Chapter II: A. Words of the same root are alliterative. 133: Torrent, on (2)

10. The tournament, which in both poems compasses the reunion of the separated family, is brought on in a different manner. In _Eglamour_ Degrabelle himself proposes the hand of his mother as the prize in the next tournament, to which his father comes. In _Torrent_ Desonelle, hearing of the victories of the strange knight, supposes him to be her spouse from his arms, and at her request a tournament is arranged. (Her hand seems to have been likewise the prize, as may be gleaned from l. 2440.)

11. At the very end of the poems two slight differences are to be noted: in _Eglamour_, Degrabelle marries Organata, daughter of the king of Sidon, whereas the sons of Torrent return into Greece and Jerusalem. Eglamour is crowned prince of Artois; Torrent is elected Emperor of Rome.

From this comparison we may conclude that _Torrent_ is not directly founded upon _Eglamour_, or _vice versâ_; the differences are too great to justify the supposition that either is drawn from the other. Especially is the opinion of Halliwell, which I mentioned above, to be rejected: _Sir Torrent_ cannot be founded on _Sir Eglamour_, simply because it agrees more closely with the old legendary tale than _Syr Eglamour_ does, and has preserved some essential features not to be found in _Eglamour_, in which these are supplanted by others. Desonelle, for instance, has two children according to the old legend, Crystyabelle one; Torrent must fight and suffer in heathen lands like Eustache, whereas Eglamour appears as a mere knight-errant. Further, neither in the Eustache legend nor in _Torrent_ do we find the history of the son who marries his mother, which motive the poet may have taken from the legend of Pope Gregory, or perhaps from the tale of _Syr Degaré_.

But how can the resemblance of the leading features and the discrepancies in particulars be explained? IÂ think the most probable conjecture is, that an old poem, now lost, existed, with which the authors of _Sir Eglamour_ and of _Sir Torrent_ were acquainted; but not having a MS. of it, or knowing it by heart, both of them made up their minds to rewrite the story in a well-known metre, changing, omitting, adding whatever they liked, even filling up the gaps in their memories by invention. Both of them recollected the first half of the story better than the second.

That this poem was an English one seems to be shown by a good many verbal coincidences in both poems; these I accordingly suppose to have belonged to the lost original. They are, indeed, too frequent to be counted simply amongst the large stock of conventional phrases which are to be met with in every poem of this kind. Here they are:--

_Eglamour._

The boke of Rome th{u}s can telle. 408, 561, 886

_Torrent._

As the boke of Rome tellys. 187, 924, 1450, 1924

Ther ys a jeaunt here besyde, 478
That sorowe doyth ferre and wyde.
On us and odur moo.

There ys a gyante here besyde,
In ale thys covntre fare and wyde,
No man on lyve levythe hee. 960

And alle prayed for that knyght. 573

For hym aÆÆ they pray. 108

Alle that in the cyté ware. 598

AÆÆ that in~ the sytte were. 1047

Alle that cuntrey was fulle fayne, 640
That he homeward was comyn ageyne.

Gentilmen were blith and ffayn~, 1098
That he in helth was comyn~ agayn~.

Aftur sopur, as y yow telle,
He wendyd to chaumber with Crystyabelle. 670, 671

After mete, as I you teÆÆ,
To speke with mayden DesoneÆÆ
To her chamber he went. 1358-60

That lady was not for to hyde, 673-75
She sett hym on hur beddys syde,
And welcomyd home that knyght.

The damyseÆÆ so moche of pride,
Set hym on~ her bed-syde,
And said âwelcom~ verament.â 1363

So gracyously he come hur tylle, 679
Of poyntes of armys he schewyd hur hys fylle, 680
That there they dwellyd alle nyÈt.

