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 ...

But, when þe dewke harde tythande, Þat Gye was comyn to hys lande,

Wyth hym Ozelde, hys doghtur dere: He was gladde and made gode chere. Line 6276 He calde Harrowde to hym in hye And tolde hym, how þat Tyrrye and Gye Were comyn and grete power broght And in hys londe grete harme had wroȝt Line 6280 And Ames de la Mowntayne And wyth hym all the men of Spayne. When he harde tythyngys of Gye, That he was comyn wyth Tyrrye, Line 6284 He was neuer so gladde nor blythe: He thankyd god fele sythe. ¶ 'Harrowde,' seyde the dewke Loyere, 'Y wyll, þou be my messengere. Line 6288 To erle Awbrye þou schalt gone, To Gye and Tyrrye and þat anon And prey them pur charyte For to be at oon wyth mee; Line 6292 And y wyll amende at þer wylle And all þer harmes to fulfylle [folio 201b:1] And all, þat euer þat þey wyll craue; And my doghtur Tyrrye schall haue Line 6296 And, whyll y leue, halfe my londe And, when y am dedde, all in hys honde. I prey the, bere wytnesse Of all þese wordys more and lesse.' Line 6300 'Syr,' seyde Harrowde, 'wyth gode chere Wyll y be yowre messengere. I wyll do myn entente Faste abowte that cordement.' Line 6304 ¶ The dewke let the constabull calle And bad hym brynge owt þe prisoners all And delyuyrde them full yare And all þer harnes lesse and mare: Line 6308 Ther was none, þat fayled onyþynge The mowntance of a farthynge.

He seyde, þey schulde all wyth Harrowde fare To speke abowte the cordement þare. Line 6312 ¶ Now ys Harrowde redy dyght And wyth hym many a doghty knyȝt: They were felows euerychone, To Gormoyse they be gone. Line 6316 Gye and Ames went þat day Wyth Tyrrye into þe felde to play. They lokeyd besyde þem on þe playne: Ther came knyghtys þem agayne. Line 6320 They were agaste of treson. Ames seyde to syr Gyon: 'Yonder comeþ a meyne, But y wot not, what þey bee. Line 6324 Hedur, me þynkyþ, þey take þe way. I schall wytt, yf that y may, Whedur hyt be in pece or in werre.' In hys honde he toke a spere: Line 6328 Forthe he rode prekande, Tyll he came nerehande. He stode and avysyd them euerychone: [folio 201b:2] Harrowde hym knewe and þat anon. Line 6332 'Ames,' he seyde, 'where ys Gye And whedur wyndyst þou þus [s blotted out before þus in MS.] hastelye?' 'Harrowde,' quod Ames, 'y schall þe saye, Thou schalt see Gye thys ylke day. Line 6336 I lefte hym on the ȝondur hylle And hys meyne hove stylle.' Then seyde Harrowde: 'go we thedur, Euerychone and all togedur.' Line 6340 ¶ There they redyn a gode pase, All the knyghtys, þat þere wase. Gye houyd there stylle, Tyll þey were vpon the hylle. Line 6344 'Lorde,' seyde Gye, 'god almyght,

Ȝondur y see Harrowde the wyght And my felows euerychone: Y wene, they be owt of pryson tane.' Line 6348 When Gye and Tyrrye [The second r of Tyrrye and o of oder gone (worm-hole).] and Harrowde were mett, They kyste eyder oder [The second r of Tyrrye and o of oder gone (worm-hole).] wythowten lett. 'Syrs,' quod Harrowde, 'y prey yow here, A [MS. And.] gode councell þat yow lere. Line 6352 For y am comen, as a messengere, From the dewke syr Loyere. Y oght to loue hym, as my brodur: He honowred me afore all odur. Line 6356 Y sey yow for yowre prowe: He wyll be at one wyth yow. He wyll geue Tyrrye hys doghtur dere (And be at oon on all manere) Line 6360 And all hys londe more and lesse And therto fynde sekernesse. Wyth þys message he hath me sente To yow, syr Gye, and Tyrrye presente. Line 6364 He wyll amende in all thynge, That he haþ trespaste, at yowre askynge. I wyll, þe parell be on me leyde, That he wyll do, as y haue [y haue is written by the same hand over he hath struck out.] seyde.' Line 6368 ¶ There þey preyed all syr Gye And wyth hym erle Tyrrye, [folio 202a:1] That þey schulde graunt for to bee Wyth hym in loue and charyte. Line 6372 To the cyte wente syr Gye And tolde hyt to erle Awbrye, How þat Harrowde was comen home And wyth hym hys felows euerychon Line 6376 And how he wolde acordyd bee And geue to Tyrrye hys doghtur free

