When I kist Craddockes mouth
Before he marryed mee.'

When shee had her shreeven,
And her sines shee had tolde;
The mantle stoode about her
Right as shee wold:

Seemelye of coulour

125

Glittering like gold:

Then every knight in Arthurs court

Did her behold.

Then spake dame Guénever

To Arthur our king;

She hath tane yonder mantle

Not with right, but with wronge.

See you not yonder woman,
That maketh her self soe [cleane]?
I have seene tane out of her bedd
Of men fiveteene;

Priests, clarkes, and wedded men
From her bedeene:

Yett shee taketh the mantle,
And maketh her self cleane.'

Then spake the litle boy,
That kept the mantle in hold;
Sayes, 'king, chasten thy wiffe,
Of her words shee is to bold:

130

Ver. 134, wright, MS.-Ver. 136, cleare, MS.-Ver. 140, by deene, MS.

135

140

145

She is a bitch and a witch,
And a whore bold:

King, in thine owne hall
Thou art a cuckold.'

The litle boy stoode
Looking out a dore;

[And there as he was lookinge
He was ware of a wyld bore.]

He was ware of a wyld bore,
Wold have werryed a man:
He pulld forth a wood kniffe,
Fast thither that he ran:
He brought in the borès head,
And quitted him like a man.

He brought in the borès head,
And was wonderous bold:

Some rubbed their knives

Uppon a whetstone:

Some threw them under the table,

And said they had none.

King Arthur, and the child

Stood looking upon them;
All their knivès edges

Turned backe againe.

Craddocke had a little knive

Of iron and of steele;

Ver. 170, them upon, MS.

150

155

160

165

170

He britled the bores head

Wonderous weele;

That every knight in the kings court
Had a morssell.

The little boy had a horne,

Of red gold that ronge:

He said, 'there was noe cuckolde

Shall drinke of my horne;

But he shold it sheede

175

180

II.

THE MARRIAGE OF SIR GAWAINE.

-Is chiefly taken from the fragment of an old ballad in the Editor's MS. which he has reason to believe more ancient than the time of Chaucer, and what furnished that bard with his Wife of Bath's Tale. The original was so extremely mutilated, half of every leaf being torn away, that without large supplements, &c. it was deemed improper for this collection: these it has therefore received, such as they are. They are not here particularly pointed out, because the Fragment itself will now be found printed at the end of this volume.

PART THE FIRST.

KING Arthur lives in merry Carleile,
And seemely is to see;

And there with him queene Guenever,
That bride soe bright of blee.

And there with him queene Guenever,
That bride so bright in bowre:
And all his barons about him stoode,
That were both stiffe and stowre.

The king a royale Christmasse kept,
With mirth and princelye cheare;

To him repaired many a knighte,

6

That came both farre and neare.

And when they were to dinner sette,
And cups went freely round;
Before them came a faire damsèlle,
And knelt upon the ground.

A boone, a boone, O kinge Arthure,
I beg a boone of thee;
Avenge me of a carlish knighte,

Who hath shent my love and mee.

5

10.

15

20

At Tearne-Wadling1 his castle stands,
Near to that lake so fair,

And proudlye rise the battlements,
And streamers deck the air.

Noe gentle knight, nor ladye gay,
May pass that castle-walle:

But from that foule discurteous knighte,
Mishappe will them befalle.

Hee's twyce the size of common men,
Wi' thewes, and sinewes stronge,
And on his backe he bears a clubbe,
That is both thicke and longe.

This grimme baròne 'twas our harde happe,

But yester morne to see;

When to his bowre he bare my love,

And sore misused mee.

And when I told him, king Arthùre

As lyttle shold him spare;

Goe tell, sayd hee, that cuckold kinge,
To meete mee if he dare.'

Upp then sterted king Arthure,

And sware by hille and dale,

He ne'er wolde quitt that grimme baròne,
Till he had made him quail.

'Goe fetch my sword Excalibar;
Goe saddle mee my steede;

1 Tearne- Wadling is the name of a small lake near Hesketh in Cumberland, on the road from Penrith to Carlisle. There is a tradition, that an old castle once stood near the lake, the remains of which were not long since visible. 'Tearn,' in the dialect of that country, signifies a small lake, and is still in use.