Such gestenyng he a-right,
That there he dwellid aÆÆ nyÈt
With that lady gent. 1364-66

A golde rynge y schalle geve the, 715
Kepe yt wele my lady free,
Yf Cryste sende the a chylde! 717

Thes gold rynges I shaÆÆ yeve the,
Kepe them weÆÆ, my lady ffre,
Yf god a child vs send! 1396-1398

Doghtur, into the see schalt thou, 803
Yn a schypp alone,
And that bastard that to the ys dere!

There fore thou shalt in to the see
And that bastard with-in the! 1793

Sche prayed hur gentylwomen so free,
Grete wele my lord, whon ye hym see! 826, 827

She said âknyghtis and ladyes gent,
Grete weÆÆ my lord sir Torrent,
Yeff ye hym~ euer sene! 1837-39

Hur yonge sone away he bare. 842

A way he bare her yong son~. 1871

Thys chylde ys comyn of gentylle blode,
Where that ever that he was tane. 863

This chylde is come of gentiÆÆ teme,
Where euer this beest hym~ ffond. 1923

Kepe we thys lady whyte as flowre,
And speke we of syr Egyllamowre. 950

Leve we now that lady gent,
And speke we of sir Torrent. 2080-81

The knyght swownyd in that tyde. 975

Swith on sownyng there he feÆÆ. 2093

Be the XV yerys were comyn and gone,
The chylde that the grype hath tane,
Waxe bothe bold and stronge. 1018-20

And be the VII yere were gone,
The child that the liberd had tane,
Found hym his fiÆÆ off ffyght. 2233-35

Yn yustyng ne in turnament 1021
Ther myght no man withsytt hys dynte,
But to the erthe them thronge. 1023

With heve tymbyr and ovyrryde 40
Ther myght no man~ hys dent abyde,
But to the erthe he them strake. 42

Be thre wekys were comyn to Èende,
Yn the londe of Egypt can they lende. 1057

But ore thre wekes were comÌ
yn~ to end,
To PortynggaÆÆ gan he wend. 373

Gentilmen that herde of thys crye,
Thedur come they redylye. 1195-96

Gret lordys that herith this crye,
Theder come richely. 2431-32

Syr Egyllamour knelyd on his kne,
âA Lorde God Èylde hyt the! 1288-89

Torent knelid vppon~ his knee 2575
And said âGod yeld you, lordys ffree!

In swounynge than felle that lady free,
âWelcome, syr Eglamour, to me!

She said âwelcom~, my lord sir Torent!
And so be ye, my lady gent!
In sownyng than feÆÆ she. 2505

_Eglamour_, Linc. MS. Note on 1267:

Grete lordis thane told scho sone.

Gret lordys told she sone. 2539

Perhaps some more light will be thrown on this question when we get the much-wanted critical edition of _Sir Eglamour_; but I fear that the âsecret history attached to the source of these romancesâ will even then remain to be unravelled. What I have proposed has no title to a better name than a conjecture.

§ 5. THE ARRANGEMENT OF THE EDITION.

As to the only MS. in which this romance has come down to us, IÂ have mentioned before that it is exceedingly corrupt; many conjectures, more or less sure, were necessary in order to restore metre, rhyme, and meaning; the greater part of them seemed worthy to be entered in the text, the rest being offered in the notes. No attempt has been made to introduce a uniform character of dialect, considering the quite unsettled state of orthography in early times. The only exceptions are where the sounds are fully determined by the rhyme. In general the orthography of the MS. has been reproduced as accurately as possible. The contractions used by the scribe are expanded and printed in italics. At the beginning of a new period, or a proper name within the line, capitals have been introduced. From l. 1200, where the numeration of my text no longer coincides with that of Halliwellâs edition, the line-numbers of the latter are added in brackets.

The fragments which I have added as an appendix to the text have been consulted in all cases of difficulty, and proved of no little service in correcting the blunders of the manuscript; they contain indeed a somewhat better text than the MS., though they are by no means free from clerical errors. AÂ detailed comparison gives the following result:

In fifty-one lines the text of the fragments is evidently correcter than the MS.:

_Fragments._
_Manuscript._

The kyng of Nazareth sent hym me,
Torent, I wot-saue hym on the. 466
The kyng of PortynggaÆÆ seyd, âSo mot I the!
Torrent, I wet-saffe of the.

