Part 19 (1/2)

[Headnote: G.o.dARD'S MEN ARE BEATEN.]

+Hwan his folk at sau and herde, Hwou robert with here louerd ferde, He haueden him wel ner browt of liue, 2412 Ne were{n} his two breren and ore fiue Slowen of here laddes ten, Of G.o.dardes aler-beste men.

[Sidenote: G.o.dard's men flee, but G.o.dard rallies them.]

Hwan e ore sawe{n} at, he fledde{n}, 2416 And G.o.dard swie loude gredde: ”Mine knithes, hwat do ye?

Sule ye us-gate fro me fle?

Ich haue you fed, and yet shal fede, 2420 Helpe me nu in is nede, And late ye nouth mi bodi spille, Ne hauelok don of me hise wille.

Yif ye id[107] do, ye do you shame, 2424 And bringeth you-self in mikel blame.”

Hwan he at herden, he wenten ageyn, And slowen a knit and[108] a sweyn Of e kinges oune men, 2428 And woundede{n} abute{n} ten.

[Footnote 107: _Qu._ it.]

[Footnote 108: MS. and and.]

[Headnote: G.o.dARD IS BOUND AND LED TO HAVELOK.]

[Sidenote: The king's men kill all G.o.dard's men.]

+The kinges men hwan he at sawe, Scute{n} on hem, heye and lowe, And euerilk fot of hem slowe, 2432 But G.o.dard one, at he flowe, So e ef men dos henge, [Sidenote: [Fol. 216b, col. 1.]]

Or hund men shole i{n} dike slenge.

He bunde{n} him ful swie faste, 2436 Hwil e bondes wolden laste, at he rorede als a bole, at he wore parred in an hole, With dogges forto bite and beite: 2440 Were e bondes nouth to leite.

[Sidenote: They bind G.o.dard, and cast him on an old mare, to take him to Havelok.]

He bounde{n} hi{m} so[109] fele sore, at he gan crien G.o.des ore, at he sholde of his hend plette, 2444 Wolde{n} he nouht er-fore lette, at he ne bounde{n} hond and fet: Daeit at on at er-fore let!

But dunte{n} him so man doth bere, 2448 And keste him on a scabbed mere, Hise nese went un-to e crice: So ledde{n} he at fule swike, Til he was biforn hauelok brouth, 2452 at he haue[de] ful wo wrowht, Boe with hungre[110] and with cold, Or he were twel winter old, And with mani heui swink, 2456 With poure mete, and feble drink, And [with] swie wikke cloes, For al hise manie grete othes.

Nu beyes he his holde blame: 2460 [Sidenote: ”_Old sin makes new shame._”]

'Old sinne makes newe shame:'

Wan he was [brouht] so shamelike Biforn[111] e king, e fule swike, [Sidenote: The king summons Ubbe and the rest.]

e king dede ubbe swie calle 2464 Hise erles, and hise barouns alle, Dreng and thein, burgeis and knith,

[Headnote: HE IS CONDEMNED TO BE HUNG.]

And bad he sholde{n} demen him rith: For he kneu, e swike dam, 2468 Euerildel G.o.d was him gram.

He sette{n} hem dun bi e wawe, Riche and pouere, heye and lowe, [Sidenote: They sit in judgment.]

e helde men, and ek e grom, 2472 And made er e rithe dom, And seyde{n} unto e king anon, at stille sat [al] so e ston: [Sidenote: ”He is to be flayed, drawn, and hung.”]

”We deme, at he be al quic slawen,[112] 2476 And sien to e galwes drawe[{n}], At is foule mere tayl; oru is fet a ful stro{n}g nayl; [Sidenote: [Fol. 216b, col. 2.]]

And ore ben henged wit two feteres, 2480 And are be writen ise leteres: 'is is e swike at wende wel, e king haue reft e lond il del, And hise sistres with a knif 2484 Boe refte here lif.'

is writ shal henge bi him are; e dom is demd, seye we na more.”

[Footnote 109: MS. fo.]

[Footnote 110: MS. hungred.]

[Footnote 111: MS. Brouht biforn; _but the word _brouht_ clearly belongs to the preceding line, in which, however, it is omitted._]

[Footnote 112: We should perhaps read _flawen_, as required by the sense. _See_ ll. 2495, 2502.]

[Headnote: G.o.dARD IS FLAYED ALIVE AND HUNG.]

[Sidenote: G.o.dard is shriven.]

+Hwan e dom was demd and giue, 2488 And he was wit e p{re}stes shriue, And it ne mouhte ben non oer, Ne for fader, ne for broer, at he sholde arne lif; 2492 [Sidenote: A lad flays him.]