“S{ir} kny{ch}t,” q{uo}d ſhe, “I grant yow leif, w{i}t{h}thy
Your name to me that ȝe wil ſpecify.”
“Madem, as ȝit, ſutly I ne may
Duclar my name, one be no man{er} way; 964
[Sidenote: He refuses for the present.]
But I p{ro}myt, als faſt as I haue tyme
Conuenient, or may vith-outen cryme,
I ſhall;” and than the lady ſaith hyme tyll,
“And I, ſchir kny{ch}t, one this condiſcione will 968
[Sidenote: She grants him leave, under the proposed condition.]
Grant yow leve, ſo that ye obliſt bee
For to Return, as ye haue ſaid to me.”
Thus thei accord, the lady goith to reſt,
The ſone diſcending cloſit in the veſt; 972
The ferd day was dewyſit for to bee
Betuex the oſt{is} of the aſſemblee.
++And galiot Richt arly by the day,
Ayane the feld he can h{is} folk aray; 976
[Sidenote: Galiot assembles 40,000 fresh men.]
And fourty thouſand armyt me{n} haith he,
That war not at the othir aſſemble,
Co{m}mandit to the batell for to gon;
“And I my-ſelf,” q{uod} he, “ſhal me diſpone 980
On to the feild aȝaine the thrid day;
Whar of this were we ſhal the end aſſay.”
[Sidenote: Arthur also provides his men for the field.]
++ANd arthur{is} folk that come one eu{er}y ſyd,
He for the feld can them for to p{ro}uide, 984
Wich ware to few aȝaine the gret affere
Of galiot ȝit to ſuſten the were.
[Sidenote: The knights of Melyhalt join him.]
The kny{ch}t{is} al out of the cete roß
Of melyholt, and to the ſemble gois. 988
[Sidenote: The lady secretly provides Lancelot with a red courser,
and a shield and spear, both red also.]
And the lady haith, in to ſacret wyß,
Gart for hir kny{ch}t and preſon{er} dewyß
In red al thing, that ganith for the were;
His curſeir red, ſo was boith ſcheld {and} ſpere. 992
[Headnote: LANCELOT ENCOURAGES HIMSELF.]
{And} he, to qwham the preſone hath ben ſmart,
With glaid deſir apone his curſour ſtart;
[Sidenote: He rides towards the field, and halts in a plain by the
river-side.]
Towart the feld anon he gan to ryd,
And in o plan houit one reu{er} syde. 996
This kny{ch}t, the wich that long haith ben i{n} cag,
[Sidenote: Lancelot is encouraged, seeing the blithe morn, the mead,
the river, the green woods, and the knights and banners.]
He grew in to o freſch {and} new curage,
Seing the morow bly{th}full and amen,
The med, the Reuer, and the vodis gren, 1000
The kny{ch}t{is} in [ther] armys them arayinge,
The baner{is} ayaine the feld diſplayng, [Fol. 13b.]
His ȝouth in ſtrenth and in p{ro}ſperytee,
And ſyne of luſt the gret aduerſytee.[T24] 1004
Thus in his tho{ch}t reme{m}bryng at the laſt,
[Sidenote: Casting his eyes aside, he sees the queen looking over
a parapet.]
Eft{er}ward one ſyd he gan his Ey to caſt,
Whar our a bertes[T25] lying haith he sen
Out to the feld luking was the qwen; 1008
Sudandly with that his goſt aſtart
[Sidenote: Love catches him by the heart.]
Of loue anone haith caucht hyme by the hart;
Than ſaith he, “How long ſhall It be so,
Loue, at yow ſhall wirk me al this wo? 1012
Apone this wyß to be Infortunat,
Hir for to ſ{er}ue the wich thei no thing wate
What ſufferance I in hir wo endure,
Nor of my wo, nor of myne aduenture? 1016
And I wnworthy ame for to attane
To hir p{rese}ns, nor dare I noght complane.
[Sidenote: He counsels his heart to help itself at need,]
Bot, hart, ſen at yow knawith ſhe is here,
That of thi lyue and of thi deith is ſtere, 1020
Now is thi tyme, now help thi-ſelf at neid,
And the dewod of eu{er}y point of dred,
[Sidenote: to forego cowardice,]
That cowardy be none In to the señ,
Fore and yow do, yow knowis thi peyne, I weyn; 1024
Yow art wnable eu{er} to attane
To hir mercy, or cum be ony mayne.