The kyng wolde fayne that he ded were,
And he wyst nat on what manere. 472
The kyng wolde fayne that he wer ded,
And hym wyst in what maner.

To Torent that was true as stele, 477
To Torrent trew ase styÆÆ,

In what londe that they brede. 487
In what lond they ne bred.

He bestrode a noble stede. 502
Tho he bestrod another stede.

Cf. 489, 498, 507-10, 512-15, 822, 825, 831, 833, 834, 837, 845, 848, 851, 929, 932, 933, 935, 947, 948, 951, 952, 958, 965, 968-70, 1807, 1808, 1810, 1827, 1828, 1831, 1834-36, 1844, 1854, 1866.

Forty-eight lines are coincident: 468, 470, 474, 479, 480, 486, 487, 495, 499, 501, 504, 505, 520, 823, 832, 842, 844, 846, 917, 918, 921, 922, 927, 928, 936, 938, 953, 957, 962, 1809, 1813-17, 1819-21, 1823, 1830, 1832, 1838, 1847, 1850, 1851-52, 1863, 1865.

In ninety-one lines it is doubtful which reading is to be considered as the original one:

_Fragments._
_Manuscript._

As they walkyd by the ryvers syde. 469
Ase the went be the watyres syd.

Howe he myght hym shent. 473
How he schuld be schent.

The kyng sayde âwhat may this be?
Lorde, it is sent to me
For a faucon shene. 483-85
Syr, he seyd, what may thys be?
Loo, lord, come ner and see
Abowght a facon schene.

Than sayde the kyng vntrue,
âAnd ye fynde hawes of great value,
Brynge me one with the! 492-94
And than seyd the kyng ontrew,
âYf thow get hawkys of great valew,
Bryng on of them to me!

Of thy dowghter hende. 836
Of yowr dowghttyr hend.

Cf. 467, 475, 476, 478, 481, 482, 488, 496, 497, 500, 506, 511, 516-20, 821, 824, 826, 827, 829, 830, 835, 838-41, 843, 847, 850, 919, 920, 923, 925-26, 930-31, 934, 937, 939, 940-43, 945, 946, 949, 950, 954, 955, 959, 960-61, 963, 964, 966, 967, 1811, 1812, 1818, 1822, 1825, 1826, 1829, 1837, 1840, 1842, 1843, 1845-46, 1848-49, 1853, 1855-62, 1864.

In eleven lines the text of the MS. is superior to that of the fragment:

_Fragments._
_Manuscript._

âYe, by my trouthe!â sayd Torente. 828
âYe, be trouthe!â seyd Torrent than.

Delycyous notes on hyghe. 944
Delycyous nottis on hyght.

Frowarde the se. 956
Froward the sytte.

Cf. 488, 503, 820, 849, 924, 1824, 1833, 1839.

As to the sixth fragment, 1014-36, and the beginning of the first (in Halliwellâs edition the third), 462-64, in which, as above mentioned, not much more than the rhyming words are preserved, they have nearly the same relation to the MS. as the other ones.

In the following passages they correct the rhymes of the MS.: 1017, 1018, 1028, 1033. Coincident rhymes: 1014, 1015, 1019, 1026, 1027, 1032, 1034-36. Undecided: 1020, 1021, 1023-24, 1029-30, 462-64. The rhymes of the MS. are preferable in ll. 1016, 1022, 1025, 1031.

I need only add, that all the discrepancies between the MS. and the fragments, however numerous they may be, concern, for the most part, things of little importance; they are caused especially by the frequent change of synonymous terms, by the difference of expletive words and phrases, the transposition of words, the change of tenses, and so on. But as there is nowhere any essential difference to be traced, we may conjecture with great probability that the early printed edition of the romance was taken from a manuscript which was pretty nearly related to the Manchester MS., though somewhat more correctly written.

