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 ...

At þe dewke þey toke leue: [folio 170a:1] þer was noþyng, myȝt hym more greue. Line 1384 þey þoght to wende ouer þe sonde, Tyll þey came to Ynglonde. The dewke wolde haue had þem stylle, But þat was not at ther wylle, Line 1388 That þey schulde dwelle þere longe. They wente þere forthe wyth songe: Ryght to Flawndurs be þey goon. Ther inne there was takyn anone: Line 1392 To the see they wolde wyth ryght On þe morne, when day was lyght. ¶ Gye to a wyndowe yode To loke, how the wynde stode. Line 1396 In the way he sye come there A pylgryme sekeyng hys sopere. Gye askyd on feyre manere: 'Pylgryme, wylt þou be herberde here? Line 1400 Nyght hyt ys, þou mayste not wende. Goode hyt ys, þat thou here lende.' Than spake the pylgryme: 'God the ȝylde and seynt Martyne.' Line 1404 ¶ Than askyd Gye full yare, In what cuntre he had fare And yf he herde in any londe, Where ony warre were on honde. Line 1408 'Syr,' he seyde, 'y schall yow telle Of a warre stronge and felle.'

Gye seyde: 'seye me belyue.' 'Syr,' he seyde, 'so muste y thryue, Line 1412 The ryche emperoure Raynere, That all Almayne haþ in hys powere, Hath besegyd dewke Segwyn And dothe hym there moche pyne Line 1416 (Hys men be slone and hys towres brent And hys castels be brokyn and schente: Therfore ys he nothynge fayne) For hys cosyn, þat he hath slayne Line 1420 Hym defendawnt, sawns fayle, [folio 170a:2] For he dud hym furste assayle, Before at a turnement, That was made for entysement. Line 1424 ¶ There was þe nobull dewke Segwyne, To whom longyd all Lowyne, [MS. lowayne.] And of Lorayne [MS. Burgayne.] dewke Loyere: He was a bolde man and a fere. Line 1428 Knyghtys came of the londe Dedes of armes for to fonde. The dewke Segwyn dud owt wende, When þe game was broght to ende: Line 1432 There hath he slayne a gode knyght, That was a bolde man and a wyght. ¶ Than came Saddok prykande The dewke Segwyn saylande: Line 1436 Of hym Saddok had grete envye For hys grett cheualrye. He was þe emperowrs cosyn, Hys systurs sone, a bolde hyne. Line 1440 Of justynge he was werye, Hys hawberke haþ he caste bye: In playne armes was he gone. For sothe, he was a prowde mane. [originally mone in MS.] Line 1444

Line 1444 'Syr dewke,' he seyde, 'turne the And oon tyme juste wyth me. Thou art a bolde knyght and a kene: For sothe, nowe hyt schall be sene.' Line 1448 'Saddok,' he seyde, 'let be thy stryfe. I wolde not do þat for my lyfe. I loue the ¹dere in my herte:¹ [1_1 MS. in my dere herte.] To juste wyth the hyt wolde me smerte. Line 1452 Thou art my lordys cosyn: To do þe harme þe shame were myn, When y the vnarmedde see. Soche a coward wyll y not bee.' Line 1456 ¶ Then seyde Saddok: 'þou art a cowart And a man of feynte harte. So god me helpe in trynyte, But þou ones juste wyth me, [folio 170b:1] Line 1460 I schall the hurte thys ylke day And wrath þe, yf that y may, And kepe þe, well wytterly, As for my dedly enmye.' Line 1464 ¶ He ranne to hym wyth grete yre And the dewke turnyd hym þere. Faste þey smote þen togedur, That þer sperys can toschyder. Line 1468 Saddok smote hym furste there Owt of þe schelde a quartere. He smote hym þorow þe arme also, That the spere braste in twoo. Line 1472 Than beganne the dewke to smyte, For he thoght grete dyspyte. Thorow þe body þe spere glode: Of that dynte þe deþe he hadde. Line 1476 He toke þe body, þere hyt laye, And bare hyt to an abbay And beryed hyt sone anon

