Lancelot of the Laik Part 24

This is the lyone, G.o.d, and G.o.ddis sone, Ih{es}u cri?t, wich ay in hewyne ?al won{n}e.

For as the lyone of euery be?t is king, So is he lord and mai?t{er} of al thing, 2048 That of the ble??it vyrgyne vas y-bore.

Ful many a natur the lyone haith, quhar-fore That he to G.o.d re?emblyt is, bot I Lyk not mo at this tyme ?pecify. 2052 This is the lyone, thar-of have yow no dred, That ?hal the help and comfort In thi ned.

[Footnote T47: "see"(?).]

[Headnote: THE LEECH WITHOUT MEDICINE IS CHRIST.]

++The ?entens here now woll I the defyne [Sidenote: The leech without medicine is also G.o.d.]

Of hyme, the lech w{i}t{h}outen medy?yne, 2056 Wich is the G.o.d that euery thing hath vroght.

For yow may know that vther Is It noght, [Fol. 26a.]

[Sidenote: Not as surgeons,]

As ?urgynis and fe?icianis, wich that delith W{i}t{h} mortell thing{is}, and mortell thing{is} helyth, 2060 [Sidenote: whose art is in medicine,]

And al thar art is in to medy?yne, As it is ordanit be the my{ch}t dewyne, [Sidenote: and in plaisters, drinks, and various anointments; who know the quality of the year, and the disposition of the planets.]

As pla?t{er}is, drink{is}, and anouy{n}tme{n}t{is}[T48] ?eir, And of the qualyte watyng of the yher; 2064 And of the planet{is} di?po?iciou{n}e, And of the naturis of compleccyoune, And in the diu{er} changing of hwmowr{is}.

Thus wnd{er} reull lyith al there cwris; 2068 And yhit thei far as blynd man In the way, Oft quhen that deith thar craft li?t to a??ay.

Bot G.o.d, the wich that is the ?ou{er}an lech, Nedith no man{er} medy?yne to ?ech; 2072 For ther is no Infyrmyte, nore wound, Bot as hyme lykith al is holl and ?ound.

[Sidenote: But G.o.d can heal infirmity of thought,]

So can he heill Infyrmytee of thoght, Wich that one erdly mede?yne can noght; 2076 [Sidenote: and also the soul that goeth to confusion.]

And als the ?aul that to confu?ioune goith, And haith with hyme and vther p{ar}teis boith, His dedly wound G.o.d helyth frome the ground; On to his cure no medy?yne is found. 2080 This Is his my{ch}t that neu{er} more ?hall fyne, This is the leich w{i}t{h}outen medy?yne; And If that yhow at confe??ioune hath ben And makith the of al thi ?yn{n}is clen, 2084 [Sidenote: He shall be thy leech in all necessity.]

Yow art than holl, and this ilk ?amyn is he Schall be thi leich In al nece??itee.

[Footnote T48: MS. "anonytmet{is}," or "anouytmet{is}."]

[Headnote: THE FLOWER IS THE VIRGIN MARY.]

++Now of the flour y woll to the di?cern: This is the flour that haith[T49] the froyt etern, 2088 This is the flour, this fadith for no ?chour, This is the flour of euery flouris floure;

[Footnote T49: The word, though indistinct, is almost certainly "haith." Stevenson has "high;" but this gives no sense.]

[Sidenote: The flower is she of whom the eternal fruit was born,]

This is the flour, of quhom the froyt vas born, This ws redemyt eft{er} that we war lorn; 2092 This Is the flour that eu{er} ?pryngith new, This is the flour that changith neu{er} hew; [Sidenote: the virgin that bore the Saviour,]

This is the vyrgyne, this is the ble??it flour That Ih{es}u bur is our salweour, 2096 This flour wnwe{m}myt of hir wirginitee; This is the flour of our felicitee, This is the flour to quhom ve ?huld exort, [Sidenote: that ceaseth not to support us caitiffs,]

This is the flour not ?e??ith to ?upport 2100 In prayere, con?ell, and in by??ynes, Vs catifis ay In to our wrechitnes [Fol. 26b.]

On to hir sone, the quich hir con?ell herith; This is the flour that al our gladne ?terith, 2104 [Sidenote: through whose prayer are many saved.]

Throuch whois prayer mony one is ?awit, That to the deth et{er}naly war re?awit, Ne war hir hartly ?uplicatioune.

