Again the swerd' of winter kene and cold.
This Cambuscàn, of which I have you told,
In real vestiments, sit on his deis 2
With diademe, ful high in his paleìs;

And holt his feste so solempne and so riche,
That in this world ne was ther non it liche,
Of which if I shal tellen all the array,
Than wold it occupie a somers day;
And, eke, it nedeth not for to devise
At every cours the order of hir service:
I wol not tellen of hir strangé sewes,*
Ne of hir swannés, ne hir heronsewes."
Eke, in that lond, as tellen knightés old,
Ther is som mete that is ful daintee hold,
That in this lond men recche of it ful smal:
Ther n' is no man that may reporten al.
I wol not tarien you, for it is prime,7
And for it is no fruit, but losse of time,
Unto my purpose I wol have recours.

9

And so befell, that after the thriddes cours,
While that this king sit thus in his noblèy,
Herking his minstrallés hir thingés pley
Beforne him at his bord deliciously,

In at the hallé dore, al sodenly,

Ther came a knight upon a stede of bras,
And in his hond a brod 10 mirroùr of glas;
Upon his thombe he had of gold a ring;
And by his side a naked swerd hanging,
And up he rideth to the highé bord.
In all the halle ne was ther spoke a word,
For mervaille of this knight; him to behold
Ful besily they waiten, yong and old.

This strangé knight that come thus sodenly

Al arméd, save his hed, ful richély,
Salueth" king and quene, and lordés alle,
By order as they saten in the halle,

(4) Hir (5) Heronseues-young herons.

(1) Swerd sword. (2) Deis-dais, the elevated part of an ancient dining hall, where the principal persons sat under a canopy. (3) Holt-held. strange sewes-their strange or dainty dishes. (6) Recche of it, &c.-Reck, or care for it very little. (7) It is prime, either means, it is now the first quarter of the day (or early in the morning), and therefore I must be quicker with my story; or it is used metaphorically for the season of action and business. (8) Thridde-third.

(9) In his nobley-in his splendour,

(11) Salueth-saluteth.

With so high reverence and òbservance,
As wel in speche as in his contenance,
That Gawain' with his oldé curtesie,
Though he were come agen out of faerìe,
Ne coude him not amenden with a word.
And, after this, beforn the highé bord,
He with a manly vois sayd his message,
After the forme used in his langage,
Withouten vice of sillable or of letter.
And for his talé shuldé seme the better,
Accordant to his wordés was his chere,3
As techeth art of speche hem that it lere :4
Al be it that I cannot soune his stile,5
Ne cannot climben over so high a stile,5
Yet say I this, as to comùn entent,6
Thus much amounteth al that ever he ment,
If it so be that I have it in mind.

He sayd: "The King of Arabie and of Inde,
My liege Lord! on this solempné day,
Salueth you as he best can and may,

And sendeth you, in honour of
your feste,
By me, that am al redy at your heste,3
This stede of bras, that esily and wel
Can in the space of a day naturel,

(This is to sayn, in four and twenty houres),
Wher so you list, in drought or ellés shoures,
Beren your body into every place,

9

To which your herté willeth for to pace,
Withouten wemme of you,10 thurgh foule or faire.
Or if you list to fleen as high in the aire
As doth an egle, whan him list 12 to sore,
This samé stede shal bere you evermore,

(1) Gawain-a nephew to King Arthur, and described as a model of knightly courtesy. (2) And for, &c.—And in order that his tale, &c. (3) Chereappearance, the expression of his countenance. (4) Lere-learn; hence the noun, lore. (5) Stile-the two words thus written above, and given as rhymes, are of different origin-the former is from the Latin stylus, the writing implement of the Romans; the latter from the Anglo-Saxon stigh-el, something raised. (6) Comun entent-the general meaning or scope. (7) If it so be, &c.-If at least I understand it well myself. (8) Heste command. (9) Pace-pass, go. (10) Withouten wemme of you-without spot or any injury to you. (11) Fleen-to fly. (12) Him list-this verb is generally used in old authors, as in the above examples, impersonally. It is the same as lest, used two lines below; its past tense was luste.

Withouten harme, till ye be ther you lest,
(Though that ye slepen on his back or rest,)
And turne again with writhing' of a pin.
He that it wrought, he coude many a gin;
He waited many a constellation
Or he had don this operation,

And knew ful many a sele and many a bond.
This mirrour, eke, that I have in min hond,
Hath swiche a might, that men may in it see
When ther shal falle ony adversitee
Unto your regne, or to yourself also,
And openly, who is your frend or fo.
And, over all this, if any lady bright
Hath set her herte on any maner wight,
If he be false, she shal his treson see,
His newé love, and all his subtiltee,
So openly, that ther shal nothing hide.
Wherfore, again this lusty somer tide,
This mirrour and this ring that ye may see,
He hath sent to my lady Canace,
Your excellenté doughter that is here.
"The vertue of this ring, if ye wol here,
Is this, that if hire list it for to were
Upon hire thombe, or in hire purse it bere,
Ther is no foule that fleeth under heven,
That she ne shal wel understond his steven,"
And know his mening openly and plaine,
And answere him in his langage again:
And every gras that groweth upon rote
She shall eke know, and whom it wol do bote,6
Al be his woundes never so depe and wide.
This naked swerd, that hangeth by my side,
Swiche vertue hath, that what man that it smite,
Thurghout his armure it wol kerve and bite,
Were it as thicke as a braunchéd oke;

And what man that is wounded with the stroke

(1) Writhing-turning.

