With riche daynteths', endorrede, in dyfches by-deñe.
When the ryalle renke was gone to his ryfte,

450

The kynge in' to concelle hase callede his knyghtis so kene; Sayfe®, "lukes' nowe, 'ze lordyngs, oure lose be noghte loft, Who sall encont" with zone' knyghte, 'nowe lukes vs" by-twene." Thane faide 'f Gawayne, "he sall vs noghte" greue;

Here my trouthe" I 30w plyghte",

14

18

I salt feghte with zone" knyghte, My" lord, with "zowre lefe.". In be 16 defence of my ryghte,

XXXVII.'

"I leue wele," quod the kynge, "thi latis are l[izt,
But I nolde, for no lordefhipp, fe þi life lorne."]
"Late gaa," quod f Gawayne, "Gode ft [ond with be rizt,]
If he skape skatheles, [hit were a foule skorne.”]

In the dawynge of pe [day, he doughti were digħt ;]
'Thaye herde' matyns [and masse, erly on morne ;]
By that, one Plu[ton land a palais was pizt,]
Whare neu' f[reke opon folde had fouzten biforne.
pei fetten liftes by-lyue on þe lo3 lande ;]

Twa' sop[pes de mayn]

Was brought to f Gawayñ,]

For [to confort his brayn,

pe king gared cōmaunde.]

460

XXXVII.—1 A large portion of this and the commencement of the succeeding stanza has been torn away in the Lincoln MS. and is here supplied from MS. D. 2 And herden. 9 Thre. + pei.

XXXVIII.

The [king cōmaunded Krudely, þe erles foñ of Kent,]
Cur[tayfly in þis cafe, take kepe to be knight.]

[fol. 159b.] With riche daynteths' pt day, he dynede in his tente,
'With birdes baken in brede, of brynte golde3 bryghte;
And* fythen 'vn to dame' Wayno" full" wyefely he wente,
'And lefte with hir in' warde his worthily wyghte.
'And than thies hathells full hendely paire horffes hase hent,
'At the lycence of the lorde, þat lordely guñ' lyghte,
`Alle bot thir beryns", bouldeste of blode.

8

For Gawayne the gude.

Gawayne and Galleron 'dyghtis paire' ftedis,
Alle of glet'ande golde, full' gaye was paire gere;
Twa' lordes be-lyfe 'to thaire lyftes thaymR ledis,
With many sergeauntes' of mace; it was be manere.
The 'beryns broches paire' blonkes, 'to paire fydes1o bledis;
Aythire freke appoñ felde hase 'fichede thaire" spere ;
Schaftis 'of schene" wode pay scheuede" in schides;

10

470

475

485

XXXVIII.1 dayntees. 2 or. 9 After bufkes him in a brene, pat burneshed was. 8 After aither in high hor horfes pei.

4 Om. 5 to. 6 Om. 7 He laft in here.

9 And at pe liftes, oñ pe lande, lordely doñ.
12 Quene on a chacelet.

XXXIX.

13 Om. 14 Om.

10 Bothe pes two burnes.

11 is.

9 burnes broched pe.

s as.
19 fhindre.

14

15

So jolyly thofe gentift meñ " juftede one were !
Schaftis thay 'scheu', in schydes full 16 fchene;
Sythen", wt brandes full bryghte,-

18

Riche mayles thay righte;

Thus enconterde" the knyghte.

XL.'

Wt Gawayne, one grene.

Gawayne was graythely' graythede one' grene,
With griffons of golde, engrelede full gaye;
'Trayfolede w' trayfoles, and trewluffes by-twene ;
One a ftirtande ftede he ftrykes one ftraye.

8

[bat oper in] his turnyge he talkis with tene ;

["Whi drawes pu þe] one dreghe, & makis 'fwilke delay 10 ?"
[He swapped hi yñ at þe] fchuldir", wt a fwerde kene;
[That greued f Gawayñ, to] his dede" day.

[The dyntes of bat doughty were do]wttous by-dene ;

[Fyfte mayles, and mo,

The fwerde fwapt in two,

The canel-bone alfo,

And clef his] fchelde fchene.

495

500

XLI.'

[He clef borgh be canteft, pat couered be knit, Thorgh be fhinand fhelde, a fhaftmon, and mare ;

15 Om. 16 fhindr in fheldes fo. 17 And fipeñ. 18 Om.

19 There encontres.

4 pes. XL. The imperfections in MS. L. in this stanza are supplied from MS. D. as marked by brackets. 9 gaily. 3 in. 4 his griffons. s Trifeled with tranes. ftargand. 7 pat. 8 trnaying. 9 in. 10 fiche deray. 11 fwyre. 12 dep.

6

XLI.-1 A leaf in the Lincoln MS. here appears unfortunately to be lost, and the stanzas from XLI. to XLVI. inclusive, with part of XLVII. are printed from the 2 fhiand MS.

other copy.

And þeñ þe lady loude lowe vppon higħt,
And Gawayñ greches pwt, & gremed ful fare :-
"I fhal rewarde pe pi route, if I coñ rede right!”
He folowed in oñ þe freke, with a fressħ fare;
Þorgħ blafoñ, and brene, þ' burneshed wer9 brizt,
With a burlich bronde, thorgħ him he bare;
The bronde was blody, þat burneshed was brizt.
Then gloppened þat gay ;-

Hit was no ferly, in fay;

þe sturne strike oñ stray,

XLII.

In stiropes strizt.

Streyte in his steroppes, ftoutely he strikes,
And waynes at f Wawayñ, als he were wode;
þeñ his lēmañ on lowde skirles, and skrikes',
When þat burly burne blenket on blode;
Lordes and ladies of pat laike likes,

And bonked God fele fithe for Gawayñ the gode.
With a swap of a fwerde, þat swapel him fwykes,
He stroke of þe stede hede, streite þere he stode;
The faire fole fondred, and fel to the grounde.
Gawayn gloppened in hert,

Of he were hafty and fmert;

Fro Griffett þe goode.

510

515

525

Out of sterops he stert,

XLIII.

"Griffell," qd Gawayñ, "gon is, God wote!

He was be burlokest blonke, that eu' bote brede !

XLII. fkirkes, MS.

535

By him, þat in Bedeleem was borne, eu? to beñ o bote,
I fhalt venge þe to day, if I coñ right rede!

Go fecche me my fresoñ, fairest on fote,

He may stonde pe in ftoure, in as mekle stede;

No more for þe faire fole theñ for a rissħ rote,
But for doel of pe dombe best, pt þus fhuld be dede ;
I mone for no montur, for I may gete mare.'
Als he ftode by his stede,

þat was so goode at neede,

Ner Gawayn wax wede,

So fiked he sare.

XLIV.

Thus wepus for wo, Wowayñ þe wight,
And wenys him to quyte, þat wonded is fare;
pat oper droz hi on drezt, for drede of þe knizt,
And boldely broched his blonk, on the bent bare.

pus may þei' dryve forthe þe day, to þe derke nigħt ;
The foñ was paffed, by þat, mydday and mare;
With in þe liftes þe lede lordly doñ ligħt;

Touard the burne, with his bronde, he busked him þare.
To bataile þey bowe, with brondes so bright;-

540

550

560