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 ...

Hyt was in a somers tyde, That Gye had moche pryde: Line 7120 He came fro huntyng on a day Wyth grete solace and mekyll play. Þey toke plente of veneson And broght hyt vnto the towne. Line 7124 At euyn he wente into a towre Wyth moche yoye and honowre. He behelde there the ayre And the lande, þat was so fayre. Line 7128 The wedur was clere and sternes bryȝt. Gye beganne to thynke ryght, How god, that sate in trynyte, Had made hym a man of grete poste, Line 7132 And how he was preysed in euery lande Thorow dedys of hys hande, And how he had many slane And castels and towres many tane Line 7136 And how in many londys longe He had bene in parell stronge [folio 207a:1] And all for þe loue of þat maye, That he [MS. y.] trauelde fore nyght and day, Line 7140 And not for god, hys creatowre, That had done hym that honowre. ¶ He thoght þere wyth all hys myȝt To serue hym bothe day and nyght. Line 7144 Gye beganne to syke sore. In hys herte he thoght more: He thoght for to chaunge hys lyfe

And to leeue thys worldys stryfe Line 7148 And ordeygne hym in all wyse To leue and dye in goddys seruyse. ¶ Wyth that Felyce thedur soght: Sche fonde hur lorde in a thoght. Line 7152 'Syr,' sche seyde, 'what thynke ye? Telle me, for seynt Charyte.' 'Lemman,' he seyde, 'stande stylle, And y schall telle þe all my wylle. Line 7156 Sythe þe tyme, þat y þe knewe, For þe my sorowe was euyr newe. I wene, ther was nevyr knyght, That had so moche sorowe in fyght Line 7160 For none, as y haue had for the. Farre in many a dyuers cuntre I haue many a man slane, Abbeys brente and cytees tane: Line 7164 All þat euyr y haue wroght, Syth furste þat y on þe thoght, And all y dud, my lemman free, For to wynne the loue of thee. Line 7168 And all, þat euer y wanne þere, I haue geuyn hyt knyȝt and squyere. Had y bene warre and wyse And spendyd hyt in goddys seruyse, Line 7172 Halfen dele my trauayle, Of heuyn schulde we neuer haue fayle. [MS. fayled.] I haue done for hym nothynge, Therfore y may in sorowe synge. [folio 207a:2] Line 7176 I haue done mekyll schame: God hath leyde on me þe blame. All thys worlde y wyll forsake And penaunce for my synnes take. Line 7180 Wende y wyll yn goddys seruyse, Ellys were y nothynge wyse.

Euyr schalt þou, wythowten fayle, Haue halfe þe mede of my trauayle.' Line 7184 ¶ 'Syr,' quod sche tho full tyte, 'Haue ye me now in soche dyspyte? Well y wot, so god me redde, Ye haue a lemman in odur stedde, Line 7188 And now ye wyll vnto hur fare And come ageyne neuyr mare. Allas,' quod sche, 'that y was borne.' Sche felle in swownynge hym beforne. Line 7192 He toke hur in hys armes twoo And seyde: 'lemman, let be thy woo. I holde the a grete fole, Yf thou make soche dole. Line 7196 I haue now þys vyage thoght: For all þys worlde y leue hyt noght. Dwelle wyth thy frendys here And, y prey the, make gode chere Line 7200 And bydde thy fadur cowmfort the, Yf þou wylt haue þe loue of me. Thou haste conceyuyd a chylde be me: Kepe hyt wele, pur charyte; Line 7204 For thyselfe and all thy kynne May haue of hym yoye and wynne.' ¶ 'Allas,' sche seyde, 'how schall y fare, Wrechyd woman full of care, Line 7208 When ye wyll wende me froo? Bettur hyt were me for to sloo. Yf ye wyll leue my redde, Ye schall not wende fro þys stedde. Line 7212 Abbeyes, syr, let thou make, [folio 207b:1] And so schall y for thy sake: Holy men schall for the pray Wyth þer myght bothe nyght and day. Line 7216 Thus may yow saue yow fro paryle: [MS. parelle.]

Why wyll yow wende in exsyle?' ¶ 'Lemman,' he seyde, 'let be thy fare: Speke thou therof no mare. Line 7220 Thou louyste lytull þyn own prowe, Yf þou make me to breke my vowe: That y haue wyth my body wroght, And wyth my body hyt shall be boght.' Line 7224 ¶ When sche sawe, for lefe nor lothe That he wolde not chaunge hys othe, Sche clepyd hurselfe caytyfe: 'Allas,' quod sche, 'that y haue lyfe.' Line 7228 Downe sche felle vnto þe grownde: Ofte sche swowned in that stownde. ¶ Then seyde Gye: 'y wyll fare, But, dere lemman, take no care; Line 7232 For y schall come ageyne soone, When y haue my penaunce done. Also oon thynge y bydde the: Yf thou wylt loue me, Line 7236 Do so moche for my sake, That no man see þe sorowe make, As þou derelye loueste me here. Grete wele ofte thy fadur dere Line 7240 And Harrowde, þe knyght so fre, And all myn odur meyne. Loke, þat þou be meke and mylde. Fro þe tyme, þat þou haue chylde, Line 7244 Kepe hyt, tyll hyt can goo, And aftur to Harrowde þou hym doo. He wyll hym kepe wyth gode chere And norysche hym on all manere. Line 7248 Ther was neuer ȝyt a trewer knyght Leuyng in ȝorthe day nor nyght, [folio 207b:2] Then he hath be vnto me: Therfore y loue hym wyth herte fre. Line 7252 Take here my swyrde of stele

