с

I hope I had never thethin past.

Bot thorgh his might that tholed' wownd
The ftorme fefed within a ftownde":
Then wex the weder fayr ogayne,

And tharof was I wonder fayne;
For beft comforth of al thing
Es folace after mislykeing.
Then faw I fone a mery syght,

Of al the fowles that er in flyght,
that tre,

Lighted fo thik opon

That bogh ne lefe none might I fe;

So merily than gon thai fing,
That al the wode bigan to ring;
Ful mery was the melody

Of thaire fang and of thaire cry;
Thar herd never man none fwilk,
Both if ani had herd that ilk.
And when that mery din was done,
Another din than herd I fone,
Als it war of hors men,
Mo than owther1 nyen k
nyen or ten.
Sone than faw I cum a knyght,

In riche armure was he dight;

* Lightening.

y Smote.

2 I thought I should be burnt.

a It was fo hot.

Feared. See Johnf. Steev. SHAKESPEARE, Vol. v. p. 273. edit. 1779.

Nine.

! Soon.

And fone whan I gan on him loke,
Mi shelde and sper to me I toke.
That knight to me hied ful fast,
And kene wordes out gan he caft:
He bad that I fold tell him lite'
Why I did him swilk despite,
With weders" wakend him of reft,
And done him wrang in his Forest;
Thar fore, he fayd, You fal aby":
And with that come he egerly,
And faid, I had ogayn refowne°
Done him grete destrucciowne,
And might it nevermore amend ;
Tharfor he bad, I fold me fend:
And fone I fmate him on the fhelde,
Mi fchaft brac out in the felde;
And then he bar me fon bi strenkith
Out of my fadel my fperes lenkith :
I wat that he was largely

m The storm.

a Abide. Stay.

Death. • Suffer.

• Sleep.

Aftonished. Stunned.

Against reafon or law.

P Greater.

w Woe.

And

And I durft folow him no ferr
For dout me folde bite werr,
And alfo zit by Goddes dome,
I ne wift whar he bycome.
Than I thoght how I had hight",
Unto myne oft the hende knyght,
And also till his lady bryght,
To come ogayn if that I myght.
Mine armurs left I thare ylkane,
For els myght I noght have gane *;
Unto myne in I come by day:
The hende knyght and the fayre may,
Of mi come war thai ful glade,
And nobil femblant thai me made;
In al thinges thai have tham born
Als thai did the night biforn.
Sone thai wift whar I had bene,
And faid, that thai had never fene
Knyght that ever theder come

a

Take the way ogayn home.

I add Sir Ywain's achievement of the fame Adventure, with

its confequences.

Whan Ywayn was withowten town,

Of his palfray lighted he down,

And dight him right wele in his wede,
And lepe up on his gude stede.
Furth he rade on right,

Until it neghed nere the nyght:
He paffed many a high mountayne
In wildernes, and many a playne,

* God's fentence, the crucifixion.

y Hette. Promised.

2 Gone.

• Lodging.

b Drew near.

Til he come to that leyir fty
That him byhoved pass by:
Than was he feker for to fe
The Wel, and the fayre Tre;
The Chapel faw he at the last,
And theder hyed he ful fast.
More curtayfli and more honowr
Fand he with tham in that towr,
And mare comforth by mony falde",
Than Colgrevance had him of talde.
That night was he herbered1 thar,
So wel was he never are *.

At morn he went forth by the ftrete,
And with the cherel' fone he mete
gan

That fold tel to him the way;

He fayned him, the fothe to fay,
Twenty fith", or ever he blan°,
Swilke mervayle had he of that man,
For had wonder, that nature
Myght mak fo foul a creature.
Than to the Wel he rade gude pase,
And down he lighted in that plafe;
And fone the bacyn has he tane,
And keft water opon the Stane;