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 ...

When Harrowde perseyued soo, Þat þe chylde was stolen hym fro, He made hym to be soȝt þorow þe towne And þorow þe cuntre be dale and downe. Line 8500 When he wyste, for soþe, þat case, That þe chylde stolen wase, Tho beganne moche of hys woo; For he had so lorne hys lordys two. Line 8504 In all Russye he dud hym seke And in many a straunge lande eke; And, when he myȝt not be fownde, He swowned, as a man for sore wounde. Line 8508 ¶ Then so befelle, kynge Athelston Let gedur hys barons euerylkon, Boþe hys erlys and hys barons, [folio 216a:1] The wysest þat were of all resons. Line 8512 Harrowde of Arderne þedur yede: The kynge hym louyd for hys gode dede More, then any of hys lande; For he was doghtyest of hys hande. Line 8516 And odur lordys therof had envye, And betwene them they can seye, That the kynge dud grete wronge To honowre so moche Harrowde þe stronge; Line 8520 For he was but a pore knyght: 'Hys lorde he hath done moche vnryght.' ¶ 'Lordyngys,' þen seyde þe kynge, 'Vndurstandyth wele my tythynge. Line 8524 Y wyll yow now of cowncell praye, For y wot well, ye haue harde saye,

That the kynge Anlate [The first letter in the name of the King of Denmark is in part gone, in consequence of a worm-hole. But if we may conjecture from what remains, it was not A, but E.] of Denmarke, That ys full felle, styffe and starke, Line 8528 Wyl come on vs wyth moche heer All owre londes for to dere And þem to haue wyth grete myght, But we defende vs wyth grete fyght. Line 8532 Many yerys hyt ys gone, Syth he claymed thys kyngdome.' ¶ Then answeryd syr Harrawte: 'We dowte hym not, wythowte defawte. Line 8536 Yf þey come in yowre landes, We schall þem sloo wyth owre handes. Gode men haue ye and cytees stronge: Ye nede not to dowte none of hys wronge. Line 8540 In olde dayes, men seyden, aplyght, That Danes schulde haue þys lande wyth ryȝt; But þorow batell þey were slone: Therfore now ryght haue þey none. Line 8544 But now comawnde thy barowns, Tho that haue castels and townes, Wyth horse and harnes to be made ȝare [folio 216a:2] Into batell wyth the to fare Line 8548 And to yowre knyghtys of armes all, That þey be redy at yowre calle: They may yow helpe on all manere, What tyme ye haue to þem mystere, Line 8552 Or þey haue yowre londe wythowten ryght, Yf the Danes wyth yow fyght. For yowre men þen schall be redy And fyght wyth þem well manlye. Line 8556 Thorow helpe of god all weldande We schall haue the hyer hande.' ¶ 'Syr,' seyde the kynge, 'wythowten fayle,

Thys ys a nobull cownsayle. Line 8560 As þou haste seyde, euery dele Y schall do, also haue y hele.' ¶ Vp starte þe dewke Merof in yre: He was a cruell lorde and syre. Line 8564 He was a whytehore knyght And also he had be bolde and wyght. 'Syr kynge,' he seyde, 'for yowre honowre, Leue ye no more that losengeowre. Line 8568 Yowre barons haue well euell wylle To greue yow odur lowde or stylle, But well more ye loue hym allone, Then yowre barons euerychone; Line 8572 And we can well bettur geue yow cownseyle And in a saye wyll more avayle, Then that traytour, that y see thare. He haþe betrayed hys lorde well ȝare, Line 8576 That made hym knyght of grete renowne Of a mysprowde garesowne; And, sythen he hath had grete honowre, That furste was a pore vauesowre, Line 8580 He hath quytt hym full euyll hys mede, When he solde hys soone for nede. To men of Russye he hym solde And many a peny for hym he tolde. [folio 216b:1] Line 8584 He wyll bothe yow and yowre sone Begyle, as hyt ys hys wonne.' ¶ When he harde that grete syre, Vnnethe he myght speke for yre. Line 8588 On hys fete he starte full ȝare, Os man, that was agreuyd sare. 'Thou lyest,' seyde Harrowde full egerlye, 'When þou me blameste of felonye. Line 8592 When þou before my lorde, þe kynge, Repreuest me of soche a thynge, Yf thou wylte that thynge avowe,

That þou haste seyde here nowe, Line 8596 Loke, þou arme the hastelye To preue thy false testymony. And y not defende me, I wyll, that men do hange me. Line 8600 Thou haste me sclawnduryd of a lesynge Here before my lorde, the kynge, That y solde þe chylde Reynbowrne, My lordys sone, syr Gyowne. Line 8604 Also helpe me god, þat all hath wroght, That þynge came neuer in my thoght. The ryche marchandys, be god veray, Stale þat chylde be nyght away. Line 8608 Gretter sorowe had neuyr no man, Then had y, when he was gane, And sythen y wente and odur thre To Russye, that feyre cuntre; Line 8612 But y cowde not fynde hym in no stedde, Therfore sorowfull ys my redde. Be y false or be y noght, I am for euyr in sclawndur broght. Line 8616 Before þe kyng y schall hym hyght And therto my trowthe hym plyght Owte of thys londe for to fare And come ageyne neuyr mare, Line 8620 Or y myght my lordys sone [folio 216b:2] Fynde, yf he be vndur þe mone.' ¶ 'Be stylle,' seyde the dewke so felle, 'The deuell þe honge, þat ys in helle. Line 8624 Whyll þou art in þys cuntre, Traytour schalt thou holdyn bee.' ¶ All that harde a nobull knyght, Syr Edgare, for sothe, he hyght. Line 8628 Trewe he was and doghty of hande. He was steward of Harrowdes lande. Soche sorowe had þat ylke knyght,

