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

10

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 zow plyghte",-

14

18

I sall" feghte with zone" knyghte, My" lord, with 30wre 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 lordeshipp, fe þi life lorne."]

"Late gaa," quod f Gawayne, " Gode st[ond with þe rizt,]

If he skape skatheles, [hit were a foule fkorne."]

In the dawynge of pe [day, he doughti were digħt;]
'Thaye herde' matyns [and masse, erly oñ morne ;]
By that, one Plu[toñ land a palais was pizt,]
Whare neu' f[reke opoñ 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 brayñ,

pe king gared cōmaunde.]

460

9 pe.

15 pe.

10 keftes you.
10 Om. 17 Om.

11 Gawayй 18 by.

✦ dayntees. 5 Om. 6 Om. 7 loke. 8 lordis.
pe goode, shal hit not. 12 honde. 13 hizt. 14 woll’.

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. herden. 3 Thre. + Pei.

4

2 And

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 golde' 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 þaire horffes haseR hent,
'At the lycence of the lorde, þat lordely guñ' lyghte,
`Alle bot thir beryns", bouldeste of blode.

The kynges chayere was" sette,

'A-bowne on a chaffelett";

And" many a" gaylyarde grett,

For Gawayne the gude.

470

475

XXXIX.

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 pe manere.

The 'beryns broches paire' blonkes, 'to paire fydes 10 bledis ;
Aythire freke appon felde hase 'fichede thaire" fpere;
Schaftis 'of schene" wode pay fcheu'ede" in fchides;

485

XXXVIII.-' dayntees. 2 or. 3 After bufkes him in a brene, pat burnefhed was. 4 Om. 5 to. 6 Om. 7 He laft in here.

• After aither in high hor horfes pei.

11 is.

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

10 Bothe pes two burnes.

13 Om.

14 Om.

2 in.
3 Om.
+ here. 5 pe. 6 hom to lift.
10 pat pe fide. 11 folde has faftned his.

7 feriant. 12 in fhide.

So jolyly thofe1 gentill meñ" justede one were!
Schaftis thay 'scheu', in schydes full 16 schene ;-
Sythen", wt brandes full bryghte,-

18

Riche mayles thay righte;

"Thus enconterde " the knyghte

Wt Gawayne, one grene.

XL.'

gaye;

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

[pat oper in] his turnygeR he talkis with tene ;-

["Whi drawes þu þe] one dreghe, & makis 'swilke delay1o ?”
[He swapped hi yñ at þe] fchuldir", wt a fwerde kene;
[That greued f Gawayñ, to] his dede" day.

[The dyntes of þat doughty were do] wttous by-dene ;-
[Fyfte mayles, and mo,

The fwerde swapt in two,

The canel-bone alfo,

And clef his] fchelde fchene.

495

500

XLI.'

[He clef þorgħ þe cantell, þat couered þe knizt,

Thorgħ þe fhinand2 shelde, a shaftmoñ, and mare;

• pes.

15 Om. 16 shindr in sheldes fo. 17 And fipeñ. 18 Om. 19 There encontres.

3

XL.- The imperfections in MS. L. in this stanza are supplied from MS. D. as marked by brackets. 2 gaily. in. his griffons. Trifeled with tranes. 6 ftargand. 5 7 pat. 8 t'naying. 9 in. 10 fiche deray. 11 fwyre. 12 dep.

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 þen þe lady loude lowe vppon higħt,

And Gawayñ greches p'wt, & 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 blason, and brene, þ' burneshed wer9 brizt,
With a burlich bronde, thorgħ him he bare;
The bronde was blody, þat burnefhed was brizt.
Then gloppened þat gay ;-

Hit was no ferly, in fay;

þe sturne strike on stray,

XLII.

In stiropes strizt.

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

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

Of he were hafty and smert;

Out of sterops he stert,

Fro Griffett þe goode.

510

515

525

XLIII.

Griffell,” qa Gawayñ, "gon is, God wote!

He was þe 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 be to day, if I coñ right rede!

Go fecche me my frefoñ, fairest on fote,

He

may ftonde þe in ftoure, in as mekle stede; No more for þe faire fole theñ for a rissħ rote,

But for doel of þe dombe best, þt 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 Gawayñ wax wede,

So fiked he fare.

XLIV.

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

pus may þei' dryve forthe þe day, to be derke night;
The foñ was paffed, by þat, mydday and mare;
With in þe liftes pe lede lordly don light;

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

540

550

560