 | Guy of Warwick |  |
With that come the Duke Reyner,
And the Constable sir Gaudemer:
In a slade they metten Guy,
And strongly on him sette they;
And Guy him drowe toward the Roume,
And all his felawes that with him come;
For ther were a thousand knyghtes
With theim to mete anone Rightes.
‘Lordinges,’ quoth Guy, ‘herken to me:
Thise knyghtis bee comyng as ye may see,
The Duke Reyner of Cessoigne
And the Duke Gaudemer of Coloigne.
In euery side we bee-sette bee,
So that we may not hense flee;
And though we might y nelle;
For forsothe, y shall you telle,
Better it is to dye manly
Than to flee with shame and vilanye.’
All they answerd in that stede,
‘With the we woll abide veraily in dede.’
To-gider they smyte than faste:
Of the Almaignes they were not agaste.
There they beganne all newe fighte,
Wher-thurgh deide many a good knighte.
Guy gooth to smyte Duke Reyner,
And of his stede he felled him ther.
Heraude smote to Gaudemer there,
And oute of his sadell he did him bere.
With that cometh forth Gilmyn:
Besibbe he was the Duke Segwyn.
Than duke Botolf he smote so,
That of his hors he felled him tho.
Whan that sawe Duke Reyner
And the Constable Gaudemer,
Before theim their folke sleyne,
With grete sorowe and with peyne
Their voices lowde they greyde,
And assembled ayene with their ayde.
With that come the Duke Reyner,
And Gilemyn he mette ther,
So that the swerde longe and brode
Thurgh-oute his hepe it glode.
Gilemyn with-drowe abacke fleyng,
Ayene-warde faste priking,
And is to Duke Segwyn come:
Well he him knewe right sone.
‘Sir Duke,’ quoth Gilemyn,
Thou abidest to longe, by seynt Martyn.
Socour thy folke, and that blyue:
The Almaignes begynne fast on vs dryue.’
Whan the Duke of Gilemyn this herde,
And of his folke how it ferde,
He smote his stede and gan to goon,
To his men he seide anoon:
Barons, knyghtis, strengthe you
Guy wele to socour now;
For and Guy bee dede or nome,
All we bee thanne ouercome.’
With that come the Duke dryuyng,
And the Almaignes fast assailling.
The Duke a knyghte smote anone,
That dede he did him to grounde goon.
Guy they socour well with all:
Many a good knyght he did dede down fall.
On either side they foughte wele
With their launces and swerdes of stele:
They smote of hedes, armes, and honde;
All to-hewen they lye in the sonde.
With that cometh Duke Reyner,
Sleyne he hath the good Gayer:
In fraunce he was borne, Guyes feere;
To Guy he was leef and dere.
Whan Guy that sawe he was sory:
To the Duke he smote greuously,
That of his stede he felled him downe;
And than he drowe his swerde browne.
Suche a stroke he smote him vpon
That dey he wende forth-with anoon.
Sone there beganne a straunge shoure:
To-geder they smyte knyghtis of valoure.
So many strokes yiuen thou might see
Of the knightis that smote so free:
Bothe with spere and with swerde
They yiue many strokes and harde.
Ther men might see straye many a stede,
And many a knyght shriche and grede.
Wherto shuld y make a tale of nought?
The Almaignes were to deth brought.
And the Constable sir Gaudemer:
In a slade they metten Guy,
And strongly on him sette they;
And Guy him drowe toward the Roume,
And all his felawes that with him come;
For ther were a thousand knyghtes
With theim to mete anone Rightes.
‘Lordinges,’ quoth Guy, ‘herken to me:
Thise knyghtis bee comyng as ye may see,
The Duke Reyner of Cessoigne
And the Duke Gaudemer of Coloigne.
In euery side we bee-sette bee,
So that we may not hense flee;
And though we might y nelle;
For forsothe, y shall you telle,
Better it is to dye manly
Than to flee with shame and vilanye.’
127
‘With the we woll abide veraily in dede.’
To-gider they smyte than faste:
Of the Almaignes they were not agaste.
There they beganne all newe fighte,
Wher-thurgh deide many a good knighte.
Guy gooth to smyte Duke Reyner,
And of his stede he felled him ther.
Heraude smote to Gaudemer there,
And oute of his sadell he did him bere.
With that cometh forth Gilmyn:
Besibbe he was the Duke Segwyn.
Than duke Botolf he smote so,
That of his hors he felled him tho.
Whan that sawe Duke Reyner
And the Constable Gaudemer,
Before theim their folke sleyne,
With grete sorowe and with peyne
Their voices lowde they greyde,
And assembled ayene with their ayde.
With that come the Duke Reyner,
And Gilemyn he mette ther,
So that the swerde longe and brode
Thurgh-oute his hepe it glode.
Gilemyn with-drowe abacke fleyng,
Ayene-warde faste priking,
And is to Duke Segwyn come:
Well he him knewe right sone.
‘Sir Duke,’ quoth Gilemyn,
Thou abidest to longe, by seynt Martyn.
Socour thy folke, and that blyue:
The Almaignes begynne fast on vs dryue.’
Whan the Duke of Gilemyn this herde,
And of his folke how it ferde,
He smote his stede and gan to goon,
To his men he seide anoon:
129
Guy wele to socour now;
For and Guy bee dede or nome,
All we bee thanne ouercome.’
With that come the Duke dryuyng,
And the Almaignes fast assailling.
The Duke a knyghte smote anone,
That dede he did him to grounde goon.
Guy they socour well with all:
Many a good knyght he did dede down fall.
On either side they foughte wele
With their launces and swerdes of stele:
They smote of hedes, armes, and honde;
All to-hewen they lye in the sonde.
With that cometh Duke Reyner,
Sleyne he hath the good Gayer:
In fraunce he was borne, Guyes feere;
To Guy he was leef and dere.
Whan Guy that sawe he was sory:
To the Duke he smote greuously,
That of his stede he felled him downe;
And than he drowe his swerde browne.
Suche a stroke he smote him vpon
That dey he wende forth-with anoon.
Sone there beganne a straunge shoure:
To-geder they smyte knyghtis of valoure.
So many strokes yiuen thou might see
Of the knightis that smote so free:
Bothe with spere and with swerde
They yiue many strokes and harde.
Ther men might see straye many a stede,
And many a knyght shriche and grede.
Wherto shuld y make a tale of nought?
The Almaignes were to deth brought.
| Guy of Warwick | |