Lancelot of the Laik Part 18

++Up goth the trumpet{is} with the clariou{ni}s, Ayaine the feld blawen furth ther ?ownis, 772 [Sidenote: Galiot's host set out.]

Furth goth this king w{i}t{h} al his o?t anon.

Be this the word wes to king arthur gone, That knew no thing, nor wi?t of ther entent, [Sidenote: Arthur's host don their armour.]

But ?one his folk ar one to armys went; 776 But arthur by Report hard saye [Sidenote: Arthur, hearing that Galiot is unarmed, will not arm himself;]

How galiot non armys bur that day, Wharfor he thoght of armys nor of ?held None wald he tak, nor mak hyme for the feld. 780 [Sidenote: but calls Gawane, and tells him how to order his battalions.]

But gawane haith he clepit, was hyme by, In qwhome Rignith the flour of cheuelry; And told one what man{er}, and one what wy He ?huld his batelles ordand and dewys; 784 Be?eching hyme, [hyme] wi?ly to for-see A?aine thei folk, wich was far mo than hee.

He knew the charg and pa??ith one his way Furth to his hor, and makith no dulay; 788 The clariou{n}is blew and furth goth al onon, [Sidenote: Gawane and his men cross over the water at the ford.]

And our ye watt{er} and the furd ar gone.

[Headnote: GAWANE HARANGUES HIS MEN.]

Within o playne vpone that other ?yd Ther gawan gon his batellis to dewide, 792 As he wel couth, and set them i{n} aray, Syne with o manly contynans can ?ay, [Sidenote: He harangues his men.]

"Ye falowis wich of the round table ben, Through al this erth whois fam is hard {and} ?en, 796 Reme{m}brith now It ?tondith one the poynt, For why It lyith one your ?peris poynt,[T17]

The well-fare of the king and of our londe; [Fol. 11.]

And ?en the ?ucour lyith in your honde, 800 And hardement is thing ?hall mo?t awaill Frome deth ther men of armys in bataill, Lat now your ma{n}hed and your hie curage The pryd of al thir mult.i.tude a??uage; 804 Deth or defence, non other thing we wot."

[Sidenote: Maleginis and all his host come over the plain, and Gawane sends a company against them.]

This fre?ch king, that maleginis was hot, With al his o?t he cu{m}myne our the plan, And gawan ?end o batell hyme agan; 808 In myde the borde,[T18] and fe?tinit in the ?tell The ?perithis poynt, that bit.i.th ?charp {and} well; [Sidenote: But they were all too few; wherefore Gawane sends a second company;]

Bot al to few thei war, and my{ch}t no{ch}t le?t This gret Rout that cu{m}myth one ?o fa?t. 812 Than haith ?{ir} gawan ?end, them to ?upport, One othir batell with one kny{ch}tly sorte; [Sidenote: then a third; then a fourth; and then sets out himself, to resist the 10,000.]

And ?yne the thrid, and ?yne the ferde al?o; And ?yne hyme-?elf one to the feld can go, 816 When that he ?auch thar latt{er} batell ?teir, And the ten thou?and cu{m}myne al thei veir; Qwhar that of armes prewit he so well, His e{n}nemys gane his mortall [?trokis] fell. 820

[Footnote T17: At the bottom of this page appears for the first time a catchword, which is-- "The wel fare."]

[Footnote T18: Or "berde."]

[Headnote: GAWANE DEFEATS MALEGINIS.]

[Sidenote: He goes among them in his courage,]

He goith ymong them in his hie curage, As he that had of knyghthed the w?age, And couth hyme weill {con}ten i{n} to on hour; A?aine his ?trok re?i?t.i.t non armour; 824 [Sidenote: and many other of Arthur's knights perform wonders.]

And mony kny{ch}t, that worth ware and bolde, War th.o.r.e with hyme of arthur{is} hou?hold, And knyghtly gan one to the feld them bere, And mekil wroght of armys In to were; 828 S{ir} gawan than vpone ?uch wy hyme bure, [Sidenote: Maleginis goeth to discomfiture, and 7,000 of his men flee.]

This othere goith al to di?cu{m}fitoure; Sewyne thou?and fled, {and} of the feld thei go, Whar-of this king in to his hart was wo, 832 For of hyme ?elf he was of hie curage.

To galiot than ?end he in me?ag, That he ?huld help his folk for to defende; [Sidenote: Galiot sends him 30,000 more.]

And he to hyme hath x.x.x^te thousand sende; 836 Whar-of this king gladith in his hart, And thinkith to Reweng all the ?mart That he to-for haith ?uffirit and the payne. [Fol. 11b.]

