Book III, lines 2471–2980

The long dirk pasag of the vinter, & the lycht
Of phebus comprochit with his mycht;
The which, ascending In his altitud,
Awodith saturñ with his stormys Rude;
The soft dew one fra the hewyne doune valis
Apone the erth, one hillis and on valis,
And throw the sobir & the mwst hwmouris
Vp nurisit ar the erbis, and in the flouris
Natur the erth of many diuerß hew
Our-fret, and cled with the tendir new.
The birdis may them hiding in the grawis
Wel frome the halk, that oft ther lyf berevis;
And scilla hie ascending in the ayre,
That euery vight may heryng hir declar
Of the sessone the passing lustynes.
This was the tyme that phebus gan hym dreß
In to the rame, and haith his courß bygown,
Or that the trewis and the ȝher vas Rown,
Which was y-set of galiot and the king
Of thar assemble, and of thar meting.
Arthur haith a xv dais before
Assemblit al his barnag and more
That weryng wnder his subieccioune,
Or louith hyme, or longith to his crown;
And haith his Iornay tone, withouten let,
On to the place the wich that was y-set,
Whar he hath found befor hyme mony o knycht
That cummyng war with al thar holl mycht,
Al enarmyt both with spere & scheld,
And ful of lugis plantith haith the feld,
Hyme In the wer for to support and serf
At al ther mycht, his thonk for to disserf.
And gawan, which was in the seking ȝhit
Of the gud knycht, of hyme haith got no wit,
Remembrith hyme apone the kingis day,
And to his falowis one this wys can say:
“To ȝhow is knowin the mater, in what wyß
How that the king hath with his ennemys
A certan day, that now comprochit nere,
And one to ws war hewynes to here
That he var in to perell or in to dreid,
And we away and he of ws haith neid;
For we but hyme no thing may eschef,
And he but ws in honore well may lef;
For, be he lost, we may no thing withstond,
Our-self, our honore we tyne, & ek our lond.
Tharfor, I red we pas on to the king,
Suppos our oth It hurt in to sum thing,
And in the feld with hyme for til endur,
Of lyf or deth and tak our aduentur.”
Thar-to thei ar consentit euerilkon,
And but dulay the have thar Iorney toñe.
When that the king them saw, in his entent
Was of thar com Right wonder well content;
For he preswmyt no thing that thei wold
Have cummyne, but one furth to yer seking hold.
And thus the kinghis ost assemblit has
Aȝane the tyme, aȝaine the day that vas
Y-statut and ordanit for to bee,
And euery thing hath set in the dogre.
And galiot, that haith no thing forȝhet
The termys quhich that he befor had set,
Assemblit has, apone his best maner,
His folk, and al his other thingis sere,
That to o weryour longith to prouid,
And is y-come apone the tothir syde.
Whar he befor was one than vas he two,
And al his vthir artilȝery also
He dowblith hath, that merwell was to señ;
And by the rewere lychtit one the greñ,
And stronghar thane ony wallit toune
His ost y-bout yclosit in Randoune.
Thus war thei cummyne apone ather syd
Be-for the tyme, them-self for to prowid.
Or that the trewis was complet & rwn,
Men mycht have sen one euery sid begwn
Many a fair and knychtly Iuperty
Of lusty men, and of ȝong chevalry,
Disyrus In to armys for to pruf;
Sum for wynyng, sum causith vas for luf,
Sum In to worschip to be exaltate,
Sum causit was of wordis he & hate,
That lykit not ydill for to ben;
A hundereth pair at onis one the gren.
Thir lusty folk thus can thar tyme dispend,
Whill that the trewis goith to the ende.
The trewis past, the day is cummyne onoñe,
One euery syd the can them to dispone;
And thai that war most sacret & most dere
To galiot, at hyme the can enquere,
“Who sal assemble one yhour syd to-morñe?
To-nycht the trewis to the end is worne.”
He ansuerit, “As yhit one to this were
I ame awysit I wil none armys bere,
Bot If It stond of more Necessitee;
Nor to the feld will pas, bot for to see
Yhone knycht, the which that berith sich o fame.”
Than clepit he the conquest king be name,
And hyme commandit xxx thousand tak
Aȝaine the morne, and for the feld hyme mak.
And gawane haith, apone the toyer syde,
Consulit his Eme he schuld for them prowid,
And that he schuld none armys to hyme tak
Whill galiot will for the feld hyme mak.
