Lancelot of the Laik Part 17

[Sidenote: The king refuses.]

By ?hort awys the king his an?uer yald; "Shir kny{ch}t, your lorde wondir hie pretendis, When he to me ?ic ?alutatioune send{is}; 560 For I as yit, in tymys that ar gone, Held neu{er} lond excep of G.o.d alone, Nore neu{er} thinkith til erthly lord to yef Trybut nor rent, als long as I may lef." 564 [Sidenote: The knight replies, that his lord bids him defiance, and will invade his land in a month;]

"Well," q{uo}d the kny{ch}t, "ful ?or repent.i.th me; Non may reci?t the thing the wich mone bee.

To yow, ?{ir} king, than frome my lord am I With diffyans ?ent, and be this re?one why; 568 His purpos Is, or this day moneth day, With all his o?t, planly to a??ay Your lond, w{i}t{h} mony ma{n}ly man of were, [Sidenote: not to return till he has conquered;]

And helmyt kny{ch}t{is}, boith with ?held {and} ?pere; 572 And neu{er} thinkith to retwrn home whill That he this lond haith conque?t at his will; [Sidenote: and he intends to possess queen Vanour.]

And ek vanour the quen, of whome that hee Herith report of al this world that ?hee 576 In fairhed and in wertew doith excede, He bad me ?ay he think{is} to po??ede."

[Sidenote: Arthur returns his defiance.]

"Schir," q{uod} the king, "your me?ag me behuf{is} Of re?one and of curta?y excu?; 580 But tueching to your lord {and} to his o?t, His powar [and] his me?ag and his bo?t, That pretendith my lond for to di?troy, Thar-of as ?it tak I non anoye; 584 And ?ay your lord one my behalf, when hee [Fol. 8b.]

Haith tone my lond, that al the world ?hal see That It ?hal be magre myne entent."

[Sidenote: The knight departs, lamenting Arthur's adventurous spirit.]

With that the kny{ch}t, w{i}t{h}outen leif, is went, 588 And richt as he was pa?ing to the dure, He ?aith, "a G.o.de![T15] what wykyt aduenture Apperith!" w{i}t{h} that his hors he nome, Two knicht{is} kepit, waiting h{is} outcome. 592

[Footnote T15: MS. "aG.o.d^e."]

The kni{ch}t is gon, the king he gan Inquere At gawan, and at other kny{ch}t{is} sere, [Sidenote: Arthur asks Gawane who Galiot is.]

If that thei knew or eu{er} hard recorde Of galiot, and wharof he wes lorde; 596 And ther was non among his kny{ch}t{is} all Which an?uerd o word in to the hall.

Than galygantynis of walys ra?e, [Sidenote: Galygantynis of Wales replies,]

That trauelit in diu{er} lond{is} has, 600 In mony kny{ch}tly aue{n}tur haith ben; And to the king he ?aith, "?{ir}, I haue sen Galiot, which is the fare?t kny{ch}t, [Sidenote: that Galiot is the tallest knight by half a foot of all he ever saw; that he is wise, liberal, humble,]

And hie?t be half a fut one hycht, 604 That eu{er} I saw, and ek his me{n} accordith; Hyme lakid no{ch}t that to a lord recordith.

For vi?are of his ag is non than hee, And ful of larges and humylytee; 608 [Sidenote: courageous, and under xxiv years of age.]

An hart he haith of pa?ing hie curag, And is not xxiiij ?er of age, And of his tyme mekil haith conquerit; [Sidenote: Ten kings obey him.]

Ten king{is} at his {com}mand ar ?terit. 612 He v{i}t{h} his me{n} ?o louit is, y ge, That hyme to ple is al ther be?ynes.

Not ?ay I this, ?{ir}, in to ye entent That he, nor none wnd{er} the firmame{n}t, 616 Shal pouere haue ayane your maie?tee; And or thei ?huld, this y ?ey for mee, Rather I ?hall kny{ch}tly in to feild Re?aue my deith anarmyt wnd{er} ?held. 620 This ?pek y le?t;"--the king, ayan the morn, [Sidenote: The king goes again to the chase.]

Haith varnit huntar{is} baith with hund {and} horne, And arly gan one to the fore?t ryd, With mony manly knyght{is} by h{is} ?id, 624 Hyme for to ?port and comfort w{i}t{h} the dere, Set contrare was the ?e?one of y^e yere.

[Sidenote: He likes boar-hunting best.]

His mo?t huntyng was atte wyld bore; G.o.d wot a lu?tye c.u.n.tree was It thoore, 628 [Fol. 9.]

