Lancelot of the Laik Part 20

And fond his ?ted lying at the ground, Wich wery was, ywet w{i}t{h} mony wounde. 1192 The maden ?aith, "vpone this hor is ?en, He in the place quhar strok{is} was hath ben; And ?hit the hor It is no{ch}t wich that hee Furt{h} w{i}t{h} hyme hade;"--the lady ?aid, "p{er} dee, 1196 He v?yt haith mo hor than one or two; [Sidenote: Next they view his armour,]

I red one to his armys at we go."

Tharwith one to his armys ar thei went; [Sidenote: and find his hauberk rent, and his shield frushed all to naught.]

Thei fond his helm, thei fond his hawbrek rent, 1200 Thei fond his ?cheld was fru?chit al to no{ch}t; At ?chort, his armour In sich wy vas vro{ch}t In eu{er}y place, that no thing was left haill, Nore neu{er} eft accordith to bataill. 1204 [Sidenote: They think he has well used his armour.]

Than ?aith the lady to hir cu?yne, "What ?al we ?ay, what of this mat{er} ge?"

"Madem, I ?ay, thei have no{ch}t ben abwsyt; He that them bur ?chortly he has them v?yt." 1208 "That may ?e ?ay, ?uppos the be?t that lewis, Or mo?t of wor?chip in til armys prewis, Or ?hit haith ben in ony tyme beforn, Had them in feld in his ma?t curag born." 1212 [Sidenote: They next visit the knight himself,]

"Now," q{uo}d the lady, "will we pa, and see The kny{ch}t hyme-self, and ther the ?ut{h} may we Knaw of this thing." Incontynent them[T27] boith [Fol. 16.]

Thir ladeis vn to his chambre goith. 1216 [Sidenote: who was now asleep.]

The kny{ch}t al wery fallyng was on ?lep; This maden pa??ith In, {and} takith kep.

[Sidenote: The lady's cousin observes his breast and shoulders b.l.o.o.d.y, his face hurt, and his fists swollen.]

Sche ?auch his bre?t w{i}t{h} al his ?chowd{er}is bare, That bludy war and woundit her and thare; 1220 His face was al to-hurt and al to-?chent, His newis ?wellyng war and al to-Rent.

Sche ?mylyt a lyt, and to hir lady ?aid, "It ?emyth weill this kny{ch}t hath ben a??aid." 1224

[Footnote T27: "then" (?).]

[Headnote: THE LADY IS LOVE-SMITTEN.]

[Sidenote: The lady next observes him,]

The lady ?auch, and rewit in hir thoght The kny{ch}t{is} wor?chip wich that he haith vroght.

[Sidenote: and is smitten to the heart by the dart of love,]

In hire Reme{m}brance loues fyre dart W{i}t{h} hot de?yre hir ?mat one to the hart; 1228 And then a quhill, w{i}t{h}-outen word{is} mo, In to hir mynd thinking to and fro, She ?tudeit ?o, and at the la?t abraid [Sidenote: and prays her cousin to draw aside, while she kisses the knight.]

Out of hir tho{ch}t, and ?udandly thus ?aid, 1232 "W{i}t{h}-draw," q{uod} ?he, "one ?yd a lyt[T28] the lyght, Or that I pa that I may ky the knyght."

[Footnote T28: MS. "alyt."]

[Headnote: HER COUSIN REPROVES HER.]

[Sidenote: Her cousin reproves her,]

"Madem," q{uod} ?che, "what is It at ?e men?

Of hie wor?chip our mekill have ?e sen 1236 So sone to be ?upp{ri}?it w{i}t{h} o thoght.

[Sidenote: lest the knight should awake.]

What is It at ?he think? p{re}?wm ?e noght That if yon kny{ch}t wil walkin, and p{er}?aif, He ?hal yarof no thing bot ewill con?aif; 1240 In his entent Ruput yow therby The ablare to al ly{ch}tne and foly?

And blam the more al vther{is} in h{is} mynd, If your gret wit in ?ich de?ire he fynde?" 1244 [Sidenote: The lady replies.]

"Nay," q{uod} the lady, "no thing may I do For ?ich o kny{ch}t may be defam me to."

[Sidenote: Her cousin next argues the point;]

"Madem, I wot that for to loue yone kny{ch}t, Con?idir his fame, his wor?chip, and h{is} my{ch}t; 1248 And to begyne as wor?chip wil dewy, Syne he ayaine my{ch}t lowe yow one ?uch wy, And hold yow for his lady and his loue, It war to yow no maner of Reprwe. 1252 [Sidenote: "What if he loves another?"]

But quhat if he appelit be and thret His hart to lowe, and ellis whar y-?et?

