The "Gest hystoriale" of the destruction of Troy: an alliterative romance tr. from Guido de Colonna's "Hystoria troiana." Now first ed. from the unique ms. in the Hunterian Museum, University of Glasgow, with introduction, notes, and a glossary, by ... Geo. A. Panton, and David Donaldson, esq.

The xx Boke. Of the bij^nt Batell, and Skarmiches Lastyng xxx dayes Betwene the Towne & the tenttes.

After the monethis were meuyt of þe mene true, [folio 127a] Þen waknet vp were and myche wale sorow! The secund day suyng, says me þe lyne, Line 8184 There bownet vnto batell from the burgh euyn, Mony triet men of Troy, and tokyn þe fild, Euyn ordant by Ector, after his deuise. The prinse with his pouer past on first, Line 8188 With xv .M. fully, all of fyn knightes, In his batell full bold boun to þe feld: And Troiell with x .M. turnit forth aftur. Then Paris put furth, the percians hym with,— Line 8192 Abill men of archery, auntrus in wer,— Three M. thro and thristy of hond, Vppon horses full hoge, hardy men all. Then Deffibus drogh furth, & to þe dede went, Line 8196 With thre M. thro men, þrepond in armys. Eneas afturward with angardly mony, And oþer kynges full kant, as þere course fell. As Dares in his dyting duly me tellus, Line 8200 The sowme of the sowdiouris, that fro þe Cité came, ffor to tell at this tyme of triet men & noble, A C. M. all hoole, herty to stryke! ffro the tenttes come tyte of the triet grekes, Line 8204

Line 8204 Menelay full monly, with a manur pepull, Seuyn M. be sowme assignet for hym. Then meuit with as mony, mighty Dyomydes, And Achilles with choise men chosen of the same. Line 8208 Than sought furth Xantippus with sad men a hepe, Thre thowsaund thristy, þrong to the fild. Than Agamynon the grete gird on the last, With a noyus nowmbur, nait men of strenght. Line 8212 The first, þat to fight past, was Philoc the kyng, [folio 127b] Put hym furth prudly, presit to þe Troiens! Ector met hym with mayn, macchit hym so harde, That he gird to the ground & the gost past. Line 8216 Myche clamur & crye for the kynges sake, And dynttes full dedly delt hom betwene. Then girde o the greke halfe with grym fare, Xantipus, a sure Kyng, with a sad wepyn, Line 8220 ffor to dere for þe dethe of his dere vncle. He suet furth sadly to þe sure prinse, And stroke hym full stithly with a stiff sworde. Ector turnet with tene, toke hym on þe hed, Line 8224 Þat he slode doun sleghly, & sleppit euer after. Then the grekes were greuit for the grym kyng; Oppressit hom with pyne, pressit full hard; Turnit to the Troiens, tenit hom full euill; Line 8228 Mony woundit full wickedly, & warpit of horse. Achilles mony choise men choppit to þe erthe; Mony ledes with his launse out of lyfe broght. Two Dukes full derne vnto dethe kyld, Line 8232 Þat were comyn to þe kyng with þere kyde helpis,— ffull bold men in batell, & myche bale did. Hit auntrit, þat Ector was angrit full euill, Woundit full wickedly, wist not of woo, Line 8236

Line 8236 Vne before in the face, with a fell stroke, Þat myche blode fro þe buerne on þe bent fell; And þan bakeward was borne all þe bold Troiens, With myche noye for þe note of þere noble prinse. Line 8240 But the knight, in his kene yre, cast vp his egh, Brusshet on the burgh & the bright walles, Segh the ladies o lofte leghen to waite,— Elan an other, the oddest of Troy, Line 8244 His worshipful wife, þat he well louet, With his Suster beside, the semliest on lyue, Þat were sory for þe sight, Semple of chere. And the grekes so grymly had gird hom abacke [folio 128a] Line 8248 Þat euyn borne were þai bigly to the bare wallis Than shamet was the shalke for the shene ladies, And euyn wode of his wit wex he belyue.

THE DETHE OF MYRION BY ECTOR SLAYN.

