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

About this Item

Title

Publication

London,: Pub. for the Early English text society by K. Paul, Trench, Trübner, & co., limited,

1883, 1887, 1891.

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The University of Michigan Library provides access to these materials for educational and research purposes. These materials are in the public domain. If you have questions about the collection, please contact mec-info@umich.edu. If you have concerns about the inclusion of an item in this collection, please contact libraryit-info@umich.edu.

DPLA Rights Statement: No Copyright - United States

Subject terms

Guy of Warwick (Legendary character)

Link to this Item

http://name.umdl.umich.edu/AHA2638.0001.001

Cite this Item

"The romance of Guy of Warwick. The first or 14th-century version." In the digital collection Corpus of Middle English Prose and Verse. https://name.umdl.umich.edu/AHA2638.0001.001. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed June 8, 2024.

Pages

                  
                    Heraud [Beraud MS. by a mistake of the rubricator.]  & Reinbroun tok leue þo
                  
                    Into Ingelonde te go: [C line 11629] 
                  
                    Þanne was þe leuedi in care.
                  
                    Mani iurne þai ride þo [C line 11649] 
                  
                    Þourȝ Spayne & þourȝ londes mo:
                    Line 5 
                  
                    Into Bourgoyne þai come ware;
                  
                    Þe contre was strued doun riȝt.
                  
                    Heraud askede askede at a kniȝt
                  
                    How hit was y-fare.
                  
                    He seide, 'þe duk of Marce y-told,
                    Line 10 
                  
                    Þat is a stout kniȝt and bold,
                  
                    Vs haþ y-brouȝt in care.

                  
                    ¶ Vpon our erl werreþ he:
                  
                    He naþ leued boute þis cite,
                  
                    Þat he naþ y-nome.
                  
                    Ac þis castel is gode engyn:
                  
                    Noblech a wereþ him þer-in
                    Line 5 
                  
                    Also a douȝti gome.
                  
                    Wiþ him he haþ a noble kniȝt,
                  
                    His souder, siker apliȝt,
                  
                    Þat to him is y-come.
                  
                    Ȝong a is, so þenkeþ me,
                    Line 10 
                  
                    Nouȝt twenti winter old nis he,
                  
                    Ich telle þe at þe frome.

Page 665

                  
                    ¶ In þis launde her-before
                  
                    An hondred haþ her lif y-lore,
                  
                    Whan he seȝ hem ride. [folio 174a:b] 
                  
                    Her forþ ne schel pase no kniȝt,
                  
                    Ȝif he haþ brenye [breyne MS.]  or stede liȝt,
                    Line 5 
                  
                    Þat he ne schel abide,
                  
                    And for-lese þer þat on,
                  
                    Oþer is heued riȝt anon
                  
                    Be þe wode side.
                  
                    Ȝif ȝe be þat launde gon,
                    Line 10 
                  
                    Ich telle ȝow be sein Ion,
                  
                    Swich aunture ȝow schel betide.'

                  
                    ¶ 'O, god be þanked,' queþ Reinbroun,
                  
                    'Ichaue founde me compaynoun,
                  
                    Me felle wiþ to fiȝte.
                  
                    Ȝif he wile haue oure þing,
                  
                    Y schel him teche, wiþ-outen lesing,
                    Line 5 
                  
                    Þat he doþ vnriȝte.'
                  
                    Nouȝt fer þanne ne beþ þai gon,
                  
                    Þai be-helde aȝen anon:
                  
                    Hii siȝe his armes briȝte
                  
                    Vpon a stede whit so flour;
                    Line 10 
                  
                    His armes wer of rede kolour,
                  
                    A semede of meche miȝte.

                  
                    ¶ 'Sire Heraud,' seide Reinbroun,
                  
                    'Now y se þat bolde baroun
                  
                    Þat is so stout a fere.
                  
                    Wiþ vs to fiȝte he makeþ him ȝare:
                  
                    Wiþ him to iusten ich wile fare
                    Line 5 
                  
                    Emforþ me powere.
                  
                    Ich him asaile, ȝif þow wilt so.'
                  
                    Heraud seide, 'so þow schelt do,
                  
                    Me leue sone dere.'
                  
                    Swiþe þeder rod Reinbroun,
                    Line 10 
                  
                    & he in þe launde com adoun
                  
                    Vpon is deistrere.

Page 666

                  
                    Aiþer was prout & mody: [C line 11715] 
                  
                    No word þai speke, sikerly,
                  
                    To-gedres þai gonne driue.
                  
                    Aiþer hitte oþer in þe scheld,
                  
                    Þat boþe hii fellen in þe feld
                    Line 5 
                  
                    Of here hors beliue.
                  
                    Siþe þai drowe brondes of stel,
                  
                    And hewe togedre hard & wel,
                  
                    And delde dentes riue,
                  
                    & laiden on wiþ swerdes clere:
                    Line 10 
                  
                    Helm and scheld, þat stronge were, [folio 174b:a] 
                  
                    Þai gonne hem al to-schliue.

                  
                    ¶ Heraud beheld longe þat fiȝt:
                  
                    For Reinbroun a bad te god almiȝt
                  
                    Þat he non harm ne fonge.
                  
