[Headnote: THE QUEEN BEHOLDS THE BLACK KNIGHT.]

[Sidenote: The lady beholds him and knows him; but yet inquires who he is,]

To quhom the lady of melyhalt beheld, And knew hyme by h{is} armour & h{is} ?cheld, Qwhat that he was; and thus ?che ?aid one hy{ch}t: "Who is he ?one? who may he be, ?hone kny{ch}t, 2828 So ?till that hovith and ?terith not his Ren, And ?eith the kny{ch}t{is} rynyng one the gren?"

[Sidenote: thus calling the attention of Gawane,]

Than al beholdith, and in princypale S{ir} gawan beholdith mo?t of all; 2832 Of melyha[l]t the lady to hyme maid In{con}tine{n}t, his couche and gart be had Be-fore o wyndew th.o.r.e, as he my{ch}t se The kny{ch}t, the o?t, and al the a??emble. 2836 He lukith furt{h}, and ?one the kny{ch}t hath ?en, [Sidenote: who saith to the queen:]

And, but delay, he ?aith one to the qwen, [Sidenote: "Madam, remember that the red knight halted where yon knight halts."]

"Madem, if ?he remembir, ?o it was The red kny{ch}t in to the ?amyne place 2840 That wencu?t al [at] the first a??emble; Whar that ?one kny{ch}t howis, howit hee."

[Sidenote: "Why do you inquire?" she replies.]

"?ha," q{uod} the qwen, "ry{ch}t well remembir I; Qwhat is the cau at ?he inquere, & quhy?" 2844 "Madem, of [al] this larg warld is he [Sidenote: "He is the knight, madam, whom I most desire to see."]

The kny{ch}t the wich I most de?ir to ?ee His ?trenth, his ma{n}hed, his curag, and h{is} my{ch}t, Or do in armys that longith to o kny{ch}t." 2848

[Headnote: THE ORDER OF BATTLE.]

[B]y thus, arthur, w{i}t{h} con?ell well awy?it, [Sidenote: Arthur arranges his lines of battle.]

Haith ordanit his batell{is}, and devy?it: [Sidenote: King Ydrus leads the first;]

The fir?t of them led ydrus king, & he O worthy man vas ne{m}myt for to bee. 2852 [Sidenote: Harwy the Reweyll, an aged knight, the second.]

The ?ecund led harwy the Reweyll, That in this world was kny{ch}t that had mo?t feill For to p{ro}wid that longith to the were, One agit kny{ch}t, and well couth armys bere. 2856

[T]he thrid feld [he] deliu{er}it in the hond [Fol. 35b.]

[Sidenote: King Angus, a cousin of Arthur, leads the third.]

Of ang{us}, king of ylys of ?cotlande, Wich cu?ing was one to king arthur nere, One hardy kny{ch}t he was, w{i}t{h}outen were. 2860 [Sidenote: King Ywons the fourth.]

The ferd batell led ywons the king, O manly kny{ch}t he was In to al thing.

And thus dewy?it ware his batell{is} ?ere, [Sidenote: In every company are 15,000.]

In euery feld xv thou?and were. 2864

[T]he fift[T66] batell the lord ?{ir} ywan lede, [Sidenote: The lord Sir Ywan leads the rearguard.]

Whois ma{n}hed was i{n} euery cu{n}tre dred, Sone he was one to wryne the kyng, Forwart, ?tout, hardy, wy, and ?hing; 2868 Xx thou?and in his o?t thai pa?t, Wich ordanit was for to a??emble la?t.

[Sidenote: Galiot's armies.]

[A]nd galiot, apone the tothir ?yde, Ry{ch}t wy?ly gan h{is} batell{is} to dewid. 2872 [Sidenote: Malenginys leads the first line;]

The fir?t of them led malenginys the king, None hardyar In to this erth lewyng; He neu{er} more out of his c.u.n.tre Raid, Nor he w{i}t{h} hyme one hund{er}eth kny{ch}t{is} hade. 2876

[Footnote T66: MS. "fir?t." See l. 2870.]

