To 'paire triftis he þam taughte, who pt righte" trowes,

13

'Ilke a lorde, wt owttyn lett,

'At his trifte was he sett1,

Wt bowe and wt barcelett,

Vndir þofe" bewes.

15

IV.

Vndir þose' bewes pay bade, pose beryns so bolde,
To bekire at 'pose barrayne', in bankis so bare;

[fol. 15 b.] Thay kefte of paire' copitts, in clyffes so calde;

5

'Thay recomforthed þaire* kenettis, to 'kele þam' of care;
pare myghte 'hirdmen, hendely forfothte", herdis by-halde,
Herkyn huntynge 'wt hornnes', in holtis so hare;

pay 'fellede dowñe pe femmats, full thikke folde,

Wt fresche hundis, and fette, 'felonofly þay' fare.
'pay queftede, and quellys,

By" frythis and fellis,

'& darkys and darys".

'pat pe dere dwellys",

40

45

V.

'Alte darkis' the dere, `and to down schowys,

And', for pe dowte* of pe dede' drowpys the daa,

And by pe ftremys so ftrange, þat fwyftly swoghes®,

12 here triftres he hem tau3t, ho pe trouth. 13 Eche. 14 To añ oke he hem fette.

15 pe.

IV.

in hiz.

pe. 2 pes baraynes. 7 in haft. fel of.

12 All' the dure in pe delles.

3 here. 4 Conforte her. 5 hele hem. 6 hapeles pei foloweñ her. 10 With gret queftes. 11 Both in. 13 They durken, and dare. In MS. Douce the lines

5, 6 are transposed before the two which precede. In both MSS. a line seems wanting (the ninth) to complete the stanza.

3 pat.

+ drede. 5 deth.

6 This

pay wery be wilde fwyne, and 'wyrkkis þam waa';
'Thay hunte, and halowes, in holttis and hillys,
'And tilt þaire rifte, raches relyes oñ þaire raye';
Thay gafe no" gameñ, 'no grythe", pt one grownde growes,
Grete hundis" [in the greues"] futt" gladly 'gañ gaa".

14

Thus thies gomes þay ga, in grevys so grene,

'And boldly blawes rechayfe",

And folowes 18 faste one pe trafe,

Swylk" folauce to fene.

Wt many fergyaunte of mace,

VI.

50

Thus' wt folauce pay femelede, the prowdeste in patte,
And few to pe foueraygne, 'in cleues fo clene*;
Nane' bot f Gawane, the gayeste of alle,
By-leuys wt dame Gayno" in 'pofe greues' grene;
Vndir a lorrere 'fcho laye', þat lady fo fmatte,
Off boxe, and of barborañe3, byggyde futt bene;
Faste by-fore vndrone", this ferly guñ" falle,
And this mekitt mervette, þat I of" mene.
Now with 19 I of this mervette meen, zif I mote ;-
The daye waxe als dirke,

13

Als" it were mydnyghte myrke;
Ther of 'f Gawane" was irke,

And lyghte one his fote.

50

G5

7 worchen he wo. The huntes pei halowe, in hurftes and huwes. 9 And bluwe

rechas, ryally pei rañ to the ro.

11 Om. 12 pe grete gre[u]ndes. 16 So gladly pei gon. 17 The king

10 to no.

* wt in fchaghes fchene.

5 Al.

7

greues fo. 8 ho was lizt.

9 berber.

10 vndre. 11 coñ. 18 fhal of.

• Om. 13 wol.

VII.

2

Thus one' fote are pay 'lyghte, pose frekis vn-fayne,
And 'fledde faste to the foreste, and to be fawe fellis ;
Thay rañe faste to the roches, for reddoure of pe rayñe®,
For be 'flete, and be snawe, þat snayppede þam so fnette';
Thare come a 'lowe one the loughe, i lede es noghteR to layne,
In the lyknes of Lucyfere, layeth este in hette;
And glyddis to 'dame Gaynoure' the gatis full1o
'3ollande zamyrly", with many lowde zette".
'It zellede, it zamede, with vengeance fult" wete;-
And saide, 'ofte syghande full" sare,-
"I ame" the body pt bel bare,

[fol. 155.] Allas! now kyndyls my kare,

13

12

gayne,

I gloppyn" and I grete!"

75

VIII.