[Sidenote: His folk return across the field as thick as hail.]

And al his folk returnyt Is ayayne 840 Atour the feld, and cu{m}myne thilk as haill;[T19]

The ?wyft hor goith fir?t to the a??all.

This n.o.ble knyght that ?eith the g{r}ete for Of armyt men, that cu{m}myne vpone hor, 844 To-giddir ?emblit al his falow?chip, And thoght them at the ?harp poynt to kep, So that thar harm ?hal be ful deir yboght.

This vthere folk with ?traucht cour hath ?ocht 848 Out of aray atour the larg felld; Thar was the ?trok{is} fe?tnit i{n} the ?helde, Thei war Re?auit at the ?per{is} end.

[Sidenote: Arthur's folk receive them manfully.]

So arthur{is} folk can manfully defend; 852 The forme?t can thar lyues end conclude, Whar ?one a??emblit al the mult.i.tude.

Thar was defens, ther was gret a??aill, Richt wond{er}full and ?trong was y^e bataill, 856 [Sidenote: but sustain much pain,]

Whar arthur{is} folk ?u?tenit mekil payn, And kny{ch}tly them defendit haith a?aine.

[Footnote T19: MS. "thilk as (Rayne) haill," as if it were at first intended to find a rime to "ayayne."]

[Headnote: GAWANE'S VALIANT DEEDS.]

[Sidenote: and cannot endure against so many.]

Bot endur thei my{ch}t, apone no wy, The mult.i.tude and ek the gret ?upp{ri}; 860 But gawan, wich that ?et.i.th al h{is} payn Vpone knyghthed, defendid ?o a?aine, That only in the manhede of this knyght His folk reIo?it them of his gret myght, 864 And ek aba?it hath his ennemys; For throw the feld he goith in ?uch wy, And in the pre ?o ma{n}fully them ?{er}uith, [Sidenote: Gawane carves helmets in two, and smites heads off shoulders;]

His ?uerd atwo the helmys al to-kerwith, 868 The hed{is} of he be the ?houd{er}is ?mat; The hor goith, of the mai?t{er} de?olat.

But what awaleth al his be?ynes, So ?trong and ?o in?ufferable vas the pre? 872 [Sidenote: but his men recross the ford to go to their lodges.]

His folk are pa??it atour the furdis ilkon, Towart ther bretis and to ther luges gon; Whar he and many worthy knyght al?o Of arthur{is} hou endurit mekill wo, 876 That neu{er} men mar in to armys vroght Of manhed, ?it was It al for noght.

Thar was the ?trenth, ther was the pa?ing myght [Fol. 12.]

[Sidenote: Gawane fights alone till night,]

Of gawan, wich that whill the dirk nyght 880 Befor the luges faucht al hyme alon, When that his falowis entrit ware ilkon, On arthur{is} half war mony tan and ?lan; [Sidenote: when Galiot's folk return home.]

And galot{is} folk Is hame ret{u}rnyd a?aine, 884 For it was lait; away the o?tis ridith, And gawan ?it apone his hor abidith, W{i}t{h} ?uerd in hond, when thei away var gon, And so for-wrocht hys ly{m}mys ver ilkon, 888 And wondit ek his body vp and doune, [Sidenote: Gawane swoons upon his horse.]

Vpone his hor Right th.o.r.e he fel in ?woune; And thei hyme tuk {and} to his lugyne bare, [Sidenote: The king and queen fear he has brought himself to confusion.]

Boith king and qwen of hyme vare i{n} di?pare; 892 For thei ?uppo?it, throw marwellis that he vroght, He had hyme-?elf to his confu?iou{n}e broght.

[Headnote: LANCELOT PRAYS TO BE RELEASED.]

[T]his[T20] was nere by of melyhalt, the hyll, Whar lan?celot ?it was w{i}t{h} the lady ?till. 896 The kny{ch}t{is} of the court [can] pa?ing home; This ladiis kny{ch}t{is} to hir palice com, And told to hir, how that the feld was vent, [Sidenote: The lady of Melyhalt hears of Gawane's deeds;]

And of gawan, and of his hardyme{n}t, 900 That merwell was his manhed to behold; [Sidenote: and Lancelot also,]

And ?one thir t.i.thing{is} to the kny{ch}t vas told, That was with wo and hewyne?s oppre?t; So noyith hyme his ?uiorne and his re?t, 904 [Sidenote: who sends for a knight to take a message to the lady;]

And but dulay one for o kny{ch}t he send, That was mo?t ?peciall with the lady kend.