I gladly take the present opportunity of acknowledging my very great obligation to Prof. Koelbing, from whom I have received ample assistance throughout the whole of this work. It would be absolutely impossible to me entirely to discriminate his part from mine. He carefully revised the introduction, notes, and the glossary, before they went to press, and after they came from it, and he looked several times through the proofs of the text. Nor am I less indebted to Mr. Joseph Hall at Manchester, who not only kindly read the proofs of the text with the MS. in the Chetham Library, but also contributed some valuable notes, which are marked by his name. The Director has added the head-lines and side-notes.

Torrent of Portyngale.

Here bygynneth a good tale f. 76a.
Of Torrente of Portyngale.

(1)

[Sidenote:
May God give us grace to win Heaven! Iâll tell you of a doughty
knight.]

+G+od, that ys worthy and Bold, _leaf_ 1]
Heuen~ and Erthe haue In hold,
Fyld, watyr, and wynde,
Yeve vse g{ra}ce hevyn~ to wyne,
And brynge vs owt off Dedly synne 5
And In thy s{er}uyse to Ende!
A stounde and ye woÆÆ lyst be-Dene,
Ale dowghtty men~ þ{a}t Euyr hathe b{e}n~,
Wher So that they lende,
I SchaÆÆ yow teÆÆ, ore I hense pase, 10
Off a knyght, þ{a}t Dowghtty wase,
In Rome ase clarkys ffynde.

[Linenote:
8. _byn_ MS.]

(2)

[Sidenote:
He dwelt in Portugal, and fought well when 18.]

In PortynggaÆÆ, that Ryche londe,
An EreÆÆ that wase wonande,
That curtese wase and {wyght}; 15
Sone aftyr he had a sone,
The feyerest þ{a}t on fot myght gon,
Tyrrant, men seyd, he hyght.
Be tyme he wase XVIII yer~ old,
Of dedd{es} of armys he wase bold, 20
To felle bothe kyng and knyght;
And now com{m}ythe dethe appon a day
And takythe hys father~, ase I yow sey,
For God ys most of myght.

[Linenotes:
15. _wyght_] _Dowghtty_ MS.
21. _felle_] first _l_ above the line MS.]

[Headnote: TORRENT LOVES DESONELL.]

(3)

[Sidenote:
The King gives Torrent an earldom, and he falls in love with the
Kingâs daughter Desonell,]

The kyng of PortynggaÆÆ wase fayne, 25
To-warde hym he takythe Torrayne,
That Dowghtty ys in~ dedde;
And ther he fesomnyd in~ hys hond
A good Eyrldom in~ that lond,
Bothe forest and {fede}. f. 76b. 30
The kyng hathe a dowghttyr {whyte} ase {fame},
Dys{o}ne{ll} wase her name,
Worthyest in wede.
When Torrent had of her~ a syght,
More he lovyd that swet{e} wy{gh}t 35
Than~ aÆÆ ys fathyrys l{e}de.

[Linenotes:
30. _fede_] _Downe_ MS.
31. _whyte ase fame_] _feyer ase flowyr_ MS.
32. _Dyscenys_, MS.
35. _swete_] _swet_, MS.
_wyght_] _wyte_Â MS.
36. _lede_] _londe_ MS.]

(4)

[Sidenote:
and for her, unhorses many knights.]

For love of thys lady Deyr~
In dede of armys far and nere
Aventorr{es} gan he take
W{i}t{h} heve tymbyr and ovyr-Ryde, 40
Ther myght no man~ hys dent a-bydde,
But to the Erthe he them str{a}ke.
Her father and other knyghtt{es} mo
Had farly, how he Ryd soo,
And on a day to hyme spake, 45
He Seyd: âTorrent, howe may thys byne,
That thow Dysp{i}syst thes knyghtt{es} kene
And ordurr{es} non woÆÆ take?â

[Linenotes:
39. _A ventorres_ MS.
42. _stroke_ MS.
47. _dysplesyst_ MS.]