And wel y wot, madem, if It be so, His hart hyme sal not ?uffir to loue two, 1256 For n.o.ble hart wil have no dowbilne; [Fol. 16b.]

If It be ?o, ?he tyne yowr low, I ge; Than is your-?elf, than is your loue Refu?it, Your fam is hurt, your gladne is conclu?it. 1260 My con?ell is, therfore, you to ab?ten Whill that to yow the werray Ry{ch}t be ?en Of his entent, the wich ful ?on ?he may Have knawlag, If yow lykith to a??ay." 1264 [Sidenote: She persuades the lady to return to her chamber, without further delay.]

So mokil to hir lady haith ?he vroght That at that tyme ?he haith Ret{ur}nyt h{ir} tho{ch}t, And to hir chambre went, w{i}t{h}outen more, Whar loue of new a??aith hir ful sore. 1268 So well long thei ?peking of the kny{ch}t, [Sidenote: Her cousin labours to expel her love for Lancelot from her thoughts, but her labour is in vain.]

Hir cu?ynace hath don al at ?he my{ch}t For to expel that thing out of hir tho{ch}t; It wil not be, hir labour Is for no{ch}t. 1272 Now leif we hir In to hir newe?t pan, And to arthur we wil retwrn agan.

EXPLICIT P{RI}M{US} LIBER, INCIPIT SECUND{US}.

[Headnote: ARTHUR'S GREAT ANXIETY.]

[BOOK II.]

[Sidenote: Night.]

++The clowdy nyght, wndir whois ob?cure The re?t and quiet of euery criatur 1276 Lyith ?auf, quhare the go?t w{i}t{h} be?yne Is occupiit, w{i}t{h} thoghtfull hewynes; And, for that tho{ch}t furth ?chewing vil h{is} my{ch}t, Go fare-wel re?t and quiet of the ny{ch}t. 1280 [Sidenote: Arthur cannot rest.]

Artur, I meyne, to whome that re?t is no{ch}t, But al the ny{ch}t ?uppri?it is with tho{ch}t; In to his bed he turnyth to and fro, Remembryng the apperans of his wo, 1284 That is to ?ay, his deith, his confu?ioune, And of his realme the opin di?truccioune.

That in his wit he can no thing p{ro}wide, Bot tak his forton thar for to abyd. 1288 [Sidenote: The sun goeth up.]

Vp goith the ?on, vp goith the hot morow; The thoghtful king al the ny{ch}t to ?orow, That ?auch the day, vpone his feit he ?tart, [Fol. 17.]

[Sidenote: Arthur goeth forth.]

And furth he goith, di?trublit in his hart. 1292 A quhill he walkith in his pen?yf go?t, [Sidenote: He hears that a clerk has arrived,]

So was he ware thar cu{m}myne to the o?t O clerk, with whome he was aqwynt befor, In to his tyme non bett{er} was y-bore; 1296 Of qwhois com he gretly vas Reio?it, For in to hyme ?um comfort he ?uppo?it; [Sidenote: between whom and himself there was a hearty affection.]

Betuex them was one hartly affeccioune.

Non ord{er}is had he of Relegioune, 1300 Fam{us} he was, and of gret excellence, [Sidenote: He was expert in the seven sciences,]

And ry{ch}t exp{er}t in al the vij. ?cience; Contemplatif and cha?t in gou{er}nance, [Sidenote: and was named Amytans.]

And clepit was the mai?t{er} amytans. 1304 The king befor his pal?ou{n}e one the gren, That knew hyme well, {and} haith his cu{m}myn ?en, [Sidenote: Arthur welcomes him.]

Velcu{m}myt hyme, and maid hyme ry{ch}t gud chere, And he agan, agrewit as he were, 1308 [Sidenote: He recks nothing of Arthur's salutation.]

Saith, "nothir of thi ?alo?ing, nor the, Ne rak I no{ch}t, ne charg I no{ch}t," q{uo}d hee.

[Sidenote: The king inquires what trespa.s.s he has committed.]

Than q{uod} the king, "mai?t{er}, {and} for what why Ar ?e agrewit? or quhat tre??pas have I 1312 Co{m}myt.i.t, ?o that I ?hal yow di?ples?"

[Headnote: AMYTANS REPROVES ARTHUR.]

[Sidenote: He replies, "It is not against me, but against thyself.]

Quod he, "no thing It is ayane myn e, But only {con}trare of thi-?elf alway; So fare the cour yow pa??ith of the way. 1316 [Sidenote: Thy ship is almost drowned in the whirlpool.]

