Percy Manuscript, p. 368; Hales and Furnivall, III, 3.
| 1 |
And in that land dwells a king
Which does beare the bell ouer all,
And with him there dwelled a curteous knight,
Sir Cawline men him call. |
| 2 |
And he hath a ladye to his daughter,
Of ffashyon shee hath noe peer;
Knights and lordes they woed her both,
Trusted to haue beene her feere. |
| 3 |
Sir Cawline loues her best of on?e,
But nothing durst hee say
To discreeue his councell to noe man,
But deerlye loued this may. |
| 4 |
Till itt beffell vpon a day,
Great dill to him was dight;
The maydens loue remoued his mind,
To care-bed went the knight. |
| 5 |
And one while he spread his armes him ffroe,
And cryed so pittyouslye:
'Ffor the maydens loue that I haue most minde
This day may comfort mee,
Or else ere noone I shalbe dead!'
Thus can Sir Cawline say. |
| 6 |
When our parish masse that itt was done,
And our king was bowne to dine,
He sayes, Where is Sir Cawline, |
| 7 |
But then answered a curteous knight,
Ffast his hands wringinge:
'Sir Cawline's sicke, and like to be dead
Without and a good leedginge.' |
| 8 |
'Ffeitch yee downe my daughter deere,
Shee is a leeche ffull ffine;
I, and take you doe and the baken bread,
And drinke he on the wine soe red,
And looke no daynti is ffor him to deare,
For ffull loth I wold him tine.' |
| 9 |
This ladye is gone to his chamber,
Her maydens ffollowing nye;
'O well,' shee sayth, 'how doth my lord?'
'O sicke!' againe saith hee. |
| 10 |
'I, but rise vp wightlye, man, for shame!
Neuer lye here soe cowardlye!
Itt is told in my ffathers hall,
Ffor my loue you will dye.' |
| 11 |
'Itt is ffor your loue, ffayre ladye,
that all this dill I drye;
Ffor if you wold comfort me with a kisse,
Then were I brought ffrom bale to blisse,
Noe longer here wold I lye.' |
| 12 |
'Alas! soe well you know, Sir knight,'
. . . . .
. . . . . .
. . . . . |
| 13 |
. . . . . .
I cannott bee your peere:
'Ffor some deeds of armes ffaine wold I doe,
To be your bacheeleere.' |
| 14 |
'Vpon Eldrige Hill there growes a thorne,
Vpon the mores brodinge;
And wold you, sir knight, wake there all night
To day of the other morninge? |
| 15 |
'Ffor the eldrige king, that is mickle of might,
Will examine you beforne;
And there was neuer man that bare his liffe away
Since the day that I was borne.' |
| 16 |
'But I will ffor your sake, ffaire ladye,
Walke on the bents [soe] browne,
And Ile either bring you a readye token,
Or Ile neuer come to you againe.' |
| 17 |
But this ladye is gone to her chamber,
Her maydens ffollowing bright,
And Sir Cawlin's gone to the mores soe broad,
Ffor to wake there all night. |
| 18 |
Vnto midnight [that] the moone did rise,
He walked vp and downe,
And a lightsome bugle then heard he blow,
Ouer the bents soe browne;
Saies hee, And if cryance come vntill my hart,
I am ffarr ffrom any good towne. |
| 19 |
And he spyed, ene a litle him by,
A ffuryous king and a ffell,
And a ladye bright his brydle led,
that seemlye itt was to see. |
| 20 |
And soe fast hee called vpon Sir Cawline,
Oh man, I redd the fflye!