[Sidenote: and to deserve her thanks or die.]
Tharfor y red hir thonk at yow diſſerue,
Or in hir p{rese}ns lyk o kny{ch}t to ſterf.” 1028
[Footnote T24: May we read “diuerſytee”?]
[Footnote T25: MS. “abertes.”]
[Headnote: THE RED KNIGHT’S TRANCE.]
[Sidenote: Confused with a heavy thought,]
With that confuſit w{i}t{h} an hewy tho{ch}t,
Wich ner his deith ful oft tyme haith hyme ſo{ch}t,
Deuoydit was his sprit{is} and his goſt,
He wiſt not of hyme-ſelf nor of his oſt; 1032
[Sidenote: he [sits] on his horse as still as stone.]
Bot one his horß, als ſtill as ony ſton.
When that the kny{ch}t{is} armyt war ilkon,
[Sidenote: The bugles are blown, and the knights are ready on
horseback, 20,000 in number.]
To warnnyng them vp goith the bludy ſown,
And eu{er}y knyght vpone his horß is bown; 1036
Twenty thouſand armyt men of were.
The king that day he wold non armys bere;
His batell{is} ware devyſit eu{er}ilkon,
[Sidenote: They are forbidden to cross the fords, but cannot
be restrained.]
And them forbad out our the furd{is} to gon. 1040
Bot frome that thei ther ennemys haith sen,
In to ſuch wys thei cout{h} them noght ſuſteñ;
Bot ovr thei went vithouten more delay, [Fol. 14.]
And can them one that oy{er} sid aſſay. 1044
[Sidenote: The red knight still halting by the ford, a herald
seizes his bridle, and bids him awake.]
The red kny{ch}t ſtill in to his hewy thoght
Was hufyng ȝit apone the furd, {and} noght
Wiſt of hime ſelf; with that a harrold com,
And ſone the kny{ch}t he be the brydill nom, 1048
Saying, “awalk! It is no tyme to ſlep;
Your worſchip more expedient vare to kep.”
No word he ſpak, ſo prikith hyme the ſmart
Of hevynes, that ſtood vnto his hart. 1052
[Sidenote: Two shrews next approach; one takes his shield off his
neck,]
Two ſcrewis cam with that, of quhich [that] oñ
The kny{ch}t{is} ſheld ry{ch}t frome his hals haith toñ;
[Sidenote: the other casts water at his ventayle, which causes him
to wink, and arouse himself.]
That vthir watt{er} takith atte laſt,
And in the kny{ch}t{is} wentail haith It caſt; 1056
When that he felt the vatt{er} that vas cold,
He wonk, and gan about hyme to behold,
And thinkith how he ſum-quhat haith myſgoñ.
With that his ſpere In to his hand haith ton, 1060
[Sidenote: He goes to the field, and sees the first-conquest king.]
Goith to the feild w{i}t{h}outen vordis more;
So was he vare whare that there cam before,
O manly man he was in to al thing,
And clepit was the ferſt-conquest king. 1064
The Red kny{ch}t w{i}t{h} [the] ſpur{is} ſmat the ſted,
The tother cam, that of hyme hath no drede;
[Sidenote: They meet.]
With ferß curag ben the kny{ch}t{is} met,
The king his ſpere apone the kny{ch}t hath set, 1068
That al in peciß flaw in to the felde;
[Headnote: THE RED KNIGHT FIGHTS LIKE A LION.]
[Sidenote: The red knight, though shieldless, overthrows his foe.]
His hawbrek helpit, ſuppos he had no ſcheld.
And he the king in to the ſcheld haith ton,
That horß and man boith to the erd ar gon. 1072
[Sidenote: The shrew restores his shield.]
Than to the kny{ch}t he cu{m}myth, that haith tan
His ſheld, to hyme deliu{er}ith It ayane,
Beſiching hyme that of his Ignorance,
That knew hyme nat, as takith no grewance. 1076
The kny{ch}t h{is} ſche[l]d but mor delay haith tak,
And let hyme go, and no thing to hyme ſpak.
Than thei the[T26] wich that ſo at erth haith ſen
[Sidenote: The men of the first-conquest king come to the rescue.]
Ther lord, the ferſt-conqueſt king, y meñ, 1080
In haiſt thei cam, as that thei var agrevit,
And manfully thei haith ther king Releuit.
