Lancelot of the Laik Part 26

And furt{h} of arthur ?umthing wil we tell--

[T]hat walkyng vas furt{h} in to his Regiou{n}is, And ?oiornyt in his ceteis and his townis, 2444 As he that had of vi?dome ?ufficyans. [Fol. 30b.]

[Sidenote: who obeys the counsel of Amytans,]

He kepit the lore of mai?t{er} amytans In ryghtwy?nes, In fe?ting and larges, In cheri?ing cu{m}pany and hamlynes; 2448 For he was bi??y and was deligent, [Sidenote: and gives away largely;]

And largly he iffith, and di?pent Rewardis, boith one to the pur & riche, And holdith fe?t throw al the ?her eliche. 2452

[Headnote: ARTHUR'S LIBERALITY.]

In al the warld pa??ing gan his name, He chargit not bot of encre and fame, And how his puples hart{is} to emple; Thar gladnes ay was to his hart mo?t e. 2456 He rakith not of riches nor tre??our, Bot to di?pend one wor?chip & honour; He ifith riches, he ifith lond and rent, He cheriyth them w{i}t{h} word{is} eloquent, 2460 [Sidenote: and thus gains his people's love.]

So that thei can them vtraly p{ro}pone In his ?{er}uice thar lyves to di?pone: So gladith theme his homely {con}tynans, His cheri?yng, his wordis of ple?ans, 2464 His c.u.mpany, and ek his mery chere, His gret rewardis, and his ift{is} ?ere.

Thus hath the king non vthir be?ynes Bot cheri?ing of kny{ch}t{is} and large, 2468 To mak hyme-?elf of honour be {com}mend; And thus the ?her he drywith to the ende.

EXPLICIT SECUNDA P{AR}S, INCIPIT T{ER}CIA P{AR}S.

[Headnote: THE TRUCE DRAWS TO A CLOSE.]

[BOOK III.]

[Sidenote: The sun ascends in his alt.i.tude.]

++The long dirk pa?ag[T56] of the vint{er}, & the ly{ch}t Of phebus {com}prochit w{i}t{h} his my{ch}t; 2472 The which, a?cending In his alt.i.tud, Awodith saturn w{i}t{h} his ?tormys Rude; [Sidenote: The soft dew falls down from heaven.]

The ?oft dew one fra the hewyne doune valis[T57]

Apone the erth, one hill{is} and on valis, 2476 And throw the ?obir & the mw?t hwmour{is} Vp nuri?it ar the erbis, and in the flouris [Sidenote: Nature decks the earth with various hues.]

Natur the erth of many diu{er} hew Our-fret, and cled w{i}t{h} the tendir new. 2480 The birdis may them hiding in the grawis [Fol. 31a.]

[Sidenote: The birds may hide them from the hawk in the groves, and Scilla may ascend in the air.]

Wel frome the halk, that oft ther lyf berevis; And scilla hie a?cending in the ayre, That euery vight may heryng hir declar 2484 Of the ?e??one the pa??ing lu?tynes.

This was the tyme that phebus gan hy{m} dre In to the rame, and haith his cour bygown, Or that the trewis and the ?her vas Rown, 2488 [Sidenote: The time of combat between Galiot and the king drew near.]

Which was y-?et of galiot and the king Of thar a??emble, and of thar meting.

Arthur haith a xv dais before A??emblit al his barnag and more 2492 That weryng wnd{er} his ?ubieccioune, Or louith hyme, or longith to his crown; And haith his Iornay tone, w{i}t{h}outen let, [Sidenote: Arthur goes to the appointed place.]

On to the place the wich that was y-?et, 2496 Whar he hath found befor hyme mony o kny{ch}t That cu{m}myng war w{i}t{h} al thar holl my{ch}t, Al enarmyt both w{i}t{h} ?pere & ?cheld, And ful of lug{is} plant.i.th haith the feld, 2500 Hyme In the wer for to ?upport and ?erf At al ther my{ch}t, his thonk for to di??erf.

[Footnote T56: So MS. Should we read "pasith"?]

