University of Virginia Library

Ac when þemperour wist atte frome
Þat Gij of Warwike was y-come,
Tvay erls he dede after him go,
& loueliche he bad hem com him to.
& sir Gij him goþ to þemperour fre:
‘Welcome, sir Gij,’ þan seyd he.
‘Of þine help gret nede haue we.
Michel ich haue herd speke of þe.
Mine men ben sleyn in þis tide,
& mi lond destrud in ich a side:
Al bot þis ich selue cite
Destrud & brent hauen he.
Fourti þousand þai slowe on a day
Of mine men, as ich ȝou telle may.
Mine men þai slowe, mi sone also,
Wharfore, leue frende, y bede þe to,
Ȝif þou miȝt me of hem wreke,
& þe felouns out of mi lond do reke,
Mine feyr douhter þou schalt habbe,
& half mi lond, wiþ-outen gabbe.’
Þan answerd anon sir Gij,
‘Sir,’ he seyd, ‘gramercij!
& y þe sigge, bi mi leute,
Þat treweliche ichil serue þe
Al þe while þat ich wiþ þe be:
Þerof, sir, þou miȝt leue me.’
At þemperour he toke leue anon,
Vnto his in he gan to gon.
Noyse & cri he herd in þat cite:
He gan oxy what it miȝt be.
He hem oxed what it were,
& what was al þat noise þere.
So mani kniȝtes he seye to armes go,
So mani seriaunce steye to kernels þo.
‘Sir,’ quaþ a burieys, ‘bi seyn Martin,
It beþ þe liþer Sarrazin:
It is þe amiral Costdram,
Þe nevou of þe riche soudan.
So strong he is, & of so gret miȝt,
In world y wene no better kniȝt;
For þer nis man no kniȝt non
Þat wiþ wretþe dar loken him on.
His armes alle avenimed beþ:
Þat venim is strong so þe deþ:
In þis world nis man þat he take miȝt
Þat he ne schuld dye anon riȝt.
Þat oþer day he dede ous sorwe anouȝ
Of þemperour sone þat he slouȝ,
Þat was so gode and stalworþ kniȝt,
Þat opon hem had ȝeuen mani fiȝt.
In þis cite so gode kniȝt was non,
Þat with wretþe durst loke him on.
Comen he is wiþ grete cheualrie,
& wiþ him þe riche king of Turkye
Wiþ an hundred Turkes strong:
Beþ non better in non lond.’

& when sir Gij herd þis
Þat his ost seyd to him, y-wis,
To his felawes he seyd anon,
‘To armes,’ he seyd, ‘euerichon!
Þe Sarrazins we willen agast.
For godes loue, smiteþ on fast!’
Hastiliche y-armed hij beþ,
Opon her stedes as foule þai fleþ.
Forþ þai went & on hem smite
Wiþ her swerdes þat wil wel bite.
Gij to þe amiral smot so,
Scheld no hauberk nas him worþ a slo:
Þurch þe body he ȝaf him wounde,
& dede he feld him on þe grounde.
Sir Gij his gode swerd out drouȝ,
Þat heued fram þe bodi he slouȝ.
To þemperour he it haþ y-sent,
Þat wel glad was of þat present.

