✓ Coming.

And fone that wax, withowten fayle,
Wind and thonor, rayn and hayle:
Whan it was fefed, than faw he
The fowles light opon the tre,
Thai fang ful fayr opon that thorn
Right als thai had done byforn.

And fone he faw cumand a knight,

As faft fo the fowl in flyght,

With rude fembland', and fterne chere,
And hastily he neghed nere ;

To fpeke of luf' na time was thare,
For aither hated uther ful fare '.
Togeder fmertly gan thai drive,
Thair fheldes fon bigan to ryve,

Thair shaftes cheverd to thair hand
Bot thai war buth ful wele fyttand ".
Out thai drogh thair fwerdes kene,
And delt ftrakes tham bytwene;

X

Al to pieces thai hewed thair fheldes,
The culpons flegh out in the feldes.
On helmes strake thay fo with yre,
At ilka strake out braft the fyr;
Ayther of tham gude buffettes bede',
And nowther wald ftyr of the stede.
Ful kenely thai kyd' thair myght,
And feyned tham noght for to fyght:
Thair hauberkes that men myght ken
The blode out of thair bodyes ren.
Ayther on other laid so fast,

The batayl might noght lang last :

f Countenance.

• Friendly.

: Sore.

☐ Shivered.

© Are.

Hauberks er broken, and helmes reven,

Styf trakes war thar gyfen;

Thai foght on hors ftifly always,

The batel was wele more to prays;

Bot at the last fyr Ywayne

On his felow kyd his mayne,

So egerly he fmate him than,

He clefe the helme and the herne pan*:
The knyght wist he was nere ded,
To fly than was his best rede;
And faft he fled with al hys mayne,
And faft folowe fyr Ywayne,
Bot he ne might him overtake,
Tharfore grete murning gan he make :
He folowd him ful stowtlyk',

And wold have tane him ded or quik;
• He folowed him to the cetè,

k

While fir Ywaine remains in this perilous confinement, a lady looks out of a wicket which opened in the wall of the gateway, and releases him. She gives him her ring,

A quylte ful nobil lay tharon,

Richer faw he never none, &c.

Here he is fecreted. In the mean time, the Lord of the caftle dies of his wounds, and is magnificently buried. But before the interment, the people of the castle search for fir Ywayne.

Half his ftede thar fand thai

с

That within the zates lay;

Bot the knight thar fand thai noght :
Than was thar mekil forow unfoght,
Dore ne window was thar nane,
Whar he myght oway gane.
Thai faid he fold thare be laft,

Or els he cowth of weche craft 3,
Or he cowth of nygromancy,
Or he had wenges to fly.

Haftily than went thai all

And foght him in the maydens hall,
In chambers high es noght at hide,
And in folers on ilka fide.

h

A lady folowd white fo mylk,

In al that lond was none fwilk:

Sho wrang her fingers, outbrafte the blode,
For mekyl wa fho was nere wode "
Hir fayr har fcho alto drogh,

And ful oft fel fho down in fwogh';
Sho wepe
with a ful dreri voice.
The hali water, and the croyce,
Was born bifore the proceffion;
Thar folowd mani a moder fon.
Bifor the cors rade a knyght
On his stede that was ful wight ';
In his armurs wele arayd,
With fpere and target gudely grayd.
Than fir Ywayne herd the cry

Of the dole of that fayr lady, &c.

Sir Ywayne defires the damfel's permiffion to look at the lady of the deceased knight through a window. He falls in love with her. She passes her time in praying for his soul.

Unto his faul was fho ful hulde ':

Opon a fawter al of gulde',

t

To say the fal-mas fast sho bigan.

The damfel", whofe name is Lunet, promises fir Ywaine an interview with the Lady. She ufes many arguments to the Lady, and with much art, to fhew the neceffity of her marrying again, for the defence of her castle.