[Footnote T26: MS. “thei,” altered to “thee,” which is still
wrong.]
[A]nd Arthuris folk, that lykith not to byde,
In goith the spur{is} in the ſted{is} syde; 1084
To-giddir thar aſſemblit al the oſt: [Fol. 14b.]
At whois meting many o kny{ch}t was loſt.
[Sidenote: The battle was right cruel to behold.]
The batell was richt crewell to behold,
Of kny{ch}t{is} wich that haith there lyvis ȝolde. 1088
One to the hart the ſpere goith throw the ſcheld,
The kny{ch}t{is} gaping lyith in the feld.
The red kny{ch}t, byrnyng in loues fyre,
Goith to o kny{ch}t, als ſwift as ony vyre, 1092
The wich he perſit throuch {and} throuch the hart;
[Sidenote: The red knight loses his spear, but draws his sword,
and roams the field like a lion.]
The ſpere is went; w{i}t{h} that anon he ſtart,
And out o ſuerd in to his hond he tais;
Lyk to o lyone in to the feld he gais, 1096
In to his Rag ſmyting to and fro
Fro ſum the arm, fro ſum the nek in two,
Sum in the feild lying is in ſwou{n},
[Sidenote: Some he cleaves to the belt.]
And sum his ſuerd goith to the belt al douñe. 1100
For qwhen that he beholdith to the qwen,
Who had ben thore his manhed to haue sen,
His doing in to armys and his myght,
Shwld ſay in world war not ſuch o wight. 1104
[Sidenote: His fellows take comfort from his deeds,]
His falouſchip siche comfort of his dede
Haith ton, that thei ther ennemys ne dreid;
But can them-self ay manfoly conten
In to the ſtour, that hard was to ſuſten; 1108
[Sidenote: though Galiot’s host was a surpassing multitude.]
For galyot was O paſing multitude
Of prewit men in armys that war gude,
The wich can w{i}t{h} o freſch curag aſſaill
Ther ennemys that day In to batell; 1112
[Sidenote: Had it not been for the manhood of the red knight,
Arthur’s folk had been in peril.]
That ne ware not the vorſchip {and} manhede
Of the red kny{ch}t, in p{er}ell and in dreid
Arthur{is} folk had ben, vith-outen vere;
Set thei var good, thei var of ſmal powere. 1116
[Headnote: GAWANE BEHOLDS THE RED KNIGHT.]
[Sidenote: Gawane is led to the parapet,]
And gawan, wich gart bryng hyme-ſelf befor
To the bertes, set he was vondit sore,
Whar the qwen vas, and whar that he my{ch}t see
The manere of the oſt and aſſemble; 1120
And when that he the gret manhed haith sen
[Sidenote: and saith to the queen, that none ever did better than
yon red knight.]
Of the red kny{ch}t, he ſaith one to the qwen,
“Madem, ȝone knyght in to the armys Rede,
Nor neu{er} I hard nore ſaw in to no ſted 1124
O kny{ch}t, the wich that in to ſchortar ſpace
In armys haith mor forton nore mor grace;
Nore bettir doith boith with ſper and ſcheild,
He is the hed and comfort of our feild.” 1128 [Fol. 15.]
[Sidenote: The queen prays for Lancelot.]
“Now, ſ{ir}, I traiſt that neu{er} more vas ſen
No man in feild more knyghtly hyme {con}ten;
I pray to hyme that eu{er}y thing hath cure,
Saif hyme fro deth or wykit aduenture.” 1132
[Sidenote: The field was perilous on both sides,]
The feild It was ry{ch}t p{er}ellus and ſtrong
On boith the ſydis, and continewit long,
[Sidenote: from early morn till the sun had gone down.]
Ay from the ſone the varld{is} face gan licht
Whill he was gone {and} cu{m}yne vas the nycht; 1136
And than o forß thei my{ch}t It not aſſtart,
On eu{er}y ſyd behouit them depart.
[Sidenote: Every knight then returns home, and the red knight
privily goes back to the city.]
The feild is don and ham goith eu{er}y kny{ch}t,
And prevaly, unwiſt of any wicht, 1140
The way the red kny{ch}t to the cete taiis,
As he had hecht, {and} in h{is} chambre gais.
