þerfore I purpose to yeve bataiƚƚ ayen̛ this
Erle; And þerfore beth redy, eche man in his degre, ayen̛
such a day to passe with me." "lord̛," quod̛ thei, "we shul
be redy to stond̛ with you [in] lyf̘ and detℏ." When
thei were in bataiƚƚ, there was hard̛ stryf̘, and alle
the Emperours men̛ were yfeld̛ to grounde, and þe
Emperour̛ was in poynt to be beheded̛; But in this
hard̛ cas com þe forsaid̛ knyght Gerinaldus, &
fougℏt bytwene this Emperoure and his enemys; and witℏ the
manly fightyng of him the emperoure passid̛ with þe
lif̘; but the knygℏt abode, & rested̛ neuer tylle he
had killed̛ the erle; Neuertheles he had many sore woundis, &
he fougℏt tyƚƚ the blode ran̛ to his fote. When the
Aduersaries saw that the lord̛ was ded̛, thei fled awey; And
the knygℏt pursued̛ vnto the tyme that he come where the
emperoures doughter was y-sette; And he brougℏt her oute to the
Emperoure, her Fader; For the whiche victory and bringing agein of the
doughter, he was hily commendid̛ by aƚƚ the empire. Hit
happid after this, that the knygℏt had a grete cause to be sped
in the Court of the emperoure; and þerfore the knygℏt come
to the emperoure, and praied̛ him to be fauorable in his cause,
in as moche as reason̛ wold̛ suffre. And the Emperoure went
to his Iustices, and seid̛, "Goth, and yeveth rigℏt vnto
this knygℏt, as reason̛ wol asky." And when the knygℏt
had herd̛ thes wordis, he cried̛ with a lowde voys, and
seid̛, "Allas! allas! who wold̛ haue ytrowed̛ that
the emperoure wolde haue seid̛ this! For what tyme þou was
in bataiƚƚ, & shuld̛ haue lost thi hede, anon I set my
self̘ for the, and so thou ascapidist; now in my cause thou
sendist anoþer then thi self̘, and þerfore alas!
þat euer I was ybore, for sorowe!" And even̛ forthwith he
strepid̛ him, and shewid̛ his woundis that he had
receiued̛ for him in bataiƚƚ, and seid, "loo! what I haue
suffred̛ for the, where as I put non vnworthier thing for the
then my owne body; and now thou sendist anoþer to sit in my
cause! Forsoth I servid̛ neuer suche anothir lord̛!" When
the emperoure herd̛ þes wordis, he was confusid̛ in
hym self, and seid, "O! dere frend̛, this that þou seist
is sotℏ; þou savedist [leaf 157, back, col. 2]
me fro dethe; thou keptist me, and broughtist ayen̛
my doughter; & þes woundis þou haddist for my love.
now, sothly, I shal come