Feyre in a marbull stone. Line 1480 ¶ The dewke ys went and odur thre To Argone, hys cyte. The walles þere he dud mende: He þoght hym þere to defende. Line 1484 All þe castels of that cuntre Full sekyr sone then made he. Sythen messengerys he sente, That all þat londe þorowe wente. Line 1488 Swythe sende he hys sonde To all men of hys londe And badde, þey schulde be hym nere Hym to helpe in hys mystere; Line 1492 For stronge men, harde he say, Thorow hys londe wolde haue þe way. He thoght, whyll hys lyfe wolde laste, To defende the cyte wyth þe beste. Line 1496 ¶ When the emperowre harde telle All þat case, how hyt felle, That Saddok was so slayne, [folio 170b:2] Therof was he nothyng fayne. Line 1500 He sende hys sonde thorow Almayne Knyghtys and dewkys into Spayne, Erlys, barons, lorde and swayne, That þey schulde come wyth all þer mayne Line 1504 To ther lorde, the emperowre, To whom þey owe gret honowre. ¶ When þey were gedurd togedur, That they were comen thedur, Line 1508 'Gode men,' seyde the emperowre, 'Ye harde speke of the traytowre, Howe the dewke of Lowyne Slewe Saddok, my cosyn. Line 1512 Therfore y bydd yow all in fere, That ye me helpe wyth [a blotted out before wyth in MS.] yowre power

Ageyne the dewke for to fyght: He hath done ageyne the ryght.' Line 1516 'Syr,' they seyde wyth oon assent, 'We schall do thy comawndement. We schall neuer thens goo, Or we haue done hym moche woo.' Line 1520 ¶ Now wendyth the grete ooste Wyth grete pryde and mekyll boste. There þey wente, brode and wyde They dystroyed on euery syde. Line 1524 There ys lefte but oon cyte Far and nere in that contre; That ys the cyte of Argone, That ys formed aftur Rome. Line 1528 Hyt ys closed wyth lyme and stone: In all þys worlde ys bettur none.' ¶ When þe pylgryme had all seyde, Mete and drynke to hym was leyde. Line 1532 Gye herkenyd euery dele And vndurstode hyt full wele. Then þoght Gye, there he stode, To helpe þe dewke þat hyt were gode. Line 1536 He seyde: 'Harrawde, what redyst þou? Yf me cowncell, for thy prowe. [folio 171a:1] Wyll we helpe the dewke hende, Or we wyll to Ynglonde wende? Line 1540 What ys thy wylle? saye nowe; For þy cownsell wele y trowe.' ¶ Syr Harrawde spake than: 'Syr,' he seyde, 'y am thy man. Line 1544 I schall þe yeue gode cownsayle, That schall the full wele avayle. I rede the, harnes the ryght wele Bothe in yron and in stele Line 1548 And wyth þe v hundurd men on ende: To the dewke wyll we wende.

We schall hym helpe wyth gode chere: Of socowre he hath grete mystere. Line 1552 Ye may so do in that stowre, That euyr ye may gete honowre.' 'Gramercy, syr,' seyde Gye; 'I the thanke, wytturlye. Line 1556 Now y knowe, þou louyste me, When y soche cowncell haue of the. To þe cyte wyll we hye Wyth moche haste and cheualrye.' Line 1560 ¶ Fyve hundurde knyghtys yare, That were redy wyth hym to fare, Of all Frawnce þey were the beste, Armed well on hors [o in hors not quite clear in MS.] preste. Line 1564 To Argone they be comen, Into the cyte þe way þey nomen. They toke ther ynnes in the cyte: Gladde may the dewke be. Line 1568 ¶ On the morne Gye rose And to churche soone he gose: Masse and matens þer he harde And sythen to hys ynne farde. Line 1572 He sawe men renne same: He þoght be þem, hyt was no game. Scheldys and sperys he sawe þem bere, Ryght as hyt were to the were. Line 1576 Gye sone clepyd a man: 'What men,' he seyde, 'be ȝone? [folio 171a:2] Telle me, pur charyte, Why ys thys haste in thys cyte?' Line 1580 'Syr,' he seyde, 'be thys day, Y schall the the sothe say. Thys ys the steward to the emperowre, That ys a man of grete valowre: Line 1584 He ys holden of grete pryce

