Arthur of Brytayn The hystory of the moost noble and valyaunt knyght Arthur of lytell brytayne, translated out of frensshe in to englisshe by the noble Iohan bourghcher knyght lorde Barners, newly imprynted.

¶How that after Arthur was departed fro Argenton to go to the castell of hurt¦byse

to the woūded knight who had sent for hym, in his way at the last he found at the entryng of a fayre forest thre lady∣es of right excellent beauty, of whom the chefe was called Proserpin quene of the fayry who greatly desired Arthur of his loue, but in no wyse he would agre ther to, & there he lost his varlet that was his guyde, wherfore it behoued him to tarye there all that nyght, for it was dark and wyst not whyther to go. Cap. lxix.

SO it was that when the kyng of orqueneye was 〈◊〉〈◊〉 f••o argenton he rode streight into his own country for to make redi his people to go at Bartylmewtide to the turney at Cornite, & duke Philip went to sabary to apparaile his people & syr Neuelon, syr An••ean, syr Artaude & al the other knightes of kinge Emen∣dus returned to the kinges courte, and there recounted the hye prowesse of Ar∣thur, & how he had spe•• at Argenton w^t the duke of bygors neuew, & how that y^e wounded knight of the castel of hurtbise had sent for hym, and how that he was gone thyther. Than the kyng was sory in hys herte, for he had great fere of him lest that he should neuer returne agayne for he knew wel that many good knigh¦tes were perished there. And in especyall Florence was ryght sorowful, for there was none y^t could recōfort her. And Ar∣thur euer rode forth after the squier, & so rode .iii. dayes together w^tout finding of any aduenture, and the .iiii. day he rode tyl it was none, and than they aryued at a knyghtes place who was uncle to the squyer that was Arthurs guide, & there they were wel receyued, and so sat down to dyner & were wel serued. And whan they hadde dined than they mounted on theyr horses agayn, & so rode forth tyl it was night, & than they entred into a ly¦tel narow way betwene a fayre forest & a grene medow, and so they rode forthe wel y^e space of halfe a mile, and y^e mone began to shine fayre & bright, and at the last they came to a way y^t they muste ne∣des entre into the thick of the forest, and at last Arthur espied vnder a fayre oke a delectable place, where as he saw .iii, fai¦re ladies maruelously white and of gre•• beauty, but she y^t was in y^e myddes was soueraine most fayre, for she al only had more beauty than bothe the other .ii. and yet they were as fayre as could be deuy∣sed. And whan Arthur had espyed them, he set his fete to y^e earth & lighted fro his horse, & she that was in the middes rose whan the other two were vp, & there Ar¦thur saluted thē right curteisly, and they him agayn, and the squier that brought Arthur thither, toke one of the ladies in counsaile, and whā they had talked togy¦ther a good space they went into y^e thick of the wood, they .ii. together alone, and were not sene again o•• al the night, and the other that was in middes had to na∣me Proserpin, & she toke Arthur and set hym downe by her and helde him by the hand, & beheld hym faythfully in the vy∣sage, & sayd▪ syr ye be ryghte hertely wel∣come. And he answered & sayd, madame I pray god kepe you fro all yll. Syr sayd Proserpyne I haue greate desyre to se & speke with you, if ye be he that hath con¦quered the batayle agenst the duke of by¦gors neuewe. Madame as god help me sayd Arthur I woulde full fayne y^t there were such valure in me as that I might acheue suche a dede. well sayde Proser∣pyne, I knowe ryght wel how it is, and also of other of your dedes, & syr ye be in certayne that ryght grete renowne ren∣neth

on you how that ye be free, swete, fayre, & gracyous, & to be a good knyght aboue all other, & as for beauty I se wel how it is. well madame sayd Arthur I praye god amende in me that lacketh of that ye speake of. That is wel said quod y^e lady than she layd her hand on his hed & demaūded of him what was his name Ma••ame quod he I am called Arthur. Arthur sayd she, nowe and by the faith y^t ye owe to her that ye loue be••t, & to saynt George haue ye any louer yet, I am sure my demaunde is but a folly f••r so fayre a knyght, so yonge, and so va••iant in ar¦mes as ye can not be wythoute a louer, wherfore I am in certayne ye haue one but I pray you shew me what she is by the fayth y^t ye owe vnto her, & I promise you neuer to accu••e you, & therwith she beheld hym and smyled a lytel & said, I pray you speke and shew me y^e playnes by the troth that ye owe to father & mo∣ther yf ye haue any alyue. Madam said Arthur, ye cōiure me right sore, therfore as god help me I shal ••••ew you y^e troth Madam it is so I can not tell whether y^t I haue a louer or not, but of one thynge be ye sure I am a louer, for I loue w^t all myne entyer heir. And what is she quod the lady I pray you by the faith y^t ye owe vnto her. As god help me said he I canot tell you, for I n••uer sawe the p••rson y^t I loue•• what said the lady•• thā ye loue and wot not who, who hathe set you on this foly, wherfor loue ye thus. Madā quod he I loue becaus of the gret goodnes & valure y^t is in her, for she is a swete gra¦••ious & a gentil lady of hert. why sir kni¦ght how know ye y^•. Madam it hath be¦shewed me y^t she is of suche condycions. wel quod the lady, what & there haue be¦shewed you more thā troth in y^t behalfe, who than shal do you right, I demaund of you thinke you y^t al that is said of me and other to be of t••••t••. Certainli madā nay some list parauentur at somtime to speke more than they know▪ wel frende Arthur {quod} she thā ye be but a fole, by my counsail leue suche foly, & lese no le••g••r your time w^tout reson, ye be now in your youth, & in you•• beuti wherfore ye shold haue daily your loue in you•• armes, and lede a louers life in myrth and in solace and whā it is time to stryke for her sake b••th w^t ••pe••es and swords, & cast d••une these knightes to the erth by .ii. at ones: and leue seruing thus of the muse or els ye shal be called no more Arthur, but ye shal be called y^e knight that museth, ther¦fore leue this loue, but behold here and se in your c••pany if there be any thing that pleseth you, chose which ye wil, the squi¦er that brought you hither museth not, for he is w^t his loue, and hath her al this night in his armes behold here the copa¦ny of me who is right fayre and yonge. gentyl and puissant, holding in mi hand greate heritage▪ and I am doughter to a king•• and both my father & mother dead an•• now I am entred into my londe to kepe my relme which is gret and noble I am also right yonge about the age of xvi. yeres, & would loue right wel some g••ntil knigh•• that wold help me to kepe my lond and relme, and to c••unsayle me for my wele in al my busines suche one wold I loue and kepe entirely. Arthur 〈◊〉〈◊〉 nede not to be deceiued by youre loue lo∣uyng of the muse & take me here in dede. And whan Arthur herde her, he b••held her wel, and wyth a gret p••rfound sygh sayd. A dere ladye as god helpe m•• my heart is set on her that I shewed you ••f wyth a•• ••y faithful loue and thought in suche wyse that I am not maister of my selfe, nor my herte is not myne own

