Fitt II (Stanzas XXI–XXXVIII)

" HOW schalle we fare," quod Gauan, " that foundus to these fiȝtus,
And defoules these folk, in fele kynȝ-us londus ;
Riche remus orerennus, agaynes the ryȝtus,
Wynnes wurschip, and wele, throghe wyȝtenes of hondus ?"
Scho sayd, " ȝaure king is to couetus, and his kene knyȝtus,
Ther may no strenȝthe him stir, quen the quele stondus ;
Quen he is in his mageste, most in his myȝtus,
Then schalle he liȝte fulle lau, bi the see sondus.
Thus ȝour chiualreis kynge, chefe schalle a chaunse;
Felles fortune in fyȝte,
That wundurfulle quele-wryȝte,
That lau wille lordis gere liȝte,
Take wittenesse be Fraunse !

For Fraunse haue ȝe frely with ȝaure fiȝte wonnen,
Frol, and his Farnet, ful fery haue ȝe leuyt ;
Bretan, and Burgoyn, is bothe in ȝour bandum;
And alle the Duseperis of Fraunse with ȝour dyn deuyt.
Now may Gian grete, that euyr hit was begonun,
Ther is noȝte lede on leue, in that lond leuet.
ȝette schalle the riche Romans be with ȝou aure-runnun,
And atte the Rountabulle, the rentus schalle be reuet,
Hit schalle be tynte, as I troue, and timburt with tene.
Gete the wele, Sir Gauan,
Turne the to Tuscan,
Or lese schalle ȝe Bretan,
Thruȝe a knyȝte kene !

A knyȝte schalle kenely croyse the croune,
And at Carlit be crounet for king,
That segge schalle ensese him, atte a session ;
Mykille barette, and bale, to Bretan schalle bring ;
ȝe schalle be told in Tuskan, of that tresun,
And be turnut a-gaynne with that tithing;
Ther schalle the Rountabulle lese the renowun,
Be-syde Ramsay the riche, atte a ryding ;
In Desesde schalle dee the duȝty of alle.
Gete the wele, Syr Gauan,
The baldest of Bretan !
For in a slac thou schalle be slayn,
Seche ferles schyn falle !

Seche ferles schalle [falle] with-outen any fabull,
Opon Corneuayle cost, with knyȝtus fulle kene ;
Ther Arthore auenant, onest, and abulle,
Schalle be woundut, i-wis, wothelik I-wene ;
Alle the rialle route of the Rountabulle
Thay schalle dee that day, tho duȝti be-dene !
Sussprisut with a subiecte, that bere schalle of sabulle,
With a sauter engralet, of siluer so schene ;
He berus hit of sabulle, quo sotheli wille saye ;
In Kyng Arther's halle,
The child playes atte the balle,
That outray schalle ȝou alle,
Derfly that daye !

Ho sayd, " Haue gode day, Syr Gauan, and Gaynour the gode !
I have no lengur tyme ȝou tithinges to telle,
For I mun walke on my way, throȝe-oute ȝondurwud,
For in my wunnyng place is wo for to welle.
For him that ryȝtewis rest, and rose on the rode,
Thenke quat dounger, and dele, that I inne duelle ;
Funde to grete my saule with sum of thi gode,
And myn me with massus, and matyns i-mele.
For massus ar medesins for us in bales bides ;
Vs thing a masse als squete,
As any spyce that euyr thou ete." -
Thus with a grysliche grete,
The gost a-way glidus.

Noue with a griseliche grete, the gost away glidus,
And a sore gronyng, with a grym here ;
The wynd and the welkyn, the wethur in that tide,
The cloude vnclosut, the sune wex clere.
The kynge his bugul con blau, opon the bent bides,
His fayre folke on the fuilde, they flocken in fere,
And alle the rial route to the quene ridus ;
Meles to hur mildely, opon thayre manere ;
Tho wees of the wederinges forwondret thay were ;
Princys, pruddust in palle,
Gay Gaynoure and alle,
Thay wente to Rondalle-sete halle,
Vn-to thayre sopere.