He comyne, and the kny{ch}t vn to hyme ?aid, "Di?ple yow not, ?{ir}, be ?he not ill paid, 908 So homly thus I yow exort to go, To gare my lady ?pek o word or two With me, that am a carful p{re}?onere."[T21]

"S{ir}, your co{m}mande y ?hall, w{i}t{h}outen were, 912 Fulfill;" and to his lady pa??it hee In lawly wy be?iching hir, that ?he Wald grant hyme to pas at his reque?t, Vnto hir kny{ch}t, ?tood wnd{er} hir are?t; 916 And ?he, that knew al gentille aright, [Sidenote: who comes to his chamber.]

Furth to his chamber pa??it wight[T22] the licht.

[Footnote T20: See note to this line.]

[Footnote T21: MS. "preson{er}ere."]

[Footnote T22: Read "with" (?).]

++And he aro and ?alu?t Curta?ly [Fol. 12b.]

[Sidenote: Lancelot beseeches her to appoint his ransom,]

The lady, and ?aid, "madem, her I, 920 Your pre?oner, be?ekith yow that ?he Wold mer?y and compa??ione have of me, And mak the ran?one wich that I may yeif; I wai?t my tyme in presou{n}e thus to leife. 924 For why I her on be report be told, That arthur, with the flour of his hou?holde, Is cu{m}myne here, and in this c.u.n.tre lyis, And ?tant In danger of his ennemyis, 928 And haith a??emblit; and eft this ?halt bee Within ?hort tyme one new a??emblee.

Thar-for, my lady, y youe g{ra}ce be?ech, That I mycht pas, my Ran?on for to fech; 932 [Sidenote: presuming that some of Arthur's knights will pay it.]

Fore I p{re}?ume thar longith to that ?ort That louid me, and ?hal my nede ?upport."

[Headnote: THE LADY AT FIRST REFUSES;]

++"s.h.i.+re kny{ch}t, It ?tant no{ch}t in ?ich dugree; [Sidenote: She replies that she does not want a ransom, but has imprisoned him for his guilt.]

It is no ran?one wich that cau?ith me 936 To holden yow, or don yow ?ich offens; It is your gilt, It is your wiolens, Whar-of that I de?ir no thing but law, W{i}t{h}out report your awn tre?pas to knaw." 940 "Madem, your ple?ance may ye wel fulfill Of me, that am in p{re}?one at your will.

[Sidenote: He prays for pardon,]

Bot of that gilt, I was for til excu, For that I did of werrey nede behw, 944 It tuechit to my honore and my fame; I mycht no{ch}t lefe It but hurting of my nam, And ek the knycht was mor to blam than I.

But ye, my lady, of your curte??y, 948 Wold ?e deden my Ransou{n}e to re?aue, [Sidenote: and begs for liberty:]

Of pre?one ?o I my libertee myght haue, Y ware ?olde eu{er}more [to be] your knyght, Whill that I leif, w{i}t{h} al my holl myght. 952 And if ?o be ye lykith not to ma [Sidenote: or at least to be allowed to go to the next battle,]

My ra{n}?one, [madem,] if me leif to ga To the a??emble, wich ?al be of new; [Sidenote: under a promise to return at night.]

And as that I am feithful kny{ch}t {and} trew, 956 At ny{ch}t to yow I ent{er} ?hall a?aine, But if that deth or other lat c{er}tan, Throw wich I [may] have ?uch Impediment, That I be hold,[T23] magre myne entent." 960 [Fol. 13.]

[Footnote T23: MS. "behold."]

[Headnote: BUT AT LAST GRANTS HIS BOON.]

[Sidenote: She consents, if he will specify to her his name.]

"S{ir} kny{ch}t," q{uo}d ?he, "I grant yow leif, w{i}t{h}thy Your name to me that ?e wil ?pecify."

"Madem, as ?it, ?utly 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 fa?t as I haue tyme Conuenient, or may vith-outen cryme, I ?hall;" and than the lady ?aith hyme tyll, "And I, ?chir kny{ch}t, one this condi?cione will 968 [Sidenote: She grants him leave, under the proposed condition.]

Grant yow leve, ?o that ye obli?t bee For to Return, as ye haue ?aid to me."

Thus thei accord, the lady goith to re?t, The ?one di?cending clo?it in the ve?t; 972 The ferd day was dewy?it for to bee Betuex the o?t{is} of the a??emblee.

++And galiot Richt arly by the day, Ayane the feld he can h{is} folk aray; 976 [Sidenote: Galiot a.s.sembles 40,000 fresh men.]