[Sidenote: the first-conquest king the second; Walydeyne the third;]

[T]he ?ecund the first-conque?t king led, That for no p{er}ell of armys vas adred; The thrid, o king clepit walydeyne, He led, and was o manly kny{ch}t, but weyne. 2880

[Sidenote: Clamedeus the fourth;]

[T]he ferd, king clamede{us} has, Wich that lord of far ylys was.

[Sidenote: and King Brandymagus the fifth.]

The fift[T67] batell, whar xl thou?and were, King brandymag{us} had to led and ?tere, 2884 O manly kny{ch}t, and prewit well oft-?y, And in his con?ell wond{er} ?charp & wy.

[Sidenote: Galiot bore no arms;]

Galiot non armys bur that day, Nor as o kny{ch}t he wald hyme-?elf aray, 2888 [Sidenote: but was arrayed as a servant in a habergeon with a "prekyne" hat, and a truncheon in his hand.]

But as o ?{er}uand in o habariowne, O prekyne hat, and ek o gret trown?ciown In til his hond, and one o cur?our ?et, The be?t that was in ony lond to get. 2892 Endlong the rewar men my{ch}t behold & ?ee, Of kny{ch}t{is} weryne mony one a??emble; [Sidenote: The black knight still remains looking towards the parapet.]

And the blak kny{ch}t ?till he couth abyde, W{i}t{h}out remowyng, one the Riwer ?yde, 2896 Bot to the bartes to behold and ?ee Thar as his hart de?yrit mo?t to bee:

[Footnote T67: MS. "fir?t."]

[Headnote: THE FIRST MESSAGE TO THE BLACK KNIGHT.]

[Sidenote: The lady says to the queen--]

And quhen the lady of melyhalt haith ?en The kny{ch}t ?o ?tond, ?che ?aid one to the qwen, [Fol. 36a.]

[Sidenote: "Madam, pray commend yourself to yon knight."]

"Madem, It is my con?ell at ?he send 2901 One to ?one kny{ch}t, ?our-?elf for to {com}mend, Be?eiching hyme that he wald wnd{er}tak This day to do of armys, for ?our ?ak." 2904 [Sidenote: The queen replies]

The quen an?uerit as that hir lykit no{ch}t, For othir thing was more In to hir tho{ch}t, "For well ?he ?e the p{er}ell how disio[i]nt, The adwentur now ?tondith one the point 2908 Boith of my lord his honore, and h{is} lond, And of his men, i{n}[T68] dang{er} how thai ?tond:

[Footnote T68: Stevenson reads "the"; but "the" is crossed out, and "i{n}" written over it.]

[Sidenote: that the lady and the rest may send a message, but that she will not herself take part in it.]

Bot ?he, and ek thir vthere ladice may, If that yhow lykith, to the kny{ch}t gar ?ay 2912 The me?ag; is none that wil yhow let, For I tharof ?al no{ch}t me ent{er}met."

On to the quen ?cho ?aith, "her I, If ?o it ple thir vthir ladice by, 2916 Am for to ?end one to the kny{ch}t {con}tent;"

And al the ladice can thar-to a??ent, Be?eching hir the me?ag to dewy, As ?che that was mo?t prudent & mo?t wy. 2920 [Sidenote: The lady sends a discreet maiden,]

Sche grant.i.t, and o maden haith thai tone, Di?cret, apone this me?ag for till gone; [Sidenote: and Sir Gawane a squire, with two spears,]

And ?{ir} gawan a ?qwyar bad al?o, W{i}t{h} two ?peris one to the kny{ch}t to go. 2924 The lady than, w{i}t{h}outen more dulay, Haith chargit hir apone this wy to ?ay: [Sidenote: to say that all the ladies, the queen alone excepted, commend them to the black knight,]

"Schaw to the kny{ch}t, the ladice eu{er}-ilkone Ben In the court, excep the quen allon, 2928 Til hyme them haith reco{m}mandit oft-?y, Be?eching hyme of kny{ch}thed and gentri, (Or if It hapyne eu{er}more that he ?hall c.u.m, quhar thai may, owther an or all, 2932 In ony thing awail hyme or ?upport, Or do hyme ony ple?ans or comfort,) [Sidenote: and pray him to essay some deed of arms.]

