Part 11

XVIII.

"Nay, for soþe," quod þe segge, & sesed hys helme, 2408 & hat3 hit of hendely, & þe haþel þonkke3, "I haf soiorned sadly, sele yow bytyde, & he 3elde hit yow 3are, þat 3arkke3 al menskes! & comaunde3 me to þat cortays, your comlych fere, 2412 Boþe þat on & þat oþer, myn honoured ladye3. Þat þus hor kny3t wyth hor kest han koyntly bigyled. Bot hit is no ferly, þa3 a fole madde, & þur3 wyles of wymmen be wonen to sor3e; 2416 For so wat3 Adam in erde with one bygyled, & Salamon with fele sere, & Samson eft sone3, Dalyda dalt hym hys wyrde, & Dauyth þer-after Wat3 blended with Barsabe, þat much bale þoled. 2420 Now þese were wrathed wyth her wyles, hit were a wynne huge, To luf hom wel, & leue hem not, a leude þat couþe, For þes wer forne þe freest þat fol3ed alle þe sele, [Fol.] Ex-ellently of alle þyse oþer, vnder heuen-ryche, [123b.] 2424 þat mused; & alle þay were bi-wyled, With wymmen þat þay vsed, Þa3 I be now bigyled, 2428 Me þink me burde be excused."

XIX.

"Bot your gordel," quod G: "God yow for-3elde! Þat wyl I welde wyth good wylle, not for þe wynne golde, Ne þe saynt, ne þe sylk, ne þe syde pendaundes, 2432 For wele, ne for worchyp, ne for þe wlonk werkke3, Bot in syngne of my surfet I schal se hit ofte; When I ride in renoun, remorde to myseluen Þe faut & þe fayntyse of þe flesche crabbed, 2436 How tender hit is to entyse teches of fylþe; & þus, quen pryde schal me pryk, for prowes of armes, Þe loke to þis luf lace schal leþe my hert. Bot on I wolde yow pray, displeses yow neuer; 2440 Syn 3e be lorde of þe 3onde londe, þer I haf lent inne, Wyth yow wyth worschyp,--þe wy3e hit yow 3elde Þat vp-halde3 þe heuen, & on hy3 sitte3,-- How norne 3e yowre ry3t nome, & þenne no more?" 2444 "Þat schal I telle þe trwly," quod þat oþer þenne, "Bernlak de Hautdesert I hat in þis londe, Þur3 my3t of Morgne la Faye, þat in my hous lenges, & koyntyse of clergye, bi craftes wel lerned, 2448 Þe maystres of Merlyn, mony ho taken; For ho hat3 dalt drwry ful dere sum tyme, With þat conable klerk, þat knowes alle your kny3te3 at hame; 2452 Morgne þe goddes, Þer-fore hit is hir name; Welde3 non so hy3e hawtesse, Þat ho ne con make ful tame.

XX.

2456 Ho wayned me vpon þis wyse to your wynne halle, For to assay þe surquidre, 3if hit soth were, Þat rennes of þe grete renoun of þe Rounde Table; Ho wayned me þis wonder, your wytte3 to reue, 2460 For to haf greued Gaynour, & gart hir to dy3e. [Fol. 124.] With gopnyng of þat ilke gomen, þat gostlych speked, With his hede in his honde, bifore þe hy3e table. Þat is ho þat is at home, þe auncian lady; 2464 Ho is euen þyn aunt, Arþure3 half suster, Þe duches do3ter of Tyntagelle, þat dere Vter after Hade Arþur vpon, þat aþel is nowþe. Þerfore I eþe þe, haþel, to com to þy naunt, 2468 Make myry in my hous, my meny þe louies, & I wol þe as wel, wy3e, bi my faythe, As any gome vnder God, for þy grete trauþe." & he nikked hym naye, he nolde bi no wayes; 2472 Þay acolen & kyssen, [bikennen] ayþer oþer To þe prynce of paradise, & parten ry3t þere, on coolde; Gawayn on blonk ful bene, 2476 To þe kynge3 bur3 buske3 bolde, & þe kny3t in þe enker grene, Whider-warde so euer he wolde.

XXI.

Wylde waye3 in þe worlde Wowen now ryde3, 2480 On Gryngolet, þat þe grace hade geten of his lyue; Ofte he herbered in house, & ofte al þeroute, & mony a-venture in vale, & venquyst ofte, Þat I ne ty3t, at þis tyme, in tale to remene. 2484 Þe hurt wat3 hole, þat he hade hent in his nek, & þe blykkande belt he bere þeraboute, A belef as a bauderyk, bounden bi his syde, Loken vnder his lyfte arme, þe lace, with a knot, 2488 In tokenyng he wat3 tane in tech of a faute; & þus he commes to þe court, kny3t al in sounde. Þer wakned wele in þat wone, when wyst þe grete, Þat gode G: wat3 commen, gayn hit hym þo3t; 2492 Þe kyng kysse3 þe kny3t, & þe whene alce, & syþen mony syker kny3t, þat so3t hym to haylce, Of his fare þat hym frayned, & ferlyly he telles; Biknowo3 alle þe costes of care þat he hade,-- 2496 Þe chaunce of þe chapel, þe chere of þe kny3t, Þe luf of þe ladi, þe lace at þe last. [Fol. 124b.] Þe nirt in þe nek he naked hem schewed, Þat he la3t for his vnleute at þe leudes hondes, 2500 for blame; He tened quen he schulde telle, He groned for gref & grame; Þe blod in his face con melle, 2504 When he hit schulde schewe, for schame.