Thi ?chip, that goth apone the ?tormy vall, Ney of thi careldis in the ?welf it fall, Whar ?he almo?t is in the p{er}ell drent; That is to ?ay, yow art ?o far my?went 1320 Of wykitne vpone the vrechit dans, That yow art fallyng in the storng[T29] vengans [Sidenote: That is, G.o.d's wrath shall soon devour thee.]

Of G.o.ddis wreth, that ?hal the ?on deuour; For of his ?trok approchit now the hour 1324 That boith thi Ringe, thi ceptre, {and} thi crovn, Frome hie e?tat he ?myting ?hal adoune.

And that accordith well, for in thi tho{ch}t [Sidenote: Because thou knowest Him not, who set thee up in this high estate,]

Yow knawith not hyme, the wich that haith the wro{ch}t, 1328 And ?et the vp in to this hie e?tat From powert; for, as the-?elwyne wat, It cu{m}myth al bot only of his myght, And not of the, nor of thi eld{er}is Richt 1332 To the di?cending, as in heritage, [Sidenote: though not begotten in spousage.]

For yow was not byget in to spou?ag.

Wharfor yow aucht his biding to ob?erf, [Fol. 17b.]

And at thy my{ch}t yow ?huld hyme ple {and} ?erf; 1336 That dois yow nat, for yow art ?o confu??it With this fals warld, that thow haith hyme Refu?it, And brokine haith his reul and ordynans, The wich to the he gave in gou{er}nans. 1340

[Footnote T29: So in MS. Is it necessary to alter it to "strong"?]

[Headnote: THE TYRANNY OF KINGS.]

[Sidenote: He made thee king,]

He maid the king, he maid the gou{er}nour, He maid the ?o, and ?et in hie honour Of Realmys and of [diuer] peplis ?ere; Eft{er} his loue thow ?huld them Reul {and} ?tere, 1344 And wnoppre??it kep in to Iu?tice, The wykit men and pwnyce for ther wice.

Yow dois no thing, bot al in the {con}trare, [Sidenote: and thou sufferest thy people to fare ill.]

And ?uffrith al thi puple to forfare; 1348 Yow haith non Ey but one thyne awn delyt, Or quhat that ple?ing ?hall thyne appetyt.

In the defalt of law and of Iu?tice, Wndir thi hond is ?ufferyt gret ?uppri 1352 Of fadirle, and modirle al?o, And wedwis ek ?u?tenit mekill wo.

[Sidenote: The poor are oppressed.]

With gret my?chef oppre??it ar the pure; And thow art cau of al this hol Iniure, 1356 Whar-of that G.o.d a raknyng ?al craf At the, and a ?ore Raknyng ?al hafe; For thyne e?tat is gewyne to Redre Thar ned, and kep them to ry{ch}twyne; 1360 And thar is non that ther complant{is} her{is}; The my{ch}ty folk, and ek the flattereris Ar cheif with the, and doith this oppre??iou{n}; [Sidenote: If they complain, it is their confusion.]

If thai complen, It is ther confu??iou{n}e. 1364 And daniell ?aith that who doith to the pure, Or fad{er}le, or modirle, EnIure, Or to the puple, that ilke to G.o.d doth hee; And al this harme ?u?tenit Is throw the. 1368 Yow ?ufferith them, oppre??ith {and} anoyith; So yow art cau, throw the thei ar di?troyth; Than, at thi my{ch}t, G.o.d ?o di?troys yow.

[Sidenote: What wilt thou do, when G.o.d destroys sinners off the visage of the earth?]

What ?hal he do a?ane? quhat ?hal yow, 1372 When he di?troys by vengance of his ?uerd The ?ynar{is} fra the vysag{is} of the Erde?

Than vtraly yow ?hall di?troyt bee; And that Richt weill apper{is} now of thee, 1376 For yow allon byleft art ?olitere; [Sidenote: Solomon saith, 'Wo to him who is left alone! He hath no help.']

And the wy salamon can duclar, 'Wo be to hyme that is byleft alone, He haith no help;' so Is thi forton gone; 1380 [Fol. 18.]

For he is callit, w{i}t{h} quhom that G.o.d is no{ch}t, Allone; and ?o thi wykitne haith wro{ch}t That G.o.d hyme-?elf he is bycu{m}myn thi fo, [Sidenote: Thou hast lost thy people's hearts,]

Thi pupleis hart{is} haith thow tynt al?o; 1384 Thi wykitne thus haith the maid alon, That of this erth thi fortone Is y-gon.

Yow mone thi lyf, yow mone thi vor?chip tyne, [Sidenote: and shalt come to death that hath no end."]

And eft to deth that neu{er} ?hal haf fyne." 1388

[Headnote: ARTHUR ASKS ADVICE.]