And make amendys for hys trespas 'And put hym in owre owne grace.' Line 6380 'Therto my gode wylle y graunt here,' And so dud all, þat þere were. ¶ On þe morowe þey made þem all ȝare Vnto Loren for to fare, Line 6384 The erle Awbrye and syr Gye, Ames, Harrowde and Tyrrye, And wente vnto þe dewke Loreyne, [MS. loyeren.] And he of þem was [a of was gone (worm-hole).] full fayne. Line 6388 They were made at oon thore And louyd togedur for euermore. There was forgeuyn euery trespas And grete yoye in that cyte was, Line 6392 That Tyrrye was on feyre manere Acordyd wyth the dewke Loyere. The dewke hys doghtur gaue to Tyrrye And of hys londe the more partye Line 6396 Before all hys baronage, That were of dyuers langage. The brydale was ordeygned than: A feyrer sawe neuyr no man Line 6400 Of kynge nor of emperowre. Hyt was made wyth grete honowre. ¶ At the partynge of the feste, That was made so honeste, Line 6404 They toke þer leue, knyghtys free: Home þey wente to þer cuntre. The erle Ames hys leue hath tane And to hys castell he ys gane. Line 6408 There was Gye a whyle stylle [folio 202a:2] And had ynogh of hys wylle; Tyll he wente vpon a day Wyth howndys hym for to play, Line 6412 And also the dewke Loyere

Wente for to chace the dere: Wyth hym he toke þe erle Tyrrye And many a nodur knyght [ky blotted out before knyght in MS.] hardy. Line 6416 ¶ They enturde into a wylde foreste And þere þey fonde a bore wylde and preste. All þe howndys, they had, than Aftur the bore faste they ranne. Line 6420 The bore awey faste ys gone And many of þe howndys he haþ slone: Moo, þen twenty, in a stownde Had he broght vnto the grownde. Line 6424 He passyd the foreste hastelye: They folowed hym wyth grete crye. Faste he passyd thorow þe londe: Ther durste no hownde come nerehonde. Line 6428 The knyghtys prekyd aftur faste, Tyll þer horsys myght not laste. The howndys, that folowed þat day, Were slayne all be the way: Line 6432 Thes odur were werye, They went home, þey [Another went blotted out after þey in MS.] myȝt not drye, All, but thre, that were wyght, That folowed alwey wyth ther myght, Line 6436 Tyll they come to Bretayne. Ther folowed þem nodur knyȝt nor swayne: Of them all was no huntere, That wyste, where the borre were, Line 6440 But syr Gye hymselfe allone, That folowed faste wyth grete randone On hys stede faste prekynge And wyth hys horne faste blowynge. Line 6444 ¶ Gye chasyd the borre so faste, He came to Bretayne at the laste. Be then was þe boore full hote:

He fonde a dyke and yn he smote. [folio 202b:1] Line 6448 There he wandyrde faste abowte And wrotyd faste wyth hys snowte. Gye sawe the bore well And, what he dud, euery delle. [d erased before delle in MS.] Line 6452 Downe he lyght of [MS. on.] hys stede And to the bore soon he yede. He toke hys swyrde in hys hande: The boore hym sye and came rennande. Line 6456 Gye on þe rygge smote hym soo, That hys body felle in twoo. The boore felle downe at þe laste, And Gye wyth hys horne blewe a blaste. Line 6460 He wende to haue had some felowe, But ther was none, þat dud hym knowe. He was in a farre cuntre All aloone fro hys meyne, Line 6464 And, as he openyd there the boore, Euyr he blewe more and more. ¶ Then bespake erle Florentyne: 'What may thys be, for seynt Martyne, Line 6468 That y here blowe in my foreste? Takyn they haue some wylde beste.' Forthe he clepyd there a knyght, Hys owne sone, that was wyght. Line 6472 'My dere sone,' he seyde, 'hye the, That he were broght anon to me. Whedur he be knyght or huntere, Brynge hym hedur on all manere.' Line 6476 'Syr,' he seyde, 'hyt schall be done.' He lepe on a stede sone. To the foreste he came in hye And sone he mett wyth syr Gye. Line 6480 He bare a staffe and that a longe: Therwyth he þoght to do Gye wronge.