He kyld þere a kyng, cosyn to Achilles,— Line 8252 On Merion the myghty,—thurgh the mayn dynt. He hurlet thurgh the helme, þat the hed yemed, Þat the brayn all-to brast, & on bent leuyt. Achilles aurthwart this aunterd to se, Line 8256 Grippet to a grete speire with a grym wille; Pight on the prinse, persit his wede; Mart of his mailes, meuit hym noght; And nauther hurt he the hathell, ne hade hym to ground. Line 8260 Þen Ector in angur, angardly fast, With the bit of his brond, on the bold light; Hurlit þurgh the helme & the hard maile. But it breke not the brayn, ne the buerne woundit. Line 8264 Achilles, with a chop, cheuyt on syde; All in wer for to walt, wayueronde he sote, But he held hym on horse, houyt o lofte.

Euyll masit of the mynt, & the mayn stroke, Line 8268 Thes wordys to the whe warpit the prinse:— "Achilles, Achilles, þou cheses þe fast, ffor to prese me with pyne in thy proud yre! The next tym þou noyes me, þou neghis to þe fer, Line 8272 Thow dowtles shall dye with dynt of my hond." But or hit auntrid hym to aunsware Ector agayne, Come Troilus full tyte with a tore pepull, ffrushet in felly þo frekes betwene, Line 8276 Depertid the prinse & the prise kyng. So he greuit the Grekes, and gird hom abacke, Þat fyue houndrith were fay & in fild leuyt, Off knightes full kene, kild in the stoure; [folio 128b] Line 8280 And o backe fro the burghe bere hom anon. Menelay with his men meuyt in swithe, Thre thousaund full þro þrang into batell; Restorit hom stithly, stuffit hom anon, Line 8284 And cobbyt full kantly, kaghten the fild. Then Sedymon with a sowme from the Cité come, Of fell men in fight, freikes of his owne: He macchit hym to Menelay, & met on þe kyng, Line 8288 Woundit hym wickedly in his wale face, And gird hym to ground of his grete horse. Than Troiell hym toke þurgh his tried helpe Of Sedymon, the same kyng þat þe syre felle, Line 8292 Wold haue led the lord o-lyue to þe towne; But the stoure was so stithe, & stedis so thicke, Thai pullid hym with pyne, but passid þai noght. Then Diamede full dernly, with a dyn hoge, Line 8296 On Troiell with tene tachet belyue; Bere hym backe to the bent of his big stede, Raght to the Reynes in a rad hast, Sent hym by a seruaund, or he ses wold, Line 8300 To Breisaide the bright, & bad hym to say, That þat was lelly a ledis, þat ho louet well,—

The whiche fro Troiell he toke, & turnet hym besyde, With a stroke, in the stoure, of his stithe arme.— Line 8304 Prayaund her prestly, with all his pure hert, Þat hir seruaund were sadly set in hir mynd, Dyamed, the derf kyng, in daunger of loue. Þen the seruond, full sone, with the same horse, Line 8308 Went to the woman fro the wale kyng, And the palfray of prise present hir to. Ho receyuit hym with Reuerence, & to þe Renke said:— "To þi lord, þat me loues, lelly þou telle, Line 8312 I may not hate hym, by heuyn, þat me in hert tes." ffro the maidon, with his message he meuyt anon, [folio 129a] And the bodeword broght to þe bold kyng. ffayne was the freike of the fre answare, Line 8316 Past furth into prese, paynet hym ther-for. The grekes þan were gird backe to þere grete tenttes; With Swym vnder swerd swalton full mony! Ne hade Agamynon the gret oste gird in anon, Line 8320 The fight in the fild hade ben fynisshed for euer. Than Restoret was the stithe batell stuernly agayn! The grekes full grymly girdon out swithe, Harmet hom hogely in a hond while. Line 8324 Polidamas, the pert knight, presit in þen, With a batell full breme, britnet the grekes; ffaght with hom felly, frunt hom abacke; Droff hom vnto dykes with dynttes of sword. Line 8328 Then Diamede the doughty duly beheld, Segh þe freke in his felnes his folk so distroy. He ffrusshit at hym felly with a fyn spere; And the knight hym kept, caupit with hym so, Line 8332

Line 8332 That bothe the hathell and his horse hurlit to ground. Dyamed was derit with a depe hurt, Euill frusshet with the fall, & on feld lay. Polidamas the prise horse presit vnto, Line 8336 Raght to þe Reyne, and the Roile toke; Broght hym full bainly to þe bold Troiell, Þat was fightand on fote in þe felle stoure. The triet knight Troiell titly wan vp, Line 8340 As fayne of the foale, as a freke might. Then Achilles with angur angardly preset, Troiell to tene with a triet wepyn; And he keppit the kyng with a kant wille, Line 8344 Hurlit hym to hard yerthe, hurt hym full sore. The bold kyng vp braid, & the bent leuyt, ffor deire of his dynt dut hym but litle! Þen Ector come auerthwert, as aunter befell, Line 8348 Presit hym to þe place with a prise sworde; Brittonit the bold men, þat aboute stode, And mony dange to the dethe & deret full mekyll! [folio 129b]

HERE ECTOR KYLDE A THOWSAUND.