And of batell bothe war and wyse; And other knyghtys wyth hym grete plente: But ther ys none so gode in þys contre. Line 1588 Yf any knyght so hardy bee, That ys in all thys grete cyte, That wyth hym ones dar fyght, Forþe þen come odur anon ryght: Line 1592 Be he neuyr so bolde nor so stowte Cometh he neuer owt of þat rowte: Other he schall be slayne wyth wronge Or ellys taken to pryson stronge.' Line 1596 ¶ Gye askyd hys armowre than And armyd hym, as a doghty man. All hys knyghtys dud also: Forthe in fere can they goo. Line 1600 As þey went from the cyte, The steward myght þey all see. Gye thedurwarde dud ryde, There the steward dud abyde. Line 1604 ¶ When the steward sawe Gye, Stowtly he can hym hye. He began to make deraye And to hys felows dud he say: Line 1608 'Yondur cometh hedur a knyght, That ys redy for to fyght. He hath an hors of grete pryce: He schall not longe, y trowe, be hys. Line 1612 God delyuyr me neuyr of synne, But y that horse soone wynne.' ¶ He prekyd to juste wyth Gye, As a bolde man and an hardye. Line 1616 Bothe they strekyn faste: [folio 171b:1] They mett togedur at the laste. Now they smeten faste on schelde: The pecys flewe in the felde. Line 1620 Gye hath hym a stroke raght

Wyth hys fawchon at a draght: To the erthe he felle downe Euyll at ese, be my crowne. Line 1624 Then dud Gye, as felle to were: In batell he toke hym there. He drewe hys swerde of stele: [MS. of hys stele.] On hys hedde he hyt hym wele. Line 1628 He hym toke, as in batayle: That was honowre, wythowten fayle. ¶ When the Almayns sye þat dede, That were hardy men at nede, Line 1632 How ther lorde takyn was, They came to hym in that case. Or they were fro þe felde ladde, Many of them þe dethe had. Line 1636 Now came Gye ageyn wyth game And all hys felows hym wyth same. He smytyth þe Almayns sare: For nothynge wolde he spare. Line 1640 ¶ All the men of that cyte That batell myght beholde and see. They went and armed them styllo Bothe in yron and in stele. Line 1644 Owt of the cyte can they wende Gye to helpe, as men hende. There men myght see strokys vnryde [MS. strokys ryde.] And knyghtys juste on euery syde: Line 1648 Bothe wyth swyrde and wyth spere Echoon odur sore dud dere. There men myght see knyghtys crye And falle downe fro þer horsys on hye, Line 1652 That were woundyd swythe sore. Ther dyed many men thore. There was dedde in a throwe [folio 171b:2] Fyve hundurde on a rowe. Line 1656

Line 1656 Faste peyned hym syr Gye: So dud Harrawde, wytterlye. The Almayns were ouyrcome, Some slayne and some nome. Line 1660 Wele had Gye spedd that day: So may all that eyte say. The Almayns be scowmfett Wythowte any more lett. Line 1664 ¶ Now ys Gye turned ageyne: Of hys dede he was fayne. He and hys felows redde, Ryche prysoners wyth þem ledde. Line 1668 To hys ynne ys he gone, He and hys felows euery oon. Bolde þey were, sawns fayle; For þey had wonne the batayle. Line 1672 Gye restyd hym a thrawe: All hys armvr he dud of drawe. ¶ When þe dewke herde tythyng, He was then a yolye thynge. Line 1676 When he wyste, þat Gye was come, The men slayne and þe steward nome, He lepe on a palfraye, To Gyes chaumbur he toke þe way. Line 1680 He gret hym on feyre manere, For hys comyng he made gode chere. 'Welcome,' he seyde, 'syr Gye, And þy felows, sekyrlye. Line 1684 Now y wene to vengyd be On myn enmyes, þat hate me. They warre on me day and nyght: That ys all wythowte ryght. Line 1688 Syr Gye, y geue þe all myn honowre Of my castell and my towre And also of all my londe, My men to serue the to þy honde. Line 1692