(5)

[Sidenote:
The King knows that Torrent loves his daughter,]

Torrent sayd: âSo mvt I the,
An other sayment woÆÆ I {s}ee, 50
Ore I take ordor of knyght.â
Tho he sware be hevyn kyng,
Ther wase told hym a wondyr-thyng~
In hys chambyr to nyght:
âFor~ the love of my doughter dere 55
Thow makyst good far and nere
In~ Dedde of armys bryght;
And wyt thow wyÆÆ, so god me saue,
Thow schalt her~ wyne, yf thow her haue,
Be thow neuyr so wy{g}ht!â 60

[Linenotes:
50. _And_ MS.
_see_] _bee_ MS.
60. _wyght_] _wyttht_ MS.]

[Headnote: THE KING ASKS TORRENT TO FIGHT A GREEK GIANT.]

(6)

[Sidenote:
and asks him if, for her sake, heâll fight]

Torrent sayd: âBe Marry dere,
And I were off armyse clere, f. 77a.
Yowr Dowghttyr me leve were.â
The kyng seyd: âYf yt be soo,
Ore VII yere be a-go, 65
More schaÆÆ we here:
Durst thow, for my dowghttyr sake,
A poynt of armys for to take
W{i}t{h}-owt helpe of fere?â
Than seyd Torrant: âSo god me sped, 70
W{i}t{h} anny man~ that syttythe on stede
Other far ore nere!â

[Linenotes:
61. _Marry_] _e_ corrected into _y_.
65. _a-go_] _a gone_, _ne_ struck out, MS.]

(7)

Ther-of the kyng~ for tene wax wode:
âYf thow wylt make thy body good,
Be trew and hold thy cont{ena}nce . . . . . . . 75
Tho seyd Torrant: âSo god me sped ere!
And I wyst, in~ what sted they were,
Fore no man~ wold I cha{u}nce.â

[Linenotes:
75. _contnnce_ MS.
78. _chaunce_] corrected out of _change_ MS.]

(8)

[Sidenote:
a Giant in the Greek sea.]

âIn to the Grek{es} see a mylle
Ther ly{v}ythe a gyant {in an} yle, 80
FuÆÆ EuyÆÆ thow dourst hyme stond.
My fayer~ forest{es} fellythe downe he
And Ryche castell{es} in~ that contre,
No ston lettythe he stond.â

[Linenote:
80. _lyvythe_] _lyghttythe_ MS.
_in an yle_] _mauyle_ MS.]

[Headnote: TORRENT IS TO FIGHT THE GIANT BEGONMESE.]

(9)

[Sidenote:
Torrent agrees to fight]

+T+errent sayd: âBe Marre bryght, 85
Yt ys gret sorrow that he hathe syght,
The devyÆÆ of heÆÆ hym blynd!â
The {kyng} sayd: âP{ar} la-more de dewe,
Thow darryst fuÆÆ evyÆÆ w{i}t{h} thy Ey hym sewe,
He wold feÆÆ the w{i}t{h} hys wynde.â 90
âNow, be my trowthe,â seyd Torrent than~,
âAse I ame a jentylman~,
Yf I may hym fynd,
Won fot woÆÆ I not fro hym pase,
Thow he be stronger~ than Samson~ wase, f. 77b. 95
Or anny man~ of {hys} kynd!â

[Linenotes:
86. _he_] written above the line, MS.
88. _kyng_] _knyght_ MS.
96. _hys_] om. MS.]

(10)

[Sidenote:
the Giant Begonmese, and sets out.]