for it hath forsaken me for this sayd ladi so y^t I ••m nothing lord of min owne hert nor w^t al, the power y^t I haue I cannot withdraw it fro her, for I thinke verily y^t she hath put my hert into her hert ther¦fore I ••aue good hope y^t the•• shalbe good companyons and faythfull togyther se∣yng•• y^t it wyl not come agayne to me & lo¦ue his swete companyō, therfore fayre la¦dy blame me not though ye loue me that I do not accōplysshe youre desyre, for as god helpe me I can not, for my hearte is not mine owne, therfore madame blame me not syth my herte hath forsakē me for an other, but as I be saued ye be ful gētil and noble, & ryght happy shal he be that shal attayne to your gra••e, for your beau¦te is such y^t euery person y^• seeth you wyll put to theyr payne to seke the wayes to at¦taine to youre hye loue, for by the fayth y^t I owe to my lorde & father I had rather haue your loue of it myght be than to be kyng of all Fraunce, but by my soule ma¦dame ye may behold he••e my body w^tout hert, vyne wythout sauour, a fayre body w^t••u•• loue auayleth nothyng. wel frende Arthur {quod} Proserpyn many there be that fyndeth fautes & wyl s••ke for no remedy you lay the blame on your hert, suche fol∣kes as wyl not do as they be requyred cā fynde fables ynough to finde occasion of excuses, ye haue long mused, & yet ye pur¦pose to muse l••̄ger, hardely loue ynough & loue th••re y^t youre dreme & fantasy she∣weth you•• & therby ye shal haue very mo∣che Ioy by lyk••lehode, for your musyng wyl do you moche honoure, by the fayth that I owe to you I loue my louer fayth¦fully, & I saye it by yo••, beholde here Ar∣thur who dr••meth & museth, beholde here the shadowe wythout the sonne lyght, be¦holde here the body wythout hert, this is he that loueth & woteth not whō, therfore he is feeted of none, therfore frend Ar∣thur take to you the best coūseyle y^t ye cā & god be with you. Than she rose fro hym and departed into the woode & her com∣pany wyth her. Thā Arthur abode ther alone but wyth Bawdwyn hys squyer, for the squyer y^t brought him thither was departed, therfore he wiste not whether to goo. Than Bawdewyn sayd, syr as god helpe me ye ouzt to be blamed. And why so good frende said Arthur. Sir bycause this gentyll noble quene that was ryght now w^t you who is so fayre so swete & so gracyous and she wolde fayne haue had your company & loue, & thus ye to let her depart and wold not enbrace & kysse swe¦tely her pleasaunt lytle mouth, wherfore in my mynde ye are greatly to be blamed for as helpe me god I wolde not hau do∣ne soo thoughe I had lost my head in the payne. A good frende sayd Arthur, and what there thā shuld the swete Florence haue, and what ••••ul••e she set by me yf I shulde do as muche to another as I shul¦de do to her yf it pl••ased her, what wold ye haue me to make of my mouth a tray∣ne for euery body, yf she kepe her mouth•• close for the loue of me, and I than to ha¦bandon me to all the worlde, what ho∣noure than w••re it to me to be comyn to al the world, what shulde it than be sayd on me, he is but a rybaude. wel syr sayde Bawdewyn, for all that I coulde not ha¦ue done so. Thus they m••unted on theyr horses and entred into the wode, & rode they wyst not whither so longe tyl at the last they loste theyr ware, that they rode they wyst not whyther, & at conclusyon they came a••ayne to the same oke from whens as they went•• before, and th••re th••y taryed all that nyghte & laye on the colde earth in the thycke busshe, and tyed theyr horses to a tree.