XII.

Qwene was I 'whilome, wele' bryghtere of browes,
Than Beryke, or Brangwayne, the' byrdis so balde;
Of any gamnes, or gudis*, þat one the grownde growes,
Wele grettere þan' Gayno", of garfõmes, & of" golde,
Of 'pales, of powndis, of parkes, of plewes,
Of townnes, of towris, of trefoures" vn-tolde,

'Of contres, of caftells", of cragges, of clewes;

'And nowe am I cachede1 owte of 'kythe, in" carys so colde!

In 15 care am I cachede, and cowchede in claye ;

Loo"! curtayfe knyghte,

How 'pat dede" hase me dyghte;- Of Gayeno" the gaye."
Nowe gyffe me anes" a syghte,-

XIII.

135

1

'Nowe to1 Gayeno" pe gaye Sir Gaweayne es gane,

And to pat body 'hase he' broghte 'that birde peñ fo* bryghte: 145 "Welecome, Wayno"!" 'fcho says, "pus worthye in wane!

Loo! howe pat dulefutt dede' hafe thi dame dyghte.

8

I was reddere in rode pan rofe in pe rayne;

My lyre als' the lely, 'lufely to syghte1,

And" nowe 'I am a grifely" gafte, and 'grymly granes",
Wt Lucefere, in a lake, lawe ame I lyghte.

XII.-1 fome wile. 2 Berell'. 3 pes. ✦ al gameň, or gle. Dame. 8 garfoñ. 9 Om. 10 palaies, of parkes, of pondes. telles, of contreyes. 13 Now ame I cauzt. 14 kide, to. 17 Lo! fir. 18 delfulle deth. 19 Lete me onys haue.

XIII.—1 After. 2 pe. s he her. 8 of. 9 as. 10 lonched on hight.

150

Om. 6 Om. 7 peñ 11 trefo1. 12 Of cas15 Into. 16 caught.

'Thus am I lyke to Lucefere, takis witnes" by mee;-
For all 30ure" fresche fauoure,-

16

'Nowe moyse one this mirroure,

For bothe" kynge and empoure,

Thus satt ze bee.

зе

XIV.

And' thus dede will 30w dighte, 'takis witnesse by me2,
And there one hertly takis' hede, whils pts pu es here;

6

When pou 'es richely' arrayede, and 'rydes in a rowte,

Hafe þañ' pete, '& mynd1o one pe pore, for" bu arte of powere; 160
Beryns, and byrdis, 'are befye" the a-bowte,

When thi body es bawmede, and broghte appone❞ bere,
Thane 'witt þay leue the lyghtely", þat nowe with the lowte,
'And thane helpes the" no thynge, bot halye prayere.

The prayere of pels pore 'chaffes the from helle"

17

'Some dayntes pou dele1.

With all mirthes at thi" mete,

XV.

With daynteths' one deffe, thi dyetes are dyghte,
And thus in dawngere, and dole, 'I downe, &3 I duette;
Nafty*, and nedfuft, and3 nakede one nyghte,

[fol. 156.] pere folowes me a ferde of fendis 'full fett';

14 Take truly tent tişt nowe. 15 pi.
16 Mufe on my.
XIV.-1 Om. 2 thare you not doute. 3 Om. + take.
richeft. 8 rideft in pi. 9 Om. 10 Om. 11 Om. 12
pat ben.
pe light. 15 For peñ he helpes.
16 Om. 17 may purchas pe pes.
yeues at þe. pou art fet.
20 Om. 21 And dayntes on des.
XV. riche dayntes. 2 I. 3 in dongoñ. Naxte.

19

170

17 Om.

5 Om.

13 on a.

6 art. 7 art 14 lite wyň 18 that pou

5 Om. 6 folo.

7 of helle.

8

Thay harle me vnhendely, 'and hewys me one hyghte;
In braffe, and in bromstane, I 'burne als' a bette;
Was neu' wroghte in this werlde a wafullere wyghte;
It were 'tore till 10 any tonge my tourmenttis" to tette!
Bot" now will I of my tourment talke", or I gaa;
Thynke hertly on this,

Now" fande to mende of" thi mys; Be warre now, "be my waa!"-
For thou erte warnede, I wysse,

16

175

XVI.