'Harlot,' he seyde, 'what art thou, That comen art into þys foreste nowe Line 6484 Wythowte þe leue of my fader? [MS. ffadur.] In wyckyd tyme come thou here. [folio 202b:2] How durste þou take thys wylde beste Wythowte leue in thys foreste? Line 6488 Geue me thy horne: be thy swyre, I schall þe brynge vnto my syre.' ¶ 'Syr,' seyde Gye, 'wyth gode chere, Yf ye hyt aske in feyre manere.' Line 6492 'Nay, traytour, y the say, Thou schalt not passe fro me away.' Be the brydull he toke þe stede: He had hym leuyr, þen any mede. Line 6496 Wyth hys staffe Gye he smote, That he felyd hyt full hote. Gye seyde: 'þou doyst vncurteslye For to smyte me wrongeuslye.' Line 6500 Wyth hys horne Gye [he b blotted out before Gye in MS.] brake þan Hys hedde vnto þe brayne panne. 'Felowe, take þou that therfore. Loke, þou smyte no knyght no more.' Line 6504 ¶ Forthe he rode a gode spede, When he was lopyn on hys stede. He went the foreste nye abowte, Or he myght wende owte. Line 6508 He lokyd abowte hym on euery hande, But he knewe noþyng of þat lande: He sawe a towne be the way. He fasted all that same day. Line 6512 He had not redyn, but a whyle, Vnnethe þe mowntawnce of a myle: He sawe a castell nerehande Feyre on an hylle stande. Line 6516 He hyed hym thedur faste rydande:

He mett wyth oon of that lande. 'Syr,' he seyde, 'for thy lewte, Who owyth the ȝondur cyte?' Line 6520 'Syr,' he seyde, 'y schall the say. A bettur lorde leuyth not to day: Men calle hym Florentyne. [folio 203a:1] A better man dranke neuer wyne.' Line 6524 ¶ Gye rode to the castell gate: Porter fonde he none therate. He went to the halle ȝare And of hys stede he lyght thare. Line 6528 In he wente a gode pase: He fonde syttynge at the deyse An olde man, an hore knyght. He semyd of moche myght. Line 6532 To hym came syr Gye And gret hym full curteslye. 'Syr,' he seyde, 'herkyn to me: I am a knyȝt of straunge cuntre. Line 6536 Yf hyt yowre wylle bee, I aske mete for charyte But for oon meel of thys day, And sythen y wyll wende away.' Line 6540 He seyde: 'syr, so mote y the, Thou art welcome vnto me.' ¶ He bad hys men and þat in haste Go feche forthe of the beste. Line 6544 Gye ete faste on feyre manere Of hys mete wyth gode chere. He harde bellys faste rynge In the cyte wythowte cessynge. Line 6548 All, þat þere were, aferde was, For they harde soche noyse. 'Lady,' þey seyde, 'heuyn quene, What may all thys sorowe bemeene?' Line 6552 ¶ Wyth þat they come wyth sory chere

And broght hys sone layde on a beere And leyde hym there in the halle. 'Lorde,' seyde he, 'þat boght vs all, Line 6556 Ys thys,' he seyde, 'my dere sone, That on beere ys thus come?' He drewe hys cloþys and hys hare: He þoght, hys herte myȝt breke for care. [folio 203a:2] Line 6560 'Allas,' he seyde, 'my dere chylde, Who hath þe slone in the felde? God, that dyed on a tree, Leve, he stode here be me: Line 6564 Y wolde not leeue for all þys lande, But y wolde slee hym wyth myn hande.' ¶ Then bespake a squyere: 'He syttyth now before yow here. Line 6568 I knowe hym ryght wele: Y sawe that dede euery dele.' ¶ When þe erle harde, þat hyt so was, He starte hym vp fro the dayse. Line 6572 A spere he toke in hys hande And came to Gye rennande And seyde: 'traytour, þou schalt dye here, For þou slewe my sone dere.' Line 6576 Vp he drewe then hys arme: He þoght to do Gye grete harme. Wyth grete wrath he can mynte, But he fayled of hys dynte. Line 6580 Halfe a fote the spere stode And into the borde wode. 'Syr,' quod Gye, 'for goddys mercye, Smyte not, but ye wott, why. Line 6584 If y haue slayne thy dere sone, Me defendawnt hyt was done.' ¶ Tho they lept Gye abowte, Knyghtys, þat were styffe and stowte. Line 6588 Gye wanne hys schelde, þere hyt stode,

