III.

3et quyl al-hal-day wt Arp' he lenges,

& he made a fare on pt feft, for þe frekez fake,
Wt much reuel & ryche of pe roūde table;
Knyztez ful cortays & comlych ladies,
Al for luf of þat lede i longýge þay were,

Bot neu? þe lece ne þe lat❞ þay neuened bot m'pe,
Mony ioylez for þat ientyle iapez þer maden.
For aftter mete, wt monÿg he melez to his eme,
& fpekez of his paffage, & pertly he fayde,
Now, lege lorde of my lyf, leue I

yow afk

ze knowe be coft of þis cace, kepe I no more

To telle yow tenez þer of neu? bot t'fel;

Bot I am bou to be bur barely to morne,

To fech þe gome of þe grene, as god wyl me wysse."
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 menfkful, 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 schulde 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!"

546

345

350

555

|| wyth bronde;

365

IV.

He dowellez per al þat day, and dreffez on þe morn,
Afkez erly hys armez, & alle were pay brozt;
Fyrst a tule tapit, ty3t ou? þe flet,

& miche wat; þe gyld gere þat glent þer alofte;
pe stif mon steppez þeron, & pe ftel hondelez,
Dubbed i a dublet of a dere tars,

& fypen a crafty capados, clofed aloft,

þat wyth a bryzt blauner was bouden wt ine;
pēne fet þay be fabatoūz vpon be fegge fotez,
His legez lapped i ftel wt luflych greuez,
W polaynez piched þer to, policed ful clene,
Aboute his knez knaged wyth knotez of golde;
Queme quyffewes pē, pat coyntlych closed
His thik prawen þy3e3, wt þwonges to-tachched;
& fypen þe brawden bryne of bryzt stel rygez,
Vmbe-weued þat wy3, vpon wlonk stuffe ;
& wel bornyft brace vpon his bope armes,
W gode cowters & gay, & glouez of plate,
& alle þe godlych gere þat hy gayn schulde,
Wyth ryche cote armure,

His gold sporez spend wt pryde,

Gurde wyth a bront ful fure,

Wt filk fayn vmbe his fyde.

V.

570

575

580

þat tyde;

585

[fol. 99.] When he watz hasped i armes, his harnays watz ryche, pe left lachet ou loupe lemed of golde;

So harnayft as he wat3 he herknez his masse,

590

Offred & honored at þe heze auter;

Sypen he comez to be kýg, & to his cort ferez,
Lachez lufly his leue at lorde; & ladye; ;

& pay hy kyft & conueyed, bikende hy to kryst.
Bi þat watz Gryngolet grayth, & gurde w' a fadel,
Pat glemed ful gayly w' mony golde frenges,
Ay quere naylet ful nwe for þat note ryched;
þe brydel barred a-boute, wt bryzt golde boūden;
pe apparayl of þe payttrure, & of þe proude skyrtez,
pe cropore, & pe couertor, acorded wyth þe arfoūez ;
& al watz rayled on red ryche golde naylez,
pat al glytered & glent as glem of þe fūne.
pēne hentes he be helme, & haftily hit kyffes,
Pat watz stapled ftifly, & ftoffed 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 semez,
As papiayez paynted pernýg bitwene,
Tortors & trulofez entayled fo þyk,

As mony burde per aboute had be feue wynt,

pe cercle watz more o prys,

i toue ;

pat vmbe-clypped hys croū,

Of diamaūtez a deuys,

pat bope were bryzt & brou.

VI.

Then pay schewed hy be schelde, þat was of fchyr goulez,
Wyth þe pentangel de-paynt of pure golde hwe;;
He braydez hit by þe bauderyk, a-boute pe hals kefte,
pat bifemed þe fegge femlyly fayre.

595

600

605

610

615

620

t

& quy be pentangel apendez to þat prynce noble,
I am i tent yow to telle, þof tary hyt me fchulde ;
Hit is a fygne þat Salamon fet fu quyle,

i bytoknyg of trawþe, bi tytle þat hit habbez,
[fol. 99b.] For hit is a figure þat haldez fyue poyntez,

& vche lyne vmbe-lappez & loukez i ober,

& ay quere hit is emdelez, & Englych hit callen
ou? al, as I here, þe endeles knot.

For by hit acordez to his knyzt, & to his cler armez,
For ay faythful i fyue & fere fyue fyþez,
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,

& gentylest knyzt of lote.

625

630

|| i mote;

635

VII.

Fyrst he watz funden fautlez ī his fyue wytte3,

& efte fayled neu? þe freke i his fyue fyngres,

& alle his afyauce vpon folde watz i þe fyue woūdez

þat cryft kazt on þe croys, as pe crede tellez ;

640

& quere fo eu? þys mon i melly watz stad,

His pro pozt watz i þat þurz alle op þÿgez,
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

E

645

650

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 þis knyzt,
& vchone halched in op, þat non ende hade,

& fyched vpon fyue poyntez, þat fayld neu',
Ne famned neu? i no fyde, ne fundred nouper,
Wt outen ende at any noke i quere' fynde,
Where eu? þe gomen bygan, or glod to an ende.

per fore on his schene schelde schapen watz be knot,
Þ9 alle wyth red golde vpon rede gowlez,

[fol. 100.] pat is pe 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.

VIII.

He fperred þe sted wt pe fpurez, & fprong on his way,
So ftif þat þe fton fyr ftroke out þer aft';

Al þat fez þat femly fyked i hert,

& fayde foply al fame fegges til op9,

Carande for þat comly, "bi kryft, hit is fcape,

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 þē britned to nozt,

655

660

wt lore.

663

670

675

630