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 pan' Gayno", of garfomes, & 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 cachede" owte of 'kythe, in" carys so colde!

15

In15 care am I cachede", and cowchede in claye;

Loo"! curtayfe knyghte,

18

How 'pat dede hase me dyghte;- Of Gayeno" the gaye."
Nowe gyffe me anes 19 a syghte,

XIII.

135

'Nowe to Gayeno" be gaye Sir Gaweayne es gane,

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

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

I was reddere in rode pan rofe in pe rayne;

My lyre als' the lely, 'lufely to syghte",

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 gameñ, or gle. Dame. 9 garfoñ. 9 Om. 8 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.

150

'Thus am I lyke to Lucefere, takis witnes" by mee;
For att zoure" fresche fauoure,-

15

16

'Nowe moyfe one this mirroure,

For bothe" kynge and empoure,

XIV.

Thus satt ze bee.

6

And' thus dede will 30w dighte, 'takis witnesse by me,
And3 there one hertly takis' hede, whils pt pu eso here ;
When pou 'es richely' arrayede, and 'rydes in a rowte,

10

8

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

When thi body es bawmede, and broghte appone" bere,

Thane 'will pay leue the lyghtely", þat nowe will the lowte,
'And thane helpes the" no thynge, bot halye prayere.

The prayere of pe 16 pore 'chaffes the from hette"

Of 'pase þat zellis at thi1 zate,

When 'pu sittis1 in thi sette,

;

'Some dayntes pou dele11.

21

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

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

16 Mufe on my. 17 Om.

14 Take truly tent tizt nowe. 15 pi.
XIV.-1 Om. 2 thare you not doute.
richest.
pe light.

8 rideft in pi. 9 Om. 10 Om.
15 For pen he helpes.

yeues at þe. 19 pou art fet.
XV. riche dayntes. 2 I.

11 Om. 12 pat beñ. 13 on a.

170

3 Om.

4 take.

5 Om.

6 art. 7 art 14 lite wyñ

18 that pou

3 in dongoñ. 4 Naxte.

16 Om. 17
may purchas pe pes.
20 Om. 21 And dayntes on des.

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 tefte!
Bot now will I of my tourment talke", or I gaa;
Thynke hertly on this,

Now" fande to mende of's thi mys; Be warre now, "be my waa!"-
For 16 thou erte warnede, I wysse,

XVI.

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

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 cloyft's ", myghte kele" the of care;

14

15

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

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

'And p' fore dole I drye"."

175

185

190

> If auper.

6 mas.

7 Om. 8 mende.

XVI.-1 Om. 2 qd. 3 one ping. 4 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 sytis2,
And I satt 'garre feke fayntes', for thi fake;
Bot 'of thafe* balefull beftis, pt one thi body bytys3,
Atte 'blendis my blode, thi blee es foo blake.”—
""This es it to luffe pamoures, and luftis, and litys',
That gerse me lyghte and 'lenge so lawe in þis' lake;
For alle the welthe of this" werlde thus" a-waye wytis ;
'This werlde es wandrethe, þat wirkis" me wrake.

10

8

For' wrake 'it me wirkis, now" Waynoure, I wysse;
Were thritty trentals doñe,

'By-twyxeñ vndroñe1 and none,

My saule 'were saluede full" fone,

And broghte 'i to" blyffe."

XVIII.'

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

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

200

210

XVII.- Say. 2 pe fauen, y-wys.

3 make fere men to finge.

4
+ pe.

5 is.

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. 15 þei me worchen.

14 Om.

11 pe. 12 pt. 13 With pe wilde wermis, pt worche. 16 By-twene vnder. 17 focoured with. 18 to pe. 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. ? Of whom pe blifful barme [barne].

's Om.

P

10

Gyffe me grace, 'for to" grete 'thy saule wt some gude",
And mene" the wt meffes", and matynes" one morne."-
"To 'mene me 16 wt meffes, grete 'menfke nowe" it were;
For hym, þt ryste one the rode,-
Gyffe nowe's faste of thy gude,
To folke þat fayles" the fude,

18

'Whylls pat" pou erte here.

XIX.

215

"Now' here hertly one hande, 'I hete the' to halde,

Wt a melyõne of meffes to make 'thy menynge*.'Bot one worde," faide 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;

11

'The [bowe] is full" bittire, þare of be thou balde,
It's makis beryns 'full balde", to breke his byddynge.

12

14

'Who fo' his byddynge brekis, 'bare he es" of blysse;

Bot þay be falued of that sare,-
Certis, or pay hethyñ fare,-
Thay moñ wiete" of calde" 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 myfter. 18 Om. 19 faileñ. 20 While.

4

5

Om. 2 my. 3pes heftes. pe mynyg. A! quod Wayno", I wis, yit
at þi weting.
8 pe appurtenaunce, as. 9 han. 10 apt
Instead of the word inclosed within brackets a blank
12 pat.
13 fo bly. 14 Bot ho. 15 pei beň. 16 Om.

XIX. weten I wolde. 6 wrathed. 7 in her. 11 Hit beres bowes. space is left in the Lincoln MS. 7 weten. 18 Om.