This is the flour of our ?aluatioune, 2108 Next hir sone, the froyt of euery flour; This is the ?am that ?hal be thi ?uccour, If that the lykith hartly Reu{er}ans And ?{er}uice ?eld one to hir excellens, 2112 Syne wor?chip hir w{i}t{h} al thi by??yne; Sche ?al thi harm, ?che ?all thi ned redre.

[Sidenote: She shall so counsel the lion and the leech, that thou need not despair.]

Sche ?all ?ice con?ell if one to the two, The lyone and the ?ou{er}ane lech al?o, 2116 Yow ?all not Ned yi drem for to di?par, Nor ?hit no thing that is in thi contrare.

Now--q{uo}d the mai?t{er}--yow may well wnd{er}?tand Tueching thi drem as I have born on hande; 2120 And planly haith the mat{er} al declarith, That yhow may know of wich yow was di?parith.

The lech, the lyone, and the flour al?o, Yow wor?chip them, yow ?erve them eu{er}mo; 2124 And ples the world as I have ?aid before; In gou{er}nans thus ?tondith al thi glore.

[Sidenote: Do now as thou list, for all is in thy hand.]

Do as yow li?t, for al is in thi honde, To tyne thi-?elf, thi honore, and thi londe, 2128 Or lyk o prince, o {con}querour, or king, In honore and in wor?chip for to Ringe."

[Headnote: ARTHUR IS COMFORTED.]

[Sidenote: The king replies,]

"Now," q{uod} the king, "I fell that the ?upport Of yhour con?ell haith don me ?ich comfort, 2132 [Sidenote: that his heart is eased from fear;]

Of euery raddour my hart is In to e, To ?hour {com}mand, G.o.d will, y ?al obe.

Bot o thing is yneuch wn to me, [Sidenote: but inquires if Galiot will win over the red knight, and what is his name.]

How galiot makith his awant that he 2136 Shall have the kny{ch}t, that only by his honde And manhed, was defendour of my londe; If that ?hall fall y pray yhow tellith me, And quhat he hecht, and of quhat lond is hee?" 2140 "What that he hecht yow ?hall no fory{er} know, [Sidenote: The master evades reply.]

His dedis ?all her-eft{er}wart hyme ?chaw; Bot {con}trar the he ?hall be found no way.

No more thar-of as now y will the ?ay."[T50] 2144 With that the king haith at his mai?tir tone [Fol. 27a.]

[Sidenote: The king and the host return home.]

His leve, one to to his c.u.n.tre for to gone; And al the o?t makith none abyde, To pa??ing home anone thei can p{ro}wid; 2148 And to ?{ir} gawane thei haith o lytt{er} maad, Ful ?ore ywound, and hyme on w{i}t{h} them haade.

[Footnote T50: At the bottom of the page is the catch-word, "With that the king."]

[T]he king, as that the ?tory can declar, [Sidenote: The king sojourns twenty-four days at Cardole, in Wales.]

Pa??ith to o Cete that was Right fair, 2152 And clepit cardole, In to walis, was, For that tyme than It was the n{er}e?t place, And thar he ?oiornyt xxiiijti days In ryall fe?ting, as the auttore ?ays. 2156 So di?cretly his puple he haith cherit, That he thar hartis holy haith {con}querit.

[Sidenote: Sir Gawan is healed in fifteen days.]

And ?{ir} gawan, helyt holl and ?ound Be xv dais he was of euery wounde; 2160 Right blyt{h} therof in to the court war thei.

[Headnote: ARTHUR AGAIN BECOMES MOURNFUL.]

And ?o befell, the xxiiij[T51] day, [Sidenote: The king becomes mournful, as he sits at the mess.]

The king to fall in to o hewynes, Right ate his table ?iting at the me; 2164 [Sidenote: Gawan rebukes him.]

And ?{ir} gawan cu{m}myth hyme before, And ?aid hyme, "?{ir}, yhour thoght is al to ?ore, Con?id{er}ing the diu{er} kny{ch}t{is} ?ere Ar of wncouth and ?trang land{is} here." 2168 [Sidenote: The king answers in "matalent,"]

The king an?uert, as in to matalent, "S{ir}, of my tho{ch}t, or ?hit of myne entent, Yhe have the wrang me to repref, for-quhy Thar lewith none that ?huld me blam, for I 2172 [Sidenote: that he was thinking of the worthiest knight living;]

Was thinkand one the worthie?t that lewyt, That al the wor?chip In to armys prewyt; And how the thonk of my defens he had, And of the wow that galiot haith mad. 2176 But I have ?en, when that of my hou?hold Thar was, and of my falow?chip, that wold, If that thei wi?t, quhat thing ?huld me ple, Thei wald no{ch}t leif for trawell nor for e. 2180 And ?um tyme It p{re}?wmyt was & ?aid, [Sidenote: that he once had the flower of knighthood in his household, but now this flower is away.]