Quen he to sopere was sette, and seruut in his sale,
Vndur a seler of sylke, with dayntethis diȝte ;
With alle welthis to wille, and wynus to wale,
Briddes bacun in bred, on brent gold bryȝte,
So come in a seteler, with a symbale,
A lufsum lady ledand a knyȝte ;
Ridus to the he dese, be-fore the rialle,
And hailsutte King Arthore hindely on heȝte ;
Sayd to the soueran, wlonkest in wede,
" Thou mon, makeles of myȝt,
This is a nayre, and a knyȝt,
Thou do him resun and ryȝte,
For thi mon-hed."

Monli in his mantille he sate atte his mete,
With palle puret in poon, was prudliche piȝte,
Trowlt with trulufes and tranest be-tuene,
The tassellus were of topeus, that was ther-to tiȝte ;
He glysset up with his ene, that gray were and grete,
With his beueren herd, opon the birne bryȝte ;
He was the semelist soueran on sittand in his sete,
That euyr segge hade soȝte, or seen him syȝte.
Thenne oure comeliche King carpus hur tille,
And sayd, " Thou wurlych wiȝt,
Liȝte, and leng alle nyȝt,
Quethun is that ay re and that knyȝt,
And hit were thi wille ȝ"

Ho wos the wurliche wiȝte, that any wee wold ;
Hir gide that was glorius, was of a gresse-grene ;
Her belte was of blenket, with briddus ful bold,
Beten with besandus, and bocult ful bene :
Her fax in fyne perre, was frettut and fold,
Her countur-felit and hur kelle were colurt ful clene,
With a croune cumly, was clure to be-hold ;
Hur kerchefes were curiouse, with mony a proud prene ;
Hur enparel was a-praysut, with princes of myȝte ;
Bryȝte birdus and bold,
Hade i-nuȝhe to be-hold,
Of that freli to fold,
And the kene knyȝte.

Than the knyȝte in his colurs was armit ful clene,
With a crest comely, was clure to be-hold,
His brene, and his basnet was busket ful bene,
With a bordur a-boute, alle of brent gold :
His mayles were mylke quyte, enclawet full clene,
His stede trapput with that ilke, os true men me told ;
With a schild on his shildur, of siluer so schene,
With bore-hedis of blakke, and brees full bold ;
His stede with sandelle of Trise was trapput to the hele.
Opon his cheueronne be-forn,
Stode as a vnicorn,
Als scharpe as a thorn,
An nanlas of stele.

In stele was he stuffut, that sterne on his stede,
With his sternes of gold, stanseld on stray ;
His gloues and his gamesuns gloet as the gledes,
A-rayet aure with rebans, rychist of raye ;
With his schene schinbandes, scharpest in schredus.
His polans with his pelidoddes were poudert to pay,
Thus launce opon lofte that louely he ledus ;
A fauyn on a fresun him folut, in fay,
The freson was afrayet, and ferd of that fare ;
For he was syldun wunte to se
A tablet flourre ;
Seche game, and siche glee,
Seȝhe he neuyr are.

Then the king carput him tille, on hereand horn alle,
" Qwethun art thou, wurliche we, and hit were thi wille ?
Tell me quethun thou come, and quethir thou schalle,
Quy thou stedis in that stid, and stondus so stille ?"
Then he auaylet vppe his viserne fro his ventalle,
With a knyȝteliche countenaunse, he carpes him tille;
Sayd, " Quethir thou be Cayselle or Kyng, here I the be-calle,
For to fynde me a freke to feȝte on my fille ;
For feȝting thus am I fraest and foundut fro home."
Then speke the kynge opon heȝte,
Sayd, " Liȝte, and leng alle nyȝte ;
As thou art curtase knyȝte,
Thou telle me thi name."