Ffor if cryance come vntill thy hart,
I am a-feard least thou mun dye. |
| 21 |
He sayes, [No] cryance comes to my hart,
Nor ifaith I ffeare not thee;
Ffor because thou minged not Christ before,
Thee lesse me dreadeth thee. |
| 22 |
But Sir Cawline he shooke a speare;
The king was bold, and abode;
And the timber these two children bore
Soe soone in sunder slode;
Ffor they tooke and two good swords,
And they layden on good loade. |
| 23 |
But the elridge king was mickle of might,
And stiffly to the ground did stand;
But Sir Cawline, with an aukeward stroke,
He brought ffrom him his hand,
I, and fflying ouer his head soe hye,
[It] ffell downe of that lay land. |
| 24 |
And his lady stood a litle thereby,
Ffast ringing her hands:
'For the maydens loue that you haue most minde,
Smyte you my lord no more. |
| 25 |
'And hees neuer come vpon Eldrige [Hill],
Him to sport, gamon, or play,
And to meete noe man of middle-earth
And that liues on Christs his lay.' |
| 26 |
But he then vp and that eldryge king,
Sett him in his sadle againe,
And that eldryge king and his ladye
To their castle are they gone. |
| 27 |
And hee tooke then vp and that eldryge sword,
As hard as any fflynt,
And soe he did those ringes fiue,
Harder then ffyer, and brent. |
| 28 |
Ffirst he presented to the kings daughter
The hand, and then the sword,
. . . . . .
. . . . .
'' '' '' '' '' |
| 29 |
'But a serre buffett you haue him giuen,
The king and the crowne,' shee sayd:
'I, but four and thirty stripes
Comen beside the rood.' |
| 30 |
And a gyant that was both stiffe [and] strong,
He lope now them amonge,
And vpon his squier fiue heads he bare,
Vnmackley made was hee. |
| 31 |
And he dranke then on the kings wine,
And hee put the cup in his sleeue,
And all th?e trembled and were wan,
Ffor feare he shold them greeffe. |
| 32 |
'Ill tell thee mine arrand, king,' he sayes,
'Mine errand what I doe heere;
Ffor I will bren thy temples hye,
Or Ile haue thy daughter deere;
Thou shalt ffind mee a ppeare.'
I, or else vpon yond more soe brood |
| 33 |
The king he turned him round about,
Lord, in his heart he was woe!
Says, Is there noe knight of the Round Table
This matter will vndergoe? |
| 34 |
'I, and hee shall haue my broad lands,
And keepe them well his liue;
I, and soe hee shall my daughter deere,
To be his weded wiffe.' |
| 35 |
And then stood vp Sir Cawline,
His owne errand ffor to say:
'Ifaith, I wold to God, Sir,' sayd Sir Cawline,
'that soldan I will assay. |
| 36 |
'Goe ffeitch me downe my eldrige sword,
Ffor I woone itt att ffray:'
'But away, away!' sayd the hend soldan,
'Thou tarryest mee here all day!' |
| 37 |
But the hend soldan and Sir Cawline
Th?e ffought a summers day;
Now has hee slaine that hend soldan,
And brought his fiue heads away. |
| 38 |
And the king has betaken him his broade lands,
And all his venison;
. . . . . .
. . . . . |
| 39 |
'But take you doo and your lands [soe] broad,
And brooke them well your liffe;
Ffor you promised mee your daughter deere,
To be my weded wiffe.' |
| 40 |
'Now by my ffaith,' then sayes our king,
'Ffor that wee will not striffe,
Ffor thou shalt haue my daughter dere,
To be thy weded wiffe.' |
| 41 |
The other morninge Sir Cawline rose
By the dawning of the day,
And vntill a garden did he goe
His mattins ffor to say;
And that bespyed a ffalse steward,
A shames death that he might dye! |
| 42 |
And he lett a lyon out of a bande,
Sir Cawline ffor to teare;
And he had noe wepon him vpon,
Nor noe wepon did weare. |
| 43 |
But hee tooke then his mantle of greene,
Into the lyons mouth itt thrust;
He held the lyon soe sore to the wall
Till the lyons hart did burst. |
| 44 |
And the watchmen cryed vpon the walls And sayd,
'Sir Cawline's slaine!
And with a beast is not ffull litle,
A lyon of mickle mayne:'
Then the kings daughter shee ffell downe,
'For peerlesse is my payne!' |
| 45 |
'O peace, my lady!' sayes Sir Cawline,
'I haue bought thy loue ffull deere;
O peace, my lady!' sayes Sir Cawline,
'Peace, lady, ffor I am heere!' |
| 46 |
Then he did marry this kings daughter,
With gold and siluer bright,
And fiftene sonnes this ladye beere
To Sir Cawline the knight. |