When arthure hard how the kny{ch}t Is gon,
He blamyt ſore his lordis eu{er}ilk-one; 1144
And oft he haith remembrit in his thoght,
[Sidenote: Arthur, seeing the multitude of Galiot’s men, recalls
his dream, saying,]
What multitud that galiot had broght;
Seing his folk that ware so ewil arayt,
In to his mynd he ſtondith al affrayt, 1148
And ſaith, “I traiſt ful ſuth It ſal be founde
My drem Richt as the clerk{is} gan expounde;
[Sidenote: “My men now fail me at need.”]
For why my men failȝeis now at neid,
My-ſelf, my londe, in p{er}ell and in dreide.” 1152
[Headnote: GALIOT PROPOSES A TRUCE.]
[Sidenote: Galiot tells his council]
And galiot vpone hie worſchip set,
And his conſell anon he gart be fet,
To them he ſaith, “with arthur weil ȝe see
How that It ſtant, and to qwhat degre, 1156
Aȝanis ws that he is no poware;
[Sidenote: that there is no honour in conquering Arthur,]
Wharfor, me think, no worſchip to ws ware
In conqueryng of hyme, nor of his londe,
He haith no ſtrenth, he may ws not vithſtonde. 1160
Wharfor, me think It beſt is to delay,
[Sidenote: and proposes a twelvemonth’s truce.]
And reſput hyme for a tuelmoñeth day,
Whill that he may aſſemble al his myght;
Than is mor worſchip aȝanis hyme to ficht;” 1164
And thus concludit thoght hyme for the beſt.
The very kny{ch}t{is} paſſing to there Reſt;
Of melyholt the ladeis kny{ch}t{is} ilkone
Went home, and to hir p{rese}ns ar thei gon; 1168
[Sidenote: The lady of Melyholt asks her knights who hath won
most honour.]
At qwhome ful ſone than gan ſcho to Inquere,
And al the maner of the oſt{is} till spere;
How that It went, and in what man{er} wyß,
Who haith moſt worſchip, {and} who is moſt to pryß? 1172
“Madem,” q{uod} thei, “O kny{ch}t was In the feild, [Fol. 15b.]
[Sidenote: They reply, that a red knight had exceeded all others.]
Of Red was al his armour and his ſheld,
Whois manhed can al otheris to exced,
May nan report in armys half his deid; 1176
Ne wor his worſchip, ſhortly to conclud,
Our folk of help had ben al deſtitud.
He haith the thonk, the vorſchip in hyme lyis,
That we the feld defendit in ſich wyß.” 1180
[Sidenote: The lady wonders if her prisoner is meant.]
The lady thane one to hir-ſelf haith tho{ch}t,
“Whether Is ȝone my p{re}ſonar, ore noght?
The ſuthfaſtneß that ſhal y wit onon.”
When euery wight vn to ther Reſt war gon, 1184
[Headnote: THE LADY VISITS LANCELOT.]
[Sidenote: She calls her cousin,]
She clepith one hir cwſynes ful nere
Wich was to hir moſt ſpeciall and dere,
And ſaith to hir, “qwheyar if yone bee
Our preſoner, my consell Is we see.” 1188
[Sidenote: who takes a torch, and they go to the stable,]
With that the maden In hir hand hath ton
O torche, and to the ſtabille ar thei gon;
[Sidenote: and find his steed wounded.]
And fond his ſted lying at the ground,
Wich wery was, ywet w{i}t{h} mony wounde. 1192
The maden ſaith, “vpone this horß is ſen,
He in the place quhar strok{is} was hath beñ;
And ȝhit the horß It is no{ch}t wich that hee
Furt{h} w{i}t{h} hyme hade;”--the lady ſaid, “p{er} dee, 1196
He vſyt haith mo horß than one or two;
[Sidenote: Next they view his armour,]
I red one to his armys at we go.”
Tharwith one to his armys ar thei went;
[Sidenote: and find his hauberk rent, and his shield frushed all
to naught.]
Thei fond his helm, thei fond his hawbrek rent, 1200
Thei fond his ſcheld was fruſchit al to no{ch}t;
At ſchort, his armour In sich wyß vas vro{ch}t
In eu{er}y place, that no thing was left haill,
Nore neu{er} eft accordith to bataill. 1204
[Sidenote: They think he has well used his armour.]
Than ſaith the lady to hir cuſyneß,
“What ſal we ſay, what of this mat{er} geß?”
