¶ Capitulo nono

NOw torne we vnto kynge Arthur and his noble knyghtes whiche after the grete bataylle acheued ageynste the Romayns / entryd in to Lorayne braban and Flaundres and sythen retorned in to hault Almayn / and so ouer the mōtayns in to lombardye / and after in to Tuskane / wherin was a Cyte / whiche in no wyse wold yelde them self ne obeye / wherfore kynge Arthur biseged it / and lay longe aboute hit / and gaf many assaultes to the Cyte / And they within deffended them valyauntly / Thenne on a tyme the kynge called syr florence a knyght / and sayd to hym they lacked vytaylle / and not ferre from hens ben grete forestes and woodes / wherin ben many of myn enemyes with moche bestyayl / I wyl that thou make the redy and goo thyder in foreyeng / and take with the syr Gawayn my neuew / Syre wysshard / syre Clegys / Syre Cleremond and the Captayn of Cardef with other / & brynge with yow alle the beestes that ye there can gete / And anone these knyghtes made them redy / and rode ouer holtys & hyllys thurgh forestes and woodes / tyl they cam in to a fayr medow Page  176 [leaf 88v] ful of fayre floures and grasse / And there they rested them & theyr horses alle that nyghte / And in the spryngynge of the day in the next morne / syre Gawayn took his hors and stale away from his felauship to seke some aduentures / And anon he was ware of a man armed walkynge his hors easyly by a wodes syde / and his sheld laced to his sholdre syttynge on a stronge courser withoute ony man sauyng to a page berynge a myghty spere . The knyght bare in his sheld thre gryffons of gold in sable charbuncle the chyef of syluer / whan syre Gawayn aspyed this gay knyght / he fewtryd his spere and rode strayt to hym / and demaūded of hym from whens that he was that other ansuerd and sayd he was of Tuscane / and demaunded of syre gawayn / what profryst thow proude knyghte the so boldly / here getest thou no praye / thou mayst proue whā thou wylt / for thou shalt be my prysoner or thou departe /

¶ Thenne sayd gawayn / thou auauntest the gretely and spekest proude wordes / I coūceylle the for alle thy boost that thou make the redy / and take thy gere to the / to fore gretter grame falle to the