                    To him-selue a seide þare
                  
                    Swich fiȝt ne seȝ he neuer are
                    Line 5 
                  
                    Of dentes þat were stronge.
                  
                    'Sire kniȝt,' seide Reinbroun,
                  
                    'Vnderstand to me resoun,
                  
                    So god þe saule fonge,
                  
                    Ac neuer ne fond ich a kniȝt
                    Line 10 
                  
                    Þat me strokes driȝe miȝt
                  
                    Haluendel so longe.

                  
                    What is þe name? whar wer þe bore?
                  
                    Ich þe praie, tel me fore,
                  
                    For loue of oure driȝte,
                  
                    &, ȝif þow wost ȝelde þe,
                  
                    Ich schel þe lede to me contre.
                    Line 5 
                  
                    Me treuþe i schel þe pliȝte:
                  
                    Y schel þe ȝeue [One or two letters erased after ȝeue.]  castel & cite,
                  
                    Bourwes, & tounes, & riche fe,
                  
                    And mani a douȝti kniȝte;
                  
                    For þow ert of gret power:
                    Line 10 
                  
                    In al þis world þer nis þe per
                  
                    Þat man finde miȝte.

Page 667

                  
                    ¶ 'Sire kniȝt,' þanne answerde he,
                  
                    'Y nel nouȝt, be him þat made me,
                  
                    Telle þe me name.
                  
                    Þourȝ þe sarmoun scheltow nouȝt wite
                  
                    Whar y was boren ne gete
                    Line 5 
                  
                    An erneste ne a game:
                  
                    Erst y schel þe sle, verament.
                  
                    Sire, let be þe prechement:
                  
                    Hit is þe meche schame;
                  
                    Ac neuer kniȝt i ne fond
                    Line 10 
                  
                    So wel worchande wiþ dent of brond
                  
                    Þat ich fauȝt wiþ y-same.

                  
                    Ac y ne sei nouȝt for þam:
                  
                    Þin heued y schel smite þe fram,
                  
                    For-soþe, wiþ-oute more.
                  
                    Þat olde man þat ich y-se
                  
                    (Y ne wot ȝif he þe fader be,
                    Line 5 
                  
                    Or þow ert wiþ him at lore), [folio 174b:b] 
                  
                    Lite a louede [alouede MS.]  [þe], siker þow be,
                  
                    Whan a sente þe to me,
                  
                    He wiþ þe berde hore.
                  
                    Whan ichaue þin hed of-take,
                    Line 10 
                  
                    Be þe berd y schel him schake,
                  
                    Þat him schel smerte sore.

                  
                    ¶ So y schel him þer-bi ploke,
                  
                    Þat al is teþ schel roke
                  
                    Þat sitteþ in is heued.'
                  
                    &, þo Reinbroun herde þis, [C line 11767] 
                  
                    Þat Heraud dispised is,
                    Line 5 
                  
                    His swerd to him a weued:
                  
                    A strok a smot is helm vpon,
                  
                    Þat a quarter gan doun gon;
                  
                    Hit was half to-cleued.
                  
                    Wiþ þat strok a stente adoun al,
                    Line 10 
                  
                    & to þe erþe a is y-fal:
                  
                    His lif neȝ he hadde leued.

Page 668

                  
                    'O frend,' a seide, 'ich bidde þe lete,
                  
                    For it is meche foly to þrete
                  
                    Eni man aliue.'
                  
                    & he ascorn bad him lete,
                  
                    And a sterte vpon is fete
                    Line 5 
                  
                    Hasteliche and bliue.
                  
                    Haslak smot Reinbroun anon,
                  
                    Þat to þe bokel þe schel[d] chon:
                  
                    Neȝ a gan doun driue.
                  
                    Strong and gode hii wer boþe:
                    Line 10 
                  
                    Eiþer kedde þat hii wer wroþe
                  
                    To bringe oþer of liue.

                  
                    ¶ Betwene hem strong fiȝt þer is:
                  
                    Swich ne herde [ȝe] neuer, iwis,
                  
                    Siþe þat ȝe wer bore.
                  
                    So miȝte nouȝt longe be:
                  
                    Þat [on] moste þat oþer sle
                    Line 5 
                  
                    Of þe kniȝtes kende i-core.
                  
                    Heraud be-held þat bataile,
                  
                    How aiþer gan oþer asaile:
                  
                    Wo was him þer-fore.
                  
                    A gret harm him þouȝte it were
                    Line 10 
                  
                    Ȝif aiþer slouȝ oþer þere:
                  
                    For hem a wep wel sore.

                  
                    ¶ Wiþ þat amonges hem com he,
                  
                    And seide, 'kniȝt, for godes pite,
                  
                    Herkne to me a stounde. [folio 175a:a] 
                  
                    Let now ben al ȝour fiȝt,
                  
                    And aȝild þe to þis kniȝt
                    Line 5 
                  
                    Þat þou hast her y-founde.
                  
                    For he is man of gret power:
                  
                    In al þis world þer nis is per,
                  
                    Ne of so meche mounde.
                  
                    In is merci, y rede, þow [þe] do,
                    Line 10 
                  
                    Er þan be mad betwene ȝow to
                  
                    Eni mo harde wounde.'

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

About this Item

Pages

description Page 665

description Page 666

description Page 667

description Page 668

Page 665

Page 666

Page 667

Page 668