XIX.

There watz blawyg of prys i mony breme horne,
Heze halowig on hize, wt hapelez þat my3t;
Brachetes bayed þat best, as bidden þe mayst9ez,
Of þat chargeaūt chace þat were chef hūtes.
pēne a wyze þat watz wys vpon wod-craftez,
To vnlace pis bor lufly bigÿnez;

Fyrst he hewes of his hed, & on hize fettez,
& fyben rendez him al rogħ bi þe rygge after,
Braydez out þe boweles, brenez hō on glede,
With bred blent per wt his braches rewarde3;

Sypen he britnez out þe brawen, i bryzt brode cheldez,
& hatz out þe haftlettez, as hiztly bifemez;

& zet hem halchez al hole pe halue; to-geder,

& fypen on a stif stange ftoutly hem henges.
Now with his ilk fwyn þay fwengen to home;
pe bores hed watz borne bifore be burnes feluen,
þat hi for-ferde i þe forpe, þurz forse of his honde,
Til he fey f Gawayne,

I halle hy pozt ful longe,

He calde, & he com gayn,

His feez p for to fonge.

1605

1610

1615

so stronge;

1620

XX.

pe lorde ful lowde wt lote, & lazed myry, Whe he feze f G: wt folace he sperez;

pe goude ladye; were geten, & gedered þe meyny, He schewe; hem þe fcheldez, & schapes hem þe tale,

1625

Of pe largeffe, & pe lenpe, pe hy'nez' alse,
Of he were of þe wylde fwyn, i wod þer he fled.
pat op9 knyzt ful comly comended his dedez,

& prayfed hit as gret prys, þat he proued hade

For fuche a brawne of a best, þe bolde burne fayde,

Ne fuch fydes of a fwyn, fegh he neu' are.

pēne hondeled þay þe hoge hed, þe hende mō hit praysed,

[fol. 113.] & let lodly perat pe lorde forto here ;

Now Gawayn," q þe god mon, "þis gomen is yo" awen,

Bi fyn forwarde & fafte, faythely ze knowe."

Hit is fothe," q þe fegge, " & as siker trwe;

Alle my get I schal yow gif agayn, bi my trawþe."
He' pe hapel aboute pe halfe, & hendely hy kysses,
& eft? fones of þe fame he ferued hỹ þere.
"Now ar we euen," q þe hapel, “ī þis euen-tide,
Of alle pe couenautes þat we knyt, fypen I com hider,
pe lorde fayde, "bi faynt Gile,

ze ar þe best þat I knowe,

ze ben ryche i a whyle,

Such chaffer & ze drowe."

XXI.

pēne pay teldet tablez, treftes' alofte,
Keften clopez vpon clere lyzt þēne,
Wakned bi wozez waxen torches,

1630

1635

1640

|| bi lawe;"

1645

1650

Seggez fette, & ferued i fale al aboute;

Much glam & gle glent vp pine,

Aboute þe fyre vpon flet, & on fele wyse,

At þe foper & aft", mony apel fongez,

2

1hynez? A word is here deficient, perhaps hent or hasped. Cf. 1. 1388.

As coudutes of kryft-maffe, & carole; newe,

With alle pe man'ly m'pe pt mon may of telle.
& eu? oure luflych knyzt þe lady bi-fyde;
Such femblaut to pat fegge femly ho made,
Wyth stille stollen coūtenaūce, þat stalworth to plese,
Þat al for-wondered watz þe wyze, & wroth wt hy feluen,
Bot he nolde not for his nurture nurne hir a-zaynez,
Bot dalt wt hir al i daynte, how se eu? þe dede turned,
Quen þay hade played i halle,

As lange as hor wylle hom last,

To chambre he con hy calle,

& to be chemne pay past.

XXII.

