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

Speke we now of sir Gyoun, Line 9030 The noble knyȝt, the bold baroun. At all seyntis hath he bene That beth in grece or constantyne. He thought in hys herte thare That to ynglond wold he fare. Line 9035 Fro thens hys wey hath he take, And walkyd thorough fryth and lake: With grete traveyle and grete payne Comyn he is to Allmayne. [Caius MS. 107 page 203] As he com on a daye Line 9040 Ther as a brod wey leye, A feyre crose he saw stondyng, And ther-vndyr a pore pilgrym syttyng. He mad sorrow in all thyng, And euer he seyd with gret mornyng, Line 9045 'Alas, my sorrow that ys so stronge, And my lyfe that lastyth longe!' When Gye hym saw he had pyte, And seyd to hym with herte free, 'I requere the here nowe, Line 9050 So god the shyld fro sorrow, That thow me sey with good herte Fro whens thow come, & what thow arte.' And he answeryd, 'leve fere, Yf that I tell the here, Line 9055 I wote well thow woldyst have gret pyte, And I neuer the better be.' Gye answeryd, 'leve sir, naye: Thou myȝt be amendid in som weye. Par aventure I may tell the in faye Line 9060 How thy sorrow shall a-weye; For hyt fallyth well to straunge men

Eyther other wysdom to ken.' 'Sir,' he seyd, 'the soth I sey the, Hyt were gret Almes to tech me. Line 9065 Trewly, sir, I shall yow tell All my sorrow, how that hyt be-fell. I was a knyȝt of Riche londe, And had castellis & toures in my hande. [Caius MS. 107 page 204] Of Good me[n] I had plentee: Line 9070 All the land full sore dred me. In crystendome was ther no land That I [ne] was in preysed for dred of hond; For I was both bold and hende, And had many a good freende. Line 9075 Gold and siluer I had plente For me and my meyne: Now have I nought on penye Where-with I may my mete bye. Now am I a pore caytyfe: Line 9080 Hit ys no wonder though I hate my lyfe.' For sorrow myght he speke no more: With hys eyen he wept sore. 'Pylgrym,' quod Gye, 'what is thi name? Whedir wylt thow, & fro wens thow came?' Line 9085 'Sir,' he seyd, 'lett be thy fare: For goddis love, aske me no mare What I hyght, ne what I am: Certes, to tell the me thynkyth shame. Yf I shuld all my lyfe tell Line 9090 All to long shuld I dwell. Whi askyst me such thynge, When thow myȝt do me no mendyng? I had lever som-what to get Where-with I myȝt bye me mete.' Line 9095 Gye answeryd, 'now tell thow me: For hys love that dyed on tree,

Tell me thy name, spare thow nouȝt, And who hath the in such sorrow brought, [Caius MS. 107 page 205] For god, in whome ys thi creaunce, Line 9100 And as he the sent allegeaunce. Oure mete than will we bye; For I have yet a peny or twaye.' 'Sir,' he seyd, 'I will yow seye: I wyll not lye, be thys daye. Line 9105 My name was som-tyme Erle terry: A full riche man was I, And now I am a wrecchyd caytyf; Me for-thynkyth I have my lyfe. In Gornoyse was I bore, Line 9110 And all that lond was to me swore. I had a fellow that hyght gyoun: Sithen that god suffred bitter passioun, Was neuer trewer knyght borne, No better man that rose on morne. Line 9115 We were fellowes and trouth-plyȝte: We lovyd well to-geder day and nyght. So lovyd he me, thorough hys rede [Line 9118 is the last but one in p. 205, but has a reference to its right place.] That twyes he savyd me fro the dede. Hit be-fell so, that ilke Gye Line 9120 Slow the Duke of Pavye: He hym slow, trewlye, For he had hym don velonye. Amonge hys men euery-chone He hym slow, and hys way was gone. Line 9125 He brought from hym my [his MS.] leman dere, For whom I goo in this manere. Thys ylke duke had a cosyn, Hys syster son, a well bold hyn. [Caius MS. 107 page 206] Berrard of pavy ys hys name; Line 9130 God geve hym som worldly shame.

