4
8
12
16 |
 ince
the time, that God was born,
And Christendome was set and sworn,
Many adventures hath befallen,
That be not known now to all,
Therefore should men meakly hark,
And thank God always to work,
And take example of wise men,
That have before their time been:
Well fair adventures befell them
(And since then showed to many men),
For that they lived in sooth fastness
In great travail and in anguish,
Of good many lives men should hear
And of their good deeds sythen learn:
He, that might learn and hold fast,
He should wax wise at the last.
It is to hold a great mystery
To hold wisdom and leave folly. |
Sothefastenes |
20
24 |
 Of
an Earl I will you now tell
(Of a better may no man spell)
And of his steward bright of hue,
That was both good and true,
And of his son, that good squire,
While we was whole and fair,
And how he loved many a thing,
The Earl's daughter, a sweet thing. |
|
28
32
36
40
44
48
|
The
Earl was of England
And held Warwick in his hand:
Rich was he and of great might,
Also courteous and a gentle knight.
He was rich, without all this,
Of gold and silver and many clothes
Of strong castles and cities rich:
In all that land none was his like,
Knight nor swayne, in no wise,
That does against him rise,
But that he took them, as these felons,
And cast them into prison.
Well he loved fair steeds
And gave gifts and great medys;
Therefore all men him dradde
And to him great love had.
Earl he was of a great post,
And lord over that country:
Of Oxford all the bliss,
Every day it was his;
Of the Earldome of Buckingham
Lord he was and bore the name.
Sir Roholde, for sooth,
he hailed:
He was a noble man and a wyght. |
wythowten
medys (medals?)
dradde (dread?)
hyght
wyght - powerful warrior |
52
56
60
64
68 |
A
daughter he had by his countess,
There might no man [to] tell her fairness
Listen to me, for I tell well
Of her beauty; for that is a skill.
White she was, as a field flower;
Long, small and well fairing,
Fair mouth and nose sitting,
Fair forehead and fair hair.
Such a maid there never were,
So fair shaped and well delight,
Joy it was to see that sight!
Wise she was and curteous of mouth,
All the vii arse she cowthe.
She had masters at her hand,
The wisest men of that land,
And taught her Astronomy,
Arithematic and Geometry.
That maid was a great prize,
For she was both wary
and wise. |
vii arse she cowthe
(help!)
warre |
72
76
80
|
Dukes,
Earls of great kin
Of many a land came to her to win:
Of them all would she have none
For the goodness, that was her one.
Well fair was that damsel,
Her name was Felice la Belle.
Of all maidens she bore the flower:
That time was none of her honor.
If men sought [through] all mankind,
A fairer maid shall no man find.
[He] who so should the fairer tell,
All too long should he dwell. |
none of hur honowre
(not sure what the poet
indends)
|
84
88
92
96
100
104
|
Now
of the Steward speak we then,
For he was come from rich kin.
A man he was of great might:
In his time there was no knight,
Of arms, of strength of hand
That bore such prize in all that land.
In Wallingford he was born:
All that land to him was sworn.
He was a man of a great post:
There was none better on that half, we see.
He could ygnoh of noble service,
Therefore he was a noble prize.
There was none other in all that land,
That does against his Lord stand,
But he battled against his boast
With the strength of his hoste
And took him with folk ynowe,
If they into Scotland flow,
He hald all his Lord's land,
With great honor under his hand.
He made peace, as he would:
If a man were charged with gold,
He should find no rubber him to reeve,
That would take ought against his leave. |
ygnoh (enough?)
ynowe (enough? renown?) |
108
112
116
120
124
128
132
136
140 |
Segward
was the Steward's name,
A true man, without fame:
A better steward had no man.
That ilk [the] steward has a son,
[One] fairer may no man know
Neither of high nor of low.
Curteous he was and wise of lore,
And well beloved with less and more.
The Earl Roholde he served then:
He was deserved of many a man.
The Earl loved that squire,
Before all others he loved him dear.
Of his cup he served him on a day,
In the knight's chamber he lay.
Good he was and bright of hue:
He would not him change for one new.
Guy he hailed of Warwick:
In all the land was none him like,
There was neither squire nor knight,
But they loved him with all their might,
And he them gave gifts withall,
So that he was loved by all.
Through fairness and strength alone,
They honored him each and every one.
Fair he was and bright of face:
He shown as bright as a glass.
His kin was wonder joyfull than,
That he waxed so fair a man.
Hende he was and mild of mood:
All men spoke of him great good.
With a sword he could well play,
And prick a steed in a way.
Guy had a [sword]master, a knight,
(Sir Harod of Ardurne he hailed),
A noble knight and hardy,
Full well he taught Guy. |
ylke
hyght
|
144
148
152
156
160
164
168
172 |
At
Whitsuntide fell a day,
I tell you as I may,
The Earl made a great feast
Of lords of that honest land,
Knights, earls and barons
Came hither from many towns;
Ladys and maidens free
Come thereto from many a country.
Knights sat in the hall,
Ladys in the chamber all.
When they were set to meat,
Guy came and the Earl [did] greet.
The Earl clapped Guy anon
(A silk gown he had upon):
He bad him go to the chamber still
And serve his daughterat her will.
Well be seemed in that silk cloth,
To [the] chamber forth anon he goeth.
Guy on his knees he set
And that maiden faire did he greet.
'Madame," he said, "God see you.;
Your great lord [has done] well by me
And commanded, I should, for my work
Before thee serve this same day."
Felice asked at that case,
Who that Guy's father was.
"My father," he said, "hails as Segward,
That is, your lord's steward."
The maid said: "Segward is good,
And so be all that be of his blood." |
...that ylke clothe:
Not sure what the author
intended here--that he
looked comely in the silk
robes? |
176
180
184 |
Then
the maiden was up to stand,
And asked for water to her hand,
The maidens washed without let
And to their meat they'd been set.
Guy listened all that day
To serve that lady to her pay,
Well he served her, young sir Guy:
THere were maidens thirty,
That for his service in the hall,
There love on him did befall.
Thereof wrought Guy naught:
Another love was in his thought.
Guy over all loved Felice,
The Earl's daughter with the fair voice. |
|
188 |
After
the meat, (it waxed near eve)
Guy at the maid took his leave:
To his inn went Guy,
A careful man and sorry. |
|
