Þay fellede downe þe femmalles, fulle thikke folde, [I. Thay felle to the female dure, feyful thyk-fold.]
With fresche hundis, and felle, felonosly þay fare. [I. thay folo the fare.]
. . . . . [A line is wanting here in the three MSS.]
Þay questede and quellys, [I. Thay questun, thay quellun.]
By frythis and fellis,
Line 50
Þat þe dere dwellys,
And darkys and darys. [I. Thay droupun and daren.]
V.
Alle darkis the dere, and to downe schowys, [I. in the dym scoghes.]
And, for þe dowte of þe dede, drowpys the daa,
And by þe stremys so strange, þat swyftly swoghes, [I. For the squyppand watur, that squytherly squoes.]
Line 55
Þay wery þe wilde swyne, and wyrkkis þame waa.
Thay hunte and halowes, in holttis and hillys, [I. The hunteres thay haulen, by hurstes and by hoes.]
And tille þaire riste raches relyes one þaire raye; [I. To the rest raches that releues of the roe.]
Thay gafe no gamene, no grythe, þat one grownde growes, [I. Thay geuen no gomen, nyf no grythe, that on the grounde groes.]
Grete hundis fulle gladly gane gaa. [I. in the grene greues.]
Line 60
Thus þies gomes þay ga, in grevys so grene,
And boldly blawes rechayse, [I. The king blue a rechase.]
And folowes faste one þe trase,
With many sergyaunte of mace,
Swylk solauce to sene.
Line 65
VI.
Thus with solauce þay semelede, the prowdeste in palle, [I. Thus that solas to see, the semelokest of alle,Thay soȝt to thayre souerayne, undur the scha schene.] And sew to þe soueraygne, in cleues so clene; [I.
Thus that solas to see, the semelokest of alle,Thay soȝt to thayre souerayne, undur the scha schene.] Nane bot sir gawane, the gayeste of alle, By-leuys with dame gaynour in þose greues grene. Vndir a lorrere scho laye, þat lady so smalle, [I. By a lauryel ho lay, vndur a lefe sale.] Line 70 Of Boxe and of Barborane byggyde fulle bene;
