Bope þe hede & þe hals þay hwen of þēne,
& fypen funder pay þe fydez fwyft fro pe chyne,
& þe corbeles fee þay kest i a greue ;

pen þurled pay ayþer þik fide þurz, bi þe rybbe,
& henged pene ap bi hozes of pe fourchez,
Vche freke for his fee, as fallez forto haue.
Vpon a felle of þe fayre best fede þay þayr hoūdes,
Wyth be lyu' & pe lyztez, þe leper of þe paunchez,
& bred baped i blod, blende per amōge;;
Baldely pay blw prys, bayed þayr rachchez,

Sypen fonge pay her flesche folden to home,

Strakande ful stoutly mony stif motez.

Bi þat þe daylyst watz done, pe douthe watz al wonen

i to be comly caftel, þer þe knyzt bidez,

Wyth blys & bryzt fyr bette,

pe lord is comen þ9 tylle,

When Gawayn wyth hy mette,

per watz bot wele at wylle.

X.

|| ful ftille;

[fol. 109b.] Thēne comauded þe lorde i þt fale to famen alle þe meny, Bobe þe ladyes on logħ to lyzt, wt her burdes,

Bi-fore alle be folk on þe flette, freke; he beddez

V'ayly his venyfou to fech hy byforne;

1855

1360

1370

1375

& al godly i gomen Gawayn' he called,

Techez hy to be tayles of ful tayt bestes,

Schewe; hy be schyrer grete schorne vpon rybbes."How payez yow his play? haf I prys wōnen? Haue I pryuandely ponk þur3 my craft ferued?"

3e, I wyffe," q þat op wyze, "here is wayth fayrest þat I fez þis feuen zere, i fefoù of wynt?."

" & al I gif yow, Gawayn," q þe gome þēne,

"For by a-corde of couenaut ze craue hit as yo awen.”

pis is foth," q þe segge, “I say yow þat ilke,

2

& I haf worthyly þis wonez wyth ine,

I wyffe wt as god wylle hit worpez to 30°ez."
He hafppez his fayre hals his armez wyth ine,
& kyffes hy as comlyly as he' coupe awyfe,-
"Tas yow þere my cheuicauce, 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 be bett, & ze me breue wolde
Where ze wan þis ilk wele, bi wytte of hor* feluen ? "
Pat watz not forward," q he, "frayft me no more,
For ze haf tan þat yow tydez, trawe ze non op

зе

pay lazed, & made hem blype,

Wyth lotez þat were to lowe,
To foper pay 3ede affwype,
Wyth dayntes nwe i nowe.

1380

1385

1390

|| 3e mowe."

1400

XI.

And fypen by e chymne i chamber þay seten,

Wyzez þe walle wyn wezed to hem oft,

1 Gaway, MS.

ho, MS.

2 A word seems here to be wanting.

4

✦ your?

& efte i her bourdyg þay baypen i þe morn,
To fylle pe fame forwardez þat þay by-fore maden,
þat chaūce fo by-tydez hol cheuyfauce to chauge,
What nwez fo pay nome, at nazt quen pay mette.
pay acorded of pe couenautez byfore þe cot alle ;
[fol. 110.] Pe beuerage watz brozt forth i bourde at þat tyme ;
pēne pay louelych lezten leue at þe last,
Vche burne to his bedde busked bylyue.

Bi þat þe coke hade crowez1 & cakled bot þryse,
pe lorde watz lopen of his bedde, þe leudez vch one,
So þat þe mete & pe maffe wat3 metely delyu'ed;
pe douthe dressed to be wod, er any day sprenged,
Hez wt hute & hornez,

purz playnez þay paffe i space,

Vn-coupled amōg þo pornez,
Rachez þat ran on race.

1405

1410

to chace ;

1420

XII.

Sone pay calle of a queft i aker syde,

pe hūt re-hayted pe hoūdez, þat hit fyrst mỹged,
Wylde wordez hy warp wyth a wraft noyce;
pe howndez þat hit herde, hastid þider fwype,
& fellen as fast to be fuyt, fourty at ones;
pēne fuch a glau'ande glam of gedered rachchez
Ros, þat þe rocherez rugen aboute;
Hüterez hem hardened wt horne & wyth muthe.
þē 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 fyde,

1 crowed?

1425

1430

;

Þ9 as pe rogh rocher vn-rydely watz fallen,
þay ferden to þe fyndyg, & freke; hem aft? ;
pay vmbe-kesten þe knarre & pe knot bope,
Wyzez, whyl þay wyften wel wyt ine 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, seggez ou þwert,
On þe fellokeft fwyn fwenged out þere,
Long fythen for pe fouder þat wizt for olde,

For he watz b... & bor alþer grattest,

1

....

. . ere quen he gronyed, þēne greued mony, For . t þe fyrst þraft he pryzt to pe erpe, & fped forth good fped, boute spyt more, And þay halowed hygħ ful hyze, & hay ! hay ! cryed, [fol. 110b.] Haden hornez to mouþe heterly rechated;

...

Mony watz þe myry mouthe of men & of houdez,
þat buskkez aft" pis bor, wt boft & wyth noyse,
Ful oft he bydez pe baye,

& maymez þe mute in melle,

He hurtez of þe houdez, & þay

Ful 30merly 3aule & zelle.

XIII.

Schalke3 to schote at hy schowen to pene,

Haled to hym of her arewe3, hitten hym oft;

||to quelle ;

Bot þe poytez payred at þe pyth pt pyzt i his scheldez,

& þe barbez of his browe bite non wolde,

Þaz þe schauen fchaft schyndered i pecez,

pe hede hypped azayn, were so eu? hit hitte;

1 The MS. is here in several lines illegible.

1435

1440

1445

1450

1455

Bot quen þe dyntez hy dered of her dryze arwez,
pen brayn-wod for bate on burnez he rafez,
Hurtez hem ful heterly per he forth hyzez,
& mony arzed perat, & on lyte drozen.

Bot be lorde on a lyzt horce laūces hym aft',

As burne bolde vpon bent his bugle he blowe},

1

He rechated, & r. . .' þurz rouez ful þyk,

Suande pis wylde fwyn, til þe fune schafted.

pis day wyth þis ilk dede þay dryuen on þis wyfe,
Whyle oure luflych lede lys i his bedde,

Gawayn, grypely at home, i gerez ful ryche.

pe lady no3t forzate,

Com to hy to falue,

Ful erly ho watz hy ate,

|| of hewe;

1460

1465

His mode forto remwe.

XIV.

1475

Ho comes to be cortyn, & at þe knyzt totes,
& Wawen her welcued worby on fyrst,
& ho hy zeldez azayn, ful zerne of hir wordez,
Settez hir fofly by his fyde, & fwyþely ho lazez,
& wyth a luflych loke ho fayde hy þese wordez :
"f, 3if ze be Wawen, wonder me þynkkez,

Wyze þat is fo wel wraft alway to god,

& connez not of compaynye be coftez vnder-take,

fol. 111-] & if mon kēnes yow hom to knowe, ze keft hom of yo" myde; bu hatz for-zeten zederly pat zift'day I taztte

Bi alder truest token of talk þat I cowpe."

"What is pat?"q be wygħ, "I wyffe I wot neu',

1 rydes ? rode?

1480

1485