“Madem, I ſay, thei have no{ch}t ben abwsyt;
He that them bur ſchortly he has them vſyt.” 1208
“That may ȝe ſay, ſuppos the beſt that lewis,
Or moſt of worſchip in til armys prewis,
Or ȝhit haith ben in ony tyme beforñ,
Had them in feld in his maſt curag borñ.” 1212
[Sidenote: They next visit the knight himself,]
“Now,” q{uo}d the lady, “will we paß, and see
The kny{ch}t hyme-self, and ther the ſut{h} may we
Knaw of this thing.” Incontynent them[T27] boith [Fol. 16.]
Thir ladeis vn to his chambre goith. 1216
[Sidenote: who was now asleep.]
The kny{ch}t al wery fallyng was on ſlep;
This maden paſſith In, {and} takith kep.
[Sidenote: The lady’s cousin observes his breast and shoulders
bloody, his face hurt, and his fists swollen.]
Sche ſauch his breſt w{i}t{h} al his ſchowd{er}is bare,
That bludy war and woundit her and thare; 1220
His face was al to-hurt and al to-ſchent,
His newis ſwellyng war and al to-Rent.
Sche ſmylyt a lyt, and to hir lady ſaid,
“It ſemyth weill this kny{ch}t hath ben aſſaid.” 1224
[Footnote T27: “then” (?).]
[Headnote: THE LADY IS LOVE-SMITTEN.]
[Sidenote: The lady next observes him,]
The lady ſauch, and rewit in hir thoght
The kny{ch}t{is} worſchip wich that he haith vroght.
[Sidenote: and is smitten to the heart by the dart of love,]
In hire Reme{m}brance loues fyre dart
W{i}t{h} hot deſyre hir ſmat one to the hart; 1228
And then a quhill, w{i}t{h}-outen word{is} mo,
In to hir mynd thinking to and fro,
She ſtudeit ſo, and at the laſt abraid
[Sidenote: and prays her cousin to draw aside, while she kisses
the knight.]
Out of hir tho{ch}t, and ſudandly thus ſaid, 1232
“W{i}t{h}-draw,” q{uod} ſhe, “one ſyd a lyt[T28] the lyght,
Or that I paß that I may kyß the knyght.”
[Footnote T28: MS. “alyt.”]
[Headnote: HER COUSIN REPROVES HER.]
[Sidenote: Her cousin reproves her,]
“Madem,” q{uod} ſche, “what is It at ȝe meñ?
Of hie worſchip our mekill have ȝe señ 1236
So sone to be ſupp{ri}ſit w{i}t{h} o thoght.
[Sidenote: lest the knight should awake.]
What is It at ȝhe think? p{re}ſwm ȝe noght
That if yon kny{ch}t wil walkin, and p{er}ſaif,
He ſhal yarof no thing bot ewill conſaif; 1240
In his entent Ruput yow therby
The ablare to al ly{ch}tneß and foly?
And blam the more al vther{is} in h{is} mynd,
If your gret wit in ſich deſire he fynde?” 1244
[Sidenote: The lady replies.]
“Nay,” q{uod} the lady, “no thing may I do
For ſich o kny{ch}t may be defam me to.”
[Sidenote: Her cousin next argues the point;]
“Madem, I wot that for to loue yone kny{ch}t,
Conſidir his fame, his worſchip, and h{is} my{ch}t; 1248
And to begyne as worſchip wil dewyß,
Syne he ayaine my{ch}t lowe yow one ſuch wyß,
And hold yow for his lady and his loue,
It war to yow no maner of Reprwe. 1252
[Sidenote: “What if he loves another?”]
But quhat if he appelit be and thret
His hart to lowe, and ellis whar y-ſet?
And wel y wot, madem, if It be so,
His hart hyme sal not ſuffir to loue two, 1256
For noble hart wil have no dowbilneß; [Fol. 16b.]
If It be ſo, ȝhe tyne yowr low, I geß;
Than is your-ſelf, than is your loue Refuſit,
Your fam is hurt, your gladneß is concluſit. 1260
My conſell is, therfore, you to abſten
Whill that to yow the werray Ry{ch}t be ſeñ
Of his entent, the wich ful ſon ȝhe may
Have knawlag, If yow lykith to aſſay.” 1264
[Sidenote: She persuades the lady to return to her chamber,
without further delay.]