Hys squyerys, they mornyd s{a}re,
W{i}t{h}-owt fere that he schold fare
To that gret iorney,
W{i}t{h} the gyant heygh for to fyght. 100
Be-gon~-mese that gyant hyght,
That fyndd{es} f{e}re for aye.
To arme hyme Torrant g{a}s,
Hys good stede w{i}t{h} hym he ta{s},
W{i}t{h} owt squyer~ that Day. 105
He takythe leve at lorddys hend,
And on hys wey gan he wynd,
For hym aÆÆ they p{ra}y.

[Linenotes:
97. _sore_ MS.
102. _fare_ MS.
103. _gas_] _goos_ MS.
104. _tas_] _takythe_ MS.
108. _pray_] _prayd_ MS.]

(11)

[Sidenote:
Desonell knows not that it is for love of her. God give Torrent
victory!]

LytyÆÆ wyst DesoneÆÆ that jente,
For whos love that he went 110
To fyght w{i}t{h} that knave.
Now god, that Dyed appon a Rode,
Strengithe hym bothe bone and blod,
The fyld for to haue!
He that schaÆÆ wend soche a wey, 115
Yt were nede for hym to p{ra}y,
That I{es}u hym schuld saue.
Yt ys in~ the boke of Rome,
Ther was no knyght of kyrstendome,
That jorney Durst crave. 120

[Headnote: TORRENT SEES THE GIANT SLEEPING.]

(12)

[Sidenote:
After 6 daysâ ride he sees the Giant asleep.]

VI days Rydythe he
By the cost of the feyer~ see,
To seke the gyant kene.
By the cost as he Rode, f. 78a.
In a forest longe and brode 125
And symly wase to se{n}e,
Hey sperrys ther he fonde
And gret olyvys growonde
Coverd in~ levys {grene}.
Sone wase he ware, ase y yow say, 130
Vppon a movnteyn~ ther he laye
On slepe, ase I wene.

[Linenotes:
123. _seke_] _ches_, struck out, _seke_ written over with paler ink.
126. _see_ MS.
129. _grene_] _smale_ MS.]

(13)

[Sidenote:
He prays for Christâs help.]

Torrent, on kne knelyd he
And be-sowght J{es}u so fre,
That bowght hym w{i}t{h} hys blod: 135
âLord, ase thow dyd {r}yght for Mar{y},
Let me nev{er} take velony
And gef me of thy fode!
Sertt{es}, yf I hym slepyng~ slone,
ManfuÆÆ Ded were yt none 140
For my body, be the Rode.â
Tho Terrant blewe hys bugeÆÆ bold,
To loke that he a-wake wold,
And sythe ner~ hyme Rode.

[Linenote:
136. _ryght_] _lyght_ written above the line with paler ink.
_mare_ MS.]

[Headnote: TORRENT WAKES THE GIANT BEGONMESE.]

(14)

[Sidenote:
As Torrent canât wake the Giant with his bugle,]

So fast a-slepe he wase browght, 145
Hys hornys blast a-woke hyme nowght,
He swellyd ase dothe the see.
Torrent saw, he woÆÆ not wake,
He Reynyd hys sted vnto a stake,
Ase a jentyÆÆ man~ {so fre}. 150
So hy, he say, wase the movnteyne,
Ther mygh{t} no horse wynd hym~ a-geyn~
But yf he nowyd wold be; f. 78b.
Thowe the wey neuyr~ so wykkyd w{a}re,
On hys wey gan he fare, 155
In~ gret p{er}ayÆÆ went hee.

[Linenotes:
150. _so fre_] _in fere_ MS.
151. _say_] _sayd_ MS.
152. _mygh_ (!) MS.
154. _were_ MS.]

(15)

[Sidenote:
he stirs him up with his spear, and makes him wild.]

Torent went to that movnte{y}n~,
He put hys spere hyme a-geyne,
âA-Ryse, fellow!â gan he saye;
âWho made the so bold here to dweÆÆ, 160
My lord{es} frethe thus to feÆÆ?
A-mend{es} the be-hovythe to pay.â
The gyant Rysythe, ase he had byn~ wod,
And Redyly by hyme stode,
Be-syd hyme on a lay, 165
And seyd: âS{er}tes, yf I leve,
Soche a wed I woÆÆ the geff,
To meve the Euyr~ and ay.â

[Linenote:
157. _movnten_ MS.]