In the ilk tyme! weil long this n.o.ble king In to this lond haith maid his ?uiornyng;

[Headnote: THE LADY OF MELYHALT'S MESSAGE.]

[Sidenote: A messenger comes from the lady of Melyhalt,]

Frome the lady was send o me?inger Of melyhalt, wich ?aith one this maner, 632 As that the ?tory ?hewith by recorde:

++"TO yow, ?{ir} king, as to hir ?ou{er}an lorde, My lady hath me chargit for to ?ay How that your lond ?tondith i{n} affray; 636 [Sidenote: to say that Galiot has entered Arthur's land,]

For galiot, ?one of the fare gyande, Enterit Is by armys in your land, And ?o the lond and c.u.n.tre he anoyth, That quhar he goith planly he di?troyth, 640 And makith al obei?and to his honde, [Sidenote: and has conquered all but two castles belonging to his mistress.]

That nocht is left wnconque?t i{n} that lond, Excep two ca?tell{is} longing to hir cwre, Wich to defend ?he may no{ch}t long endure. 644 Wharfor, ?{ir}, in word{is} plan {and} ?hort, Ye mon di?pone your folk for to ?upport."

[Headnote: ARTHUR'S READINESS FOR WAR.]

[Sidenote: The king promises not to delay, and inquires the number of the foe.]

"Wel," q{uod} the king, "one to thi lady ?ay The neid is myne, I fall It not delay; 648 But what folk ar thei ne{m}myt for to bee, That in my lond is cu{m}yne in ?ich degree?"

[Sidenote: "A hundred thousand," is the reply.]

"An hundreth thou?and boith vith ?held {and} ?pere On hors ar armyt, al redy for the were." 652 "Wel," q{uo}d the king, "and but delay this ny{ch}t, Or than to morn as that the day is lycht, [Sidenote: The king says he will set off that very night.]

I ?hal remuf; ther ?hal no thing me mak Impedyme{n}t, my Iorney for to tak." 656 Than ?eith his kny{ch}t{is} al w{i}t{h} one a??ent, [Sidenote: His knights advise him to wait till he has raised an army.]

"Shir, that is al contrare our entent; For to your folk this mater is wnwi?t, And ye ar here our few for to reci?t 660 ?one power, and youre c.u.n.tre to defende; Tharfor abid, and for your folk ye send, That lyk a king and lyk a weriour Ye may ?u?ten in armys your honoure." 664 "Now," q{uod} the king, "no langer that I ?eme My crowne, my ?epture, nor my dyademe, Frome that I here, ore frome I wnd{er}?tand, That ther by fors be entrit in my land 668 Men of armys, by ?trenth of vyolens, [Sidenote: He refuses to wait longer than till the morrow.]

If that I mak abid or re?ydens In to o place langar than o ny{ch}t, For to defend my c.u.n.tre {and} my ry{ch}t." 672 The king that day his me?age haith furth sent [Fol. 9b.]

Throuch al his realme, and ?yne to re?t is went.

++Up goith the morow, wp goith the bry{ch}t day, Wp goith the sone in to his fre?h aray; 676 Richt as he ?pred his bemys frome northe?t, [Sidenote: The king arises next morning without delay,]

The king wpra w{i}t{h}outen more are?t, And by his awn con?eil and entent His Iornaye tuk at ?hort awy?ment. 680 And but dulay he goith frome place to place Whill that he cam nere whare[T16] the lady was, [Sidenote: and reaches a plain by the river side,]

And in one plane, apone o reuer ?yde, He licht.i.t doune, and ther he can abide; 684 And yit w{i}t{h} hyme to batell fore to go [Sidenote: having only seven thousand with him.]

Vij thousand fechter{is} war thei, {and} no mo.

[Footnote T16: MS. "whare that," with slight scratch through "that."]

[Sidenote: Lancelot, having been imprisoned by the lady of Melyhalt,]

++This was the lady, of qwhome befor I tolde, That lancilot haith in to hir kepinge holde; 688 But for to tell his pa?ing hewyne??e, His peyne, his ?orow, and his gret di?tre??e Of pre?one and of loues gret ?uppris, It war to long to me for to dewys. 692 When he reme{m}brith one his hewy charge Of loue, wharof he can hyme not di?charge, He wepith and he ?orowith in his chere, And euery nyght ?emyth hyme o yere. 696 Gret peite was the ?orow that he maad, [Sidenote: laments his fate.]

And to hyme-?elf apone this wi he ?aade:

[Headnote: LANCELOT'S LAMENT.]

