To 'paire triftis he þam taughte, who pt righte" trowes,

'Ilke a lorde, wt owttyn lett,

At his trifte was he sett1,

Wt bowe and wt barcelett,

Vndir pofe1 bewes.

15

IV.

Vndir pose' bewes þay bade, pose beryns so bolde,
To bekire at 'pose barrayne2, in bankis so bare;

[fol. 151b.] Thay kefte of paire' copitts, in clyffes so calde;

5

'Thay recomforthed paire' kenettis, to 'kele pam3 of care;
pare myghte 'hirdmeñ, hendely forfothte, herdis by-halde,
Herkyn huntynge 'wt hornnes', in holtis so hare;

pay 'fellede dowñes be femmats, full thikke folde,

Wt fresche hundis, and fette, 'felonofly pay' fare.

'pay questede", and quellys,

By" frythis and fellis,

'& darkys and darys".

'pat pe dere dwellys",

V.

40

45

'Atte darkis' the dere, 'and to down schowys,
And, for pe dowte* of pe dede' drowpys the daa,

And by pe ftremys so ftrange, þat fwyftly swoghes",

12 here triftres he hem tau3t, ho pe trouth. 13 Eche. 14 To añ oke he hem fette.

pay wery be wilde fwyne, and 'wyrkkis þam waa';
'Thay hunte, and halowes, in holttis and hillys,
'And titt þaire rifte, raches relyes on paire raye';

10

Thay gafe no gameñ, 'no grythe", pt one grownde growes,
Grete hundis" [in the greues"] futt" gladly 'gañ gaa".

14

Thus thies gomes þay ga, in grevys so grene,

'And boldly blawes rechayse",

Swylk" folauce to fene.

VI.

50

Thus' wt folauce pay femelede', the prowdeste in patte,

And few to be foueraygne, 'in cleues fo clene*;
Nane' bot f Gawane, the gayeste of alle,
By-leuys wt dame Gayno" in 'pofe greues' grene;
Vndir a lorrere 'scho layeR, þat lady so smatte,
Off boxe, and of barborañe", byggyde futt bene;
Faste by-fore vndrone", this ferly guñ" falle,
And this mekitt mervette, þat I of" mene.
Now with 1s I of this mervette meen, 3if I mote ;-

The daye waxe als dirke,

Als" it were mydnyghte myrke ;- And lyghte one his fote.
Ther of 'f Gawane" was irke,

7 worchen he wo. The huntes pei halowe, in hurftes and huwes. 9 And bluwe

rechas, ryally pei ran to the ro.

blowe rechas.

11 Om.

12 pe grete gre[u]ndes. 16 So gladly pei goñ. 17 The king

10 to no.

13 Supplied from MS. D. 14 fo.

18 folowed.

15 pei go. 19 pt.

VII.

Thus one' fote are pay 'lyghte, pofe' frekis vn-fayne,
And 'fledde faste to the foreste, and to pe fawe3 fellis ;
Thay rañe faste to the roches, for reddoure of pe rayñeo,
For be 'flete, and pe snawe, þat snayppede þam so fnette';
Thare come a 'lowe one the loughe, i lede es noghteR to layne,
In the lyknes of Lucyfere, layeth este in hette;
And glyddis to 'dame Gaynoure' the gatis full10
'3ollande 3amyrly", with many lowde zette".
'It zellede, it 3amede, with vengeance futt" wete;
And saide, 'ofte syghande full" sare,-
"I ame" the body 'bt be bare,

14

[fol. 155.] Allas! now kyndyls my kare,

VIII.

gayne,

I gloppyn" and I grete!"

Thane gloppenyde, and grett, dame' Gaynoure the gay,
And askede f Gawayne, whatt 'was his beste' rede?
"It es' the clippes of the mone', I herde a clerke saye ;"—
And thus he comforthede pe qwene, wt his knyghtehede.-
"Sir Cadore, `Sir Caduke, Sir Coftarde, Sir Kaye,
Thir' knyghtis are" vn-curtayse, by crose, & by crede!
That thus 'me hase lefte in this erthe, at my dede" daye,

VII.-1 to. 2 faren pes. 3 fleen fro. 4 Om. 5 fewe. 6 This line and line 6

are omitted in MS. D. 'fneterand fnawe fnartly hem fnelles.