“I grant,” quod [he ], “wharfor ȝhe mone dispone
Yhow to the feld with al my folk to-morne,
And thinkith in yhour manhed and curage
For to recist ȝhone folkis gret owtrag.”
The nycht is gone, vp goith the morow gray,
The brycht sone so cherith al the day:
The knychtis gone to armys than, in hast;
One goith the scheildis and the helmys last;
Arthuris ost out our the furrde thai ryd.
And thai agane, apone the toyer syd,
Assemblit ar apone o lusty greyne,
In to o waill, whar sone thar mycht be seyne
Of knychtis to-gedder many o pair
In to the feld assemblyng her & thair,
And stedis which that haith thar master lorne;
The knychtis war done to the erth doune borne.
Sir esquyris, which was o manly knycht
In to hyme-self, and hardy vas & wycht;
And in till armys gretly for to pryß,
Ȝhit he was pure, he prewit wel oft-syß;
And that tyme was he of the cumpanee
Of galiot, bot efterwart was hee
With arthur; and that day In to the feild
He come, al armyt boith with spere and scheld,
With ferß desir, as he that had na dout,
And is assemblit ewyne apone a rowt;
His spere is gone, the knycht goith to the erd,
And out onon he pullith haith o swerd;
That day In armys prewit he rycht well
His strenth, his manhed; arthuris folk thai fell.
Than galys gwynans, with o manly hart,
Which broyer was of ywane the bastart,
He cummyne Is onone one to the stour
For conquering In armys of honour,
And cownterit with esquyris hath so
That horß and man, al four, to erth thai go;
And still o quhill lying at the ground.
With that o part of arthuris folk thei found
Till gwyans, and haith hyme sone reskewit.
Aȝanis them til esquyris thei sewyt
Of galiotis well xxx^ti knychtis & mo;
Gwyans goith done, and vthir vij also,
The wich war tone & esqwyris relewit.
Than ywane the anterus, aggrewit,
With kynnismen one to the melle socht.
The hardy knychtis, that one thar worschip thocht,
Cownterit them In myddis of the scheld,
Whar many o knycht was born doñ in the feld;
Bot thei wich ware on galiotis part,
So wndertakand nor of so hardy hart
Ne ware thei not as was in ye contrare.
Sir galys gwyans was resqwyt thare
With his falowis, and esqwyris don bore.
Thar al the batellis cam, withouten more,
On ather part, and is assemblit so
Whar fyfty thousand war thei, & no mo.
In o plane besyd the gret Riwere
Xxx thousand one galiotis half thei vare;
Of arthuris x thousand and no mo
Thei ware, and ȝhit thai contenit them so
And in the feld so manly haith borñ,
That of thar fois haith the feld forsworñ.
The conquest king, wich the perell knowith,
Ful manly one to the feld he drowith;
The lord sir gawan, couerit with his scheld,
He ruschit in myddis of the feld,
And haith them so in to his com assayt,
That of his manhed ware thei al affrait;
No langer mycht thei contrar hyme endur,
Bot fled, and goith one to discumfiture.
And galiot, wich haith the discumfit sen,
Fulfillit ful of anger and of ten,
Incontinent he send o new poware,
Whar-with the feldis al our-couerit ware
Of armyt stedis both in plait and maill,
With knychtis wich war reddy to assaill.
Sir gawan, seing al the gret suppris
Of fois cummyng In to sich o wys,
Togiddir al his cumpany he drew,
And confortable wordis to them schew;
So at the cummyng of thar ennemys
Thei them resauf, in so manly wyß,
That many one felith deithis wound,
And wnder horß lyith sobing one the ground.
This vther cummyth in to gret desir,
Fulfillit ful of matelent and Ire,
So freschly, with so gret o confluens,
Thar strong assay hath don sich vyolens,
And at thar come arthuris folk so led,
That thai war ay abaysit and adred.
Bot gawan, wich that, by this vorldis fame,
Of manhed and of knychthed bur the name,
Haith prewit [hym] well be experiens;
For only In til armys his defens
Haith maid his falowis tak sich hardyment,
That manfully thei biding one the bent.
Of his manhed war merwell to raherß;
The knychtis throw the scheldis can he perß,
That many one thar dethis haith resauit;
None armour frome his mychty hond them sauit,
Ȝhit ay for one ther ennemys wor thre.