And kepe hyt to thy sone wele: In ȝorthe ther ys none bettur nowe. Therwyth may he wynne prowe.' Line 7256 ¶ Tho he kyssyd Felyce swete: He myȝt not speke, for he dud grete. [MS. wepe.] There was dole in þat stownde: They swownyd boþe on þe grownde. Line 7260 Gye rose fro swownynge And went forthe in mornynge. 'Syr,' sche seyde, 'pur charyte, Abyde and take þys rynge of me.' Line 7264 Gye toke at hur feyre þat rynge. Dole was at ther partynge. ¶ Then went hym forþe syr Gyowne Hys wey soone owte of þe towne. Line 7268 Gye wolde speke wyth no wyght Nor wyth Harrowde, þat trewe knyght. Forthe he wente to the see: At Jerusalem wolde he bee Line 7272 And in many an odur londe, There holy men were lygande. ¶ In þe towre Felyce he lefte þare. Sche was in grete sorowe and care: Line 7276 'Lorde,' quod sche, 'what may y say? How schall y leue þys wofull day?' Hur handys sore dud sche wrynge: Sche felle downe in swownynge. Line 7280 Hur cloþys sche drewe and hur hare: Ther was neuer woman, dud so fare. On hur handys brake the rynge: Sche was tho a sory thynge. Line 7284 At hur nayles þe blode braste owte. Thys lyfe sche ladde þe nyght owte. Ofte sche cryed there: 'allas,' That euyr sche borne was. [folio 208a:1] Line 7288

Line 7288 Owte sche toke þe swyrde bryght And set hyt to hur harte ryght And thoght to seche [seche seems miswritten for schede. The Caius MS., p. 150, gives the line: And thought to shede her herte blode.] þe harte blode, For sche had lorne hur lorde goode. Line 7292 Then sche bethoght hur full wyselye, That sche was tempted wyth grete folye And þat sche had a chylde hur wythynne: Hyt to sloo hyt were grete synne; Line 7296 And þat sche myȝt not hurselfe sloo, But yf sche slewe bothe twoo. Sche þoght also anodur manere: When he hyt wyste, hur fadur dere, Line 7300 Hur fadur and hur frendys all Wolde in grete sorowe falle: They wolde sey, that syr Gyowne Had slayne hur, or he went fro towne. Line 7304 Therfore folye sche thoght than: Ellys sche had hurselfe slane. [MS. slayne.] ¶ Of all þe nyght sche had no reste More, then had a wylde beste. Line 7308 In the mornynge vp sche rose And to hur fadur soone sche gose. 'Fadur,' sche seyde, 'wot ye noght? Wyckyd tyþyngys y haue yow broght: Line 7312 My lorde ys wente fro thys cuntre. I trowe, y schall hym neuyr see. Yn exsyle he ys gone: For sorowe y may myselfe slone.' Line 7316 Wyth þat she felle to þe grounde And swowned soone in þat stounde. ¶ 'Doghtur,' he seyde, 'let be þy mornyng. I may not leue hyt for nothynge, Line 7320 That he wolde wende in exsyle

And put hym in soche paryle. He hath done hyt to proue þe now, How he may thy loue trowe.' Line 7324 'Nay,' sche seyde, 'so mote y the, [folio 208a:2] He wyll neuyr come to me.' ¶ Vp he rose and dwellyd noght, And thorow all þe cyte he soght. Line 7328 When he myght not fynde Gye, Aftur hys men he sente in hye And tolde, how that syr Gye Was went, and no man wyste, whye. Line 7332 When þey wyste that tythynge, All they made moche mornynge. ¶ When syr Harrowde herde sey, That hys lorde was gone awey, Line 7336 He ne blanne nyght nor day, But he sorowed for hym ay. To the erle he toke the way. 'Syr,' quod he, 'what may y say, Line 7340 When y haue lorne my lorde so free? I wene, y schall hym neuer see. Y rede yow, sende yowre messengere Thorow all þys londe boþe farre and nere. Line 7344 Yf he be not fowndyn here, He ys in Loreyn, be seynt Rychere, Wyth gode erle Tyrrye, That he louyth specyallye.' Line 7348 ¶ A messengere was forþe sente And all the londe þorow wente. He myght not fynde hym thare: Whome ageyne he can fare Line 7352 And seyde, all Ynglonde he had soght, But Gye he cowde fynde noght. ¶ There þoght Harrowde, he wolde fonde To seke hym in odur londe. Line 7356 He toke two messengerys ryght,

Bothe a squyer and a knyght. He gaue them tresoure grete plente And bad þem wende beȝonde the see Line 7360 To seke euery londe and gode towne To spere tythyngys of syr Gyowne. Harrowde hymselfe forthe ys gone: [folio 208b:1] Wede of palmer hath he tone. Line 7364 The erle of Warwyk soone he fonde And betoke hym all hys londe And seyde: 'in wede of palmere I schall seke Gye boþe farre and nere Line 7368 Yn euery stedde, in euery londe, There he hath bene beforehonde.' When he sye Harrowde so dyght, He seyde: 'þou art a full trewe knyght.' Line 7372 ¶ Harrowde went forþe fro þe erle þare. To the see he came full ȝare: Schyppe he fonde and passed in hye. Comen he ys to Normandye, Line 7376 Sythen to Frawnce and Burgoyne, To Almayne and to Cesoyne: [MS. Cesyone. The Caius MS., p. 153, has sosayne.] He harde no man speke wyth mowthe, That of Gye telle cowthe. Line 7380 Then he þoght, þat he was schent, And into Ynglonde soone he went. All that londe was sorye, That no man myght fynde Gye: Line 7384 Kynge, erle and baron, All made dole for Gyown; For þey wenyd full sekerlye Neuyr to haue seyne hym wyth eye. Line 7388 ¶ God, þat dyed on a tre, Saue Gye fro schame and vylane!