3et quyl al-hal-day wt Arp' he lenges,
& he made a fare on pt feft, for pe frekez fake,
Wt much reuel & ryche of pe roūde table;
Knyztez ful cortays & comlych ladies,
Al for luf of þat lede i longýge bay were,
Bot neu? þe lece ne pe lat" pay neuened bot m'pe,
Mony ioylez for þat ientyle iapez þer maden.
For aftter mete, w' monyg he melez to his eme,
& fpekez of his paffage, & pertly he fayde,
Now, lege lorde of my lyf, leue I yow ask ;
3e knowe pe coft of þis cace, kepe I no more
To telle yow tenez þer of neu? bot tifel ;
Bot I am bou to be bur barely to morne,
To fech þe gome of þe grene, as god wyl me wyffe."
pene pe heft of þe burz bozed to-geder,
Aywan, & Errik, & op ful mony,
[fol. 98b.] f Doddinaual de Sauage, pe duk of Clarence, Launcelot, & Lyonel, & Lucan be gode,
f Boos, & fir Byduer, bigmē bope,
& mony op9 menskful, wt Mador de la Port.
Alle þis compayny of court com þe kýg nerre,
For to coufeyl þe knyzt, with care at her hert ;
pere watz much derne doel driuen i þe fale,
pat fo worthe as Wawan fchulde wende on þat ernde,
To dryze a delful dynt, & dele no more,
þe knyzt mad ay god chere,
& fayde, "quat fchuld I wonde,
Of destines derf & dere,
What may mon do bot fonde!"
He dowellez per al þat day, and dressez on þe morn,
Afkez erly hys armez, & alle were þay brozt;
Fyrst a tule tapit, ty3t ou? þe flet,
& miche wat; þe gyld gere þat glent per alofte ;
pe stif mon steppez þeron, & þe ftel hondelez,
Dubbed i a dublet of a dere tars,
& fyben a crafty capados, closed aloft,
Pat wyth a bryzt blauner was bouden wt ine;
pēne fet þay be fabatoūz vpon þe fegge fotez,
His legez lapped i ftel w' luflych greuez,
W polaynez piched per to, policed ful clene,
Aboute his knez knaged wyth knotez of golde;
Queme quyffewes pē, þat coyntlych closed
His thik prawen þy3e3, wt þwonges to-tachched;
& fypen þe brawden bryne of bry3t stel rygez,
Vmbe-weued þat wy3, vpon wlonk stuffe ;
& wel bornyft brace vpon his bope armes,
Wt gode cowters & gay, & glouez of plate,
& alle þe godlych gere þat hy gayn schulde,
Wyth ryche cote armure,
His gold fporez spend w pryde,
Gurde wyth a bront ful fure,
We filk fayn vmbe his fyde.
[fol. 99.] When he watz hasped i armes, his harnays wat; ryche, pe left lachet ou? loupe lemed of golde;
So harnayft as he watz he herknez his maffe,
Offred & honored at þe heze auter;
Sypen he come to be kýg, & to his cort ferez,
Lachez lufly his leue at lordez & ladye; ;
& pay hy kyft & conueyed, bikende hy to kryst.
Bi þat watz Gryngolet grayth, & gurde wt a fadel,
pat glemed ful gayly wt mony golde frenges,
Ay quere naylet ful nwe for þat note ryched;
pe brydel barred a-boute, w' bryzt golde boūden;
pe apparayl of þe payttrure, & of þe proude fkyrtez,
pe cropore, & þe couertor, acorded wyth pe arfoūe; ;
& al watz rayled on red ryche golde naylez,
pat al glytered & glent as glem of þe fūne.
pēne hentes he þe helme, & haftily hit kyffes,
Pat watz stapled stifly, & stoffed wyth ine;
Hit watz hyze on his hede, hasped bihynde,
Wyth a ly3th vryfou ou? þe auentayle,
Enbrawden & bouden wyth þe best gemez,
On brode fylkyn borde, & bryddez on femez,
As papiayez paynted pernýg bitwene,
Tortors & trulofez entayled fo þyk,
As mony burde per aboute had be feue wynt,
pe cercle wat3 more o prys,
Þat vmbe-clypped hys crou,
pat bope were bryzt & brou.
Then pay fchewed hy þe fchelde, þat was of fchyr goulez,
Wyth be pentangel de-paynt of pure golde hwez;
He braydez hit by þe bauderyk, a-boute þe hals kestę,
pat bifemed pe fegge femlyly fayre.
& quy be pentangel apendez to þat prynce noble,
I am i tent yow to telle, þof tary hyt me schulde ;
Hit is a fygne þat Salamon fet fu quyle,
i bytoknýg of trawþe, bi tytle þat hit habbez, [fol. 99b.] For hit is a figure þat haldez fyue poyntez,
& vche lyne vmbe-lappez & loukez i oper,
& ay quere hit is emdele3, & Englych hit callen
ou? al, as I here, be endeles knot.
For by hit acordez to þis knyzt, & to his cler armez,
For ay faythful i fyue & fere fyue syþez,
Gawan watz for gode knawen, & as golde pured,
Voyded of vche vylany, wyth vertuez ēnoned,
For by þe pentangel nwe
He ber i fchelde & cote,
As tulk of tale most trwe,
& gentyleft knyzt of lote.
Fyrst he watz funden fautle3 ī his fyue wytte3,
& efte fayled neu? þe freke i his fyue fyngres,
& alle his afyauce vpon folde watz i þe fyue woudez
þat cryft kazt on þe croys, as pe crede telle; ;
quere fo eu' þys mon i melly watz stad,
His pro pozt watz i þat þurz alle op þýgez,
þat alle his forfnes he fong at þe fyue ioyez,
þat þe hende heuen quene had of hir chylde ;
At þis caufe þe knyzt comlyche hade
i þe more half of his fchelde hir ymage depaynted,
þat quen he blusched perto, his belde neu' payred.
þe fyft fyue þat I finde þat þe frek vsed,
Watz frauchyfe, & felazschyp, for be al þyg
His clannes & his cortayfye croked were neu',
& pite, pat paffez alle poyntez, þyfe pure fyue
Were harder happed on þat hapel þe on any op9.
Now alle þefe fyue fyþez forfope were fetied on his knyzt,
& vchone halched in op, þat non ende hade,
& fyched vpon fyue poyntez, þat fayld neu',
Ne famned neu? i no fyde, ne fundred nouþer,
Wt outen ende at any noke i quere ' fynde,
Where eu? þe gomen bygan, or glod to an ende.
per fore on his fchene fchelde fchapen watz be knot,
Þ9 alle wyth red golde vpon rede gowlez,
[fol. 100.] pat is be pure pentaungel wyth þe peple called,
Now grayped is Gawan gay,
& lazt his laūce ryzt þore,
& gef hem alle goud day,
He wende for eu? more.
He sperred þe fted wt pe fpurez, & fprong on his way,
So ftif þat þe fton fyr stroke out þer aft';
Al þat fez þat femly fyked i hert,
& fayde foply al fame fegges til op',
Carande for þat comly, "bi kryst, hit is scape,
þat þ", leude, fchal be loft, þat art of lyf noble !
To fynde hys fere vpon folde, i fayth is not epe;
Warloker to haf wrozt had more wyt bene,
& haf dyzt zonder dere a duk to haue worked;
A lowande leder of ledez i londe hy wel femez,
& fo had bett? haf ben þe britned to nozt,
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