So mokil to hir lady haith ſhe vroght
That at that tyme ſhe haith Ret{ur}nyt h{ir} tho{ch}t,
And to hir chambre went, w{i}t{h}outen more,
Whar loue of new aſſaith hir ful sore. 1268
So well long thei ſpeking of the kny{ch}t,
[Sidenote: Her cousin labours to expel her love for Lancelot from
her thoughts, but her labour is in vain.]
Hir cuſynace hath don al at ſhe my{ch}t
For to expel that thing out of hir tho{ch}t;
It wil not be, hir labour Is for no{ch}t. 1272
Now leif we hir In to hir neweſt pan,
And to arthur we wil retwrn agañ.
EXPLICIT P{RI}M{US} LIBER, INCIPIT SECUND{US}.
[Headnote: ARTHUR’S GREAT ANXIETY.]
[BOOK II.]
[Sidenote: Night.]
++The clowdy nyght, wndir whois obſcure
The reſt and quiet of euery criatur 1276
Lyith ſauf, quhare the goſt w{i}t{h} beſyneß
Is occupiit, w{i}t{h} thoghtfull hewynes;
And, for that tho{ch}t furth ſchewing vil h{is} my{ch}t,
Go fare-wel reſt and quiet of the ny{ch}t. 1280
[Sidenote: Arthur cannot rest.]
Artur, I meyne, to whome that reſt is no{ch}t,
But al the ny{ch}t ſuppriſit is with tho{ch}t;
In to his bed he turnyth to and fro,
Remembryng the apperans of his wo, 1284
That is to ſay, his deith, his confuſioune,
And of his realme the opin diſtruccioune.
That in his wit he can no thing p{ro}wide,
Bot tak his forton thar for to abyd. 1288
[Sidenote: The sun goeth up.]
Vp goith the ſon, vp goith the hot morow;
The thoghtful king al the ny{ch}t to ſorow,
That ſauch the day, vpone his feit he ſtart, [Fol. 17.]
[Sidenote: Arthur goeth forth.]
And furth he goith, diſtrublit in his hart. 1292
A quhill he walkith in his penſyf goſt,
[Sidenote: He hears that a clerk has arrived,]
So was he ware thar cu{m}myne to the oſt
O clerk, with whome he was aqwynt befor,
In to his tyme non bett{er} was y-bore; 1296
Of qwhois com he gretly vas Reioſit,
For in to hyme ſum comfort he ſuppoſit;
[Sidenote: between whom and himself there was a hearty affection.]
Betuex them was one hartly affeccioune.
Non ord{er}is had he of Relegioune, 1300
Fam{us} he was, and of gret excellence,
[Sidenote: He was expert in the seven sciences,]
And ry{ch}t exp{er}t in al the vij. ſcience;
Contemplatif and chaſt in gou{er}nance,
[Sidenote: and was named Amytans.]
And clepit was the maiſt{er} amytans. 1304
The king befor his palȝou{n}e one the gren,
That knew hyme well, {and} haith his cu{m}myn ſeñ,
[Sidenote: Arthur welcomes him.]
Velcu{m}myt hyme, and maid hyme ry{ch}t gud chere,
And he agan, agrewit as he were, 1308
[Sidenote: He recks nothing of Arthur’s salutation.]
Saith, “nothir of thi ſaloſing, nor the,
Ne rak I no{ch}t, ne charg I no{ch}t,” q{uo}d hee.
[Sidenote: The king inquires what trespass he has committed.]
Than q{uod} the king, “maiſt{er}, {and} for what why
Ar ȝe agrewit? or quhat treſſpas have I 1312
Co{m}mytit, ſo that I ſhal yow diſples?”
[Headnote: AMYTANS REPROVES ARTHUR.]
[Sidenote: He replies, “It is not against me, but against thyself.]
Quod he, “no thing It is ayane myn eß,
But only {con}trare of thi-ſelf alway;
So fare the courß yow paſſith of the way. 1316
[Sidenote: Thy ship is almost drowned in the whirlpool.]
Thi ſchip, that goth apone the ſtormy vall,
Ney of thi careldis in the ſwelf it fall,
Whar ſhe almoſt is in the p{er}ell drent;
That is to ſay, yow art ſo far myſwent 1320
Of wykitneß vpone the vrechit dans,
That yow art fallyng in the storng[T29] vengans
[Sidenote: That is, God’s wrath shall soon devour thee.]