XXII.

"Lo! lorde," quod þe leude, & þe lace hondeled, "Þis is þe bende of þis blame I bere my nek, Þis is þe laþe & þe losse, þat I la3t haue, 2508 Of couardise & couetyse, þat I haf ca3t þare, Þis is þe token of vn-trawþe, þat I am tan inne, & I mot nede3 hit were, wyle I may last; For non may hyden his harme, bot vnhap ne may hit, 2512 For þer hit one3 is tachched, twynne wil hit neuer." Þe kyng comforte3 þe kny3t, & alle þe court als, La3en loude þer-at, & luflyly acorden, Þat lordes & ladis, þat longed to þe Table, 2516 Vche burne of þe broþer-hede a bauderyk schulde haue, A bende, a belef hym aboute, of a bry3t grene, & þat, for sake of þat segge, in swete to were. For þat wat3 acorded þe renoun of þe Rounde Table, 2520 & he honoured þat hit hade, euer-more after, As hit is breued in þe best boke of romaunce. Þus in Arthurus day þis aunter bitidde, Þe Brutus bokees þer-of beres wyttenesse; 2524 Syþen Brutus, þe bolde burne, bo3ed hider fyrst, After þe segge & þe asaute wat3 sesed at Troye, I-wysse; Mony auntere3 here bi-forne, 2528 Haf fallen suche er þis: Now þat bere þe croun of þorne, He bryng vus to his blysse! AMEN.

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NOTES.

Line 8 Ricchis turns, goes, The king ... Ricchis his reynys and the Renke metys: Girden to gedur with þere grete speires.--T.B. l. 1232.

37 Þis kyng lay at Camylot vpon kryst-masse. Camalot, in Malory's "Morte Arthure," is said to be the same as Winchester. Ritson supposes it to be Caer-went, in Monmouthshire, and afterwards confounded with Caer-wynt, or Winchester. But popular tradition here seems the best guide, which assigned the site of Camalot to the ruins of a castle on a hill, near the church of South Cadbury, in Somersetshire (Sir F. Madden).

65 Nowel nayted o-newe, neuened ful ofte. Christmas celebrated anew, mentioned full often. Sir F. Madden leaves the word nayted unexplained in his Glossary to "Syr Gawayne."

124 syluener = sylueren, i.e. silver dishes.

139 lyndes = lendes, loins.

142 in his muckel, in his greatness.

184 Wat3 euesed al umbe-torne--? was trimmed, all cut evenly around; umbe-torne may be an error for vmbe-corue = cut round.

216 in gracios werkes. Sir F. Madden reads gracons for gracios, and suggests Greek as the meaning of it.

244-5 As al were slypped vpon slepe so slaked hor lote3 in hy3e. As all were fallen asleep so ceased their words in haste (suddenly). Sir F. Madden reads slaked horlote3, instead of slaked hor lote3, which, according to his glossary, signifies drunken vagabonds. He evidently takes horlote3 to be another (and a very uncommon) form of harlote3 = harlots. But harlot, or vagabond, would be a very inappropriate term to apply to the noble Knights of the Round Table. Moreover, slaked never, I think, means drunken. The general sense of the verb slake is to let loose, lessen, cease. Cf. lines 411-2, where sloke, another form of slake, occurs with a similar meaning: -- layt no fyrre; bot slokes. -- seek no further, but stop (cease). Sir F. Madden suggests blows as the explanation of slokes. It is, however, a verb in the imperative mood.

286 Brayn. Mätzner suggests brayn-wod.

296 barlay = par loi. This word is exceedingly common in the T. Book (see l. 3391). I bid you now, barlay, with besines at all Þat ye set you most soverainly my suster to gete.--T.B. l. 2780.

394 siker. Sir F. Madden reads swer.

440 bluk. Sir F. Madden suggests blunk (horse). I am inclined to keep to the reading of the MS., and explain bluk as = bulk = trunk. Cf. the use of the word Blok in "Early English Alliterative Poems," p. 100, l. 272.

558 derue doel, etc. = great grief. Sir F. Madden reads derne, i.e. secret, instead of derue (= derf). Cf. line 564.

577 knaged, fastened. The braunches were borly, sum of bright gold, With leuys full luffly, light of the same; With burions aboue bright to beholde; And fruit on yt fourmyt of fairest of shap, Of mony kynd that was knyt, knagged aboue.--T.B. l. 4973.

629 & ay quere hit is endele3, etc. And everywhere it is endless, etc. Sir F. Madden reads emdele3, i.e. with equal sides.