Long mycht thei nocht endur in such dugree;
The preß it wos so creuell & so strong,
In gret anoy and haith continewit longe,
That, magre them, thei nedis most abak
The way one to thar lugis for to tak.
Sir gawan thar sufferith gret myschef,
And wonderis in his knychthed can he pref;
His falouschip haith merwell that hym saw,
So haith his fois that of his suerd stud aw.
King arthur, that al this whill beheld
The danger and the perell of the feld,
Sir ywan with o falowschip he sende,
Them In that ned to help & to defend,
Qwich fond them In to danger and in were,
And enterit nere In to thar tentis were.
Sir gawan fechtand was one fut At erde,
And no defend, but only in his swerde,
Aȝanis them both with spere and scheld.
Of galowa the knycht goith to the erde.
Thar was the batell furyous and woud
Of armyt knychtis; to the grownde thai ȝhud.
Sir ywane, that was a noble knyght,
He schew his strenth, he schew thar his gret mycht,
In al his tyme that neuer of before
Off armys, nore of knychthed, did he more:
Sir gawan thar reskewit he of fors,
Magre his fois, and haith hyme set one horß
That frome the first conquest king he wañ;
Bot sir gawan so ewill was wondit than,
And in the feld supprisit was so sore,
That he the werß thar-of was euermore.
Thar schew the lord sir ywan his curage,
His manhed, & his noble wassolage;
And gawan, in his doing, wald nocht irk;
So al the day enduring to the dyrk
Sal them, magre of thar desyre, constren
On ayar half fore [to] depart in twen.
And when that gawan of his horß vas toñ,
The blud out of his noiß & mouth is goñ,
And largly so passith euery wounde,
In swonyng thore he fell one to the ground:
Than of the puple petee was to here
The lemytable clamour, and the chere;
And of the king the sorow and the care,
That of his necis lyf was in disspare.
“Far well,” he sais, “my gladnes, & my delyt,
Apone knychthed far well myne appetit,
Fare well of manhed al the gret curage,
Yow flour of armys and of vassolage,
Gif yow be lost!”--thus til his tent hyme brocht
With wofull hart, and al the surryȝenis socht,
Wich for to cum was reddy at his neid;
Thai fond the lord was of his lyf in dreid,
For wondit was he, and ek wondit so,
And in his syd ware brokyne Ribys two.
Bot nocht for-thi the king thai maid beleif
That at that tyme he shuld the deith eschef.
Off melyhalt the ladyis knychtis were
In to the feld, and can thir tithingis here,
And home to thar lady ar thai went,
Til hir to schewing efter thar entent,
In euery poynt, how that the batell stud
Of galiot, and of his multitud;
And how gawan hyme in the feld hath borñ,
Throw quhoys swerd so many o knycht vas lorñ,
And of the knychtly wonderis that he wrocht,
Syne how that he one to his tent vas brocht.
The lady hard, that lowit gawan so,
She gan to wep, in to hir hart vas wo.
Thir tythyngis one to lancelot ar goñ,
Whar-of that he was wonder wo-bygone,
And for the lady hastely he sent,
And sche til hyme, at his command, Is went:
He salust hir, and said, “madem, Is trew
Thir tithingis I her report of new
Of the assemble, and meting of the ost,
And of sir gawan, wich that shuld be lost?
If that be swth, adew the flour of armys,
Now neuermore recoueryt be the harmys!
In hyme was manhed, curtessy, and trouth,
Besy trawell In knychthed, ay but sleuth,
Humilyte, [and] gentrice, and cwrag;
In hyme thar was no maner of outrage.
Allace! knycht, allace! what shal yow say?
Yow may complen, yow may bewail the day
As of his deith, and gladschip aucht to ses,
Baith menstrasy and festing at the des;
For of this lond he was the holl comfort,
In tyme of ned al knychthed to support!
Allace! madem, and I durst say at ȝhe
Al yhour behest not kepit haith to me,
Whar-of that I was in to full belef
Aȝañe this day that I schuld have my lef,
And nocht as cowart thus schamfully to ly
Excludit in to cage frome chewalry,
Whar othir knychtis anarmyt on thar stedis
Hawntis ther ȝhouthhed in to knychtly dedis.”
“Sir,” quod sche, “I red yhow not displeß,
Ȝhe may In tyme her-efter cum at es;
For the thrid day Is ordanit, & shal be
Of the ostis a new assemble,
And I have gart ordan al the gere
That longith to ȝour body for to were,
Boith horß and armour In the samyne wyß
Of sable, ewyne aftir ȝhour awn dewyß;
And yhe sal her remayne one to the day;
Syne may ȝhe paß, fore well ȝhe knaw the way.”
