Then came there riding one that was a rich earl, named Petreius, a noble man of Rome, with six thousand warriors, to help the Romanish forces; and with great strength they leapt to the Britons, and few there they captured, but many they slew.  The Britons fled to the wood; the others pursued after them; and the Britons on foot firmly against them stood, and the Romanish men fought riding; and the Britons advanced to them, and slew their horses, and many there took, and into the wood drew.  Then was Petreius wrath, that his force was there the worse; and he with his host retreated from the wood; and the Britons followed them, and slew them behind.  When the Britons were out of the wood, come out in the field, then withstood the Rome-folk with fierce strength.  Then began the mickle fight!—­there fell earls and many a good knight; there fell in that day fifteen thousand of noble men, ere it were even.  There might he find, whoso would prove his strength, hand against hand, the strong against the strong, shield against shield, knights there fell!  The paths ran with bloody streams; goldcoloured shields lay over the fields; all the day long they held the strong fight.  Petreius on this side his folk held together; then it soon happened that the Britons had the worse.  The noble Earl of Oxford, who was named Beof, a noble British man, saw that, that in no wise might it be, that the Britons should not fall, unless they had counsel.  The earl then called to him noble knights, of the best of all, the Britons, and of the keenest of all, that there were alive, and drew him in the field, near the host; and thus him said—­in heart to him was uneasiness:  “Knights, hearken now to me; the Lord us help!  We are hither come, and have undertaken this fight, without Arthur’s counsel who is our chief.  If to us good befalleth, we shall please him the better, and if to us befalleth evil, he will hate us.  But if ye will do my counsel, then shall we ride all merry.  We are three hundred knights, helmed thanes, brave men and keen, nobly born; shew ye your courage—­we are of one kith—­ride ye when I ride, and follow my counsel.  Advance ye all to him, to the knight that I do; take ye no steed, nor any knight’s weed, but every good knight slay ever downright!”

Even with the words that the knight of Oxford said to his companions beside, then gan he to ride, even all they rode then as swift as hound driveth the hart, and his comrades after, with all their might, throughout the mickle fight, all the troop; they flew on their steeds; the folk they there killed.  Woe was to them born, that were in the way before them, for all they it trod down, with horses and with steeds; and so they came near, and Petreius they captured.  Beof rode to him, and with arms him clasped, and drew him off his steed, and on earth him stretched; he knew beside him were his bold knights.  The Britons down smote; Petreius they drew along; and the Rome-folk fought boldly; and at the last man might not know