Thane gloppenyde, and grett, dame' Gaynoure the gay,
And askede f Gawayne, whatt 'was his beste' rede?
"It es* the clippes of the mone3, I herde a clerke saye;"-
And thus he comforthede pe qwene, wt his knyghtehede.-

6

Sir Cadore, `Sir Caduke, Sir Costarde, Sir Kaye,

Thir' knyghtis are 10 vn-curtayfe, by crofe, & by crede!
That thus 'me hase lefte in this erthe, at my dede" daye,

VII.-' to. 2 faren pes. 3 fleen fro. 4 Om. 5 fewe.

are omitted in MS. D. "fneterand fnawe fnartly hem fnelles.

85

90

6 This line and line 6

• lede of pe lawe,

in londe is not. Syr Gawayñ. 10 to. 11 3auland, and 30merand. 12 3elles. 13 Hit
9
zaules, hit zamers, wt waymynges.
14 with fiking. 15 bañ. 16 me.

VIII.- Om. 2 feid to.
Sir Cleges, Sir Coftardyne.

17 gloppe.

With the gryfelyefte gafte, þat eu? herde I grete" !"—

"At this" gafte," quod 'f Gaweayne",

66 greue 30we no more;

Bare was hir' body, and blake to the bone,

Alle by-claggede in claye, `vn-comlyly cledeR;
It 'weryit, it wayemettede, lyke3 a womañ,
'pat now one hede, ne on hare, hillynge' it hade;
It ftottyde', it stounede, it stode als" a ftane,

It marrede, it 'monede, it moyffed' for made.

'Vn to pat gryfely gaste f Gaweayne es gane;

He raykede 'to it one" a rafe, for he was neu' rade". 'For rade1 was he neu', 'nowe who pt3 ryghte redys ;One pe chefe of pe chotte",

A 'tade pykit one hir" potte,

Hir eghne ware" holkede futt hotte,

X.

'Glowand als" gledis.

Atte glowede 'als gledis' the gafte, 'whare fcho' glydis, 'Vmbyclede in' a clowde, 'w' clethynge* vn-clere ;

12 Written at first grede, and so MS. D.
17 And of pe wayes I shall'. 18 What.
IX.-1 pe. 2 in vncomly cladde.
ne on huwe, no heling. 5 ftemered.
9 out at. 10 Om. 11 drad. 12 Drad.
17 That gloed as pe.

16 Om.
X.-1 as a glede. 2 pere ho.

95

100

3 waried, hit wayment, as.

6 as.

7 memered, hit mufed.

13 ho fo. 14 clolle. 15 pade pikes on pe.

3 Vmbe-clipped hi wt.

✦ of cleyng.

Cerkelytt' with serpentes, 'pat satt by hirR sydes;-
To tette be dedis' per one, my tonge were to tere.

The 'beryn brawndeche owte his brande, and the body bydis,
There fore pat cheualrous knyghte 'thoghte it" no chere;

10

The hundes 'are to hillys", & 'paire hedes" hydes,

14

15

For pat1+ gryfely gaste made so gryme bere.

16

The grete grewhundes were agayfte, 'for þat" grym bere
The birdes on" the bewes,

18

þat one 'that gaste gewes
Thay clyme" in the clewes,

XI.

That 'hedows when pay" here.

110

119

'Who þat myghte þat hedows see, hendeste in' hautte, How 'hir chotte chatirede, hyr chaftis, and hir3 chyne; Thane coniurede 'hir þat' knyghte, and one Crifte guñ3 he catte,— "Alls þou was crucyfyede one croyfe, to 'faue vs fra' syñ, "Thou spirette, saye3 me the sothe, whedir þat þou salt, And whi þat þou walkes 10 thies wayes, thies" woddis, wt inn?""I was of fegure, and 'of flesche, the" fayerefte of atte, Cristenede, and kryfõmede", with kynges in my kyñ. [fol. 155b.] I hafe kynges in my kyñ, knawen 'kyde full" kene; God hafe 'fent me this 15 grace,

To drye my paynes in this place,
'And nowe am I comeñ one a pase",

› Skeled.

6 all' aboute pe. 7 todes. 8 full'. 11 changed. 12 hizen to pe wode. 13 here hede.

125

To fpeke with zoure qwene.

burne braides out pe. 14 pe.

10 pe. 17 in.

16 of pe.

18 pe gooft glowes. 19 fkryke. 20 fkowes. 21 hapeles may.

XI.

15 a.

Hapelefe mist here fo fer into. 2 chatered pe cholle, pe chalus oñ pe.

↑ Om. 5 coñ. 6 As. 7 clanfe vs of. 8 That pu fei. 9 Om. 10 walkeft. 11 pe.

14 for. In MS. L. first written "for kyde," but afterwards "for" crossed out and “full' kene" added. 15 me geven of his. 16 I am comen in pis cace.