And ay be lorde of pe londe is lent on his gamnez,
To hut i holtez & heþe, at hyndez barayne,
Such a fowme he p flowe bi þat þe füne heldet,
Of dos & of op dere, to deme were wonder.
pēne ferfly þay flokked i folk at þe laste,
& quykly of þe quelled dere a querre þay maked;
pe best bozed perto, wt burnez i nogħ,
Gedered pe grattest of gres þat þer were,
& didden hem derely vndo, as pe dede askez ;
Serched hem at pe afay, fume þat þ9 were,
Two fygeres þay fonde of pe fowleft of alle;
Sype pay flyt þe flot, fefed pe erber,
Schaued wyth a scharp knyf, & þe schyre knitten ;
Sypen rytte pay be foure lymes, & rent of pe hyde,
pē brek þay þe bale, pe balez out token,
[fol. 109.] Lyftily forlancyg, & bere of þe knot;
pay gryped to be gargulu, & gyþely departed
þe wefaut fro þe wynt-hole, & walt out pe guttez;
pe scher pay out þe fchuldere3 wt her fcharp knyuez,
Haled hem by a lyttel hole, to haue hole fydes ;
Sipen britned pay þe breft, & brayden hit i twyne,
& eft at þe gargulu bigynez on þēne,
Ryuez hit vp radly, ry3t to be byzt
Voydez out þe a-vanters, & v'ayly þaft'
Alle be rymez by þe rybbez radly pay lance;
So ryde pay of by refoŭ bi þe rygge bonez,
Euenden to be haunche, þat henged alle famen,
& heuen hit vp al hole, & hwen hit of þere,
& þat þay neme for þe noubles, bi nome as I trowe,
Bope þe hede & pe hals pay hwen of pene,
& fypen funder þay be fydez fwyft fro be chyne,
& þe corbeles fee pay kest i a greue;
pen þurled pay ayþer þik fide þurz, bi þe rybbe,
& henged pene ap bi hozes of þe fourchez,
Vche freke for his fee, as fallez forto haue.
Vpon a felle of þe fayre best fede þay þayr hoūdes,
Wyth be lyu' & þe lyztez, þe leper of þe paunchez,
& bred baped i blod, blende þer amōgez;
Baldely pay blw prys, bayed payr rachchez,
Sypen fonge pay her flesche folden to home,
Strakande ful stoutly mony stif motez.
Bi þat þe dayly3t watz done, þe douthe watz al wonen
i to be comly caftel, þer þe knyzt bidez,
Wyth blys & bryzt fyr bette,
pe lord is comen þ tylle,
When Gawayn wyth hy mette,
per watz bot wele at wylle.
[fol. 109b.] Thene comauded pe lorde i pt fale to famen alle pe meny, Bope be ladyes on logħ to lyzt, wt her burdes,
Bi-fore alle pe folk on þe flette, frekez he beddez
V'ayly his venyfou to fech hy byforne;
& al godly i gomen Gawayn' he called,
Techez hy to be tayles of ful tayt beftes,
Schewe; hy þe schyrer grete schorne vpon rybbes.-
"How payez yow pis play? haf I prys wōnen?
Haue I pryuandely ponk þurz my craft ferued?”
"3e, I wyffe," q þat op wyze, "here is wayth fayrest
þat I fez þis feuen zere, i fefou of wynt"."
" & al I gif yow, Gawayn," q pe gome bene,
"For by a-corde of couenaut ze craue hit as yo awen.'
pis is foth," q pe fegge, "I fay yow þat ilke,
& I haf worthyly pis wonez wyth ine,
I wyffe wt as god wylle hit worþez to 30°ez.”
He hasppez his fayre hals his armez wyth ine,
& kyffes hy as comlyly as he' coupe awyse,—
"Tas yow pere my cheuicaūce, I cheued no more,
I wowche hit faf fynly, þaz feler hit were."
"Hit is god," q þe god mon, "gnt m'cy p'fore,
Hit may be fuch, hit is pe bett', & ze me breue wolde
Where 3e wan þis ilk wele, bi wytte of hor* feluen ?
Pat watz not forward," q he, "frayst me no more,
зе haf tan þat yow tydez, trawe ze non op
pay lazed, & made hem blype,
Wyth lotez þat were to lowe,
To foper pay 3ede affwype,
Wyth dayntes nwe i nowe.
And fypen by e chymne i chamber þay seten,
Wyzez þe walle wyn wezed to hem oft,
2 A word seems here to be wanting.
& efte i her bourdyg þay baypen i þe morn,
To fylle pe fame forwardez þat þay by-fore maden,
þat chauce fo by-tydez hol cheuyfauce to chauge,
What nwez fo pay nome, at nazt quen þay mette.
pay acorded of þe couenautez byfore þe cot alle ;
[fol. 110.] De beuerage watz brozt forth i bourde at þat tyme;
pene pay louelych lezten leue at þe last,
Vche burne to his bedde bufked bylyue.
Bi þat þe coke hade crowe;' & cakled bot þryse,
pe lorde watz lopen of his bedde, pe leudez vch one,
So þat þe mete & pe maffe wat3 metely delyu'ed;
Þe douthe dressed to be wod, er any day sprenged,
Hez wt hüte & hornez,
purz playnez þay paffe i space,
Vn-coupled amōg þo pornez,
Rachez þat ran on race.
Sone pay calle of a queft i aker fyde,
þe hūt re-hayted pe hoūdez, þat hit fyrst myged,
Wylde wordez hy warp wyth a wraft noyce;
pe howndez þat hit herde, hastid þider fwype,
& fellen as faft to be fuyt, fourty at ones;
pēne fuch a glau'ande glam of gedered rachchez
Ros, þat þe rocherez rūgen aboute;
Hüterez hem hardened wt horne & wyth muthe.
pē al i a semble fweyed to-geder,
Bitwene a flosche i þat fryth, & a foo cragge;
In a knot, bi a clyffe, at þe kerre syde,
Þ9 as pe rogh rocher vn-rydely watz fallen,
pay ferden to be fyndyg, & frekez hem aft ;
pay vmbe-kesten þe knarre & pe knot bope,
Wyze3, whyl þay wysten wel wyt īne he hit were,
þe best þat þer breued watz wyth þe blod-hoūdez.
pēne pay beten on þe bufkez, & bede hy vp ryfe,
& he vnfoūdyly out fozt, feggez ou? þwert,
On þe fellokest fwyn fwenged out þere,
Long fythen for þe fouder þat wizt for olde,
For he watz b... & bor alper grattest,
ere quen he gronyed, þēne greued mony,
t þe fyrst þraft he pryzt to be erpe,
& fped. forth good sped, boute spyt more,
And pay halowed hygħ ful hyze, & hay! hay ! cryed, [fol. 110b.] Haden hornez to mouþe heterly rechated;
Mony watz be myry mouthe of men & of houdez,
þat buskkez aft' pis bor, wt boft & wyth noyse,
Ful oft he bydez pe baye,
& maymez pe mute în melle,
He hurtez of þe houdez, & pay
Ful 30merly 3aule & zelle.
Schalke; to schote at hy schowen to pene,
Haled to hym of her arewez, hitten hym oft;
Bot þe poytez payred at þe pyth pt pyzt i his scheldez,
& pe barbez of his browe bite non wolde,
paz þe schauen fchaft schyndered i pecez,
pe hede hypped azayn, were fo eu? hit hitte;
The MS. is here in several lines illegible.
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