That in my hou?hold of al this world I had The flour of kny{ch}thed and of chevalry; Bot now thar-of y ?e the contrarye, 2184 Sen that the flour of kny{ch}thed is away."

"Schir," q{uod} he, "of Re?one ?uth yhe ?ay; And if G.o.d will, In al this warld ?o Round [Fol. 27b.]

He ?al be ?oght, if that he may he found." 2188

[Footnote T51: MS. "xxviij," altered to "xxiiij."]

[Headnote: GAWANE'S EXPEDITION.]

[Sidenote: Gawan departs to seek Lancelot.]

Than gawan goith w{i}t{h} o kny{ch}tly chere, At the hal dure he ?aith In this maner: "In this pa?ag who lykith for to wend?

It is o Iorne mo?t for to comend 2192 That In my tyme In to the court fallith, To knyght{is} wich that chewellry lowith Or trawell In to armys for to hant; And lat no kny{ch}t fra thyne-furt{h} hyme awant 2196 [Sidenote: All the knights rise to go with him.]

That it denyith;"--w{i}t{h} that onon thei ro, Al the kny{ch}t{is}, and frome the burdis go.

The king that ?auch In to his hart was wo, [Sidenote: Arthur reproves him.]

And ?aid, "?{ir} gawan, nece, why dois yow ?o? 2200 Knowis yow no{ch}t I myne hou?hold ?uld encre, In kny{ch}thed, and in honore, and large?

And now yow thinkith mak me di??olat Of kny{ch}t{is}, and my hou tran?ulat, 2204 To ?ek o kny{ch}t, and It was neu{er} more Hard ?ich o ?emble makith o before."

[Sidenote: Gawan explains.]

"S{ir}," q{uod} he, "als few as may yhow ple?; For what I said was no thing for myne e, 2208 Nor for de?ir of falou?chip, for-why To pa alone, but c.u.mpany, think I; And ilk kny{ch}t to pa o ?undry way; The mo thei pa the fewar e?chef thay, 2212 Bot thus ?hal pas no mo bot as yhow le?t."

[Sidenote: Arthur a.s.signs him forty companions.]

"Takith," q{uod} he, "of quhom ?he lykith be?t, Fourty in this pa?ag for to go;"

At this {com}mand and gawan che?it ?o 2216 Fourty, quhich that he louit, & that was Richt glaid in to his falow?chip to pas.

[Headnote: GAWANE AND HIS FELLOWS DEPART.]

[Sidenote: These knights arm themselves,]

[A]nd furth thei go, and al anarmyt thei Come to the king, w{i}t{h}outen more delay, 2220 [Sidenote: and bring the relics, whereon to swear to shew the truth.]

The relyk{is} bro{ch}t, as was the man{er} tho, When any knyght{is} frome the court ?uld go.

Or when the pa??it, or quhen thei com, thei ?wor The trouth to ?chaw of euery aduentur. 2224 S{ir} gawan knelyng to his falowis ?ais, "Yhe lord{is}, wich that in this ?eking gais, So many n.o.ble and worthi kny{ch}t{is} ar ?he, Me think in wayne yhour t{ra}uel ?huld no{ch}t be, 2228 For aduentur is non so gret to pref, [Fol. 28a.]

As I ?uppone, nor ?he ?al It e??chef, And if ?he lyk as I that ?hal dewy, Yhour oth to ?wer In to the ?amyne wy 2232 Myne oith to kep;"--and that thei vnd{er}tak, How eu{er} ?o that he his oith mak It to con?erf, and that thei have all ?worn.

Than gawan, wich that was the king beforn, 2236 [Sidenote: Gawane swears not to return till he has found Lancelot, or evidence of him.]

On kneis ?wore, "I ?al the ?uth duclar Of euery thing when I agan Repar, Nor neu{er} more a?hane ?al I return, Nore in o place long for to ?uiorn 2240 Whill that the kny{ch}t or verray evydens I have, that ?hal be toknis of credens."