He was tho but a esquyer: He had seruyd the Empere[r]. The Emperoure lovyd hym well, And yave hym pavy euery deale. Line 9135 That ilke [MS. ilke jlke.] berrard tho be-gan For to be a stowte man, And so prowd, and so fell, That no man myȝt with hym dwell. In this world ys none hys pere, Line 9140 Ne non so stronge, ne non so fere; For he ys more dred alone Than a hundryth knyȝtis ychone. Yf [MS. But.] a man were armyd well Both in Iren and in stele, Line 9145 And he hym hyt in the fylde, But he hyt kept in the shylde, Clenly with hys swerdys dynte Fro the hede, or hyt wold stynte, Hit shuld wade to the Gyrdyll Evyn, Line 9150 And slee hym, by god of hevyn. Thow herdyst neuer speke of knyȝt In thys world that ys so wyȝte. There ys none so stronge borne in this lond, And he hym hyt with hys hond, Line 9155 But he wyll breke hys nek in two At on stroke with-owte moo. Berrard ys so fell a page, And so stowte of hys parage, [Caius MS. 107 page 207] There ys no knyȝt in all thys lond Line 9160 That ys so bold and wyȝt of hond, Yf they were wroth, the knyȝtis stowte, And hys yen ran abowte, But that he shuld for dred quake, And fle a-wey for hys sake. Line 9165 For he ys so wyght of honde, He ys drad ouer all the londe.

Hys steward hym made the emperoure, And yave hym ryght gret honoure; For he ys more dred alone Line 9170 Than hys barounys euery-chone. Yf thow were Duke or erle in lond, But yf thow were to hym bowand, The steward wold sone aryse And dystroy the in all wyse, Line 9175 Other he wold the take sone, And to stronge preson I-done. Yet men dredyth hym well more. Yf a pore man the[r] wore, And he hym lovyd with herte free, Line 9180 He myȝt be man of gret poweste. Were he Duke, Erle, or knyȝt, Were he neuer so riche [power MS.] a wyȝt, Yf hym had wrothyd prince or kyng, Were he neuer so hye a lordynge, Line 9185 He wold hym bryng to the grownde, And make hym power in a stounde. Hyt be-fell that the emperoure Had a councell in this manere [Caius MS. 107 page 208] Of dukis, Erlys, and barouns: Line 9190 They com to hym, he made somons. Thedyr I com with gret maine: An C knyȝtis cam with me. When I cam be-fore the Emperoure, Berrard acouped me thore, Line 9195 And seyd Duke Otown thorough my rede, Hys cosyn, was done the [Read to?] dede. When I hym herd of treason speke, Me thought myn herte wold to-breke. Forth I sterte hardyly, Line 9200 For to defend me of that felonye. I yave my glove be-fore the kyng, With hym to fyght, with-owt lesyng,

And a-yen all other men That couth owte seye ageynste me then. Line 9205 The emperoure hit toke full ryght, But I ne wyste when I shuld fyght. In all the courte ne founde I man That durste be my borrow than For dred of the Duke berrarde. Line 9210 Tho hit fell with me so harde: He put me tho at hys wyll In hys depe preson still. He seasod all my land sone, And so he wold my wyfe have done, Line 9215 But she ys hyd in stronge stede, But I not where, so god me spede. When I was in preson thare, Nyght and day I was in care. [Caius MS. 107 page 209] Thorough me he [they MS.] wende to wynne Line 9220 Sir Gye with som false Gynne. Were he a-vengid of sir Gyoune Thorowgh falsed and treasoune, Also sone shuld I be dede: For me shuld go no gold so rede. Line 9225 In hys preson was I longe, And suffred paynes ryght stronge. There-in was neuer more lyght Than if were derke myd-nyght. Ete I neuer ther my fill, Line 9230 Spake I neuer ther with man my fyll. My frendys com at the laste, And prayed the Emperoure for me faste, And yave him meny yeftis thoo, And they dyd berrard also, Line 9235 That I myght wend oute of preson Vndyr such a condicion, That I shuld wend and feche Gyoun Thorough euery lond and euery towne.

