Þe duk Medyok vp aras:
Of al Cornewaile lord he was, [C line 8563]
A sterne kniȝt & a grim.
'Sire king,' a seide, 'herkne to me.
Þow ert nouȝt wis ase þe holdest þe,
Line 5
Whan þow leuest on him.
Þow werschepest him fer & ner,
And he nis boute a losenger
Ful of tresoun [and] gin.
Beter we beþ to þe consaile
Line 10
Þanne þe treitour, wiþ-outen faile,
Be god and seinte Martyn.
The romance of Guy of Warwick. The first or 14th-century version.
About this Item
- Title
- The romance of Guy of Warwick. The first or 14th-century version.
- Publication
- London,: Pub. for the Early English text society by K. Paul, Trench, Trübner, & co., limited,
- 1883, 1887, 1891.
- Rights/Permissions
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 [email protected]. If you have concerns about the inclusion of an item in this collection, please contact [email protected].
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 21, 2025.
Pages
Page 638
¶ His gode lord traye he gan
Þat þourȝ him he was maked man,
Of Warwik sire Gij:
Euel he haþ is while ȝolde,
Whan he Reinbroun, is sone, solde [folio 168b:b]
Line 5
To þe marchauns of Roussy:
For gold & seluer gret plente
To þe marchauns diliurede he,
Ase we gonne aspie.
& ȝif he hadde þe riȝte lawe
Line 10
A scholde ben hanged & drawe
For þat trecherie.'
¶ Þo Heraud herde him speke so,
Him þouȝte his herte barst ato:
Vp he sterte an hye.
'Felawe duk,' a seide, 'þow lyxst,
Whan þow wiþ tresoun me betwyxst:
Line 5
Þow dost me vileynie.
Þow hit schelt to soþe bringe
Þat þow hast seid be-fore þe kinge,
Or þow schelt abye.
Hasteliche now arme þe:
Line 10
Anon it schel proued be,
Þat þow dost on me lye.
¶ Ich wile þat y ben hanged & drawe
Boute y defende me wiþ þe lawe
Of þis famacioun,
Þat þow seist y scholde selle
Me lordes sone þat ich of telle,
Line 5
Þat men clepede Reinbroun.
Whan ich þe soþe parseued hadde,
Þe marchauns him hadde wei ladde
Me of-þouȝte þat tresoun.
Wiþ mesagers y sente me sonde
Line 10
To seche him in mani londe:
Þow lyxst on me, feloun.
Page 639
¶ Before þe king i say þe riȝt,
Þar-to me treuþe y þe pliȝt:
To seche him y schel fonde
In Fraunce, in Lombardie,
In Spayne, in Spir, in Roussie,
Line 5
In mani an honkouþ londe.
Betwene þis and þe lond of Ynde
Ȝif a be, y schel him fynde,
And bringe him to honde.
& whan ichaue so y-do
Line 10
Þin heued y schel smite þe fro:
For no man nel ich wonde.'
¶ 'Pes, feloun,' queþ [þ]erl of Cornewayle [folio 169a:a] [C line 8623] , [ȝis feloun quaþ þerl of cornwaile]
'Al þe lesing schel þe nouȝt vaile:
Traytour þow worst holde.'
Þat herde anoþer kniȝt:
Egar a het, forsoþ apliȝt,
Line 5
Heraud is man y-tolde.
His steward, for-soþ, he was:
He sterte vp in þat plas,
And to the duk a wolde.
'Felawe duk,' a seide, 'þow lixst,
Line 10
Whan þow me lorde be-twixst
Þat he Reinbroun solde.
Fif hondred siþe haue þow maugre
Of Iesu, þat sit in trinite,
Iesu ful of miȝt,
Boute þow swiþe arme þe,
& do þe bataile aȝenes me,
Line 5
And proue it [proued MS.] ariȝt.'
Þar hii hadde togedres smite,
Nadde þe king hit vnder-ȝite,
& departede hem an hiȝt.
He bad hem lete be þat fare,
Line 10
& besouȝte hem to make hem ȝare
Aȝenes þe Dennisch king to fiȝt.
Page 640
Heraud [Beraud MS., by a mistake of the rubricator.] wiþ is ferde fre [C line 8683]
Wente to Walingford þat cite
Ful of sorwe and care.
'Egar,' a seide, 'þow schelt be-leue,
& kepe þis land to me be-heue,
Line 5
And forþ ich wile fare,
Til ich Reynbroun finde may:
Y ne schel reste niȝt ne day,
Til ich wite whar he ware.
Ac war þe fro þerl of Cornewayle:
Line 10
He wile arere on þe batayle;
He nele þe noþing spare.'
¶ 'Sire,' queþ Egar, 'we scholle vs were,
Þat he ne schel vs noþing dere,
Þei he vs wile agreue.'