[Footnote T57: So MS. It should be "falis."]

[Headnote: GAWANE REJOINS ARTHUR.]

And gawan, which was in the ?eking ?hit Of the gud kny{ch}t, of hyme haith got no wit, 2504 [Sidenote: Gawane remembers the day,]

Remembrith hyme apone the king{is} day, And to his falowis one this wys can ?ay: "To ?how is knowin the mat{er}, in what wy How that the king hath w{i}t{h} his e{n}nemys 2508 A c{er}tan day, that now comprochit nere, And one to ws war hewynes to here That he var in to p{er}ell or in to dreid, And we away and he of ws haith neid; 2512 For we but hyme no thing may e?chef, And he but ws in honore well may lef; For, be he lo?t, we may no thing w{i}t{h}?tond, Our-?elf, our honore we tyne, & ek o{ur} lond. 2516 [Sidenote: and proposes to his fellows to go to help the king.]

Tharfor, I red we pas on to the king, Suppos our oth It hurt in to ?um thing, And in the feld w{i}t{h} hyme for til endur, Of lyf or deth and tak our aduentur." 2520 Thar-to thei ar con?ent.i.t eu{er}ilkon, And but dulay the have thar Iorney tone.

When that the king them ?aw, in h{is} entent [Fol. 31b.]

[Sidenote: Arthur is well content at their coming,]

Was of thar com Right wond{er} well {con}tent; 2524 For he p{re}?wmyt no thing that thei wold [Sidenote: not expecting them.]

Have cu{m}myne, but one furt{h} to y{er} ?eking hold.

And thus the kinghis o?t a??emblit has A?ane the tyme, a?aine the day that vas 2528 Y-?tatut and ordanit for to bee, And euery thing hath ?et in the dogre.

[Headnote: THE TRUCE ENDS.]

[A]nd galiot, that haith no thing for?het The termys quhich that he befor had set, 2532 [Sidenote: Galiot also a.s.sembles his folk,]

A??emblit has, apone his best maner, His folk, and al his other thing{is} ?ere, That to o weryour longith to p{ro}uid, And is y-come apone the tothir ?yde. 2536 [Sidenote: doubling his army and artillery;]

Whar he befor was one than vas he two, And al his vthir artil?ery also He dowblith hath, that m{er}well was to ?en; [Sidenote: and pitches on the green by the river.]

And by the rewere ly{ch}t.i.t one the gren, 2540 And ?tronghar thane ony wallit toune His o?t y-bout yclo?it in Randoune.

Thus war thei cu{m}myne apone ather ?yd [Sidenote: Before the truce is ended,]

Be-for the tyme, them-?elf for to p{ro}wid. 2544 Or that the trewis was complet & rwn, Men my{ch}t have ?en one euery ?id begwn [Sidenote: many combats are seen between l.u.s.ty men;]

Many a fair and knychtly Iup{er}ty Of lu?ty me{n}, and of ?ong chevalry, 2548 Di?yrus In to armys for to pruf; Sum for wynyng, ?u{m} cau?ith vas for luf, Sum In to wor?chip to be exaltate, Sum cau?it was of wordis he & hate, 2552 That lykit not ydill for to ben; [Sidenote: a hundred pair at once.]

A hund{er}eth pair at onis one the gren.

Thir lu?ty folk thus can thar tyme di?pend, Whill that the trewis goith to the ende. 2556 [Sidenote: The truce past,]

The trewis pa?t, the day is cu{m}myne onone, One euery ?yd the can them to di?pone; And thai that war mo?t ?acret & mo?t dere [Sidenote: Galiot's friends inquire who shall fight on his side on the morrow.]

To galiot, at hyme the can enquere, 2560 "Who ?al a??emble one yhour ?yd to-morne?

To-ny{ch}t the trewis to the end is worne."

He an?uerit, "As yhit one to this were I ame awy?it I wil none armys bere, 2564 Bot If It ?tond of more Nece??itee; [Fol. 32a.]

Nor to the feld will pas, bot for to ?ee Yhone kny{ch}t, the which that berith ?ich o fame."