Thus Dares of his dedis duly vs tellus, Line 8352 A thowsaund, full throly, he þrang to þe dethe,— All the knightes full kant, þat keppit Achilles,— To haue wonen to þat worthy, so wodely he fore! There Achilles with choppes chaunset so hard, Line 8356 With myche wo he hym werit in wothe of his lyffe. Then the night come anon, neghit with merke, And for lacke of the light the ledis depertid: ffro the batell on bothe halues busket anon Line 8360 And turnyt to towne & to tenttes all.

Than thretty dayes þroly þei þrappit in feld, And mony bold in the bekur were on bent leuit! Mony doughty were ded of the derfe Troiens, Line 8364 But mo were þere marrit of þe mayne grekes. With-in thies dayes, with dole, was to dethe broght Sex sonnes, for sothe, of the sure kynges,— Of the noble brother naturill,—þat nait were in feld, Line 8368 And Ector wondit, I-wis, in his wale face. Þen Priam, the prise kyng, prestly can sende To Agamynon the grete, gomys of his awne, ffor a trew to be takon of a tyme short,— Line 8372 Sex moneth & no more,—his men for to rest: Þat the Grekes hym grauntid, grucchet þai noght. Hit was festenit with faithe, & with fyn othes, On bothe halues to hold holly assentid, Line 8376 Withouten fight or affray to the fer end.

Er þes dayes were done, the doughty prinse Ector Was hole of his hurtes þurgh helpe of a leche. In a halle, þat was hoge, þere þe hend lay, Line 8380 In honerable Ylion, eset hym a qwile, Of whiche fairehed & fourme, the fynest clerke Dares Tellys in his trety, vppon trew wise. Hit was pight vp with pilers all of pure stones, [folio 130a] Line 8384 Palit full prudly; and a proude flore Rowchet all with cristall, clere as the sonne. The walles vp wroght on a wise faire With stones full stoute, stithest of vertue. Line 8388 ffaire pillers were þere proude, all of pure coper, In ffoure hyernes of the house hogely fest. O lofte on tho louely were loget to stond, ffoure ymages full fresshe, all of fyn gold, Line 8392

Line 8392 Wonderfully wroght weghis to be-hold, With gematry Justly aioynet to gedur; Miche soteltie, for-sothe, settyng of notes, Crafte þat was coynt, knawyng of tymes, Line 8396 And other faynet fare & fantasy olde! Within the tyme of the tru, the triet kyng Priam, His noble sonnes naturell naitly gert bery, With hor brether, in the burgh, on his best wise: Line 8400 Eure son by hym selfe, sais me the lyne, In a precius place, & in prise toumbis!

HERE ÞAI FFAGHT TWELUE DAYES TO-GEDUR.

When the sex monethes were meuit of þe mene true, Than faght þai in feld felly to gedur, Line 8404 Twelue dayes, be-dene, dole to be-holde! ffull myche was the murthe of þo mayn knightes, On bothe sydes, for-sothe, sayes me the lyne; And myche blode on the bent of tho bold leuyt. Line 8408 Than the hete was so hoge, harmyt the grekes, With a pestylence in the pepull pynet hom sore: Thai fore out to the fildes, fellyn to ground, And droppit to dethe on dayes full thicke. Line 8412 ffor þat Agamynon, by grement, graidly did send To the toun, for a true of a tym shorte; Thretty dayes to endure, & no deire wirke. Hit was grauntid þat grete, by grement with-in Line 8416 Of Priam, & [the] prinse, & the prise all Of kynges, and Comyns, and of kyde Dukes. [folio 130b] Therto sworne were þai swiftly on hor swete haloes, And affermyt hit fast: and here a ffyt endes. Line 8420