And in hys hande an axe gode. He turnedde hys rygge to a walle And hym defendyd for them all. Line 6592 Tho starte forthe the steward: Hyt semyd, he was no cowarde. Wyth a swyrde he smote Gye On the schelde hardelye. Line 6596 Wyth hys axe Gye to hym mynte: He fayled not of hys dynte. [folio 203b:1] He claue hys hedde euyn in twaye: Hys lyfe he loste that ylke day. Line 6600 Gye wyth hys owne hande Defendyd hym wyth hys axe bytande. There he slewe knyghtys thre, The strengyst of all þat cuntre. Line 6604 ¶ 'Erle Florentyne,' seyde Gye, 'For the holy crosse loue, mercye! Thou art holdyn a doghty knyght, A wyse man of werre and fyght: Line 6608 Yf thou slee me in thys halle, All men wyll the traytour calle. Hyt were a [a over the line in MS.] grete schame vnto the, When þou harbarowste me for charyte. Line 6612 Were hyt wyth ryght or wyth wronge, Hyt wolde þe turne to schame stronge And moost of all in that case, When y at the mete was. Line 6616 Therfore do wythowte blame, That hyt turne not to no schame. Do me now to haue my stede And owte of the ȝate me lede. Line 6620 Hyt were to the more honowre, Then y were slayne in thy towre.' ¶ The erle wythdrewe hym than. He was a sory man, Line 6624

Line 6624 When he sye þem [þem is very probably miswritten for hym or for hys sone.] þere lye dedde. What he myȝt do, he cowde no redde. 'Allas,' he seyde, 'and wele away! My sone ys dedde thys ylke day Line 6628 Now schall y euyr mare Leue in sorowe and in care.' He swownyd soone vpon the beere. Ther was no man in þat place þere, Line 6632 But of hym they had pyte. He comawndyd nys [pyte blotted out after hys in MS.] meyne, That none were so hardye To assayle hym before hys yee. Line 6636 He dud delyuer to hym hys stede [folio 203b:2] And also all hys odur wede. When he were owt of the towre, He schulde be slayne wyth dyshonowre. Line 6640 ¶ Gye toke hys gode stede And on hym lepe, as he had nede. Hys swyrde he forȝate noght, And hys spere was to hym broght. Line 6644 Owte of the castell ys he gane: The wey he hath soone tane. Be þat the erle was armed wele Bothe in yron and in stele. Line 6648 Faste he sewyd there syr Gye Wyth hys grete companye. Gye turned the hed of hys stede And farde, as þat he wolde wede. Line 6652 He mett a knyght and smote hym sore, That he rose neuyr more. A nother there soone he smote. The erle came then full hote Line 6656 (To slee Gye he dud fonde) Wyth a spere in hys honde.

Gye hym turned and dud hym see: To fyght wyth hym wolde he not flee. Line 6660 They faght togedur þere full faste, Whyll þere speres myght laste. The erle smote tho syr Gye Thorow the schelde hardelye. Line 6664 Gye smote at hym a nodur dynte: Hys hors and hym downe he tynte. ¶ Gye had pyte of that knyght, When he sawe, he had be of myght, [m in myght uncertain in MS.: on might be read as well.] Line 6668 And þat he had hys sone slone. Twenty wyntur hyt was gone, Sythen he myght armes bere, Or helpe hymselfe in any were. Line 6672 Gye seyde: 'haue here thy stede And hye þe whome a gode spede. Hyt were bettur for þe to be in churche And holy werkys for to wyrche, [folio 204a:1] Line 6676 Then to welde schelde or spere Or any [armes blotted out after any.] odur armes to bere. I haue ȝyldyd the thy mede: For þy mete haue here thy stede. Line 6680 I wolde haue askyd þe none, yf y had wyste, Thogh y schulde haue dyed for hungur and þryste. [MS. þurste.] I schall neuyr more come to the To aske mete for charyte. Line 6684 God let me euyr wele fare, At þy courte or y come mare.' ¶ Also so god geue yow reste, Fylle the cuppe of the beste. Line 6688