He sayd, " My nome is Syr Galrun, with-outen any gile,
The grattus of Galway, of greuys and of gillus ;
Of Carrake, of Cummake, of Conyngame, of Kile,
Of Lonwik, of Lannax, of Laudoune hillus ;
That thou hase wonun on werre with thi wrang wiles,
Gif hen horn to Syr Gauan, that my hert grillus ;
ȝette schalle thou wring thi hondus, and wary the quiles,
Or any we schild horn weld, atte my unnewilles ;
Atte my unnewilles, i-wis, he schalle horn neuyr weld.
Qwil I the hed may here,
With schild and with scharpe spere,
Butte he may wynne horn on were,
Opon a fayre fylde.

For in a fyld wille I feȝte, ther-to I make faythe,
With any freke opon fuld, that is fre born ;
To lose suche a lordschip, me wold thinke laythe,
And iche lede, opon lyue, wold laghe me to scorne."
"ȝe, we ar in wudlond," cothe the king, "and walkes on owre wayth,
For to hunte atte the herd, with houunde and with home ;
Gyf thou be gome gladdest, now haue we no graythe,
ȝet may thou be machet be mydday to morne ;
For-thi I rede, rathe mon, thou rest the all nyȝte."
Thenne Gauan, graythest of alle,
Lad him furthe thruȝhe the halle,
Vn-tylle a pauelun of palle
Was prudlyche i-pyȝte.

Hit was prudlyche y-piȝte, of purpure and palle,
With beddus brauderit o brode, and bankers y-dyȝte ;
Ther-inne was a schapelle, a chambur, and a halle,
A schimnay of charcole, to chaufen the knyȝte.
Thay halen vppe his stede, had him to stalle,
Hay hely thay hade in haches vn-hiȝte ;
Prayd vp with a burd, and clothes couthe calle,
With salers and sanapus, thay serue the knyȝte,
With troches and broches and stondartis bi-twene ;
For to serue the knyȝte,
And the wurliche wiȝte,
With ryche dayntethis dyȝte,
In syluyr so schene.

Thus in siluyr so schene, thay serue of the best,
With vernage, and verres, in coupus ful clene ;
With lucius drinkes, and metis of the best,
Ryche dayntes en-doret, in dysshes bi-dene.
As tyde as that rialle was rayket to his rest,
The kinge callut his councelle, the doȝti be-dene,
And bede, " Vmloke ȝe, lordinges, oure lose be notte lost,
Quo schalle countur with ȝondur knyȝte, cast ȝe bi-tuene."
Thenne sayd Syr Gauan, " Hit schalle vs noȝte greue ;
I wille countur with the knyȝte,
For to maynteine my ryȝte,
Ther-to my trothe y the plyȝte,
ȝe, Lord, with thi leve."

" I leue wele," quod the kinge, " thi lates ar lyȝte,
But I wold notte for no lordschip se thi life lorne ;"
" Lette go," cothe Sir Gauan, " God stond with the ryȝte !
For and he scapette scatheles, hit were a gret scorne."
And in the dayng of day ther doȝty were dyȝte,
Herd matyns [and] mas, myldelik on morun ;
In myd Plumtun Lone, hor paueluns were piȝte,
Quere neuyr frekes opon fulde hade foȝtun be forne.
Thay sette listes on lenthe, olong on the lawnde ;
Thre soppus of demayn,
Wos broȝte to Sir Gauan,
For to cumford his brayne,
The king gart cummaunde.

The kinge commawundet kindeli the Erie of Kente,
For his meculle curtasy, to kepe the tother knyȝte ;
And made him with dayntethis to dine in his tente,
And sythun this rialle men a-rayut horn o-ryȝte.
And aftur Quene Waynor warly thay wente,
And be-leues in hur warde, that wurlyche wiȝte ;
Sethin the hathels in hie, hor horses haue hente,
In mydde the lyste of the lawunde, the lordus doune liȝte :
Alle butte the stithest, in steroppus that stode ;
King Arther schayer was sette,
O-boue in his chaselette,
And thenne Dame Gaynour grette,
For Gauan the gode.