The romance of Guy of Warwick. The second or 15th-century version. Edited from the paper ms. Ff. 2. 38. in the University Library, Cambridge, by Dr. Julius Zupitza ...

Astadart rode towarde the ooste: Moche was fallyn of hys boste. In hys body he had a tronchon: He helde hys honde on hys arson. Line 2976 Bothe behynde and before The blode ranne downe of hys gore. Hys helme was leyde on the syde: Hys schelde was smeten in pecys wyde. Line 2980 Of the dethe he had grete care And vnto the sowdan can he fare. [folio 180a:2] The sowdan Astadart can see And hys woundys, þat blody bee. Line 2984 Quod the sowdan: 'what eyleth the? Telle me, who hath woundyd the?' Quod Astadart: 'y schall yow saye Wyckyd tythyngys, be my fay. Line 2988

Line 2988 The admyrall Cordran ys dedde, And the kynge of Turrye etyþ neuer bredde. An hundurd men and ȝyt moo Before Gye to dethe can goo.' Line 2992 ¶ Than bespake the sowdan: 'Ys thys trewe, wythowten layne? How schulde me falle þys auentowre? Is ther any socowre comen to þe emperowre?' Line 2996 'Ye, for sothe,' quod Astadart, 'A schrewde knyght and of wyckyd harte. Ther ys none so stronge in all þys lande, That schulde stonde a stroke of hys hande. Line 3000 In all thys worlde ys none hym lyke: Men calle hym Gye of Warwyke. Ther may no man stonde hys stroke, Thogh he were as stronge as an noke. Line 3004 He hath an hundurd knyghtys wyth hym, Of Almayne the beste therynne. He hath me þorow the body smytte: Hyt ys my dethe, ye may wele wytt.' Line 3008 ¶ The sowdan sware be hys crowne, Be Apolyn and be Mahowne, That he schall neuyr wele be, Or he haue tane that cyte. Line 3012 And all herde a queynt spye And came anon vnto syr Gye And tolde hym, how þe sowdan Wolde besege the cyte anon. Line 3016 The emperowre wyste nothynge Of the spyes smert tythynge. When he wyste hyt, he was full yare; [? sare.] For to hys herte hyt dud grete care. Line 3020 ¶ The emperowre was full fayne, [folio 180b:1] When the sarsyns were so slayne. He calde forthe hys fawkenere

And seyde, he wolde to the ryuere Line 3024 Wyth hys hawkys hym to playe: Hys men went wyth hym þat daye. Afturwarde a lytull whyle, When he was passyd but a myle, Line 3028 Then came forthe Mordagowre: Iwysse, he was a traytowre. 'Syr Gye,' he seyde, 'so haue y hele, In my herte y loue the wele. Line 3032 I haue castels and ryche cytees, Brode londys and ryche feys: All, y wyll, that they be yowre; For ye be of grete valowre. Line 3036 Y desyre ouyr all thynge Yowre worschyp and yowre looueyng. Go we now to chaumbur same On some maner to make vs game, Line 3040 To the chesses or to the tabels Or ellys to speke of fabels Before the bedde of þat feyre maye; For sche the louyth boþe nyght and day.' Line 3044 ¶ Into hur chaumbur þo þey yode: Before hur bedde the mayde stode. 'Syr Gye,' sche seyde, 'welcome ye be: Ys hyt yowre wylle to kysse me?' Line 3048 Gye hur kyssyd curteslye And sythen they spake preuelye. Then downe was the chekur leyde And before þe maydenys bedde dysplayde. Line 3052 Gye was queynte of hys playe And wanne þe furste game, wythowten nay, And the tother wyth the beste And the thrydde, or he wolde reste. Line 3056 ¶ Vp starte the steward than (He was an envyows man) And seyde: 'Gye, dwelle here stylle

And solace þe mayde at hur wylle. [folio 180b:2] Line 3060 I schall wende to the cyte And come ageyne sone to the.' ¶ Forthe wente Morgadowre And lefte Gye in þe maydens bowre. Line 3064 The emperowre sone he fonde. 'Steward,' he seyde, 'what tythande? Telle me sone and lye noght: Of the sarsyns harde thou oght?' Line 3068 'Syr,' he seyde, 'wythowte blame, For nothyng wyll y heyle schame. Ye haue a knyght at yowre wage: For yow he ys an euell page. Line 3072 To day yowre chaumbur he haþ brokyn And wyth thy doghtur he hath spokyn: All wyth myght and wyth mayne There he hath by hur layne. Line 3076 And yf ye leue not me, Hye yow home and ye may see, In the chaumbur where he ys The maydyn for to clyppe and kysse. Line 3080 Therfore y come to telle hyt yow: For sothe, hyt ys agayne þy prowe. Yf ye hym [MS. them.] take and bynde faste And in yowre pryson hym [MS. þem.] lowe caste Line 3084 And aftur be yowre mayne Jugge hym [MS. them.] for to hange hye, Then schall men yow sore drede And do to yow no wyckyd dede: Line 3088 Hyt schall be moche for your honowre To slee soche a traytowre; And to Almayne wyll y fare For to loke, what they do thare, Line 3092 And y schall brynge yow companye Thorowe the londe sone in hye