Line 1692 From now forwarde, y bydde the, That þou bothe lorde and syre bee. All schall be at þy comawndemente, [folio 172a:1] Into what stedde that they be sente. Line 1696 I wyll do aftur yowre avyse And venge me on myn enmyes.' 'Thou art a curtes man,' quod Gye; 'Syr dewke,' he seyde, 'gramercy. Line 1700 Y schall yow helpe wyth all my myght Wyth gode cowncell to venge the ryght.' ¶ He hath yeuyn hym hys powere Of all, that he hath far and nere, Line 1704 He hath geuyn Gye into hys honde And made hym lorde ouyr hys londe. He wenyth be hys cownceyle [MS. cowncell.] To acorde wyth þe emperowre, sawns fayle. Line 1708 There they spake togedur stylle, How þey myght gete ther wylle. ¶ Gye sendyth now a messengere, That was queynt on hys manere: Line 1712 He sent into many a dyuers londe, There he had bee before honde: Knyghtys v hundurd, y vndurstonde, There come to hym fro many a londe. Line 1716 Wolde he nodur stynte nor blynne, Or he þat londe wyth force myȝt [w blotted out before myȝt in MS.] wynne. Thorow Gye and hys cownceyle [MS. cowncell.] All he venged, wythowte fayle. Line 1720 ¶ When þe emperowre all had harde How Gye wyth þe dewke farde, Hys stewarde to hys pryson tane, [Lines 1723 and 1724 must exchange places, I suppose.] And how he had hys men slane, [MS. slayne.] Line 1724 He had grete sorowe and care

For hys men, that dedde ware. 'Lordyngys, what ys yowre redde Of owre knyghtys, that be dedde? Line 1728 I schall be neuyr glad nor blythe, Or y be vengyd on hym swythe.' ¶ 'Syr,' seyde dewke Oton of Payuye, 'Let be thyn yre and thyn envye. Line 1732 Or hyt be passyd dayes thre, [folio 172a:2] Vengyd wele schalt thou bee. Ye schall take yowre baronage And odur men, þat wyll take wage. Line 1736 Of Sesoyne [MS. Sesyone.] the dewke Raynere And the constable Waldynere And y schall come to yow in hye And brynge grete cheualrye. Line 1740 To the cyte wyll we fare. Yf Gye and þe dewke be thare, But yf y take the traytowre And brynge hym vnto yowre towre Line 1744 And put hym in yowre depe pryson (For hym þer schall goo no rawnsome), Broke y neuyr ellys my lyfe Nodur my chyldyr nor my wyfe.' Line 1748 ¶ Than hym spake the emperowre: 'Thou art a man of grete valowre. Thou haste me geue cownceyle, [MS. cowncell.] I wene, hyt schall me avayle. Line 1752 Syr,' he seyde, 'make the ȝare To the constable to fare And to the dewke of Payuye Wyth hys grete cheualrye: Line 1756 To Argone ye schall in hye And take the dewke and Gye. Yf ye may do that ylke dede, I schall the helpe at all nede.' Line 1760

Line 1760 'Syr,' he seyde, 'wyth gode entente We schall do thy comawndement.' ¶ Now haue þey ther leue tane, To ther innes be they gone. Line 1764 On the morne, when hyt was day, Vp þey rose and went ther way, All the captens wyth moche ooste. All they wente: they made boste. Line 1768 To the cyte they came bolde, Twenty hundurde scheldys tolde. ¶ When they sye in that cyte Men wythowte grete plente, [folio 172b:1] Line 1772 The bellus faste dud they rynge. I wote, they made no dwellynge: They armed them, as Gye badde, Euery man, that harnes hadde. Line 1776 When þey were come to syr Gye, To fyght they were redy The dewke clepyd Gye there And bad, yf hys wylle were, Line 1780 That Harrawde schulde haue wyth hym eche dell Fyve hundurde knyghtys armed well And wende forthe, wythowte fayle, Boldely them for to assayle, Line 1784 'And ye, syr Gye, a thousande Bolde men and wele bydande: And, yf he haue mystere. Helpe hym wyth gode chere. Line 1788 And y wyll come wyth my mayne Faste prekynge aftur the. We [MS. Ye.] schall so wyth them fyght Wyth goddys grace and owre myght, Line 1792 That we schall haue the maystrye.' 'Thou seyest wele,' seyde Gye. [1793 after 1794 in MS.] 'Wendyth forthe for to fonde:

