Suche as he brewythe feche fchatt he drenke,

He fchaft be bette pt he fchaft ftynke,
And a-zenst his wyll be ther"."
Syr Gawen fayd, "fo hav I blyse,
I woll not geyftyn p' magreys,
[fol. 15b.] Thow I myzt neu' fo well;

3efe any fayr word may vs gayn,
To make pe lorde of vs full fayn,
In his oun caftett.

Key, let be thy boftfull fare,

Thow goft a-bout to warke care,

I fay, fo haue I helle !

I wolf pray be good lorde, as I yow faye,
Of herborow tyll to-morrow daye,

And of met & melle."

On her way faft they rode,

At pe caftell-zat þey a-bode,
The portt? callyd þey schulde ;
Ther hynge a hōmyr by a cheyn,
To knocke p9 at fyr Key toke dayn',
The hōmyr a-way he wold haue pold.
The portt come wtt a p'wey fare,
And hem fonde he ther",

He axid what they wolde;

The fayd Gawen curttefly,

"We be-feche pe lorde of herbory,

The good lorde of pis holde."

The portt anfwerd he a-gayn,

"Your" meffage wold I do futt fayn,

[fol. 17.] And 3e have harme, panke hyt not me; 3e be fo fayr, lyme and lythe,

And p to cōly, glad per wtt,

That cemely hyt ys to fee.
My lorde can no cortteffye,

1 dedayn?

Je schappyth notte wit out a wellony,

Truly trow ze mee;

Me rewyth for ze came þis waye,

ar9

And ar ze go fo woll ze fay,

But zefe mor grace be."

"Portt"," fayde Key, "let be thy care,
Thow feft we mey no forp fare,

Thow jappyft, as I wene ;

But þu woll on our meffage' gon,
woff

The kyng9 keyis woll we tane,
And draw hem doun c'teyn."
The portt❞ fayde, “ so mot I þryfe,
Ther be not pre knytt9 a-lyve,
That dorft do hit, I wene;
Wyft my lorde your wordys grete,
Some your lyvys ze schold for9-lete,
Or ell9 futt faft to-flen."

The portt went in to be hatt, [fol. 17b.] Wtt his lord he mett wtt all,

That hardy was & bolde ;—

"Carl of Carllhyll, gode loke pe!
At þe zatt be barun9 þre,
Semley arm to welde.
To knytt❞ of Art'ys in,

A befchope, & no mor men,
Sertayn as they me tolde;"-

The fayd pe Carle, be fent Myghett,
That typing lykyth me ryžt well,
Seyth pi pis way wolde."

Whe they came be-for? pat fyr,

They fond iiij. whelp lay about his fyer",
That grefly was for to fee;

A wyld bole, & a fellon boor
A lyon, pt wold bytte for",

1 mffage, MS.

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[fol. 18.]

Ther of they had grete ferly.
A bege ber lay loufe vn-bounde,
Seche iiij. whelp p9 þey foude,

A-bout pe Carll kne;

They rofe, & came pe knytt9 a-gayn,

And fon pi wold be haue fleyfi,

The Carle bade he let bee.

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"Ly doun," he fayd, "my whelpys four","
The pe lyon be-gan to lour",

235

And glowyd as a glede ;

The ber to ramy, pe boole to groun,

The bor he whett his tofkos foun,

Faft and pat good fpede.

The fayd pe Carle, "ly ftyle, hardyñ !"

They felt a-doun for fer of hyme,

So for þey gan hyme drede;

For a word pe Carle gan fay,
Vnd pe tabult they crepyd a-way,
Ther of fyr Key toke hede.
The Carle pe knytt can be-holde,
Wtt a ftout vefage & a bolde,
He femyd a dredfutt man;
Wtt chek longe, & vesage brade,
Cambur nofe, & att futt made,
Be-twyne his brow9 a large spane.
Hys mo3th moche, his berd graye,
Ou' his breft his lock lay,

As brod as anny fane;

Betwen his fchuldors, whos ryžt că rede,

He was ij. tayllors 3ard brede,

Syr Key merweld gretly þañ.

[fol. 18b.] Ix. taylloris zerd he was hyzthet,

And p to legg longe and wyɔ̃tht,

Or ell wondor hit wer;

Ther was no poft in þt hall,

Grettyft growand of hem alt,

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But his peys wer" bycker".

His arm wer9 gret, wtt outyn lefe,
His fyng is alfo, I wys,

265

As any lege pt we ber";

Whos ftond a stroke of his honde,

He was not wecke, I vndur-ftond,
That dar? I fafly fwer".

Then fyr G. be-gan to cnele,

The Carle fayd he myŝt be knyzt wylle,

And bad hyme ftond vpe a-non;
"Lett be þi knellynge, gētyš knyŝt,
Thow logoft wtt a carll to-nyŝt,
I fwer" by fent John!

For her no cortteffy þu schalt have,
But carll cortteffy, fo god me fave!
For fertt I can noñ;”—

He bad brynge wyn, in gold fo der','
A-non hit cam i copp9 cler",

As any foun hit fchon.

[fol. 19.] iiij. gallons held a cop, and more,
He bad brynge forthe a grettor",

"What schaft þis lytyll cope douñ?
This to lyttył a cope for me,

Whe I fytt by pe fyr on hy,

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To fe her hors ftond.

Corne and hey pi had reydy,

A lyttyll folle ftod hem bye,

Wtt her hors faft ettand;

The beffchope put pe fole a-way,

"Thow schalt not be fellow wtt1 my palfray,
Whylt I am befchope in londe."

[fol.19b.] The Carll þẽ cam wtt a gret spede,

And askyde "who hathe don pis dede?"
The befchope feyd, "pt was I;"—
"Ther for a bofett pu fchalt have,
I fwer, fo god me fave!

And hit fchatt be fett wytterly."
"I ame a clarke of ordors hyze,”.
"3ett cannyft þu nošt of cortteffyze,
I fwer, fo mott I tryue!"

He 3afe pe beffchope a boffett po,
That to be ground he gan goo,
In2 fonynge he gann lyže.
Syr Key came in þe fam cas,
To fe his ftede per he was,
The foll fond he hym by;
Out att pe dor? he drof hy out,
And on pe backe 3afe hy a clovt,
The Carle fe pt wtt hys yze.
The Carl 3affe hym feche a boffett,
That fmertly on pe grond hỷ fett,

In fonynge gan he lyze ;

"Euyll tavit knytt," pe Carl gan fey,

"I fchaft teche pe or pu wend a-way,
ре

[fol. 20.] Sum of my cortteffye."

The þey a-rofe, and went to halt,

The befchope, and f Key wtt all,
That worthy was i-wrogɔ̃t;

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