[Sidenote: The King of Portugal tells Desonell that Torrent kild the Giant for love of her.]

'Ye schall take hed of a jeentyll man~, A feyer~ poynt for~ yow he wane, 445 Desonell, at the last.'

'Syr,' sche seyd, 'be hevyn kyng, Tyll ye me told, I knewe no thyng, For who ys love yt wase.'

'Desonell, so mvt I the, 450 Yt wase for the lowe of the, That he trovylld so fast.

I warne yow, dowghttyr, be the Rode, Yt ys for yow bothe good, Ther to I Red yow tr{a}st.' 455

[Linenote: 455. _trust_ MS.]

[['Syr,' sche seyd, _open quote invisible_]]

(41)

[Sidenote: She gives Torrent a white steed which the King of Nazareth had sent her.]

Forthe sche browght a whyt sted, As whyt as the flowyr in~ med, Ys fytte blac ase slo{n}.

'Leman~, haue here thys fole, That dethe ys dynt schalt {o}u not {thole}, 460 Whyll thow setty{s}te hyme appon~, And yf thow had p{ersew}yd be And hadyst ned fore to fle, Fast for to gone.

The kyng of Nazareth sent hym me, 465 Torrent, I wet-saffe hym on the, For bett{er} love may I none.' f. 84a.

[Linenotes: 458. _slo_ MS.

460. _thole_] _haue_ MS.

461. _settythe_ MS.

462. _p'revyd_ (!) MS.

465. So Fragm. I (F. I); _The kyng of Portynggalle seyd: 'So mot I the_ MS.

466. _hym on_] so F. I; _of_ MS.]

(42)

[Sidenote: The King treacherously asks Torrent to get Desonell a Falcon]

Aftyr-ward vppon a tyd, Ase the went be the watyr{es} syd, The kyng and yong Torrent, 470 The kyng wold fayne, that he ded wer~, And he wyst, in~ what maner~, How he schuld be schent; A false lettyr mad the kyng And dyd messengyr{es} forthe yt bryng, 475 On the Rever~, ase they went, To Torrent, that was trew ase styll, Yf he love Desonell wyll, Get her a facon~ jent.

[Linenotes: 471. _ded wer{e}_] so F. I; _were ded_ MS.

472. _he_] so F. I; _hym_ MS.

477. _that was_] so F. I; om. MS.]

[Headnote: THE FALSE KING OF PORTUGAL DECEIVES TORRENT.]

(43)

[Sidenote: from the Forest of Magdalen.]

Torrent the lett{er} be-gan~ to Red, 480 The kyng lestyned & nere yed, Ase he yt nevyr ad s{e}ne.

'Syr,' he seyd, 'what may thys be, Loo, lord, come ner~ and see, A-bowght a facon~ schene? 485 I ne wot, so G.o.d me sped, In what lond that they bred.'

The kyng answerd: 'I wene, In the forrest of Mavdeleyn~, Ther be hawk{es}, ase I herd seyne, 490 That byn of lenage {cl}en~.'

[Linenotes: 482. _syne_ MS.

487. _that_] so F. I; om. MS.

_they_] _ne_ add. (!) MS.

489. _Mavd._] so F. I; _Mavdlen_ MS.

491. _clen~_] _gene_ MS.]

(44)

[Sidenote: He agrees to do it. Torrent rides]

And than seyd the kyng on-trew: 'Yf thow get hawkys of gret valew, Bryng on of them to me!'

Torrent Seyd: 'So G.o.d me saue, f. 84b. 495 Yf yt be-tyd, that I may haue, At yow{r} wyll they schal be.'

Hys squyere bode he th{a}r~, Aftyr hys armor~ for to far~, In the fyld byddythe he. 500 They armyd hym in~ hys wed, Tho he be-strod a n.o.ble sted, And forthe than Rod hee.

[Linenote: 498. _squyere_] so F. II; _squyeres_ MS.

_there_ MS.]

[Headnote: TORRENT FINDS A DRAGON IN THE FOREST.]

(45)

[Sidenote: to the Forest of Magdalen, gets separated from his Squire,]

+T+orrent toke the wey a-geyn~ In to the forest of Mawdleyn~, 505 In the wyld-some way; Berys and apes there founde he, And wylde bestys great plente, And lyons where they lay.

In a wod that wase tyght, 510 Yt Drew nere-hand nyght By dymmynge of the Day, Harkyn, lord{es}, {to} them came wo, He and hys squyer~ p{ar}tyd in two, Carfull men then were they. 515

[Linenotes: 502. _n.o.ble_] so F. II; _nothere_ MS.

507-509: so F. II: _Berrys he sawe stondyng And wyld bestes ther goyng, Gret lyonys ther he fond._ MS.

510: _tyght_] so F. II; _thyke_ MS.

512: _By d._] so F. II; _And ine the Dawnyng_ MS.

513: _to--wo_] so F. II; _to_] of F. II.

_what I schalle sey_ MS.

514: _in two_] so F. II; _they_ MS.

515: _men--they_] so F. II; _they were that Day_ MS.]

(46)

[Sidenote: and comes on a Dragon.]

At the schedyng of a Rome Eche p{ar}tyd other frome, For sothe, ase I vndyrstond.

Torrent toke a dulful wey Downe in~ a depe valey 520 Be-syd a well strong.

A lytyll be fore mydnyght Of a dragon he had syght, That grysly wase to {fond}; He had hym nowght to were, 525 But hys schyld and hys spere, f. 85a.

That wase in~ hys squyer{es} hond.

[Linenote: 524. _fond_] _syght_ MS.]

[Headnote: A DRAGON ATTACKS TORRENT.]

(47)

[Sidenote: Torrent prays to Christ to be his help.]

Torrent knelyd on hys kne, To I{es}u Cryst p{ra}yd he: 'Lord, mykyll of myght, 530 Syne I wase in~ meche care, Let me nevuyr~ owt of {t}hys world far~, Tyll I haue take o{rd}er of knyght.

Ase I ame falsely hether~ sent, Wyld-som weyes haue I went, 535 W{i}t{h} fynd{es} for to fyght.