Ipomydon and Tholomew
Robys had on and mantillis new,
Of the richest that myght bee,
Ther nas ne suche in that cuntrée:
Ffor many was the ryche stone
That the mantillis were uppon.
So longe there weys they have nomez
That to Calabre they ar come:
They come to the castelle yate
The porter was redy there at,
The porter to theme they gan calle
And prayd hym go into the halle
And say thy ladya gent and fre,
That come ar men of ferre contrée,
And if it plese hyr we wold hyr prey,
That we might ete with hyr to day.
The porter seyd full cortessly
"Your errand to do I am redy."
The lady to hyr mete was sette,
The porter come and feyre hyr grette,
"Madame," he sayd, "God you save,”
Atte your gate gestis ye have,
Strange men all for to see
Thei aske mete for charytè.”
The lady comaundith sone anon
That the gates were undone,
"And bryng theym all byfore me
Ffor wele at ese shall they bee."
They toke hyr pagis hors and alle,
These two men went into the halle,
Ipomydon on knees hym sette,
And the lady feyre he grette:
a She was lady, by inheritance, of the signory. The female feudataries exercised all the duties and honours of their feudal jurisdiction in person. In Spenser, where we read of the Lady of the Castle, we are to understand such a
character. See a story of a Comtesse, who entertains a knight in her castle with much gallantry. Mem. sur l'Anc. Chev. ii. 69. It is well known that anciently in England ladies were sheriffs of counties.
And pray you yff your will to [so] be
That I myght dwelle with you to-yere
Of your norture for to lere,
I am come frome ferre lond;
Ffor speche I here bi fore the hand
That your norture and your servyse,
Ys holden of so grete empryse,
I pray you that I may dwelle here
Some of your servyse to lere."
The lady by held Ipomydon,
Hym semyd wele a gentilmon,
She knew non suche in hyr lande,
So goodly a man and wele farand;
She saw also by his norture
He was a man of grete valure:
She cast full sone in hyr thoght
That for no servyse come he noght;
But it was worship hyr unto
In feir servyse hym to do.
She sayd, "Syr, welcome ye be,
And all that comyn be with the;
Sithe ye have had so grete travayle,
Of a servise ye shall not fayle:
In thys contre ye may dwelle here
And at your will for to lere,
Of the cuppe ye shall serve me
And all your men with you shal be,
Ye may dwelle here at youre wille,
But your beryng be full ylle."
"Madame," he sayd, "grantmercy,"
He thankid the lady cortesly.
She comandyth hym to the mete,
But or he satte in ony sete,
He saluted theym grete and smalle,
As a gentillman shuld in halle;
All they sayd sone anone,
They saw nevyr so goodli a mon,
Ne so light, ne so glad,
Ne non that so ryche atyre had :
There was non that sat nor yede,
But they had mervelle of hys dede f,
And sayd, he was no lytell syre
That myght shew suche atyre.
Whan they had ete, and grace sayd,
And the tabyll away was leyd;
Upp than aroos Ipomydon,
And to the botery he went anon,
Ant [dyde] hys mantille hym aboute;
On hym lokyd all the route,
Ant every man sayd to other there,
"Will ye se the proude squeer
Shall serve my ladye of the wyne,
In hys mantell that is so fyne?"
That they hym scornyd wist he noght
On othyr thyng he had his thoght.
He toke the cuppe of the botelere,
And drewe a lace of sylke ful clere,
Adowne than felle hys mantylle by,
He prayd hym for hys curtessy,
That lytelle yifte that he wolde nome
Tille efte sone a better come.
Up it toke the botelere,
Byfore the lady he gan it bere
And prayd the lady hertely
To thanke hym of his cortessye,
All that was tho in the halle
Grete honowre they spake hym alle.
And sayd he was no lytelle man
That such yiftys yiffe kan.
There he dwellyd many a day,
And servid the lady wele to pay,
He bare hym on so feyre manere
To knyghtes, ladyes, and squyere,
All lovyd hym that com hym by,
For he bare hym so cortesly.
The lady had a cosyne that hight Jason,
Full well he lovyd Ipomydon;
Where that he yede in or oute,
Jason went with hym aboute.
The lady lay, but she slept noght,
For of the squyere she had grete thoght;
How he was feyre and shape wele,
Body and armes, and every dele:
Ther was non in al hir land
So wel besemyd dougty of hand.
But she kowde wete for no case,
Whens he come ne what he was,
Ne of no man cowde enquere
Other than the strange squyere.
She hyr bythought on a quentyse,
If she myght know in ony wyse,
To wete whereof he were come;
Thys was hyr thoght all and some
She thought to wode hyr men to tame i
That she myght knowe hym by his game.
On the morow whan it was day
To hyr men than gan she say,
"To morrow whan it is day lyght,
Loke ye be all redy dight,
With youre houndis more and lesse,
In the forrest to take my grese,
And there I will myself be
Youre game to byhold and see."
Ipomydon had houndis thre
That he broght frome his contrè;
When they were to the wode gone,
This lady and hyr men ichone,
f. tempt. [Probably tane, take, rythmi gratia.—WEBER,]
And with hem her houndis ladde,
All that ever any howndis hadde.
Sir Tholomew foryate he noght,
His maistres howndis thedyr he broght,
That many a day ne had ronne ere,
Full wele he thoght to note hem there.
Whan they come to the laund on hight,
The quenys pavylon there was pight,
That she myght se of the best,
All the game of the forest,
The wandlessours went throw the forest,
And to the lady broght many a best *,
Herte and hynde, buk and doo,
And othir bestis many moo.
The howndis that were of gret prise,
Pluckid downe dere all at a tryse,
Ipomydon with his houndis thoo
Drew downe bothe buk and doo,
More he tok with houndis thre
Than all that othyr compaigne,
There squyres undyd hyr dere
Iche man on his owne manere:
Ipomydon a dere yede unto,
Full konnyngly gan he it undo,
So feyre that venyson he gan to dight,
That bothe hym byheld squyer and knight:
The lady lokyd oute of her pavyloun,
And saw hym dight the venyson.
There she had grete deynte
And so had all that dyd hym see:
She saw all that he downe droughe
Of huntyng she wist he cowde ynoughe
And thoght in hyr herte then
That he was come of gentillmen:
She bad Jason hyr men to calle
Home they passyd grete and smalle :
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