• lede of pe lawe,

in londe is not. 9 Syr Gawayñ. 10 to. 11 3auland, and 30merand. 12 3elles. 19 Hit 15 bañ.

zaules, hit zamers, wt waymynges.

ar. 5 foñ.

14 with fiking.

16 me. 17 gloppe.

7 for.

6 confortes. 11 oonly haue me laft on my depe.

With the gryfelyeste gaste, þat eu? herde I grete" !"—

"'At this" gafte," quod 'f Gaweayne", "greue 3owe no more;

Bare was hir' body, and blake to the bone,
Alle by-claggede in claye, `vn-comlyly clede;
It 'weryit, it wayemettede, lyke' a womañ,

'pat now one hede, ne on hare, hillynge' it hade;
It ftottyde', it stoũnede, it stode alsR a ftane,
It marrede, it 'monede, it moyffed' for made.
'Vn to pat" gryfely gafte f Gaweayne es gane;

10

13

He raykede 'to it one' a rase, for he was neu' rade".
'For rade" was he neu', 'nowe who pts ryghte redys ;-
One pe chefe of pe chofte",

14

A 'tade pykit one hir' potte,

Hir eghne ware" holkede futt hotte,

X.

'Glowand als" gledis.

Alte glowede 'als gledis' the gaste, 'whare scho glydis, 'Vmbyclede in' a clowde, 'wt clethynge* vn-clere ;

3 waried, hit wayment, as.

as. 7 memered, hit mufed.
8 Agayn þe.
13 ho fo. 14 clolle. 15 pade pikes on pe.

X.-1 as a glede. 2 pere ho.

› Vmbe-clipped hi wt.

4 of cleyng.

Cerkelytt' with serpentes, 'pat satt by hir" sydes ;

To tette be dedis' þer one, my tonge were to tere.

The 'beryn brawndeche owte his brande, and the body bydis,
There fore pat cheualrous knyghte 'thoghte it" no chere;

10

The hundes 'are to hillys", & 'paire hedes" hydes,

For pat" gryfely gafte made so '5 gryme bere.

16

The grete grewhundes were agayfte, 'for þat" grym bere ;
The birdes on" the bewes,

þat one 'that gafte gewes",

That 'hedows when pay" here.

Thay clyme" in the clewes",

XI.

110

'Who þat myghte þat hedows see, hendeste in' hautte,
How 'hir chotte chatirede, hyr chaftis, and hir2 chyne;

119

Thane coniurede 'hir þat' knyghte, and one Crifte guñ3 he catte,— "Alts pou was crucyfyede one croyfe, to 'faue vs fra' syñ, 'Thou fpirette, saye me the fothe, whedir þat' pou salt, And whi þat þou walkes 10 thies wayes, thies" woddis, wt inñ?”“I was of fegure, and 'of flesche, the" fayereste of atte, Criftenede, and kryfõmede", with kynges in my kyñ. [fol. 155b.] I hafe kynges in my kyñ, knaweñ 'kyde full" kene;God hafe 'sent me this " grace,

15

XI.

↑ Om.

125

To fpeke with 30ure qwêne.

9 burne braides out pe.
13 here hede. 14 pe. 15 a.
16 of pe.
20 fkowes. 21 hapeles may.

૩

Hapelefe mi3t here so fer into. 2 chatered pe cholle, pe chalus on pe. 3 pe.

5 coñ. 6 As. 7 clanfe vs of. 8 That pu fei. 9 Om. 10 Walkeft. 11 þe.

14 for. In MS. L. first written "for kyde," but afterwards

12 face.
13 knowen.
"for" crossed out and “full' kene" added.

15 me geven of his. 16 I am comen in

pis cace.