Lancelot of the Laik Part 15

For wel I know that, be this world{is} fame.

It ?chal not be bot hurting to my name, Quhen that thai here my febil negligens, That empit is, and bare of eloquens, 180 Of di?cre??iou{n}e, and ek of Retoryk; The metire and the cu{n}ing both elyk So fere di?cording frome p{er}fecciou{n}e; [Sidenote: I submit my poem to the correction of the wise;]

Q{uhil}k I ?ubmyt to the correcciou{n}e 184 Of yai{m} the quhich that is di?cret {and} wy, And ent{er}it is of loue in the ?{er}uice; Quhich knouyth that no lovare dare w{i}t{h}?tonde, [Fol. 3b.]

Quhat loue hyme chargit he mot tak one honde, 188 Deith, or defam, or ony man{er} wo; And at this tyme w{i}t{h} me It ?tant ry{ch}t ?o, [Sidenote: for I dare not oppose Love's command.]

As I that dar makine no demande To quhat I wot It lykith loue co{m}mande. 192 Tueching his charg{is}, as w{i}t{h} al de?t.i.tut, W{i}t{h}in my mynd ?chortly I conclud For to fulfyll, for ned I mot do ?o.

[Headnote: HE THINKS OF THE STORY OF LANCELOT.]

[Sidenote: At last I thought of the story of "Lancelot of the Lake,"]

Thane in my tho{ch}t rolling to and fro 196 Quhare that I my{hc}t ?u{m} wnkouth mat{er} fynde, Quhill at ye la?t it fell in to my mynd Of o ?tory, that I befor had ?ene, That boith of loue and armys can conten, 200 Was of o kny{ch}t clepit lancelot of ye laik, The ?one of bane was, king of albanak; Of quhois fame {and} wor?chipful dedis Clerk{is} in to diu{er} buk{is} red{is}, 204 [Sidenote: of whom I here think to write something.]

Of quhome I thynk her ?u{m} thing for to writ At louis charge, and as I cane, endit; Set me{n} tharin ?al by exp{er}iens Know my con?ait, and al my negligens. 208 [Sidenote: But because my ignorance cannot comprehend the French romance,]

Bot for that ?tory is ?o pa?ing larg, One to my wit It war ?o gret o charg For to tran?lait the romans of that kny{ch}t; It pa??ith fare my cu{n}yng and my mycht, 212 Myne Ignorans may It not comp{re}hende;

[Headnote: HE BRIEFLY ENUMERATES / LANCELOT'S EARLY DEEDS.]

[Sidenote: I shall not tell how he was born;]

Quharfor thare one I wil me not depend How he was borne, nor how his fad{er} deid And ek his mod{er}, nore how he was denyed 216 Eft{er} thare deth, p{re}?umyng he was ded, [Sidenote: nor how he was nourished by the Lady of the Lake;]

Of al ye lond, nore how he fra that ?tede In sacret wy wnwy?t away was tak, And nwri?t w{i}t{h} ye lady of ye lak. 220 [Sidenote: nor how he was brought to Arthur's court,]

Nor, in his ?outh, think I not to tell The aue{n}tour{is}, quhich to hyme befell; Nor how the lady of the laik hyme had One to the court, quhare that he kny{ch}t was mad; 224 None wi?t his nome, nore how that he was tak [Fol. 4.]

By loue, and was Iwondit to the ?tak, [Sidenote: and pierced to the heart by the beauty of Wanore (Guinevere),]

And throuch {and} throuch per?it to ye hart, That al his tyme he cout{h} It not a?tart; 228 For thare of loue he ent{er}it in ?{er}uice, Of wanore throuch the beute and franchis, [Sidenote: for whose service he wrought many wonders;]

Throuch quhois ?{er}uice in armys he has vro{ch}t Mony wond{er}is, and p{er}ell{is} he has socht. 232 Nor how he thor, in to his ?oung curage, [Sidenote: nor how he made a vow to revenge a wounded knight,]

Hath maid awoue, and in to louis rage, In the rewenging of o wondit kny{ch}t That cu{m}yne was in to the court that ny{ch}t; 236 [Sidenote: who had a broken sword in his head, and a truncheon of a broken spear in his body;]

In to his hed a brokin[T4] ?uerd had he, And in his body al?o my{ch}t me{n} see The tron?ione of o brokine ?per that was, Quhich no ma{n} out dedenyt to aras; 240 Nor how he haith the wapnis out tak, And his awow apone this wis can mak, That he ?chuld hyme Reweng at h{is} poware One eu{er}y kny{ch}t that louith the hurtare 244 Bett{er} thane hyme, the quhich that vas Iwond.