(2) He coude, &c.-He knew many a contrivance. (3) He waited, dec.-i.e. he waited until the stars were favourable to him. (4) Again this, &c.-Against this pleasant summer-time. (5) Steven-from the Anglo-Saxon stefn-ian, to set up, institute; hence steven is instituted language, speech. (6) Bote-from the Anglo-Saxon bot-an, to superadd, satisfy-satisfaction, help, remedy; do bote, cure. The words boot, in "to boot" and bootless, are derived from this word. (7) Kerve-carve, cut.

Shal never be hole, til that you list of grace1
To stroken him with the platte2 in thilké place
Ther he is hurt; this is as much to sain,
Ye moten with the platté swerde again
Stroken him in the wound, and it wol close.
This is the veray soth, withouten glose ;7
It faileth not, while it is in your hold."

And whan this knight hath thus his talé told,
He rideth out of halle, and down he light:
His stedé, which that shone as sonné bright,
Stant in the court as stille as
any ston.
This knight is to his chambre ladde3 anon,
And is unarmed, and to the mete ysette.
Thise presents ben ful richélich 10 yfette,11
This is to sain, the swerd and the mirroùr,
And borne anon into the highé tour
With certain officers ordained therfore;
And unto Canace the ring is bore
Solempnély, ther she sat at the table;
But, sikerley, withouten any fable,

The hors of bras, that may not be remued; 12
It stant, as it were to the ground yglued:
Ther may no man out of the place it drive
For non engine, of windlas, or polive; 13
And causé why, for they con14 not the craft,
And therfore in the place they han it laft,
Til that the knight hath taught hem the manère
To voiden 15 him, as ye shul after here.

Gret was the prees 16 that swarmed to and fro,
To gauren on this hors that stondeth so;
For it so high was, and so brod and long,
So wel proportionéd for to be strong,
Right as it were a stede of Lumbardie;
Therwith 18 so horsly,19 and so quik of eye,

(1) That you list of grace-that you please, as an act of favour. the flat part. (3) Thilke-the same. (4) Ther-where. -you must. (6) Soth-sooth, truth. (7) Glose-deceit.

(2) Platte(5) Ye moten

(8) Laddeled. (9) Unarmed-we should now write "disarmed." (10) Richelichrichly, with much ceremony. (11) Yfette-fetched. (12) Remued-from the French remuer, to stir-removed. (13) Polive-pulley. (14) Con-know. (15) Voiden-remove. (16) Prees-press. (17) Gauren-gaze. (18) Therwith-with that, at the same time. (19) Horsly-here applied to a horse, as manly is to a man.

As it a gentle Poileis courser1 were;
For certes, fro his tayle unto his ere,
Nature ne art ne coud him not amend
In no degree, as all the peple wend.3
But evermore hir mosté wonder was,
How that it coudé gon, and was of bras;
It was of faerie, as the peple semed.
Diversé folk diversély han demed;
As many heds, as many wittés ben.
They murmuréd, as doth a swarme of been,*
And maden skillés after hir fantasies,
Rehersing of the oldé poetries,
And sayd it was ylike the Pegasee,
The hors that haddé wingés for to flee;
Or, elles, it was the Grekés hors Sinon,
That broughté Troyé to destruction

As men moun in thise oldé gestés rede.

Min herte," quod9 on, is evermore in drede;

I trowe 10 some men of armés ben therin,

That shapen hem" this citee for to win:

It were right good that al swiche thing were know."
Another rowned 12 to his felaw low,

And sayd, "He lieth, for it is rather like
An apparence ymade by some magike,
As jogelours 13 plaién at thise festés grete."
Now after mete there goth this noble king
To seen this hors of bras, with all a route14
Of lordés and of ladies him aboute.

Swiche wondring was ther on this hors of bras,
That sin the gret assege of Troyé was,
Ther as 15 men wondred on an hors also,
Ne was ther swiche a wondring as was tho.16
But, finally, the king askèth the knight

(1) Poileis courser-a horse of Apulia, in Italy, which in old French was called Poille. The horses of that country were much esteemed. (2) Certes-certainly, surely. (3) Wend-weened, thought. (4) Been-bees. (5) Maden skilles -made or gave reasons. (6) The Grekes, &c.-Sinon the Greek's horse. (7) Moun-for mowen, may. (8) Gestes-from the Latin gestum, an achievement-adventures. (9) Quod-quoth. (10) Trowe-believe. (11) Shapen hem-prepare themselves, make ready. (12) Rowned-whispered. (13) Jogelours-jugglers (see note 7, p. 20). Route-company (see note (15) Ther as-whereas on which occasion. (16) Tho-then.

(14)

1, p. 132).