I shall neuer blyn day ne nyȝte Line 9240 Tyll I fynd Gye, the noble knyght, And bryng hym be-fore the Emperoure, For to defend hym of that treytoure, And of that grete owtrage Before all hys baronage, Line 9245 And for to defende hym and me For thyng that we apechyd be. Tho went I forth with care and tene: In many a lande sethen have I bene. [Caius MS. 107 page 210] Fer have I sowght Gye, my trew fere, Line 9250 In Englond fer and nere. When I come there, I founde hym nought: On sir herrawd was all my thought. Both were they fer owte of londe: That tydyng doth me both shame & shonde. [shende MS.] Line 9255 Herrawd sowght [sowght I MS.] nyght and daye Hys lordys son, that was stole a-weye. Sir Gye was in excile wente: Therfor I hold me but shente. Was neuer man, there as I couth Goo, Line 9260 That couth owte tell of hem twoo. Sethen I have sowght Gye the free In many a lande and many a contree, Found I neuer man by the weye That ought of Gye couth me seye. Line 9265 Full well I wote that he ys dede: Therfor full sorow-full ys my reede.' With that he syghed swyth sare As man that was in mykyll care. When Gye saw terry so dyght, Line 9270 That was som-tyme a noble knyght, He lokyd on hym vtterlye; For he hym lovyd trewlye. He saw him pore for the nonys: He had not to hill with hys bonys. Line 9275

Line 9275 Hys leggis were bare and yll be-sene, That were wonde to were scarlet & grene. For sorrow sir Gye fell to grounde, And laye in a sownde a grete stounde. [Caius MS. 107 page 211] When Terry sye hym so lye, Line 9280 He toke hym vp full hastilye. Quod terry, 'sir, beth of Good herte. This Evyll begynneth yow to smerte. Tell me, yf hit be youre will, How longe ye have fared thus yll.' Line 9285 Quod Gye, 'hit ys not longe agone, Seth this Evyll com me one.' 'For-soth,' quod terry thanne, 'Hit ys grevaunce to ech mane. This day twelmoneth,' quod terry, 'hit was Line 9290 To seche Gye that I can passe. Sethen I restyd neuer on daye There I on the nyght laye, That I have bene euer travellande, What by see, and what by londe. Line 9295 As I me walkyd in my weye Here with-yne this thyrd daye Hit was me told, with-oute fayle, At spire ther shuld be a gret counceyle Be-fore the Emperoure Reynere: Line 9300 All his lordis shuld be thare. Ther ys no lord in that contree But he shall at that counceyle be. Ryght thanne ys my terme [tenne MS.] daye To come a-geyne, yf that I maye, Line 9305 And bryng Gye in my honde, Yf that he be in world levande;

And, yf I myght not fynd hym no-where, I shuld in this [his MS.] land com neuere [nouere MS.] ; [Caius MS. 107 page 212] And, yf I com, I shuld be dede: Line 9310 Ther-for can I no kynnes rede, Whether I wend to take my payne, Or I now turne ageyne.' Gye hym herd thus sorrowand: For sorrow he myght not stonde. Line 9315 'Lord,' he seyd, 'of myghtis stronge, Whi leve I now thus longe, That I se this noble knyght At this tyme this rewly dyght? Trewer fellaw than [and MS.] he was won Line 9320 In the wo[r]ld found I none. Hangid be I this ilke daye But I a-venge hym, yf that I maye. Myght I speke with the Duke at my will, That of his dedys ys so yll, Line 9325 But I revyd [Read reve?] hym hys lyfe Other with spere or with knyfe, And avenge terry, my good fellow, God lett me neuer heven knowe.' Then spake sir Gye to terry, Line 9330 'Leve sir, be not sorye: Hyt wyll the helpe no-thyng To make sorrow or mornynge. Go we now the corte nerehande, Som tydyng to vndirstonde, Line 9335 That we now the better be.' Quod terry, 'leve sir, Go we.' They toke ther wey towarde the cite: Terry a carefull man was he; [Caius MS. 107 page 213] Gye ys herte was sore also, Line 9340 As they gan to-geder goo: He myght hym hold no-thyng, When he saw terry, from wepyng.

He coverd his face with hys slaveyne, For terry shuld not se hys payne. Line 9345 When they had go myles three Towardys that good Cite, 'Lord,' quod terry, 'what shall I do? Such hevynes ys com me to, But I slepe here a while, Line 9350 I dye, or I have gone a myle.' 'Sir,' quod Gye, 'lye down here still A good while, and slepe thi fill; And I shall for the love of the At thyne heed here restyn me.' Line 9355 'Sir,' quod terry, 'Graunte mercye, That yt ys your grete curtesye!'