"Now' wo es me, for thi waa!" sayd' Wayno", "I wyffe, Bot 'a worde3 wolde I wete, and' thi will ware;

10

8

Gyff' matyñs, or meffes, myghte oghte" menden thi myffe,
Or any mobytts' on molde, my myrthis ware the mare;
Or" bedis of bechopis myghte brynge the to blyffe,

Or couentis, in cloyst's", myghte kele" the of care;

14

15

18

For if pou be my modir, grete m'vette" it es,
That 'thi burlyche" body es blakenede" so bare !—
"I bare the of my body; whate bote es 'to lye1?.
'Be that to takenynge" thou trowe,
I brake a folempne a-vowe,
'That none wyfte, bot I & thowe,

9 pei harme. 9 breñ as. 10 ful tore. 16 Om. 17 Om.

'And p' fore dole I drye".

5 If auper.

6 mas.

7 Om. 8 mende.

XVI.-1 Om. 2 qd. 3 one ping. if. 9 meble. 10 merthe. 11 If. 12 cloiftre. 13 kere. 14 Om. 15 wonder. 16 al pi burly. 17 brou3t to be. 18 ht I layñ. 19 By pt token. 20 And no mañ wift ht but. fopely I fayñ. The lines 10, 11, 12 of this stanza in MS. D. stand in order 12, 10, 11.

21 pat

XVII.

""Tette me now' fothely, what may 'safe thi sytis,
And I satt 'garre feke fayntes', for thi fake;
Bot 'of thafe' balefutt beftis, pt one thi body bytys',
Atte 'blendis my blode, thi blee es foo blake.".
"This es it to luffe pamoures, and luftis, and litys',
That gerfeR me lyghte and 'lenge so lawe in pis' lake;
For alle the welthe of this" werlde thus " a-waye wytis;
'This werlde es wandrethe, þat wirkis" me wrake.
For" wrake 'it me wirkis, now" Waynoure, I wyffe ;
Were thritty trentals done,

10

'By-twyxen vndroñe" and noñe,

17

My saule 'were saluede futt" fone,

And broghte 'i to" blyffe."

XVIII.'

200

"To blyffe brynge the that barne, pt 'dere hase the boghte3,
That was crucyfiede one croyfe, & crownnede wt thorne ;
Crystynnede, and kryfōmede, wt canditts', and coude,
'Fullede in fuñftane, full frely by-forne;

Mary, 'pat es' myghty, and myldefte of mode,
'That bare pt blysschede', in Bedleme was borne,

2 pe faueñ, y-wys.

210

3 make fere men to finge.

4 pe.

5 is.

XVII.- Say. 1 6 bledis my ble, pi bones arñ. 7 pat is luf par amo', liftes, and delites. 8 has. 9 laft loz in a. 10 Om. 11 pe. 12 pt. 13 With pe wilde wermis, pt worche. 14 Om. 15 þei me worchen. By-twene vnder. 17 focoured with. 18 to pe.

16

XVIII. In the Lincoln MS. this and the two next stanzas, are misplaced, and appear as the XIX., XX., and XVIII. The peculiar form of the verses, and the authority of MS. D. both confirm the order now adopted. 2 pe. 3 brought [boghte?] pe on rode. As pou was cristened. 5 candel. 6 Folowed in fontestone oñ. 7 pe. 's Om. Of whom pe blifful barme [barne].

P

Gyffe" me grace, 'for to" grete 'thy saule wt some gude1,

14

And mene" the wt meffes 1, and matÿnes" one morne.”
"To 'mene me 16 wt meffes, grete 'menske nowe" it were;
For hym, þt ryste one the rode,

215

"Now' here hertly one hande, 'I hete the' to halde, Wt a melyõne of meffes to make 'thy menynge*.

'Bot one worde," saide dame Wayno", "nowe wiete pt I walde', Whate greues Gode mofte 'of any kyns thynge' ?"——— "Pride, wt 'apparementis, als pphetis haue' tolde, By-fore be pople 'appertly, in thaire" p'chynge;

'The [bowe] is full" bittire, pare of be thou balde,

12

It1 makis beryns 'full balde", to breke his byddynge. 'Who fo' his byddynge brekis, 'bare he es" of blyffe ;

14

Bot þay be falued of that sare,-
Certis, or pay hethyñ fare,-
Thay moñ wiete" of calde1 care,—

Waynoure, I wys."

225

mynge. 14 matens. 15 maffes. 16 mende vs.

10 Lene. 11 pt I may. 12 pe wt gode. 13
17 myster. 18 Om. 19 faileñ. 20 While.

4

5

XIX. Om. 2 my. 3 pes heftes. pe mynyg. A! quod Wayno', I wis, yit weten I wolde. 6 wrathed. 7 at þi weting. pe appurtenaunce, as. 9 hañ. 10 apt in her. 11 Hit beres bowes. Instead of the word inclosed within brackets a blank space is left in the Lincoln MS.

12

pat. 13 fo bly. 14 Bot ho. 15 þei beň. 16 Om.