[Sidenote: He commands the first-conquest king to take 30,000 men.]

Than clepit he the {con}quest king be name, 2568 And hyme {com}mandit x.x.x thou?and tak A?aine the morne, and for the feld hyme mak.

And gawane haith, apone the toy{er} syde, Con?ulit his Eme he ?chuld for them p{ro}wid, 2572 And that he ?chuld none armys to hyme tak Whill[T58] galiot will for the feld hyme mak.

"I grant," q{uo}d [he [T59]], "wharfor ?he mone di?pone [Sidenote: Gawane leads Arthur's forces.]

Yhow to the feld w{i}t{h} al my folk to-morne, 2576 And thinkith in yhour manhed and curage For to reci?t ?hone folk{is} gret owtrag."

[Footnote T58: MS. "Wihill."]

[Footnote T59: Omitted in MS.]

[Sidenote: The day comes.]

[T]he ny{ch}t is gone, vp goith the morow gray, The bry{ch}t ?one ?o cherith al the day: 2580 The kny{ch}t{is} gone to armys than, in ha?t; One goith the ?cheild{is} and the helmys la?t; [Sidenote: Arthur's men cross the ford.]

Arthuris o?t out our the furrde thai ryd.

And thai agane, apone the toy{er} syd, 2584 [Sidenote: Galiot's men a.s.semble in a vale.]

A??emblit ar apone o lu?ty greyne, In to o waill, whar ?one thar my{ch}t be ?eyne Of kny{ch}t{is} to-gedder many o pair In to the feld a??emblyng her & thair, 2588 And ?ted{is} which that haith thar ma?t{er} lorne;[T60]

The kny{ch}t{is} war done to the erth doune borne.

[Footnote T60: MS. has "borne." We should read "lorne," as in line 2092.]

[Headnote: DEEDS OF SIR ESQUYRIS.]

[Sidenote: Sir Esquyris, a manly knight,]

S{ir} e?quyris, which was o manly kny{ch}t In to hyme-?elf, and hardy vas & wy{ch}t; 2592 And in till armys gretly for to pry, ?hit he was pure, he prewit wel oft-?y; [Sidenote: at that time of Galiot's company,]

And that tyme was he of the cu{m}panee Of galiot, bot eft{er}wart was hee 2596 W{i}t{h} arthur; and that day In to the feild He come, al armyt boith w{i}t{h} ?pere and ?cheld, W{i}t{h} fer de?ir, as he that had na dout, [Sidenote: attacks a band,]

And is a??emblit ewyne apone a rowt; 2600 His ?pere is gone, the kny{ch}t goith to the erd, And out onon he pullith haith o ?werd; [Sidenote: and proves his manhood.]

That day In armys p{re}wit he ry{ch}t well His ?trenth, his manhed; arthuris folk thai fell. 2604

[Headnote: DEEDS OF SIR GWYANS.]

[Sidenote: Then Galys Gwynans, brother of Ywan,]

Than galys gwynans, w{i}t{h} o manly hart, Which broy{er} was of ywane the ba?tart, He cu{m}myne Is onone one to the ?tour For {con}quering In armys of honour, 2608 [Fol. 32b.]

[Sidenote: encounters him, and horse and man go all four to earth.]

And cownt{er}it w{i}t{h} e?quyris hath so That[T61] hor and man, al four, to erth thai go; And ?till o quhill lying at the ground.

W{i}t{h} that o p{ar}t of arthur{is} folk thei found 2612 [Sidenote: Arthur's folk rescue Gwyans;]

Till gwyans, and haith hyme ?one re?kewit.

A?anis them til e?quyris thei ?ewyt [Sidenote: thirty knights of Galiot's arrive, and rescue Esquyris.]

Of galiot{is} well x.x.x^ti kny{ch}t{is} & mo; Gwyans goith done, and vthir vij al?o, 2616 The wich war tone & e?qwyris relewit.

[Sidenote: Next Ywan comes to the _melee_.]

Than ywane the anterus, aggrewit, W{i}t{h} kyn{n}i?me{n} one to the melle ?o{ch}t.