Heraud went out of þat cite:
For him was maked gret pite,
Line 5
Whan he tok his leue.
Hasteliche to schip a wente,
Gode wind and weder god him sente:
In Denemark þai gonne riue. [folio 169a:b]
In Fraunce, in Lombardie,
Line 10
In Spayne, in Spyr, in Roussie
Reynbroun a souȝte bliue.
¶ Þourȝ mani londes þai him souȝte:
Whan hii miȝte finde nouȝte,
To schip þai gonne fare.
To Costantin noble hii wolde wende:
Swiche a tempest god hem gan sende,
Line 5
Þat hii come nouȝt þare.
Þai were driue wiþ-oute þe toun:
In Aufrik þai riuede soune.
Þanne wer þai ful of care.
Þe cite on þe riuage hii sye,
Line 10
Meche & wide, & walles hye:
Of blisse þai wer al bare.
Page 641
¶ 'O god,' seide þe meister þo,
'Gret mishap is come vs to: [C line 8703]
Our lif y telle y-lore.
In Aufrik we ben, wiþ-outen lesing,
Upon Arguus lond þe king:
Line 5
Worsse man nas neuer bore.
Al þat leueþ in godes lawe
A wile hem hongen & to-drawe:
His oþ he haþ y-swore.
Al for-soþe, we beþ dede,
Line 10
Boute god vs helpe at our nede,
Þat was of Marie bore.'
¶ Heraud seide, 'whas is þis cite?
Distrued it is, so þenkeþ me:
Her haþ be strong bataile.'
Þe maroner seide, 'y þe telle
For soþe, sire, lye i nelle:
Line 5
Wiþouten eni faile,
Hit is þemerailes Parsan:
In þis world nis þer worsse man
Cristene men to asaile.'
Þe Sarazins come wiþ þis,
Line 10
& nemeþ Heraud & alle his,
And distrueþ is vitaile.
¶ Þai nomen Heraud & al is man,
And brouȝte hem before Parsan,
Þat was of gret power.
He let hem caste in prisoun
Stinkande & þerk, wel fer adoun, [folio 169b:a]
Line 5
For þai cristen were.
Lite þai ete & dronke, ywis: [C line 10793]
Vnneþe her lif sostened is;
To god he made his prayere.
For Reynbroun him was ful wo,
Line 10
For he neste whider he was go:
He made reuly chere.
Page 642
'O,' seide [he], 'allas, allas!
In werre douȝti man y was,
And now icham for-lore.'
On of þe gaylers herde þis:
To þemeraile a wente, y-wis,
Line 5
And gan him telle fore:
'Sire,' a seide, 'wite nouȝt ȝe
Of a prisoun ȝe han in ȝour pouste,
A noble man y-kore?
A is wel douȝti in bataile
Line 10
* * * * * [A line is want|ing here in MS.]
Ase icham to ȝou swore.'
¶ Queþ þemeraile, 'bringe him forþ now.
Ȝif he be swich ase seistow,
Meche helpe me a miȝte.'
Þe gayler wente aȝen anon,
& to þe prisoun he gan gon,
Line 5
And Heraud vp atwiȝte.
In a sklauin he gan him folde.
Swiþe meche a was be-holde
Of mani a douȝti kniȝte.
His berde was to is brest y-wax,
Line 10
To his gerder heng is fax:
Grisliche he was of siȝte.
¶ Before þemeraile hii [hem MS.] gan him lede,
& a-reisoned him in ech a side,
'Man, what is þe name?
Whar wer þow bore (tel me now),
Þat so meche of werre canstow?
Line 5
Of þe ichaue game.
Ich, ameraile Parsan,
Icham a swiþe douȝti man:
Wide springeþ me fame.
Miȝte [y] of þe siker be,
Line 10
Þat þou woldest serue me,
Ne schostow haue no schame.'
Page 643
¶ He answerde, 'leue lord,
To þe ich wile bere rekord, [folio 169b:b]
And telle y wile þe:
Heraud, for-soþ, me nam is
(In grete dede ichaue be er þis),
Line 5
So men clepeþ me.
Ȝif me stringþe wer aȝen i-come
Þat ichaue lore in þe prisone,
Ich wer of gret pouste.
Find me stede gode & liȝt,
Line 10
Spere, & scheld, & armes briȝt:
Þe man wile ich be.'
¶ Queþ þemeraile, 'wolcome, ywis!
Þow schelt haue þat þe nede is,
Briȝt armur & stede.
Ingliis þow ert, sikerly:
Knew þow ouȝt þe gode Gij,
Line 5
Þat douȝti wes of dede?'
Heraud seide, 'y knew him wel:
His man icham & euer be schel.
He was tauȝt me to fede.
His sone was stolen him [Read me?] fro:
Line 10
To seche him icham y-go,
Ȝif god me wolde spede.'