(16)

[Sidenote:
The fight begins.]

Thow the chyld were neuyr~ so y{i}nge,
The fynd{es} spere sparrythe hyme no-thyng~ 170
I{n} the holtt{es} h{a}ree;
Who had fare and nere byne,
And neu{er} had of fytyng syn~,
He myght a lernyd th{a}re.
The gyant, the fyrst stroke to hym he cast, 175
His good schyld aÆÆ to-brast,
In schevyr{es} spred wase {ya}re;
Tho covd he no bett{ur} R{e}d,
But stond styÆÆ, tyÆÆ one were ded;
The gyant lefte hym th{a}r. 180

[Linenotes:
169. _yonge_ MS.
171. _In_] _Ihū_ (!) MS.
_horee_ MS.
173. _seyn_ MS.
174. _there_ MS.
175. _to hym_] written above the line.
177. _there_ MS.
178. _he no_] _not he_ MS.
_Ryd_ MS.
180. _ther_ MS.]

[Headnote: THE GIANT BURSTS HIMSELF ON A ROCK.]

(17)

[Sidenote:
Torrent grips the Giant; they both fall, and roll down the mountain.
The Giant bursts]

Torrent vndyr hys spryt he spre{n}t
And a-bowght the body he hyme hente, f. 79a.
As far as he myght last.
âA! fellow, wylt thow so?â
And to the grownd gan they goo, 185
Of the movnteyn~ bothe downe they pas{t}.
Ase the boke of Rome tellys,
They tornyd XXXII {ellys},
In armys walloyng fast.
Yt tellythe in~ the boke of Rome, 190
Euyr~ ase the gyant a-boue come,
Hys gutt{es} owt of hys body {brast}.

[Linenotes:
181. _sprent_] _spred_ MS.
186. _they past_] _gan they pase_ MS.
188. _ellys_] _tymys_ MS.
192. _brast_] _Rane_ MS.]

[[spre{n}t _italicized as shown_]]

(18)

[Sidenote:
open against a big stone.]

At the fot of the movnteyn~
Ther lay a gret Ragyd ston~, s{er}teyn~,
Yt nyhed ys schuldyr bon~ 195
And also hys Ryght syd,
Ther to that gyant feÆÆ that tyd,
Ase {I} herd in~ Rome . . .

[Linenotes:
197 put before 196. MS.
198. _I_] _he_ MS.]

[Headnote: TORRENT THANKS GOD FOR HIS VICTORY.]

(19)

[Sidenote:
Torrent stabs the Giant,]

Thorrow hyme, that mad man~,
Torrent sone a-bovyn~ wane 200
And fast he gan {him quelle}
W{i}t{h} a knyffe feyer~ and bryght;
Torrent, w{i}t{h} aÆÆ hys myght
Ther-w{i}t{h} he gard hyme dweÆÆ.

[Linenotes:
199. after _Thorrow_, _of_ has been scraped out.
201. _him quelle_] _warke_ MS.
203. _hys_] _h_ corrected out of _m_Â MS.]

(20)

[Sidenote:
and then thanks Christ.]

Torent knelyd on hys kne, 205
To I{es}u Cryst p{ra}yd he,
That hathe thys world to wyld:
âLord, lovyd, evyr lovyd thowe be,
The feyer~ fyld thow hast lent Me,â
--Vpp bothe hys hand{es he} held-- f. 79b. 210
âAÆÆ onely w{i}t{h}-owt any knaue
Of the fynd the maystry to haue,
Of hym to wyn the fyld.â
Now ys ther none other to say,
Of hyme he wane the fyld þ{a}t day; 215
I p{ra}y God hyme schyld.

