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3. Sir Cawline

Table of Contents

I

Jesus, Lord mickle of might, That dyed for us on roode, So maintaine us in all our right That loves true English blood!

II

Sir Cawline [was an English knight]

Curteous and full hardye;

And our King has lent him] forth to fight,

Into Ireland over the sea.

III

And in that land there dwells a King,

Over all the bell does beare;

And he hath a ladye to his daughter,

Of fashion27 she hath no peere; Knights and lordes they woo’d her both, Trusted to have been her feere28.

IV

Sir Cawline loves her best of onie,

But nothing durst he say

To discreeve29 his councell to no man, But dearlye loved this may30.

V

Till it befell upon a day,

Great dill31 to him was dight32; The mayden’s love removed his mind, To care-bed33 went the knight.

VI

One while he spread his armes him fro,

And cryed so pittyouslye:

‘For the mayden’s love that I have most minde

This day shall comfort mee,

Or else ere noone I shall be dead!’

Thus can Sir Cawline say.

VII

When the parish mass that itt was done,

And the King was bowne34 to dine, Says, ‘Where is Sir Cawline, that was wont To serve me with ale and wine?’

VIII

But then answer’d a curteous knight

Fast his hands wringìnge:

‘Sir Cawline’s sicke and like to be dead

Without and a good leechìnge35.’

IX

‘Feitch ye downe my daughter deere,

She is a leeche full fine;

Ay, and take you doe and the baken bread,

And [drinke he of] the wine soe red,

And looke no daynty’s for him too deare,

For full loth I wo’ld him tine36.’

X

This ladye is gone to his chamber,

Her maydens following nye;

‘O well,’ she saith, ‘how doth my lord?’

‘O sicke!’ againe saith hee.

XI

‘But rise up wightlye37, man, for shame! Ne’er lie here soe cowardlye! Itt is told in my father’s hall For my love you will dye.’—

XII

‘Itt is for your love, fayre ladye,

That all this dill I drie;

For if you wo’ld comfort me with a kisse,

Then were I brought from bale to bliss,

No longer here wo’ld I lye.’—

XIII

‘Alas! soe well you know, Sir Knight,

I cannot be your feere.’—

‘Yet some deeds of armes fain wo’ld I doe

To be your bacheleere.’—

XIV

‘On Eldritch Hill there grows a thorn,

Upon the mores38 brodinge39; And wo’ld you, Sir Knight, wake there all night To day of the other morninge?

XV

‘For the Eldritch King, that is mickle of might,

Will examine40 you beforne41: There was never a man bare his life away Since the day that I was born.’—

XVI

‘But I will for your sake, ladye,

Walk on the bents42 soe browne, And I’ll either bring you a readye token, Or I’ll ne’er come to you again.’

XVII

But this ladye is gone to her chamber,

Her maydens following bright;

And Sir Cawline’s gone to the mores soe broad,

For to wake there all night.

XVIII

Unto midnight that the moone did rise

He walkèd up and downe,

And a lightsome bugle then heard he blow

Over the bents so browne;

Sayes he, ‘And if cryance43 come to my heart, I am farr from any good towne.’

XIX

And he spyèd, e’en a little him by,

A furyous king and a fell,

And a ladye bright his brydle led

More] seemlye [than onie can tell].

XX

Soe fast he call’d on Sir Cawline,

‘O man, I rede thee flye!

For if cryance come untill thy heart

I’m afeard lest thou maun dye!’—

XXI

He sayes, ‘No cryance comes to my heart,

Nor i’faith I fear not thee;

For because thou ming’d44 not Christ before, The lesse me dreadeth thee.’

XXII

But Sir Cawline then he shooke a speare;

The King was bold, and abode:

And the timber those two children bare

Soe soon in sunder slode45: Forth they tooke and two good swords, And they layden on good loade46.

XXIII

The Eldritch King was mickle of might,

And stiffly to the ground did stand;

But Sir Cawline with an aukeward47 stroke He brought from him his hand— Ay, and flying over his head so hye It fell down of that lay land48.

XXIV

His ladye stood a little thereby,

Fast her hands wringìnge:

‘For the mayden’s love that you have most minde,

Smyte you noe more [this King].

XXV

‘And he’s never49 come upon Eldritch Hill Him to sport, gammon or play, And to meet no man of middle-earth50 That lives on Christ his lay51.’

XXVI

But he then up, that Eldritch King,

Set him in his sadle againe,

And that Eldritch King and his ladye

To their castle are they gone.

XXVII

Sir Cawline took up that eldritch sword

As hard as any flynt,

Soe did he [the hand with] ringès five

Harder than fyer, and brent52.

XXVIII

The watchmen cryed upon the walls

And sayd, ‘Sir Cawline’s slaine!’

Then the King’s daughter she fell downe,

‘For peerlesse is my payne!’—

XXIX

‘O peace, my ladye!’ sayes Sir Cawline,

‘I have bought thy love full deare;

O peace, my ladye!’ sayes Sir Cawline,

‘Peace, ladye, for I am heere!’

XXX

He’s presented to the King’s daughter

The hand, and then the sword

And he has claimed the King’s daughter

According to her word].

XXXI

And the King has betaken53 him his broad lands And all his venison54; Sayes] ‘Thou shalt have my daughter deare, And be my onelye son’].

FOOTNOTES:

27. fashion = form, beauty.

28. feere = mate, consort.

29. discreeve = discover.

30. may = maid.

31. dill = dole, grief.

32. dight = ordained.

33. care-bed = sick-bed.

34. bowne = made ready, gone.

35. without and, &c. = unless he have a good leech, or physician.

36. tine = lose.

37. wightlye = briskly, stoutly.

38. mores = moors.

39. brodinge = growing, sprouting.

40. examine = put to the test.

41. beforne = before (morning).

42. bents = rough grasses.

43. cryance = yielding, cowardice.

44. ming’d = mentioned, spoke the name of.

45. slode = split.

46. good loade = heavily.

47. aukeward = back-handed.

48. lay land = lea, land not under cultivation; here = ground.

49. he’s never = he will never.

50. middle-earth = this earth, as midway between heaven and hell.

51. lay = law, faith.

52. brent = smooth.

53. betaken = given, made over.

54. venison = i. e. deer-forests.