Part 14 (2/2)
[Headnote: UBBE TAKES A GREAT FANCY TO HAVELOK.]
+Hauelok herde at he bad, 1668 And thow was he ful sore drad, [Sidenote: [Fol. 212, col. 2.]]
With him to ete, for hise wif; [Sidenote: Havelok fears ill may come of it.]
For him wore leuere at his lif Him wore reft, an she i{n} blame 1672 Felle, or lauthe ani shame.
Hwa{n}ne he hauede his wille _w_at,[72]
e stede, at he onne sat, [Sidenote: But Ubbe rides away, saying, ”Mind that you come.”]
Smot ubbe with spures faste, 1676 And forth awey, but at e laste, Or he fro him ferde, Seyde he, at his folk herde: ”Loke at ye come{n} bee, 1680 For ich it wile, and ich it rede.”
[Footnote 72: MS. _either_ at _or_ ?at.]
[Headnote: UBBE SENDS HAVELOK TO BERNARD.]
[Sidenote: Havelok dares not refuse.]
+Hauelok ne durste, e he were adrad, Nouth with-sitte{n} at ubbe bad; His wif he dide with him lede, 1684 Vn-to e heye curt he y[e]de.[73]
[Sidenote: Robert the Red leads Goldborough.]
Roberd hire ledde, at was red, at hau[ed]e arned[73*] for hire e ded Or ani hauede hire misseyd, 1688 Or hand with iuele onne leyd.
[Sidenote: William Wendut is on the other side of her.]
Willam wendut was at oer at hire ledde, roberdes broer, at was with at alle nedes: 1692 Wel is him at G.o.d ma{n} fedes!
an he were{n} come{n} to e halle, Biforen ubbe, and hise me{n} alle, [Sidenote: Ubbe starts up to welcome them.]
Vbbe stirte hem ageyn, 1696 And mani a knith, and mani a sweyn, Hem for to se, and forto shewe; o stod hauelok als a lowe [Sidenote: Havelok is a head taller than any of them.]
Aboven [o] at er-i{n}ne wore, 1700 Rith al bi e heued more a{n}ne ani at er-inne stod: o was ubbe blie of mod, at he saw him so fayr and he{n}de, 1704 Fro him ne mithe his herte we{n}de, Ne fro him, ne fro his wif; He louede hem sone so his lif.
[Sidenote: Ubbe loves Havelok better than any one else.]
Were{n} non i{n} denemark, at him outhe, 1708 at he so mikel loue mouthe; More he louede hauelok one, an al denemark, bi mine wone!
Loke nou, hw G.o.d helpen kan 1712 O mani wise wif and man.
[Footnote 73: MS. yde.]
[Footnote 73* (from Emendations): ”_arned_ is an error of the scribe for _oled_; see the Glossary.”]
+Hwan it was come{n} time to ete, [Sidenote: [Fol. 212b, col. 1.]]
Hise wif dede ubbe sone in fete, And til hire seyde, al on game{n}: 1716 [Sidenote: Ubbe's wife is to eat with Havelok, and Goldborough with Ubbe.]
”Dame, ou and hauelok shule{n} ete same{n}, And goldeboru shal ete wit me, at is so fayr so flour on tre; In al denemark nis[74, 74*] wimma{n} 1720 So fayr so sche, bi seint iohan!”
a{n}ne [he] were set, and bord leyd, And e beneysun was seyd, [Sidenote: There were cranes, swans, venison, fish, and wines.]
Biforn he{m} com e beste mete 1724 at king or cayser wolde ete; Kranes, swa{n}nes, ueneysun, Lax, lampreys, and G.o.d sturgun, Pyme{n}t to drinke, and G.o.d clare, 1728 Win hwit and red, ful G.o.d plente.
Was er-inne no page so lite, at euere wolde ale bite.
Of e mete forto tel, 1732 [Sidenote: No need to tell it all.]
Ne of e metes[75] bidde[75*] i nout dwelle; at is e storie for to lenge, It wolde anuye is fayre genge.
[Sidenote: When the feast is over, Ubbe thinks he must let them have an escort.]
But hwan he haueden e kiwing[76] de[y]led,[76*] 1736 And fele sies hauede{n} wosseyled, And with G.o.de drinkes sete{n} longe, And it was time for to gonge, Il man to er he cam fro, 1740 outhe ubbe, ”yf I late hem go, us one foure, with-uten mo, So mote ich brouke finger or to, For is wi{m}ma{n} bes mike wo! 1744 For hire shal me{n} hire louerd slo.”
He tok sone knithes ten, And wel sixti oer men, Wit G.o.de bowes, and with gleiues, 1748 And sende him unto e greyues, [Sidenote: He sends them to Bernard Brown, and bids him take care of them till next day.]
e beste ma{n} of al e toun, at was named b{er}nard brun; And bad him, als he louede his lif, 1752 Hauelok wel y[e]men,[77] and his wif, And wel do wayten al e nith, Til e oer day, at it were lith.
Bernard was trewe, and swie with, 1756 In al e borw ne was no knith at betere coue on stede riden, Helm on heued, ne swerd bi side.
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