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 4, 2024.

Pages

                  
                    Faste þei smite to her fon:
                  
                    Wiþ swerdes, speres wel gode won
                  
                    Togedres þai gonne fiȝte.
                  
                    Gret slauȝter was in eiþer side:
                  
                    Þe blod ran in þe feld wel wide
                    Line 5 
                  
                    Of mani a douȝti kniȝte.
                  
                    Heraud mette wiþ þe king,
                  
                    & smot him wiþ is swerd keruing
                  
                    A strok of meche miȝte:
                  
                    Þer he hadde slawe him þo,
                    Line 10 
                  
                    Boute his ost com him to:
                  
                    An [And MS.]  hors þai gonne him diȝte.

                  
                    ¶ Wel stoutliche þe king gan fiȝte:
                  
                    Al þat a mette he felde doun riȝte.
                  
                    Heraud he gan discrie.
                  
                    Þemeraile was sconfited þere:
                  
                    Abated was þe meister banere
                    Line 5 
                  
                    And al here cheualrie.
                  
                    In eche side asailed a is
                  
                    Wiþ speres & wiþ swerdes, iwis,
                  
                    Þat he miȝte nouȝt flie.
                  
                    Wiþ is swerd a wereþ him wel [folio 170b:b] 
                    Line 10 
                  
                    In eche side, ase a gode kniȝt schel,
                  
                    Whiles a miȝte driȝe.

Page 648

                  
                    ¶ Þo he seȝ Heraud a cleped him to: [C line 11053] 
                  
                    To helpe him he gan go.
                  
                    An erl Heraud gan mete:
                  
                    Heraud wiþ is fauchoun him smot
                  
                    A dent þat þourȝ is helm bot;
                    Line 5 
                  
                    Þar a lefte þe swete.
                  
                    Heraud & þemeraile anon
                  
                    Delde dentes wel god won:
                  
                    For noþing þai nolde lete.
                  
                    Þe king þai sailede and al is men:
                    Line 10 
                  
                    So mani ȝede to deþe þen,
                  
                    Þat grimly þai gonne grete.

                  
                    ¶ Þe king wel sori þanne was he,
                  
                    Whan he seȝ is men fle,
                  
                    And al y-brouȝt to gronde.
                  
                    Whar þat he seȝ Heraud ride
                  
                    He fleȝ awei be þat oþer side
                    Line 5 
                  
                    Wel sory in þat stonde.
                  
                    His men ouercome were:
                  
                    Þar-fore sori he was þere
                  
                    & for his owene wonde.
                  
                    King Arguus, for-soþ, a geþ: [ageþ MS.] 
                    Line 10 
                  
                    A was afered of is deþ
                  
                    Ȝif þat a were y-fonde.

                  
                    ¶ Whan Heraud parseued is,
                  
                    Be his armes a knew him, iwis,
                  
                    And after him he gan ride.
                  
                    Neȝ he hadde him ouer-come,
                  
                    Slawe, oþer in þe feld y-nome
                    Line 5 
                  
                    In þat ilche tide.
                  
                    Þanne seȝ he come a ȝingling
                  
                    (Ouer al þe oþer a miȝte be king)
                  
                    Out of þe wodes side.
                  
                    Þe king him hadde dobbed kniȝt,
                    Line 10 
                  
                    Ȝeue him hors & armes briȝt
                  
                    Wiþ wel meche pride.

Page 649

                  
                    ¶ Whan he seȝ þe king fleande,
                  
                    Heraud after him folwande,
                  
                    He him gan discrie:
                  
                    'Old man, no forþer þow ne gon,
                  
                    Boute þe ȝeue me bataile anon.
                    Line 5 
                  
                    Þow dost a gret folye. [folio 171a:a] 
                  
                    Þe lif þow lest er þe gon:
                  
                    Þin heued þe king schel haue anon;
                  
                    For-soþ, þow schelt abye.
                  
                    Þe rabite is min, sikerliche:
                    Line 10 
                  
                    Y ne disirede neuer hors so meche
                  
                    Þat y sauȝ wiþ eye.'

                  
                    ¶ Sire Heraud knew him anon
                  
                    Be his armes he hadde vpon:
                  
                    Togedres þai gonne ride,
                  
                    Þat boþe þei fellen of here stede,
                  
                    & seþe gonne swerdes brede:
                    Line 5 
                  
                    No lenger þai nolde abide.
                  
                    Hii cleueþ helm & scheldes bo:
                  
                    Gret fiȝt þer was betwene hem to
                  
                    In þat ilche tide.
                  
                    Þai hewe þe scheldes of gode entaile,
                    Line 10 
                  
                    Þe hauberk of so gode a maile
                  
                    Te-borsten be boþe side.

                  
                    ¶ Betwene hem was strong batayle:
                  
                    Eiþer fondede, wiþouten faile,
                  
                    To bringe oþer to dede.
                  
                    Ac, ȝif aiþer wiste of oþer ariȝt,
                  
                    Betwene hem to þar ner no fiȝt
                    Line 5 
                  
                    For none skines nede.
                  
                    Sire Heraud drouȝ him an heȝ, [C line 11109] 
                  
                    And seide, 'kniȝt corteis and sleȝ,
                  
                    Alse god þe spede,
                  
                    What is þe name? tel þow me,
                    Line 10 
                  
                    For godes loue in trinite,
                  
                    And of what þede.