To venge vs on owre enmyse, That haue vs stroyed in all wyse.' Line 3096 ¶ 'Do way,' seyde the emperowre, 'For all my cyte wyth the honowre Wolde not Gye do me that skathe, [After this line the catchword, That thu haste, by another hand.] That þou haste seyde here full rathe; [folio 181a:1] Line 3100 For he ys a full trewe knyght Bothe be day and be nyght. Y haue hym behet my doghtur dere: I wyll not breke my couenande here.' Line 3104 ¶ When Morgadowre sawe hyt wele, That he hym louyd euery dele, Of hys wordys he can forthenke; But ȝyt he thoght anodur wrenke. [MS. wrenche.] Line 3108 To the chaumbur he ys gone, Ther Gye was wyth þe maydyn allone. When he was comen nere Gye, He seyde: 'herkyn preuelye. Line 3112 Gye,' he seyde, 'be seynt Mychell, Y loue the in my herte well. Therfore y warne þe of þy skathe: I rede, that þou fle hens rathe. Line 3116 Hyt ys tolde the emperowre, That þou wyth strenckyþ haste brokyn hys bowre And hys doghtur þou haste by layne: Therof ys he nothynge fayne. Line 3120 He sware be hys ryght hande, Yf þou be fowndyn in hys lande, Thou schalt be drawe and hongyd hye: No nodur dethe schalt thou dye. Line 3124 Hye the hens for anythynge: Loke, thou make no dwellynge. Yf ye be fownde in thys cyte, Thou muste be slayne and þy meyne.' Line 3128

Line 3128 ¶ 'Allas,' he seyde, 'that ys wronge. Nowe haue y dwellyd here to longe, When y schall for my mede Suffur dethe for my gode dede. Line 3132 For anythynge, þat euer y wroght, Wythowte gylte hyt ys on me broght. To day at morne, so haue y hele, Be hys worde he louyd me wele. Line 3136 Who may leue anythynge In feyre wordys or feyre behetynge? To day, when he to rever yede, [folio 181a:2] He hyght me londe and moche mede. Line 3140 Wyth wronge he wyll slo me here For the wordys of a losengere.' ¶ Owt of þe chaumbur Gye ys went All drery wyth hevy entent. Line 3144 To hys ynne he ys gone And calde hys felows euerychone. 'Lordyngys,' he seyde, 'arme yow all sone. Here ys no dwellyng for vs to wonne. Line 3148 We ben bewryed to the emperowre, That we schulde do hym dyshonowre. Be hym, that made sonne and moone And for vs was on rode done, Line 3152 Or we be tane and slayne wyth wronge, Many of them schall dye amonge. Than schall they wytt, wytterlye, That we be flemed falselye.' Line 3156 ¶ They armed þem hastyly þat tyde And on þer horsys þey can stryde. Gye went wyth hys mayne Wyth wrath [f blotted out before wrath in MS.] fro that cyte. Line 3160 Toward the soudan can þey fare To serue hym and dwelle thare. ¶ Tho came home the emperowre

Fro huntynge wyth moche honowre. Line 3164 The wedur was clere and day lyght: He sawe helmes many and bryght. The emperowre asked then, What were all tho armed men. Line 3168 Oon seyde, hyt was syr Gyowne, 'All in wrath goyth fro þe towne In odur stedde to do hys beste Wyth schelde and spere to fyght preste. Line 3172 He went in wrath, so haue y hele, Armed on a stede wele.' ¶ When the emperowre harde so saye, He toke hys hors and rode hys way. Line 3176 He stroke the stede wyth the sporys: [MS. spurrys.] He spared nother rugge nor forys. [MS. forows.] [folio 181b:1] 'Syr Gye,' he seyde, 'stonde stylle And telle me now, what ys þy wylle? Line 3180 And who hath trespaste so to the, That þou wylt now wende fro me? My dere frende, seye me sone: What thynge ys the mysdone? Line 3184 Haue y trespaste anythynge? Telle me now wythowte lesynge; For, what thynge some euyr hyt be, That hath þe greuyd in crystyante, Line 3188 Hyt schall be dressyd thys ylke day, How some euyr ye wyll say. I vndurstande, that ye wyll fare To the sowdan and dwelle thare. Line 3192 I schall neuer haue þen yoye nor blysse, Whyll y in thys worlde ys. Golde and syluyr he may þe take And a ryche man he may þe make; Line 3196 Therfore þou wylt goo dwelle þere And fyght sore agenste vs here.'

¶ 'Syr,' quod Gye to the emperowre, 'Schall y neuyr be traytowre. Line 3200 Hyt was me tolde in the cyte, That nede had ye none of me Nor no wylle of my seruyse, For y serued yow wyth fantyse. [MS. fantasyes.] Line 3204 Therfore thedur wyll y fare And my seruyse schall be thare, Or ellys y wolde not agenste yow be For all the golde in crystyante.' Line 3208 ¶ The emperowre anon ryght Askyd hym and seyde ȝyt: 'My dere frende, turne ageyne: Therof wolde y be full fayne. Line 3212 And all schall be at thy wylle, What þou wylt haue lowde or stylle. For noþyng, þat men may say, Wyll y be wrothe, be my fay.' Line 3216 ¶ Now be they kyssyd and cordyd well [folio 181b:2] And all forgeuyn every delle. There at the furste Gye perseyued, That þe steward hym dysseyued. [MS. betrayed.] Line 3220 Gye hyt on hys harte layde And wolde hym not þerof vpbrayde.