“I will obey, madem, to yhour entent.”
With that sche goith, and to hir rest is went:
One the morn arly vp sche roß
Without delay, and to the knycht sche gois,
And twk hir lef, and said that scho vald fare
On to the court, with-outen any mare.
Than knelit he, and thankit hir oft-sys,
That sche so mych hath done hyme of gentriß,
And hir byhecht euer, at his myght,
To be hir awn trew & stedfast knycht.
Sche thonkith hyme, and syne sche goith her way
On to the king, with-owten more delay,
Whar that in honour with king & qwen sche sall
Rycht thonkfully resauit be with-all.
Eft to sir gawan thai hir led, & sche
Ryght gladly hyme desyrit for to see,
And sche hyme fond, and sche was glad tharfore,
All vthir ways than was hir told before.
The knycht, the wich in to hir keping vas,
Sche had commandit to hir cussynece,
Wich cherist hyme apone hir best manere,
And comfort hyme, and maid hym rycht gud chere.
The days goith, so passith als the nycht,
The thrid morow, as that the sone vas lycht,
The knycht onon out of his bed aroß,
The maden sone one to his chalmer goß,
And sacretly his armour one hyme spent.
He tuk his lef, and syne his way he went
Ful prewaly, rycht to the samyne greñ
One the rewere, whar he befor had ben,
Ewyne as the day [he] the first courß hath maad.
Alone rycht thar he howit, and abaade,
Behalding to the bertes, whar the qweñ
Befor at the assemble he had señ
Rycht so the sone schewith furth his lycht,
And to his armour went is euery wycht;
One athir half the Iusting is bygon,
And many o fair and knych[t]ly courß is rown.
The blak knycht ȝhit howyns on his sted,
Of al thar doing takith he no hed,
Bot ay, apone the besynes of thocht,
In beholding his ey departit nocht.
To quhom the lady of melyhalt beheld,
And knew hyme by his armour & his scheld,
Qwhat that he was; and thus sche said one hycht:
“Who is he ȝone? who may he be, ȝhone knycht,
So still that hovith and sterith not his Ren,
And seith the knychtis rynyng one the greñ?”
Than al beholdith, and in princypale
Sir gawan beholdith most of all;
Of melyha[l]t the lady to hyme maid
Incontinent, his couche and gart be had
Be-fore o wyndew thore, as he mycht se
The knycht, the ost, and al the assemble.
He lukith furth, and sone the knycht hath sen,
And, but delay, he saith one to the qwen,
“Madem, if ȝhe remembir, so it was
The red knycht in to the samyne place
That wencust al [at] the first assemble;
Whar that ȝone knycht howis, howit hee.”
“Ȝha,” quod the qwen, “rycht well remembir I;
Qwhat is the cauß at ȝhe inquere, & quhy?”
“Madem, of [al] this larg warld is he
The knycht the wich I most desir to see
His strenth, his manhed, his curag, and his mycht,
Or do in armys that longith to o knycht.”
By thus, arthur, with consell well awysit,
Haith ordanit his batellis, and devysit:
The first of them led ydrus king, & he
O worthy man vas nemmyt for to bee.
The secund led harwy the Reweyll,
That in this world was knycht that had most feill
For to prowid that longith to the were,
One agit knycht, and well couth armys bere.
The thrid feld [he] deliuerit in the hond
Of angus, king of ylys of scotlande,
Wich cusing was one to king arthur nere,
One hardy knycht he was, withouten were.
The ferd batell led ywons the king,
O manly knycht he was In to al thing.
And thus dewysit ware his batellis sere,
In euery feld xv thousand were.
The fift batell the lord sir ywan lede,
Whois manhed was in euery cuntre dred,
Sone he was one to wryne the kyng,
Forwart, stout, hardy, wyß, and ȝhing;
Xx thousand in his ost thai past,
Wich ordanit was for to assemble last.
And galiot, apone the tothir syde,
Rycht wysly gan his batellis to dewid.
The first of them led malenginys the king,
None hardyar In to this erth lewyng;
He neuer more out of his cuntre Raid,
Nor he with hyme one hundereth knychtis hade.