[Sidenote: Lancelot's lament; his pleasure is gone;]

++"Qwhat haue y gilt, allace! or qwhat de?{er}uit?

That thus myne hart ?hal vondit ben {and} carwit 700 One by the ?uord of double peine and wo?

My comfort and my ple?ans is ago, To me is nat that ?huld me glaid re?eruit.

[Sidenote: he curses his natal day;]

I cur the tyme of myne Natiuitee, 704 Whar in the heuen It ordinyd was for me, In all my lyue neu{er} til haue ee; But for to be example of di?e, And that apperith that eu{er}y vicht may see. 708

[Sidenote: he has never spent a single day free from anxiety,]

Sen thelke tyme that I had ?ufficians Of age, and chargit thoght{is} ?ufferans, Nor neu{er} I {con}tinewite haith o day With-out the payne of thoght{is} hard a??ay; 712 Thus goith my youth in tempe?t {and} penans.

[Sidenote: and is now in prison; and invokes Death.]

And now my body is In pre?one broght; But of my wo, that in Regard is noght, [Fol. 10.]

The wich myne hart felith euer more. 716 O deth, allace! whi hath yow me forbore That of remed haith the ?o long be?oght!"

[Sidenote: Thus the smart of love's sorrow p.r.i.c.keth him.

He is kept by her from the exercise of knighthood; and there we let him dwell.]

Thus neu{er}emore he ?e?ith to compleine, This woful knyght that felith not bot peine; 720 So prekith hyme the ?mert of loues ?ore, And eu{er}y day encre??ith more and more.

And with this lady takine is al?o, And kepit whar he may no whare go 724 To haunt knychthed, the wich he mo?t de?irit; And, thus his hart w{i}t{h} dowbil wo yfirite, We lat hyme duel here with the lady ?till, Whar he haith lai?ere for to compleine his fyll. 728

[Headnote: GALIOT BESIEGES A CASTLE.]

[Sidenote: Meanwhile, Galiot besieged a castle.]

++And galiot in this meyne tyme he laie By ?trong myght o ca?tell to a??ay, With many engyne and diu{er} wais ?ere, For of fute folk he had a gret powere 732 That bowis bur, and vther In?trument{is}, [Sidenote: His army had pavilions, tents, and iron-wheeled chariots.]

And with them lede ther pal?onis {and} ther te{n}t{is}, With mony o ?trong chariot and cher With yrne qwhelis and barris long {and} ?qwar; 736 Well ?tuffit with al maner apparell That longith to o ?ege or to batell; Whar-with his o?t was clo?it al about, That of no ?trenth nedith hyme to dout. 740 [Sidenote: When he heard of Arthur's coming,]

And when he hard the cu{m}yne of the king, And of his o?t, and of his gaderyng, The wich he reput but of febil myght Ayanis hyme for to ?u?ten the ficht, 744 His con?ell holl a??emblit he, but were, [Sidenote: he a.s.sembled his council,]

Ten knight{is} with other lord{is} ?ere, And told theme of the cu{m}ing of the king, And a?kit them there con?ell of that thing. 748 [Sidenote: who thought it would degrade him, to fight in proper person against so few.]

Hyme thoght that it his wor?chip wold degrade, If he hyme ?elf in p{ro}pir p{er}?one raide Enarmyt ayane ?o few menye As It was told arthur[{is}] fore to bee; 752 And thane the kyng-An-hund{er}eth-kny{ch}t{is} cold, (And ?o he hot, for neu{er}more he wolde Ryd of his lond, but In his cu{m}pany O hundyre knyght{is} ful of chiuellry). 756

[Headnote: PREPARATION FOR THE BATTLE.]

[Sidenote: The king of a hundred knights (Maleginis) undertakes the exploit;]

He ?aith, "shir, ande I one hond [may] tak, [Fol. 10b.]

If It you ple, this Iorney ?hal I mak."

Quod galiot, "I grant It yow, but ye Shal fir?t go ryd, yone kny{ch}t{is} o?t {and} see." 760 With-outen more he ridith our the plan, And ?aw the o?t and is returnyd ayan; And callit them mo than he hade ?en, for why He dred the reprefe of his c.u.mpany. 764 [Sidenote: who reconnoitres Arthur's host, and says it is 10,000 strong: whereon Galiot charges him to take the same number.]

And to his lord apone this wys ?aith hee, "Shir, ten thou?and y ges them for to bee."

And galiot haith chargit hyme to tak Als fell folk, and for the feld hyme mak. 768 And ?o he doith and haith them wel Arayt; Apone the morne his banaris war di?playt.