Throw quich awoue in armys hath ben founde [Sidenote: a vow which caused the death of many a wight warrior;]

The deth of mo{n}y wereoure ful wicht;[T5]

[Footnote T4: MS. "abrokin."]

[Footnote T5: The MS. wrongly transposes ll. 247 and 248.]

For, fro tho wow was knowing of the kny{ch}t, 248 Thare was ful mony o pa?age in the londe By me{n} of armys kepit to with?tond This kny{ch}t, of quhome thai ben al set afyre Thai{m} to reweng in armys of de?ir. 252 [Sidenote: or how he and Sir Kay were sent to defend the lady of Nohalt;]

Nor how that thane in{con}tyne{n}t was ?end He and ?{ir} kay togidd{er} to defend The lady of nohalt, nor how that hee Gou{er}nit hyme thare, nore in quhat degre. 256 Nor how the gret pa?ing va??olag He e?cheuit, throue the outragou curag, [Sidenote: or how he conquered the Sorrowful Castle;]

In conquiryng of the sorowful ca?tell.

Nor how he pa??ith dou{n}e in the cauis fell, 260 And furth ye keys of Inchantme{n}t bro{ch}t, That al di?troyt quhich that thare vas vro{ch}t.

[Sidenote: or how he rescued Sir Gawane and his nine fellows;]

Nore howe that he re?kewit ?{ir} gawane, [Fol. 4b.]

W{i}t{h} h{is} ix falou in to pre?one tane; 264 Nore mony vthere diu{er} aduenture, Quhich to report I tak not in my cwre, [Sidenote: nor of the many "a.s.semblies" Gawane held to find out his name;]

Nor mony a??emblay that gawane gart be maid To wit h{is} name; nor how that he hyme hade 268 Wnwi?t, and hath the wor?chip {and} empri; Nor of the kny{ch}t{is} in to mony[T6] diu{er} wy Throuch his awoue that hath thare dethis found;

[Footnote T6: We should perhaps omit "mony."]

[Sidenote: nor of his suffering caused by love's wound;]

Nor of the ?ufferans that by louis wounde 272 He in his trawel ?ufferith au{er} more; Nor in the quenis p{rese}ns how tharfor [Sidenote: nor how he was nearly drowned at Camelot;]

By camelot, in to that gret Revare, He was ner dround. I wil It not declare 276 How that he was in louis hewy tho{ch}t [Sidenote: nor how he was brought to court by Dagenet;]

By dagenet in to the court I-bro{ch}t; Nor how the kny{ch}t that tyme he cane p{er}?ew, [Sidenote: nor of the giants he slew at Camelot;]

Nor of the gyant{is} by camelot he ?lew; 280 Nor wil I not her tell the man{er} how He ?lew o kny{ch}t, by nat{ur} of his wow, [Sidenote: nor how he slew a knight of Melyholt;]

Off melyholt; nore how in to that toune Thar came one hyme o gret confu?ione 284 Of pupil {and} [of] kny{ch}t{is}, al enarmyt, [Sidenote: and there defended himself against a crowd;]

Nor how he thar haith kepit hyme wnharmyt; Nor of his wor?chip, nor of h{is} gret prowes, Nor his defens of armys in the pres. 288 [Sidenote: whereupon the lady of Melyhalt prayed him to yield his sword to her; and kept him in her power.]

Nor how the lady of melyhalt y{a}t ?che Came to the feild, and pray[i]th hyme that he As to o lady to hir[T7] his ?uerd hath ?old, Nor how he was in to hir keping hold; 292

[Footnote T7: MS. "his."]

And mony vthir n.o.bil deid al?o I wil report quharfor I lat ourgo.

[Sidenote: Whoever likes, might make of these things a long story.]

For quho thai{m} lykith for to ?pecyfy, Of one of thai{m} my{ch}t mak o gret ?tory; 296 Nor thing I not of his hye renown My febil wit to makin men?ioune; [Sidenote: But I think to tell of the wars between Arthur and Galiot;]

Bot of the wer{is} that was ?charp {and} ?trong, Richt p{er}ellou, and hath enduryt long, 300 Of Arthur In defending of his lond [Fol. 5.]