He wold wich?aif for loue of them this day In armys ?um manhed to a??ay; 2936 And ?ay, ?{ir} gawan hyme the ?per{is} ?ent; Now go, this is the fek of our entent."

[Sidenote: The damsel and squire]

The damy?ell ?che hath hir palfray tone, The sqwyar w{i}t{h} the ?peris w{i}t{h} hir gon; 2940 The n{er}e?t way thai pa one to ye kny{ch}t, [Fol. 36b.]

[Sidenote: repeat the message.]

Whar ?che repete hir me?ag haith ful ry{ch}t:

[Headnote: SIR LANCELOT IS NOT CONTENT.]

[Sidenote: Sir Lancelot, finding the queen not in the message,]

And quhen he hard, and planly wnd{er}?tude, How that the quen not in the me?ag ?ude, 2944 [Sidenote: was not content,]

He ?pak no word, bot he was not {con}tent; Bot, of ?{ir} gawan, glaid in his entent, He a?kit quhar he was, and of h{is} fair?

And thai to hyme the man{er} can duclair; 2948 [Sidenote: but asks the squire to hold the two spears ready for him.]

Than the ?qwyar he prayth that he wold Pa to the feld, the ?peris for to hold.

He ?aw the kny{ch}t{is} ?emblyng her and thare, The ?tedis Rynyng w{i}t{h} the ?adill{is} bare; 2952 His ?puris goith in to the ?tedis syde, That was ful ?wyft, and lykit not to byd;

[Headnote: HE USES UP SIR GAWANE'S TWO SPEARS.]

And he that was hardy, fer, and ?tout, [Sidenote: He attacks a company of a hundred knights, slays the nearest,]

Furth by o ?yd a??emblyng on a rout 2956 Whar that one hund{er}eth kny{ch}t{is} was, & mo; And w{i}t{h} the fir?t has Recount{er}it so, That frome the deth not helpith hy{m} h{is} ?cheld, Boith hor and man is lying in the feld; 2960 The ?pere is gone, and al in pecis brak, [Sidenote: and with the stump of his spear bereaves two or three of their saddles.]

And he the trun?cyoune in h{is} hand hath tak That two or thre he haith the ?adill{is} reft, Whill in his hond ?chortly no thing is left. 2964 Syne, to the ?quyar, of the feld is gon, [Sidenote: He takes a new spear from the squire, and overthrows three knights.]

Fro hyme o ?pere In to his hond haith ton, And to the feld returnyt he a?ayne: The fir?t he met, he goith one the plan, 2968 And ek the next, and ?yne the thrid al?o; Nor in his hond, nore in his ?trak was ho.

His e{n}nemys that veryng In affray Befor his ?trok, and makith rovm alway; 2972 And in ?ich wy ay in the feld he vro{ch}t, Whill that his ?peris gon var al to no{cht}; Whar-of ?{ir} gawan berith vitne?ing Throw al this world that thar vas non levyng, 2976 In ?o ?chort tyme ?o mych of armys wro{ch}t.

[Headnote: HE USES UP SIR GAWANE'S TWO SPEARS.]

[Sidenote: His spears gone, he returns to his first position.]

His ?peris gone, out of the feld he ?o{ch}t, And pa??it is one to the Rewere syde, Ry{ch}t th.o.r.e as he was wont for to abyde; 2980 And ?o beholdyne In the ?amyne plan, [Fol. 37a.]

As to the feld hyme lykit no{ch}t a?an.

[Sidenote: Sir Gawane says to the queen:]

Sir gawan ?aw, and ?aith on to the quen, [Sidenote: "Madam, yon knight thinks himself despised, because you so specially excepted yourself in the message;]

"Madem, yhone knycht di?ponit [not],[T69] I weyn, 2984 To help ws more, fore he ?o is awy?it;

[Footnote T69: "not" seems required.]