Page 650

                  
                    ¶ Aȝild þe now to me:
                  
                    Gret harm it wer to sle þe,
                  
                    So ȝong a bacheler;
                  
                    For neuer kniȝt y ne fond
                  
                    So wel werchande wiþ dent of brond
                    Line 5 
                  
                    Naiþer fer ne ner.'
                  
                    Reinbroun seide, 'þerof be stille:
                  
                    Þat telle þe y ne wille,
                  
                    Be godes moder dere.
                  
                    Er þan ich wile ȝelde me
                    Line 10 
                  
                    Erst þin heued schel of fle
                  
                    Faste, be þe swere.

                  
                    ¶ Boute þow now telle me
                  
                    Wheþen þow ert, & what þow be, [folio 171a:b] 
                  
                    I schel þe sle anon riȝt;
                  
                    For þow ert old & whit i-blowe,
                  
                    Þe stringþe is gon alse y trowe,
                    Line 5 
                  
                    Þe power and þe miȝt.'
                  
                    Heraud seide, 'me frend fre,
                  
                    So fareþ folk in me contre
                  
                    In bataile and in fiȝt:
                  
                    Whan hii ginneþ for to helde,
                    Line 10 
                  
                    Þanne þai wexeþ stout, & belde,
                  
                    And stronge men, apliȝt.

                  
                    ¶ Er þow fro me departed be,
                  
                    Wel ȝonge thow schelt holde me,
                  
                    And douȝti man of dede.'
                  
                    Togedres þai smite, wiþ-outen faile, [C line 11139] 
                  
                    Ase sterne lyouns in bataile,
                    Line 5 
                  
                    Kniȝtes stif on stede.
                  
                    To-gedre þai smite ernest & faste:
                  
                    Þe fur out of here helmes braste,
                  
                    And made here sides blede.
                  
                    Ful dedli fon now þai are:
                    Line 10 
                  
                    Ȝet þai scholle be frendes þare;
                  
                    Crist þer-to hem spede!

Page 651

                  
                    ¶ Heraud seide, 'sire kniȝt,
                  
                    Herkne to me a lite wiȝt,
                  
                    For þe courteisie.
                  
                    Gode þow ert & hardi, ywis:
                  
                    In al þis land þe beter nis
                    Line 5 
                  
                    Þat ich conne aspie.
                  
                    Ȝif it were þe y-teld
                  
                    Which ichaue ben in feld
                  
                    Of miȝt and of meistrie,
                  
                    Ne wostow neuer aschamed be
                    Line 10 
                  
                    Þe name for to telle me,
                  
                    Ne holde hit to vileynie.'

                  
                    ¶ 'Sire olde man,' þanne seide he,
                  
                    'For a coward ich holde þe.
                  
                    Min armes beþ al sonde,
                  
                    Me strokes beþ sene on þin helm cler:
                  
                    Out of þe scheld ichaue a quarter
                    Line 5 
                  
                    Y-feld to þe grounde.'
                  
                    Heraud seide, 'me frend fre,
                  
                    Þei min armes apeired be,
                  
                    Me bodi naþ no wounde.
                  
                    What is þe name? tel me fore, [folio 171b:a] 
                    Line 10 
                  
                    & y schel sai þe whar ich was bore,
                  
                    Er ich fro þe founde.

                  
                    ¶ Swiche tiding þow miȝt of me here,
                  
                    Or ich of þe in swiche manere,
                  
                    Þat frendes scholle we be.
                  
                    I ne aske it for no vileinie,
                  
                    Boute for meche courteisie:
                    Line 5 
                  
                    For loue ich asked þe.'
                  
                    Wiþ þat Reynbroun wiþ-drouȝ him þere:
                  
                    Wiþ drery semlaunt & reuful chere
                  
                    To Heraud seide he:
                  
                    'Kniȝt,' a seide, 'thow ert wise,
                    Line 10 
                  
                    Sleȝ, and hardi, of gret prise,
                  
                    Be god in trinite.

Page 652

                  
                    ¶ Y nolde haue told it for non awe:
                  
                    Erst ich wolde ben islawe
                  
                    In þis ilche batayle.
                  
                    In Ingelond ich was y-bore,
                  
                    So were min eldren me be-fore,
                    Line 5 
                  
                    Wiþouten eni faile.
                  
                    Gij a Warwik me fader was:
                  
                    No beter kniȝt neuer nas,
                  
                    Ase wid ase man mai saile.
                  
                    A stiward hadde me fader Gioun
                    Line 10 
                  
                    Þat hiȝte Heraud, þe noble baroun,
                  
                    Swiþe hiȝ of paraile.

                  
                    ¶ Lord he was of al Arderne:
                  
                    Ich was take him to lerne
                  
                    To conne of courteisie,
                  
                    And siþe marchaundes stele me
                  
                    (And brouȝte me to þis contre)
                    Line 5 
                  
                    Þat weren of Russie.
                  
                    Þe king me haþ dobbed kniȝt,
                  
                    & ȝeue me hors & armes briȝt
                  
                    To lede is chiualrie.
                  
                    Be me lai a dede me swere
                    Line 10 
                  
                    In eueri bataile is baner to bere:
                  
                    Þar-of y nouȝt ne lie.'

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

About this Item

Pages

description Page 648

description Page 649

description Page 650

description Page 651

description Page 652

Page 648

Page 649

Page 650

Page 651

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