For nothynge wyll we wonde Line 1796 To helpe the in thys stowre For to holde vp thyn honowre.' ¶ When he to the churche came, Oton was the furste man Line 1800 That he sawe in batayle, For sothe wythowten fayle. Harrowde, he þoght furste to assay The felle dewke Oton of Payuaye. [1804-1810, see the note.] Line 1804 'Thynkyst thou not of thy velonye, That þou duddyst my lorde and me In Lumbardye, thy nowne contray? We schall be venged wele to day Line 1808 Wyth goddys grace: yf þat y [y omitted in MS.] may, Wyth my handys y schall assay.' [folio 172b:2] ¶ Now they smyte faste in same: I wot, ther was but lytull game. Line 1812 Betwene þem was lytull play: They drewe swerdys, as y say. Grete batell þere men myght see: Nother wolde fro odur flee. Line 1816 He smote dewke Oton þere so faste, That he felle downe at þe laste. Soone he had hym slayne thare, But hys men came full yare Line 1820 And socowrde hym, wytterlye, Or ellys he hadde dedde bee. Then came hys men wyth myȝt and mayn And set the dewke on hors agayn. Line 1824 ¶ Then began a grete batayle: Echon odur faste can assayle. He peyned hym faste, syr Harrawt: To the dewke he made assawt. Line 1828 An hundurd he slewe, sawns fayle, That belefte dedde in þat batayle.

The dewkes herte was full sore, When he sawe hys men lye thore: Line 1832 He began faste to crye And seyde: 'ye do velanye. Lordyngys,' he seyde, 'what do ye nowe? Styr ye nowe for yowre prowe. Line 1836 Se ye not thys traytowre, That doyth me thys dyshonowre? He hath slayne my men goode: They lye sprawlande in þer blode. Line 1840 But y be venged on that thefe, Schall ye neuer be to me lefe.' ¶ Then þey gedurde on a hepe And abowte they dudde lepe. Line 1844 Grete angwysche ys Harrawde beforne, Now he haþ of hys felows lorne. But he gate helpe, y vndurstande, For grete socowre came hym on hande. [folio 173a:1] Line 1848 All þey [MS. þe.] chacyd hym at the laste: Then came Gye rydynge faste. He mett hym faste fleande: Hys spere was brokyn in hys hande Line 1852 And hys hors woundyd on the knee, That vnnethe goo myght hee. Then seyde Gye: 'turne ageyne. Where be þy men? be þey slayne?' Line 1856 'Nay,' seyde he, 'y vndurstande: I lefte them faste fyghtande.' Gye beganne on hym to crye: 'Harrawde, come on smertlye.' Line 1860 ¶ When Gye sye dewke Oton, Soone he schewyd hys reson: 'Dewke,' he seyde, 'þynkyst þou noght Of þe treson, that þou me wroght? Line 1864 At the pase of thy foreste

In Lumbardy, þere þou myght beste, Thou slewe my men wyth sorowe and care, And y myselfe was woundyd thare. Line 1868 So god me helpe, þys same day I schall the ȝylde, yf þat y may. I the warne, wyth all my myght Here y wyll wyth the fyght. Line 1872 I schall neuer be gladde nor blythe, Or y be vengyd on the swythe.' ¶ Gye turned the hedde of hys stede. They faght togedur gode spede. Line 1876 They smeten so faste on þer sheldes, That þe pecys flewe in þe feldes. The dewke smote so syr Gye On the schelde smertlye, Line 1880 That hys spere flewe in thre. 'For god,' seyde he, [he and þou omitted in MS.] 'þou hyttest me All wyth myght and wyth mayne.' Gye turned hym agayne. Line 1884 There he wolde haue had hys heuydde, [MS. hedde.] But sone he was fro hym reevyd [folio 173a:2] Wyth an hundurde knyghtys tolde, That were hardy men and bolde. Line 1888 All þey went abowte Gyone, But he defendyd hym, as a lyon. ¶ Gye cowmfortyd hys felawe To do wele a lytull thrawe. Line 1892 Now þey smyten faste samen: I wot, ther was lytull gamen. Many knyghtys þere dyed þat day And in þat place full lowe lay. Line 1896 Gye hym payned that day soo To take Lumbardes and to sloo; For he wolde vengyd bee

On the dewke and hys mayne. Line 1900 Gye dud wele that ylke day And all hys men wythowte delay And slewe þe Lumbardes on euery syde Wyth swerdys and wyth sperys vnryde. Line 1904 Thorow Gye they be ouercome, Many slayne and many nome. They flewe awey, Gye dud þem chace; Of dedde men was full the place. Line 1908 ¶ Then came the dewke Raynere And the constabull Waldynere And wyth them grete company. In a vale they sawe syr Gye Line 1912 And faste to hym can they hye Wyth full grete envye. Gye drewe to an hylle And all hys men wyth gode wylle. Line 1916