And he was / clothed al in blake
I stalked even/ vnto hys bake

And there I stoode / as stille as ought
That soth to saye / he sawe me nought'
For why he henge / hys hede adovne
And with a dedely / sorwful sovne
He made of Ryme / .x. vers or twelfe
Of a compleynt / to hym selfe
The moste pitee / the moste rowthe

That euer I herde / for by my trowthe
Hit was gret wonder that nature

Myght' suffre / any creature

To haue suche sorwe / and be not ded

460

464

[leaf 136]

Ful petuose pale / and no-thynge red if fiase>
He sayed a lay / a maner songe

With-oute noote / withoute songe
And was thys/ for ful wel I kañ
Reherse hyt ryght' / thus hyt began
¶ I have of sorwe / so grete wone
That Ioy gete I / never none
Now that I see / my lady bryght

Which I have loved / with al my myght'

Is fro me ded/ and ys a-gooñ

468

472

[The Knight's Lay

476

no gap in the MS.1] [1 Bodl. 638, leaf 119, hack,

¶ Allas dethe/ what ayletħ the

That thou noldest / haue taken me
Whan thou toke / my lady swete
That was so faire / so freshe so fre
So goode that men / may wel se

has no gap either]

484

To wete eke why / hyt was a-drad
By kynde / and for to make hyt glad
For hit ys membre / principal |

Of the body/ and that made al
Hys hewe chaunge/ and wexe grene
And pale / for ther noo bloode ys sene
In no maner/hym of hys

Anoon therwith / whañ y sawgħ this
He ferde thus euel / there he sete
I went and stoode / ryght at his fete
And grette hym / but he spake noght'
But argued / with his ovne thoght'
And in hys wytte / disputed faste
Why and how / hys lyfe myght' laste

Hym thought hys sorwes / were so smerte
And lay so colde / vpon hys herte

So throgh hys sorwes / and hevy thoght'
Made hym / that he herde me noght'

496

500

504

[leaf 136, back]

508

For he had wel nygħ / loste hys mynde

Thogħ .Pan. that meñ / clepe the god of kynde

512

Were for hys sorwes / neuer so wrothe

¶ But at the last / to sayñ ryght' sothe
He was was war of me / how y stoode
Before hym/ and did of myñ hoode
And had ygret hym / as I best koude
Debonayrly/and no thyng lowde
He sayde I prey the/ be not wrothe

I herde the not / to seyn the sothe
Ne I sawgh the not / syr trewly
A good sire/ no fors quod y

516

520

I am ryght' sory / yif I have oughte

Destroubled yow / out of your thoughte

524

For-yive me/yif I have mys-take

Yis thamendys/is lyght to make

Quod he/ for ther lyeth noon ther-to
There ys no thynge / myssayde nor do

528

Loo/how goodely spake thys knyghte
As hit had be/a-nother wyghte

He made hyt nouther/ towgh ne queynte
And I sawe that / and gañ me1 aqueynt
With hym/ and fonde hym so tretable
Ryght' wonder skylful / and resonable
As me thoght/ for al hys bale
A-noon ryght / I gañ fynde a tale

To hym / to loke wher I myght oughte

Haue more knowynge / of hys thoughte
Sir quod I/ this game is doon

I holde that this / hert be gooñ
These huntys / konne hym nowher see
Y do no fors/therof quod he
My thought' ys there-on / neuer a dele
Be oure lorde quod I/ y trow yow wele
Ryght' so me thenketh / by youre chere
But sir oo thyng / wol ye here

Me thynketh in grete sorowe / I yow see
But certys sir/ yif that yee

Wolde ought discure me / youre woo

hool

I wolde as wys / god helpe me soo
Amende hyt/yif I kan or may
Ye mowe preve hyt / be assay
For by my trouthe/ to make yow
I wol do alle / my power hool
And telleth me / of your sorwes smerte
Paraventure hyt may / ease youre herte
That semeth ful seke / vnder your syde
With that he loked / oñ me asyde
As who sayth nay / that wol not be
Graunt mercy/goode frende quod he
I thanke the/ that thow woldest soo
But hyt may never / the rather be doo
No mañ may my sorwe glade

And hath myñ vnderstondynge / lorne
That me ys woo / that I was borne
May noght make / my sorwes slyde
Nought' al the remedyes / of Ovyde
Ne Orpheus god of melodye
Ne Dedalus / with his playes slye
Ne hele me may / noo phisicien
Noght' ypocras/ ne Galyeñ

568

572

Of al blysse / that ever was maked
Y worthe worste / of al wyghtys
That hate my dayes / and my nyghtys
My lyfe my lustes / be me loothe
For al welfare and I be wroothe
The pure deth / ys so ful my foo
That I wolde deye / hyt wolde not soo
For whan I folwe hyt / hit wol flee
I wolde haue hym / hyt nyl nat me
This ys my peyne/ wythoute rede
Alway deynge / and be not dede

580

[leaf 137, back]

584

588

My wytte ys foly / my day ys nyghte
My love ys hate / my slepe wakynge
My merthe and meles / ys fastynge
My countenaunce/ys nycete
And al abawed / where so I be
My pees/in pledynge and in werre
Allas how myght I / fare werre
My boldenesse/ys turned to shame
For fals Fortune / hath pleyde a game
Atte the chesse with me / allas the while
The trayteresse fals/ and ful of gyle
That al behoteth / and no thyng halte
She gethe vpryght' / and yet she is halte
That baggeth foule / and loketh faire
The dispitouse/debonaire

That skorneth many / a creature

An ydole of fals portrayture
Ys she/ for she wol soñe varieñ

604

608

612

616

[nota in margin]

[leaf 138]

624