Herhaud smot þe king of Turkie
(Was non feller into Surrie):
Þurch þe bodi he him smot,
Ded he feld him doun fot hot.
Wiþ þat com Tebaud prikeinde,
In Fraunce y-bore, a kniȝt wel kinde:
Wiþ swiche strengþe he smot Helmadan,
Al was nouȝt worþ he hadde opan.
Þurch his bodi þe launce glod;
Ded he fel wiþ-outen a-bod.
Gauter come prikeing anon riȝt,
Of Almayne a wel gode kniȝt.
Heteliche he smot Redmadan
(Ȝe no haue herd speke of no swiche man):
Þe bodi atvo he haþ to-deled,
Þat he fel doun in þe feld.
Wiþ þat come sir Morgadour,
Þat was steward wiþ þemperour.
Kniȝt he was gode & hardi,
Ac traitour he was, ful of envie.
He smot vnto a Sarrazin,
No halp him nouȝt his Apolin.
Now þai smitte togider comonliche,
& fiȝt þai agin ardiliche.
Þer men miȝt se Gij smite,
& þe Sarrazins heuedes of strike,
& wiþ him Herhaud also:
Boþe þai strengþed hem wele to do.
Þe Sarrazins þai strengþed hem for to sle,
To-hewen, & iuel to bise.
Þe Sarrazins hem ȝeld gret fiȝt,
For strong þai ben, & of gret miȝt.
Wiþ þat come Esclandar prikeinde,
A Sarrazin & of foule kinde,
Þe kinges sone of Birrie,
Strong he was for þe maistrie.
Dan Tebaud he felled þo,
Þurch þe bodi he dede þe launce go;
& seþþe he slouȝ a Freyns kniȝt,
In Bleyues he was born ariȝt.
Romiraunt com forþ snelle,
A Sarrazin a strong wiþ elle,
Y-slawe he haþ dan Guinman,
A strong kniȝt he was & an Aleman.
Wiþ þat come forþ an amireld,
A Sarrazin of wicked erd,
Dan Gauter he haþ y-slawe,
& gode Gilmin his felawe.
When Herhaud þat of-seye þo,
In his hert him was ful wo;
An amiral he smot so,
Ded he feld him an hast þo,
& mani anoþer he haþ aqueld,
& adoun feld in þe feld.
Sone so Esclandar y-seye þis,
To awreke þe amiral lef him is.
To Herhaud he smot heteliche,
& he him mett hardiliche;
Heteliche þai smiten togider þo,
Þat of her hors þai fellen bo.
Seþþen þai drouȝ her brondes of stiel,
& smiten togider hard & wel,
To-hewe hauberk & scheldes also,
Gode bodis þai ben boþe to.
Of her helmes þe flours gan fle,
So heteliche togider smiten he.
Herhaud goþ him driueand fast,
His heued to smiten of on hast.
Ac so gret socour him com þer,
An hundred Turkes & her pouer;
Herhaud þai gin alle asaile,
& neye hadde slain him in þat bataile,
No hadde Gij þat y-seye, þat was sorij;
Hastiliche he com him to socourey.
His gode brond þan drouȝ he,
Þe heued of a Sarrazin he dede of fle,
& anoþer he dede also;
Þe þridde to deþ he dede do.
Herhaud he socourd in þat nede,
& dede him lepe opon his stede.
Þe Sarrazins anon gun þai mete,
Mani on þer her liif þai lete,
Mani on þer dyed in aiþer side,
Ac þe Sarrazins wers gan bi-tide.
Sir Gij & alle his feren,
Þe Griffouns þat gode weren,
Han ouer-comen & aqueld;
To-hewen þai leyen in the feld.
Toward her ost þai ben fleinge,
& Gij hem after fast folweinge;
Ar hij þe doun were ouer gon,
Y-slawe hij ben & to-hewen ichon.
Esclandar is oway fleinde,
Ouer þe dounes fast erninde,
& al to-broken his scheld is,
His helme al to-dassched, y-wis.
Gij it of-þouȝt when he it seye,
Þat he so liȝteliche oway fleye:
‘Esclandar,’ seyd Gij, ‘wende oȝain to me,
& forsoþe al siker þou be;
Drede þe of no noþer þan of me,
Ones to iusti ich oxi of þe.’
Esclandar seyd, ‘artow Gij?
Ich þe defende sikerly.
Bi Mahoun þat ich leue opon,
Neuer no schal ich oway gon,
No neuer schal y bliþe be,
Til ich þat heued binim þe;
Bihoten ich it haue a maiden of pris,
Þe soudans douhter þat wel fair is.’
Her steden þai turned snelle,
& to-gider þai smiten wiþ gode wille;
Esclandar first smot Gij
Þurch þe scheld as kniȝt hardi;
Gij smot him anon riȝt,
Scheld no hauberk halp him no wiȝt;
He smot him þurch at þat chaunce
Þurch þe bodi wiþ his launce.
Esclandar fleye forþ a wel gode pas,
Sir Gij of-toke him nouȝt, þerfor wo him was;
To his felawes he is y-go,
Riȝt to þe cite he ȝede him þo.
Þe Sarrazins were ouer-come,
Þerfore þai were bliþe, all and some.
Þemperour of-sent Gij him to,
& miche honour he haþ him do.
‘Gij,’ quaþ he, ‘þou art me dere,
Þou schalt bileue wiþ me here:
Mi feir douhter, þat is of pris,
Ichil þe ȝiue to spouse y-wis;
Þou schalt ben emperour after me,
Þou art a kniȝt of gret bounte.
Al þo þat ben to me serueinde,
Ichil þai be to þe boweinde.’
‘Gramerci,’ seyd sir Gij anon;
‘A fair ȝift is þis now on.’
Þe steward come forþ bliue,
More treytour nas non oliue;
His name was hoten Morgadour,
God ȝif him euel auentour!
Toward Gij he bar gret ond,
& seþþe he died þurch his hond.
Quaþ Morgadour, ‘sir, þat wil wele be,
For Gij is curteys, gentil, & fre;
When he schal þi douhter spousy,
Riȝt is þat we him onoury.’
Ac what so he seyd bifor Gij þo,
Ȝif he may, to deþ he wille him do.