This strange knight, that cam thus sodeynly,
Al armed save his heed ful richely, 90
Saluëth king and queen, and lordes alle,
By ordre, as they seten in the halle,
With so heigh reverence and obeisaunce
As wel in speche as in contenaunce,
[464: T. 10409-10444.]
That Gawain, with his olde curteisye, 95
Though he were come ageyn out of Fairye,
Ne coude him nat amende with a word.
And after this, biforn the heighe bord, (90)
He with a manly voys seith his message,
After the forme used in his langage, 100
With-outen vyce of sillable or of lettre;
And, for his tale sholde seme the bettre,
Accordant to his wordes was his chere,
As techeth art of speche hem that it lere;
Al-be-it that I can nat soune his style, 105
Ne can nat climben over so heigh a style,
Yet seye I this, as to commune entente,
Thus muche amounteth al that ever he mente, (100)
If it so be that I have it in minde.
91. E. Saleweth; Hn. Cm. Salueth; _rest_ salued. 96. E. Cm. comen.
105. Cp. Pt. Ln. Hl. it; E. Hn. Cm. _omit_.
He seyde, ‘the king of Arabie and of Inde, 110
My lige lord, on this solempne day
Saluëth yow as he best can and may,
And sendeth yow, in honour of your feste,
By me, that am al redy at your heste,
This stede of bras, that esily and wel 115
Can, in the space of o day naturel,
This is to seyn, in foure and twenty houres,
Wher-so yow list, in droghte or elles shoures, (110)
Beren your body in-to every place
To which your herte wilneth for to pace 120
With-outen wem of yow, thurgh foul or fair;
Or, if yow list to fleen as hye in the air
As doth an egle, whan him list to sore,
This same stede shal bere yow ever-more
With-outen harm, til ye be ther yow leste, 125
Though that ye slepen on his bak or reste;
And turne ayeyn, with wrything of a pin.
He that it wroghte coude ful many a gin; (120)
He wayted many a constellacioun
Er he had doon this operacioun; 130
[465: T. 10445-10480.]
And knew ful many a seel and many a bond.
110. E. Hn. Arabe. 113, 114. E. feeste, heeste. 115. E. Hn. weel.
116. E. natureel. 123. E. whan þat; _rest omit_ þat.
This mirour eek, that I have in myn hond,
Hath swich a might, that men may in it see
Whan ther shal fallen any adversitee
Un-to your regne or to your-self also; 135
And openly who is your freend or foo.
And over al this, if any lady bright
Hath set hir herte on any maner wight, (130)
If he be fals, she shal his treson see,
His newe love and al his subtiltee 140
So openly, that ther shal no-thing hyde.
Wherfor, ageyn this lusty someres tyde,
This mirour and this ring, that ye may see,
He hath sent to my lady Canacee,
Your excellente doghter that is here. 145