The romance of Guy of Warwick. The first or 14th-century version.

Speke we now of [Read in?] this storye [C line 8397] Of hys wyfe, that trew ladye. Line 8655 In all the world ys none here pere, So trew and so good in all manere. Sethen that sir Gye wente a-weye She blan nether nyght ne daye Power to fede, and chyrches to make, Line 8660 And abbeyes to helpe for crystis sake, Weyes to make, & bryggis that were broke, [ll. 8662 and 8663 must change places, I think.] And men that were in preson faste stoke. Nother for game, myrth, nor for glee Wold she lawȝe that men myȝt see. Line 8665 The lady had a chyld full fayer: Of all her lond he shuld haue bene eyre. They crystyned hym, with-oute blame,

And clepyd hyt Reynbrown be name. The chyld was to herawd brought, Line 8670 As the lady had in her thought. Herrawd hyt kept with gret honoure In hys owen wyves bowere: With two knyȝtis he dyd it kepe, Whether hit woke other slepe. [slept MS.] Line 8675 When hyt was vii yere old Hyt was both fayre, gentill, & bold: In ten yere, sertes, he waxed mor Than eny of xii yere that were thore. [Caius MS. 107 page 191] Hyt be-fell so that rych merchauntis [C line 8421] Line 8680 Commyn from fer be-yonde Fraunce: Both syluer and gold they had plente, Menyvere and grice grete deynte, Clothes of gold and riche preciouse stonys, Spicery rich and good for the nonys. Line 8685 At london they aryved than, And founden there kyng athelstone: A riche present they hym sente, And with her merchaundyse forth they wente Thorough-oute the lond in eche contre, Line 8690 And to walyngford, that towne so free. Then was that towne grete and stronge I-closed with walles fayre and longe: Wel faire nobley was than there, That sythen was dystroyed with were. Line 8695 The merchauntis were both curteys & hend, And to sir herrawd gun they wende, And yaue hym ryght a fayre presend, For he was lord of that londe. He toke hit with well good chere, Line 8700 And thanked hem on feyre manere. The marchauntis sye the chyld goand, And in the hall fayre playande: Of hym they hadden swyth gret ferlye,

For he was so fayer & eke so semlye. Line 8705 They askyd hys maisters [maister MS.] two or thre Whoes was the chyld, þat was feyre & free. Hys maisters told hem a-none ryght He was sir Gye ys sonn, the noble knyght. [Caius MS. 107 page 192] They preysed the fayernes of that chyld, Line 8710 And thought in her hertis myld, Yf they myȝt gett the chyld ouer the see, All riche men shuld they than bee. Tho they yave the porter yeftis grete, For he schuld hem the chyld gette, Line 8715 And so he dyd with-oute mare: To london faste gan they all fare. To schyppe they wente with grete traveyle: The wynd was good, they lyfte vp sayle. To Rochell [So MS. instead of Russye; cf. ll. 8842 and 8873.] they commyn full ryght: Line 8720 The lond thei knew well, & were glad & lyght. They went to have Ryven ther at her wyll, But in a while they sped full yll: The wedyr be-gan to ouer-caste, Hit thondred and lyȝtned faste. Line 8725 The weders smyten to-geder thene: A gret tempeste ther be-ganne. The see be-gan so harde to flowe, That they ne wiste whedir to rowe. The wawes resyn as hye as the maste: Line 8730 Tho was eueryiche of hem sore a-gaste. The gret cabull brast in two: Tho wende thei to deth have goo. They hadden sorrow, I vndyrstonde: They cryed to god all weldande. Line 8735 The wynde hem drofe in-to the see: They ne wyste in-to what contre. They sayled all a day and all a nyght: In Aufryke they aryved ryght. [Caius MS. 107 page 193] The merchaundys well founde [C line 8477] Line 8740

Line 8740 That they were a-ryved in vn-couth lande: Forth they toke the chylde so yenge, And presentid hym to the kynge For to wende sikyrlye Thorough all the lond to sell and bye. Line 8745 A Ioyfull man was the kyng, And graunted them all theyre askyng. The kyng, for-sothe, had a doughter dere, A feyre mayden and mery of chere: She was as old and no more Line 8750 As Reynbrowne when he com thore. The mayd be-sowght her moder dere To byd her fader on all manere That she myght kepe the chyld there: The kyng her graunted with well good chere. Line 8755