Smal fendal bisides, a selure hir ou?

Of tryed Tolouse, of Tars tapites ī nogħi,

þat were enbrawded & beten wyth þe best gemes,
þat myzt be preued of prys wyth penyes to bye,
be comlokeft to discrye,

per glent wt yzen gray,

A femloker þat eu? he fyze,

Soth mozt no mon say.

V.

Bot Arthure wolde not ete til al were ferued,

He watz fo joly of his joyfnes, & fù quat child gered,
His lif liked hy lyzt, he louied þe lasse

Aup to lenge lye, or to longe fitte,

So bified him his 3onge blod & his brayn wylde;

& also anop9 maner meued hi eke,

Pat he purz nobelay had nomen, he wolde neu' ete

Vpon fuch a dere day, er hy deuifed were
Of fū auentur, þyg an vncoupe tale,
Of fu mayn m'uayle, þat he my3t trawe,
Of1 alderes, of armes, of op auentur,
Op9 fù fegg hy bi-fozt of fu fiker knyzt,

To joyne wyth hy i iuftyg in joparde to lay,

Lede lif for lyf, leue vchon op,

As fortune wolde fulfù hō þe fayrer to haue.

pis watz [the] kýges coûtenaūce where he i cot were,
At vch farand fest amōg his fre meny,

per fore of face fo fere,

[fol. 92b.] He ftiztlez stif i stalle,

1 Of of, MS.

H

90

95

in halle;

Thus p' ftondes i ftale pe ftif kýg his feluen,
Talkkande bifore be hyze table of trifles ful hende;
There gode Gawan watz gyped, Gwenore bifyde,
& Aguayn a la dure mayn on þat op fyde fittes,
Bope pe kýges fift? fues, & ful fiker kniztes;
Bifchop Bawdewyn abof bi-gine; þe table,
& Ywan, Vryn fon, ette wit hyfeluen ;
pife were dizt on pe des, & derworply ferued,
& fipen mony fiker fegge at þe fidbordez.
pē þe first cors come with crakkýg of trūpes,
Wyth mony baner ful bryzt, þat þer bi henged,
Nwe nakryn noyfe wt þe noble pipes,
Wylde werbles & wy3t wakned lote,

þat mony hert ful hize hef at her towches;
Dayntes dryuen þer wyth of ful dere metes,
Foyfou of þe fresche, & on fo fele disches,
þat pine to fynde pe place pe peple bi-forne
For to fette pe fyluen?, þat fere fewes halden,
Iche lede as he loued hy felue

105

110

115

120

on clothe;

125

per laght wt outen lope,

Ay two had disches twelue,

Good ber, & bryzt wyn bobe.

VII.

Now wyl I of hor feruife fay yow no more,
For vch wyze may wel wit no wont þat þ3 were,

130

An op9 noyse ful newe nezed biliue,

þat þe lude my3t haf leue liflode to cach. For vneþe watz be noyce not awhyle fefed, & þe fyrft coce i be co't kyndely ferued, per hales i at þe halle dor an aghlich mayft, On þe most on þe molde on mesure hygħ; Fro pe fwyre to be fwange fo fware & fo þik, & his lyndes & his lymes fo longe & fo grete, [fol. 93.] Half etayn i erde I hope þat he were. Bot mon most I algate myn hy to bene, & þat þe myrieft i his muckel þat myzt ride; For of bak & of breft al were his bodi fturne, Bot his wombe & his waft were worthily fmale, & alle his fetures folzande, i forme þat he hade, For wonder of his hwe me hade,

Set i his femblaut fene;

He ferde as freke were fade,

& ou al enker grene.

VIII.

Ande al grayped i grene pis gome & his wedes,
A ftrayt cote ful ftrezt, þat ftek on his fides,

150

A mere mantile abof, mensked wt ine,

Wt pelure pured apert þe pane ful clene,

Wt blybe blaun? ful bryzt, & his hod bope,

155

þat watz lazt fro his lokkez, & layde on his fchulderes ;

Heme wel haled hofe of þat fame grene,

þat spenet on his fparlyr, & clene fpures vnder,

Of bryst golde, vpon filk bordes, barred ful ryche,

& fcholes vnder fchankes, pere pe fchalk rides ;

160

& alle his vefture uerayly watz clene v'dure,

Bope pe barres of his belt & op blype ftones,
pt were richely rayled i his aray clene,
Aboutte hy felf & his fadel, vpon filk werkez,
Pat were to tor for to telle of tryfles þe halue,
Þat were enbrauded abof, wyth bryddes & flyzes,
With gay gaudi of grene, pe golde ay i myddes ;
pe pendaūtes of his payttrure, be proude cropure,
His molaynes, & alle pe metail anamayld was þēne,
pe steropes þat he stod on, stayned of þe fame,
& his arfoūz al after, & his aþel sturtes,
Pat euer glemed & glent al of grene stones.
pe fole þat he ferkkes on, fyn of þat ilke,

A grene hors gret & pikke,

A stede ful stif to strayne,

i brawden brydel quik,

[fol. 93b.] To be gome he wat3 ful gayn.

|| fertayn ;

165

170

175

IX.

Wel gay wat; þis gome gered i grene,
& be here of his hed of his hors fwete;

Fayre fannand fax vmbe-foldes his fchulderes ;

1

A much berd as a bufk ou? his breft henges,
pat wyth his hizlich here, þat of his hed reches,
Watz enefed al vmbe-torne, a-bof his elbowes,

150

pat half his armes per vnder were halched i þe wyfe

185

Of a kýgez capados, þat clofes his fwyre.

pe mane of þat mayn hors much to hit lyke,
Wel crefped & cemed wyth knottes ful mony,
Folden i wyth fildore aboute pe fayre grene,

1as as, MS.

C

Ay a herle of þe here, an op of golde;

pe tayl & his toppyg twynen of a fute,

& bouden bope wyth a bande of a bryzt grene,
Dubbed wyth ful dere stonez, as þe dok lasted,
Sypen þrawen wyth a þwong a þwarle knot alofte,
per mony bellez ful bryzt of brende golde rungen.
Such a fole vpon folde, ne freke þat hy rydes,
Watz neu' fene i þat fale wyth fyzt er þat tyme,
He loked as layt so lyzt,

So fayd al þat hý fyze,
Hit femed as no mon my3t,

Vnd his dynttez dryze.

|| wt yze;

[fol. 94.]

X.

Whep hade he no helme ne hawbrgh naup,
Ne no pyfan, ne no plate þat pented to armes,

Ne no schafte, ne no schelde, to schwne ne to fmyte,
Bot i his on honde he hade a holyn bobbe,
Þat is grattest i grene, when greuez ar bare,
& an ax i his op', a hoge & vn-mete,
A fpetos fparbe to expoù i fpelle quo fo myzt;
pe hede of an elnzerde þe large lenkþe hade,
pe grayn al of grene ftele & of golde hewen,
Þe bit burnyft bryzt, wt a brod egge,
As wel fchapen to schere as fcharp rafores;
pe stele of a stif ftaf þe sturne hit bi-grypte,
Pat watz waūden wyth yrn to þe wandez ende,
& al bigrauen wt grene, i gcōs werkes;
A lace lapped aboute, þat louked at þe hede,
& fo aft' be halme halched ful ofte,
Wyth tryed taffelez perto tacched i nogħe,

190

195

200

205

210

215