Of goddis wreth, that ſhal the ſon deuour;
For of his ſtrok approchit now the hour 1324
That boith thi Ringe, thi ceptre, {and} thi crovñ,
Frome hie eſtat he ſmyting ſhal adoune.
And that accordith well, for in thi tho{ch}t
[Sidenote: Because thou knowest Him not, who set thee up in this
high estate,]
Yow knawith not hyme, the wich that haith the wro{ch}t, 1328
And ſet the vp in to this hie eſtat
From powert; for, as the-ſelwyne wat,
It cu{m}myth al bot only of his myght,
And not of the, nor of thi eld{er}is Richt 1332
To the diſcending, as in heritage,
[Sidenote: though not begotten in spousage.]
For yow was not byget in to spouſag.
Wharfor yow aucht his biding to obſerf, [Fol. 17b.]
And at thy my{ch}t yow ſhuld hyme pleß {and} ſerf; 1336
That dois yow nat, for yow art ſo confuſſit
With this fals warld, that thow haith hyme Refuſit,
And brokine haith his reul and ordynans,
The wich to the he gave in gou{er}nans. 1340
[Footnote T29: So in MS. Is it necessary to alter it to
“strong”?]
[Headnote: THE TYRANNY OF KINGS.]
[Sidenote: He made thee king,]
He maid the king, he maid the gou{er}nour,
He maid the ſo, and ſet in hie honour
Of Realmys and of [diuerß] peplis ſere;
Eft{er} his loue thow ſhuld them Reul {and} ſtere, 1344
And wnoppreſſit kep in to Iuſtice,
The wykit men and pwnyce for ther wice.
Yow dois no thing, bot al in the {con}trare,
[Sidenote: and thou sufferest thy people to fare ill.]
And ſuffrith al thi puple to forfare; 1348
Yow haith non Ey but one thyne awn delyt,
Or quhat that pleſing ſhall thyne appetyt.
In the defalt of law and of Iuſtice,
Wndir thi hond is ſufferyt gret ſuppriß 1352
Of fadirleß, and modirleß alſo,
And wedwis ek ſuſtenit mekill wo.
[Sidenote: The poor are oppressed.]
With gret myſchef oppreſſit ar the pure;
And thow art cauß of al this hol Iniure, 1356
Whar-of that god a raknyng ſal craf
At the, and a ſore Raknyng ſal hafe;
For thyne eſtat is gewyne to Redreß
Thar ned, and kep them to ry{ch}twyneß; 1360
And thar is non that ther complant{is} her{is};
The my{ch}ty folk, and ek the flattereris
Ar cheif with the, and doith this oppreſſiou{n};
[Sidenote: If they complain, it is their confusion.]
If thai complen, It is ther confuſſiou{n}e. 1364
And daniell ſaith that who doith to the pure,
Or fad{er}leß, or modirleß, EnIure,
Or to the puple, that ilke to god doth hee;
And al this harme ſuſtenit Is throw the. 1368
Yow ſufferith them, oppreſſith {and} anoyith;
So yow art cauß, throw the thei ar diſtroyth;
Than, at thi my{ch}t, god ſo diſtroys yow.
[Sidenote: What wilt thou do, when God destroys sinners off the
visage of the earth?]
What ſhal he do aȝane? quhat ſhal yow, 1372
When he diſtroys by vengance of his ſuerd
The ſynar{is} fra the vysag{is} of the Erde?
Than vtraly yow ſhall diſtroyt bee;
And that Richt weill apper{is} now of thee, 1376
For yow allon byleft art ſolitere;
[Sidenote: Solomon saith, ‘Wo to him who is left alone! He hath
no help.’]
And the wyß salamon can duclar,
‘Wo be to hyme that is byleft alone,
He haith no help;’ so Is thi forton goñe; 1380 [Fol. 18.]
For he is callit, w{i}t{h} quhom that god is no{ch}t,
Allone; and ſo thi wykitneß haith wro{ch}t
That god hyme-ſelf he is bycu{m}myn thi fo,
[Sidenote: Thou hast lost thy people’s hearts,]
Thi pupleis hart{is} haith thow tynt alſo; 1384
Thi wykitneß thus haith the maid alon,
That of this erth thi fortone Is y-goñ.
Yow mone thi lyf, yow mone thi vorſchip tyne,
[Sidenote: and shalt come to death that hath no end.”]
And eft to deth that neu{er} ſhal haf fyne.” 1388
[Headnote: ARTHUR ASKS ADVICE.]