That he ne wyste, what he do myght. Line 8632 Before the dewke he starte in hye And spake to hym wyth grete envye. 'Syr dewke,' he seyde, 'be heuyn kynge, When þou on my lorde seyste soche þynge, Line 8636 Thou lyest falsely [y in falsely altered from e in MS.] of that dede; The whych y wyll preue vpon my stede Allone wyth þe for to fyght: Then men may see, who hath þe ryght. Line 8640 The helpe of god be fro me reuyd, But y smyte of thy heuydde.' [MS. hedde] ¶ The kynge comawndyd on þer lyfe, That þer schulde be no more stryfe. Line 8644 When þe kynge had all seyde And hys charge on them leyde, That þey schulde kepe well hys londe And be euyr redy to hys honde, Line 8648 Home þen wente the knyghtys free Euerychone to ther cuntre. ¶ Home wente also Harrowde þe free To Wallyngforde, hys cyte. Line 8652 Harrowde had ay gret tene and schame, That he was broȝt in soche false fame; And all was but a lesynge, That þe dewke had tolde þe kynge. Line 8656 'Edgare,' he seyde, 'dwelle thou here And kepe my londe wyth thy powere, Bothe my chylde and my wyfe [folio 217a:1] And my cyte, wythowten stryfe; Line 8660 For moost of all men tryste y the.' ¶ 'Syr,' he seyde, 'gramercye; But, swete syr, leue thys folye, And wende wyll y in farre cuntre. Line 8664 Y schall not blynne day nor nyght, Or y see that chylde wyth syght.

I was ones seuyn yere Yn the see a marynere: Line 8668 In crystyante ther ys no lande, But y haue be therin dwellande; And ye be oolde and whytehore: Ye may not well trauell no more; Line 8672 Wherefore y prey yow, leue yowre wylle.' ¶ 'Edgare,' he seyde, 'holde the stylle. For all the gode, that euyr god made, Y wolde not cese, or [or all but completely gone (worm-hole).] y hym hade. Line 8676 Full well y wott, when y am gone, Myn enmyes wyll come anone And sege the wyth grete batayle: Defende þe then, wythowten fayle.' Line 8680 'Syr,' he seyde, 'so god me mende, Yf any come, we schall vs [vs omitted in MS. Cf. the Caius MS. p. 200, Yf they come, we will vs defende.] defende.' ¶ Now wendyth Harrowde fro that cyte: A well sorowfull man was he. Line 8684 Schyppe he fonde and passed yare And soght Reybowrne wyde whare: In Denmarke and in Yrelonde, In Norwey and in Scotlonde, Line 8688 Yn Almayne and in Sossyrrye, In Cesoyne [MS. Cesyone.] and in Turkye Euyr hys lordys sone he soght, But, for sothe, he fonde hym noght. Line 8692 When he myght nowhere fowndyn bee, Another tyme he wente to the see. At Costantyne wolde he bee, And tho come a tempaste on the see Line 8696 And chased þem þen belyue: [folio 217a:2] Ryght at Awfryke þey can ryue. He sawe besyde hym on the londe

A swythe feyre cyte stonde: Line 8700 But [MS. Bothe. Cf. the Caius MS. p. 201, But, for soth, the wallis of that town.] the wallys of that towne To þe ȝerthe were brokyn downe. ¶ 'Lorde,' seyde a marynere, 'Moche sorow schall we haue here. Line 8704 We be now faste ryuande Into the kynge Harkes [Corrupt for Argus, which the Caius MS. has.] lande. He ys a full ryche kynge Of golde and syluyr and other þynge. Line 8708 Then seyde Harrowde: 'who owyth þys cuntre, That ys dystroyed, and thys cyte?' 'Syr,' seyde a schypman, 'Ther ys none so felle to fleme Jordan. Line 8712 Y schall yow telle, as y can. Hyt ys admyrals Presane: He hatyth crysten men echon. Full well y wote, he wyll vs slone. Line 8716 The kyng Harkes hath seged hym here And stroyed þys londe bothe far and nere.' ¶ Wyth þat þe paynyms were kene [Line 8719 is repeated as the next line in MS. thus, Wyth that the paynyms were kene.] And armed them all bedene, Line 8720 And Harrowde and hys companye They broght þem to þer lorde [MS. to þat londe. But cf. the Caius MS. p. 201, And browt hem to her lord in hye.] in hye, And caste them in hys pryson all: Of mete and drynke they had small. Line 8724 ¶ When the dewke Merof hyt fonde, That syr Harrowde was owt of þat londe, He gedurde grete ooste of Cornwayle And þe stewarde faste he can assayle; Line 8728 But he hym defendyd day and nyght Full well, as a doghty knyght.

He hyred men of that londe And full rychely he them fonde. Line 8732 He gaue þem golde and ryche tresoure [MS. tresure.] And kepyd þat londe wyth grete honowre. [folio 217b:1] All that yere owte and owte He defendyd hym, as a knyght full stowte. Line 8736 He gaue the dewke batayle stronge And slewe hys men euyr amonge. A thousande were there slayne Of the dewkys men, certayne. Line 8740 The dewke myght spede nothynge Of that ylke longe segeynge: To Cornwell he went agayne And lefte þere hys men wyth schame slayne. Line 8744