Ande per pay dronken, & dalten, & demed eft nwe,
To norne on þe fame note, on nwezerez euen ;
Bot be knyzt craued leue to kayre on þe morn,
For hit watz nez at þe terme, þat he to fchulde.
fol. 113.] pe lorde hy letted of þat, to lenge hy refteyed,

;

& fayde, "as I am trwe fegge, I fwer my trawþe,
pu fchal cheue to be grene chapel, þy charres to make,
Leude, on nwzerez lyzt, longe bifore pryme;
For by pow lye i þy loft, & lach þyn ese,
& I fchal hut in pis holt, & halde pe towchez,
Chauge wyth þe cheuifaūce, bi þat I charre hider
For I haf fraysted þe twys, & faythful I fynde þe,
Now prid tyme prowe best þenk on þe morne,
Make we mery quyl we may, & myne vpon joye,
For be lur may mon lach, when fo mon lykez."
pis watz grayþely graūted, & Gawayn is lenged,
Blipe brozt wat3 hym drynk, & pay to bedde zeden,

1655

1660

to wraft;

wt lizt;

1665

1670

1675

1680

f G: lis & flepes,

Ful ftille & fofte al nizt;

pe lorde þat his craftes kepes,

Ful erly he watz dizt.

XXIII.

Aft' meffe a morfel he & his men token,

Miry watz þe mornýg, his moūture he askes;

Alle pe hapeles pat on horse schulde helden hy aft”,

Were bou busked on hor blonkkez, bi-fore' pe halle zatez;

Ferly fayre watz pe folde, for pe forst clenged,

1690

Í rede rudede vpon rak rises þe fūne,

& ful clere coftez pe clowdes of þe welkyn.

Hūteres vnhardeled bi a holt fyde,

Rocheres rougen bi rys, for rurde of her hornes;
Sume fel i þe fute, þer þe fox bade,

Traylez ofte a trayt9es, bi traūt of her wyles;

A kenet kryes þerof, þe hut on hy calles,
His felazes fallen hỹ to, þt fnasted ful þike,
Runen forth i a rabel, ī his ryzt fare;

& he fyfkez hem by-fore, þay fouden hy sone,
& quen þay fegħ hy wt fy3t, þay fued hy fast,
Wrezande hy ful weterly with a wroth noyse;

& he trantes & tornayee; þurz mony tene greue,
Hamlouez, & herkenez, bi hegge; ful ofte;

[fol. 114.] At pe last bi a littel dich he lepez ou a fpēne,
Stelez out ful stilly, bi a strothe raude,

2

Went haf wylt of þe wode, wt wylez fro pe hoūdes.
pēne watz he went, er he wyst, to a wale tryst',
per pre pro at a þrich þrat hy at ones,

1 bi-forere, MS.

||al graye;

2 to to, MS.

1695

1700

1705

1710

He blenched azayn bilyue,

& ftifly start on stray,

With alle be wo on lyue,

To be wod he went away.

1715

Thēne watz hit lif vpon

XXIV.

lift to lypen þe hoūdez,

When alle pe mute hade hy met, menged to-geder,
Suche a forze at þat fyzt þay fette on his hede,

As alle þe clamberande clyffes hade clated on hepes;
Here he watz halawed, when hapelez hy metten,
Loude he wat3 3ayned, wt zarande fpeche;
per he watz preted, & ofte þef called,

& ay be titleres at his tayl, þat tary he ne my3t;
Ofte he watz rūnen at, when he out rayked,
& ofte reled i azayn, so reniarde wat3 wyle.
& ze he lad hem bi lagmon, þe lorde & his meyny;
On pis man? bi pe moūtes, quyle myd, ou', vnder,
Whyle þe hende knyzt at home halfūly flepes,
With ine pe comly cortyes, on þe colde morne.
Bot be lady for luf let not to flepe,

Ne pe purpose to payre, þat pyzt i hir hert,
Bot ros hir vp radly, rayked hir þeder,
In a mery mantyle, mete to þe erpe,

pat watz furred ful fyne wt fellez wel pured,
No hwez goud on hir hede, bot þe hazer ftones
Trased aboute hir treffo", be twenty i clust'es ;
Hir þryuen face & hir prote prowen al naked,
Hir breft bare bifore, & bihinde eke.

1720

1725

1730

1735

1740

Ho comez wt ine pe chambre dore, & clofes hit hir aft",