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Now rise up wightly, man, for shame,
Never lye so cowardly,

For it is told in my father's hall,
You dye for love of me.

Fair lady, it is for your love
That all this dill I drye,*

For if you would comfort me with a kiss,
Then were I brought from bale to bliss,
No longer would I lye.

Sir knight, my father is a king,
I am his only heir:

Alas! and well you know, sir knight,
I never can be your feere.

O lady, thou art a king's daughter,
And I am not thy peer,

But let me do some deeds of arms,
To be your Bacheleere. +

Some deeds of arms if thou wilt do,

My Bacheleere to be,

But ever and aye my heart would rue
Giff harm should hap to thee.

Upon Eldridge hill there groweth a thorn

Upon the moors brodinge, §

And dare ye, sir knight, wake there all night,
Until the fair morning?

For the Eldridge || knight, so mickle of might,

Will examine you beforne,

And never man bare life away,

* Suffer.

tlf.

But he did him scath and scorn.

+ Betrothed knight,-acknowledged lover.

Pricking. Dr. PERCY. He has given no derivation. When applied to men, it signifies wild, hideous, &c.; places,—gloomy, lonesome, haunted.

That knight he is a foul paynim,
And large of limb and bone,

And but if heaven may be thy speed,
Thy life it is but gone.

Now on the Eldridge hills I'll walk,*
For thy sake, fair lady,

And I'll either bring you a ready token,
Or I'll never more you see.

The lady is gone to her own chamber,
Her maidens following bright,

Sir Cauline leaped from care-bed soon,
And to the Eldridge hills is gone,

For to wake there all night.

Unto midnight, that the moon did rise,
He walked up and down,

Then a lightsome bugle heard he blow,
Over the bents so brown;

Quoth he, if cryance † come to my heart,
I am far from any good town.

And soon he spied on the moors so broad,
A furious wight, and fell;

A lady bright his bridle led,

Clad in a fair kirtle.

And so fast he called on Sir Cauline,

O man! I rede thee fly,

For, but if cryance comes to my heart,

I ween but thou may die.

He saith, no cryance comes to my heart,

Nor, in faith, I will not flee,

*Or wake, i. e. watch all night.

+ Here it seems to signify fear, from crainté;-in other places, belief, from créance.-Dr. P.

For, cause thou minged* not Christ before,
The less me dreadeth thee.

The Eldridge knight he pricked his steed;
Sir Cauline bold abode,

Then either shook his trusty spear,

And the timber these two children + bare
So soon in sunder slode. ‡

Then took they out their two good swords,
And layden on full fast,

Till helm and hawberk, mail and shield,
They all were well-nigh brast.

The Eldridge knight was mickle of might,
And stiff in stower § did stand,

But Sir Cauline, with a backward stroke,
He smote off his right hand;

That soon he with pain and lack of blood,
Fell down on that lay-land.

Then up Sir Cauline lift his brand,

All over his head so high:
And here I swear by the holy rood,
Now, caitiff, thou shalt die!

Then up and came that lady bright,
Fast wringing of her hand,

For the maiden's love that most you love,
Withhold that deadly brand.

For the maiden's love that most you love,
Now smite no more I pray,

And aye whatever thou wilt my lord,
He shall thy hests obey.

Now swear to me, thou Eldridge knight,

And here on this lay-land,

Mentioned.

+ Knights.

+ Split.

Steady in the conflict.

That thou wilt believe on Christ his lay,
And thereto plight thy hand.

And thou never more on Eldridge come
To sport, gamon, * or play,

And that thou here give up thy arms
Until thy dying day.

The Eldridge knight gave up his arms
With many a sorrowful sigh,

And sware to obey Sir Cauline's hest
Till the time that he should die.

And he then up, and the Eldridge knight
Set him in his saddle anon,

And the Eldridge knight and his lady
To their castle are they gone.

Then he took up the bloody hand
That was so large of bone,
And on it he found five rings of gold
Of knights that had he slone.

Then he took up the Eldridge sword,
As hard as any flint,

And he took off those rings five,
As bright as fire and brent. †

Home then pricked Sir Cauline,
As light as leaf on tree,

I wis he neither stint nor blanne
Till he his lady see.

Then down he knelt upon his knee

Before that lady gay,

O lady! I have been on the Eldridge hills,
These tokens I bring away.

* Or gamen, an old word for any sport or game.

+ i. e. Burnt, flame-colour, rubies or topazes.

I Stayed.

Now welcome, welcome! Sir Cauline,

Thrice welcome unto me!

For now I perceive thou art a true knight,
Of valour bold and free.

O lady! I am thy own true knight,
Thy hests for to obey,

And might I hope to win thy love,-
No more his tongue could say.

The lady blushed scarlet red,
And fetched a gentle sigh,
Alas! sir knight, how may this be,

For my degree 's so high?

But sith thou has hight,* thou comely youth, To be my Batchelere,

I'll promise, if thee I may not wed,

I will have none other feere.

Then she held forth her lily white hand

To that knight so free;

He gave to it one gentle kiss

His heart was brought from bale to bliss,

The tears start from his eye.

But keep my counsel, Sir Cauline,

Nor let no man it know,

For and ever my father should it ken,
I wot he would us sloe.†

From that day forth that lady fair
Loved Sir Cauline the knight,
From that day forth he only joyed
When she was in his sight.

Yea, and oftentimes they met
Within a fair arbour,

Where they in love and sweet dalliance,

Past many a pleasant hour.

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