dide aryue.
And þis contuneth, maugre al her myȝt,
While in þe feld was þis Troyan knyȝt,
Til Phebus chare gan to westre doun,
Þat he repeyred is in-to þe toun,
Whiche hadde Grekis wrouȝt aforn ful ille.
But nowe þe hardy, cruel, ferse Achille
Ariued is with his knyȝtes alle,
Mirundones whom men are wont to calle,
Whiche from þe se takyn han þe pleyn.
At whos commyng Grekis han a-geyn
Þe feld recured, & put hem silf in pres,
Only þoruȝ helpe of hardy Achilles,
Whiche is so felly Troyens falle vppon,
Þat he of hem hath slayn many on:
For þre þowsand in stel armyd briȝt
With hym he brouȝt, redy for to fiȝt,
Knyȝtes echon, ful worþi of renoun,
Whiche with Achille, Grekis champioun,
Han merciles in her cruelte
Slayn many Troyan out of þe cite.
Þei wer so feruent in her mortal Ire,
So envious of hate to desyre
Newe & newe for to schede her blood;
For Achilles þouȝt it dide hym good
With his swerde Troyan blood to schede,
And on þe soil to sen hem lyn & blede,
Routh[e]les in his malencolye.
For he to hem hath so hoot envie,
With-oute her deth þat it may nat quenche;
And he his swerd ful depe made drenche
Þe long[e] day in Troyanysche blood,
And baþid it as it were in a flood,
Whiche forgid was & I-whet so kene,
Þat many ryuer, sothly, on þe grene
Ran her and þer of her hortis sore,
And with his knyȝtes, alwey more & more
Pursewed hem, a-forn him as þei fle
To þe wallis of Troye þe cite,
Wher þei made a ful pitous cry.
And in þis while, I finde in þe story,
Þe Grekis host holy is arived,
Like in Guydo as it is descrived,
Of men of armys swyche a multitude,
And of knyȝtes, schortly to conclude,
Þat from her schipes of newe londed be,
Þat Troyens astonyd wer to se;
And abaisched þei gan wexen alle.
For sodeynly þei gan on hem falle,
On euery halfe, passyngly gret pres;
And euer in on þis hardy Achilles
With his swerd made her sydes rede:
For her & þer lay þe bodyes dede,
And woundid some at entre of þe gate,
And knyȝtly þere with hem [he] gan debate,
And furiously þis fel cruel knyȝt
Þe children slowe in her fadris siȝt,
Þat to be-holde it was ful gret pite.
And ȝit þe slauȝter gretter had[de] be,
With-out noumbre of hem of þe toun,
Perpetuelly to her confusioun,
Likly for euer to haue be ouer-come,
Ȝif Troylus nadde vn-to reskus come,
Ȝong, fresche, & lusty, & inly desyrous,
With whom cam eke Paris & Dephebus
And many worþi her party to socure;
So þat Grekis þo ne myȝt endure
Ageynes hem to stonden at diffence,
For al her pride, no[r] make resistence,
Worþi Troylus so wel þat tyme hym quitte.
For þis in soth, what Greke þat he hitte,
Ouþer he maymeth or he made deye:
Wherfor, as deth, þei fledde out of his weye.
And Achilles with his company—
For it was nyȝt—homward gan him hiȝe
Toward Grekis, with glorie & gret honour;
And þei reseyve hym like a conquerour,
Þat he with hem hath so wel I-met;
And þei of Troye han her gatis schet,
And made hem strong þoruȝ-out al þe toun.