The secund the first-conquest king led,
That for no perell of armys vas adred;
The thrid, o king clepit walydeyne,
He led, and was o manly knycht, but weyne.
The ferd, king clamedeus has,
Wich that lord of far ylys was.
The fift batell, whar xl thousand were,
King brandymagus had to led and stere,
O manly knycht, and prewit well oft-syß,
And in his consell wonder scharp & wyß.
Galiot non armys bur that day,
Nor as o knycht he wald hyme-self aray,
But as o seruand in o habariowne,
O prekyne hat, and ek o gret trownsciowñ
In til his hond, and one o cursour set,
The best that was in ony lond to get.
Endlong the rewar men mycht behold & see,
Of knychtis weryne mony one assemble;
And the blak knycht still he couth abyde,
Without remowyng, one the Riwer syde,
Bot to the bartes to behold and see
Thar as his hart desyrit most to bee:
And quhen the lady of melyhalt haith señ
The knycht so stond, sche said one to the qweñ,
“Madem, It is my consell at ȝhe send
One to ȝone knycht, ȝour-self for to commend,
Beseiching hyme that he wald wndertak
This day to do of armys, for ȝour sak.”
The quen ansuerit as that hir lykit nocht,
For othir thing was more In to hir thocht,
“For well ȝhe se the perell how disio[i]nt,
The adwentur now stondith one the point
Boith of my lord his honore, and his lond,
And of his men, in danger how thai stond:
Bot ȝhe, and ek thir vthere ladice may,
If that yhow lykith, to the knycht gar say
The mesag; is none that wil yhow let,
For I tharof sal nocht me entermet.”
On to the quen scho saith, “her I,
If so it pleß thir vthir ladice by,
Am for to send one to the knycht content;”
And al the ladice can thar-to assent,
Beseching hir the mesag to dewyß,
As sche that was most prudent & most wyß.
Sche grantit, and o madeñ haith thai tone,
Discret, apone this mesag for till gone;
And sir gawan a sqwyar bad also,
With two speris one to the knycht to go.
The lady than, withouten more dulay,
Haith chargit hir apone this wyß to say:
“Schaw to the knycht, the ladice euer-ilkone
Ben In the court, excep the quen allon,
Til hyme them haith recommandit oft-syß,
Beseching hyme of knychthed and gentriß,
(Or if It hapyne euermore that he shall
Cum, quhar thai may, owther an or all,
In ony thing awail hyme or support,
Or do hyme ony plesans or comfort,)
He wold wichsaif for loue of them this day
In armys sum manhed to assay;
And say, sir gawan hyme the speris sent;
Now go, this is the fek of our entent.”
The damysell sche hath hir palfray tone,
The sqwyar with the speris with hir goñ;
The nerest way thai paß one to ye knycht,
Whar sche repete hir mesag haith ful rycht:
And quhen he hard, and planly wnderstude,
How that the quen not in the mesag ȝude,
He spak no word, bot he was not content;
Bot, of sir gawan, glaid in his entent,
He askit quhar he was, and of his fair?
And thai to hyme the maner can duclair;
Than the sqwyar he prayth that he wold
Paß to the feld, the speris for to hold.
He saw the knychtis semblyng her and thare,
The stedis Rynyng with the sadillis bare;
His spuris goith in to the stedis syde,
That was ful swyft, and lykit not to byd;
And he that was hardy, ferß, and stout,
Furth by o syd assemblyng on a rout
Whar that one hundereth knychtis was, & mo;
And with the first has Recounterit so,
That frome the deth not helpith hym his scheld,
Boith horß and man is lying in the feld;
The spere is gone, and al in pecis brak,
And he the trunscyoune in his hand hath tak
That two or thre he haith the sadillis reft,
Whill in his hond schortly no thing is left.
Syne, to the squyar, of the feld is goñ,
Fro hyme o spere In to his hond haith ton,
And to the feld returnyt he aȝayne:
The first he met, he goith one the plan,
And ek the next, and syne the thrid also;
Nor in his hond, nore in his strak was ho.
His ennemys that veryng In affray
Befor his strok, and makith rovm alway;
And in sich wyß ay in the feld he vrocht,
Whill that his speris gon var al to nocht;
Whar-of sir gawan berith vitnesing
Throw al this world that thar vas non levyng,
In so schort tyme so mych of armys wrocht.
His speris gone, out of the feld he socht,
And passit is one to the Rewere syde,
Rycht thore as he was wont for to abyde;