Frome galiot, ?one of the fair gyonde, That bro{ch}t of kny{ch}t{is} o pa?ing confluens; [Sidenote: wherein Lancelot won renown by his defence of Arthur;]

And how lancelot of arthur{is} hol defens 304 And of the ver{is} berith the renown; And how he be the wais of fortou{n}e [Sidenote: and at last made peace between the two princes.]

Tuex the two princ{is} makith the accorde, Of al there mortall wer{is} to concorde; 308 [Sidenote: I shall also tell how Venus rewarded him.]

And how that venus, ?iting hie abuf, Reuardith hyme of trauell in to loue, And makith hyme his ladice grace to have, And thankfully his ?{er}uice cane re?ave; 312 This is the mat{er} quhich I think to tell.

Bot ?til he mot ry{ch}t w{i}t{h} the lady duell, Quhill tyme cu{m} eft that we ?chal of hy{m} ?pek.

[Sidenote: My summary must end for the present.]

This p{ro}ce [now] mot clo?ine ben and ?tek; 316 And furth I wil one to my mat{er} go.

[Headnote: THE DEDICATION.]

[Sidenote: But I pray for the support of a very great poet,]

Bot first I pray, and I be?ek also, One to the mo?t conpilour to ?upport, Flour of poyet{is}, quhois nome I wil report 320 To me nor to non vthir It accordit, [Sidenote: whose name I may not mention;]

In to our rymyng his nam to be recordit; For ?um ?uld deme It of pre?ump?ioune, [Sidenote: for our riming is but derision, when his excellence is remembered.]

And ek our rymyng is al bot dery?ioune, 324 Quhen that reme{m}brit is his excellens, So hie abuf that ?tant in reu{er}ans.

Ye fre?ch enditing of h{is} laiting toung [Sidenote: The world knows his eloquence in inditing Latin;]

Out throuch yis world ?o wid is yroung, 328 Of eloquens, and ek of retoryk; Nor is, nor was, nore neu{er} beith hyme lyk, [Sidenote: and none can ever gladden the world like him:]

This world gladith of h{is} ?uet poetry.

His ?aul I bly con?eruyt be for-thy; 332 [Sidenote: to him be the thanks for my success.]

And yf that ony l.u.s.ty terme I wryt He haith the thonk y{er}of, {and} this endit.

EXPLICIT P{RO}LOG{US}, ET INCIPIT P{RI}M{US} LIBER.

[Headnote: ARTHUR AT CARLISLE.]

[BOOK I.]

[Sidenote: When t.i.tan, being in Aries, had apparelled the fields,]

++Quhen [that] tytan, withe his l.u.s.ty heit, [Fol. 5b.]

Twenty dais In to the aryeit 336 Haith maid his cour, and all with diu{er} hewis Aparalit haith the feldis and the bewis; [Sidenote: and birds began to make their bowers;]

The bird{is} amyd the erbis {and} the flour{is}, And one the branchis, makyne gone thar bour{is}, 340 And be the morow ?inging in ther chere Welc.u.m to the lu?ty ?e??one of the ?ere.

In to this tyme the worthi conqueroure [Sidenote: king Arthur was at Carlisle.]

Arthure, wich had of al this worlde the floure 344 Of cheuelry auerding to his crown, So pa?ing war his kny{ch}t{is} in renoune, Was at carlill; and hapy{n}nit ?o that hee Soiornyt well long in that faire c.u.n.tree. 348 [Sidenote: His knights, hearing of no adventure, were annoyed.]

In to whilk tyme In to the court thai heire None awenture, for wich the knyght{is} weire Anoit all at the abiding thare.

For-why, beholding one the ?obir ayre 352 And of the tyme the pa?ing lu?tynes, Can ?o thir knyghtly hart{is} to encre, [Sidenote: They therefore sent Sir Kay to pray the king to go to Camelot.]

That thei ?hir kay one to the king haith ?ende, Be?eiching hyme he wold wich?aif to wende 356 To camelot the Cetee, whare that thei Ware wont to heryng of armys day be day.

The king for?uth, heryng thare entent, To thare de?ir, be ?chort awy?ment, 360 [Sidenote: The king proposed to do so on the morrow.]

Ygrantid haith; and ?o the king p{ro}ponit And for to pas hyme one[T8] the morne di?ponit.

[Footnote T8: MS. "to pas one hyme one," with first "one"

lightly crossed out.]

[Headnote: ARTHUR'S TWO DREAMS.]