[Linenotes:
210. _he_] om. MS.
213. _wyn_] _wynd_, _d_ erased MS.
214. _to_ written above the line, MS.
215.
_Now ys ther non other say
Of hyme to wyne the fyld þat day_ add. (!) MS.]

(21)

[Sidenote:
He sees the sea, and goes to it. Torrent finds the Giantâs castle,]

Torrent went vppe a-geyne
To the movnt, ase I gan sayne,
The lond{es} to se far and nere;
In the see a myle, hyme thoÈt, 220
An hold wase Rychyly wrowt,
In that lond wase not here perre.
The see wase Ebbyd, I yow sey,
Torrent thether toke the way,
Werry aÆÆ thow he were; 225
And ther he fownd Ryche w{on}ys,
Towrr{es} Endentyd w{i}t{h} presyos stonys,
Schynyng ase crystaÆÆ clere.

[Linenote:
219. _to se_ written above the line.]

[Headnote: TORRENT GOES TO THE GIANTâS CASTLE.]

(22)

[Sidenote:
guarded by a lion and lioness.]

T{wo} gattys off yron~ ther he fond,
Ther in~ Torrent gan wonde, 230
A nyght{es} Rest there in~ {to} ta;
And at the hale dore ther wase
A lyon~ & a lyonasse,
Ther men be-twene them twa
Fast Etyng~, ase ye may here; 235
Crystyñ {man} thow {he} were,
Hys browys {wexe} bl{a}, f. 80a.
And wit yow wiÆÆ, lord god yt wote,
He durst goo no fote,
Lest they wold hyme sl{a}. 240

(23)

[Sidenote:
He hears a lady sighing within.]

+T+orrant stod and be-held,
And p{ra}yd to god, that ale may wyld,
To send hyme harborrow good.
Sone hard he w{i}t{h}in a whalle
The syghyng of a lady smalle, 245
Sche weppte, as sche were wod;
Sche mornyd sore and sayd: âAlas,
That Euyr~ kyng{es} dowghttyr wase
Ou{er}-come of so jentyÆÆ blod,
For now ame I holdyn~ here 250
In lond w{i}t{h} a fynd{es} fere!â
Torrent hard, wher he stod.

[Linenotes:
226. _wonys_] _wayes_ MS.
229. _Two_] _The_ MS.
231. _to ta_] _he take_ MS.
234. _twa_] _twayne_ MS.
236. _man_] _thow_ (!) MS.
_he_] _they_Â MS.
237. _wexe bla_] _be gan to blowe_ MS.
240. _sle_ MS.
244. _whalle_] with paler ink corrected from _whyle_.
245. _syghyng_] with paler ink corrected from _syngyng_.]

[Headnote: TORRENT WANTS TO ENTER THE GIANTâS CASTLE.]

(24)

[Sidenote:
Torrent asks for a nightâs lodging in the Castle.]

âDere god,â seyd Torrant than~,
âYff ther be anny crystyn~ man~
In thys hold of ston~, 255
That woÆÆ, for the love of god of myght,
Harbourrow a jentylman~ thys nyght,
For I ame but on~!â
âSeynt Marry,â seyd that lady clere,
âWhat crystyn~ man~ axithe harburrow here?â 260
Nere hym sche gothe a-non.
âI wold harburrow the fuÆÆ fayne,
But a gyant wyÆÆ the slayne.â
To hym sche mad here mone.

[Linenotes:
259. _clere_] _e_ corrected out of _r_Â MS.
261. _sche gothe anon_] _a non sche gothe_ MS.]

[[âDere god,â _open quote invisible_]]

(25)

[Sidenote:
The Lady says the Giant will kill him.]

âSay me now, fayer~ lady, {belyve}, f. 80b. 265
Who owte {of} thys plase schaÆÆ {me dryve},
Thes tourr{es}, that are so bryght?â
Ther sche Seyd: âBe hevyn~ kyng~,
Here ys a gyant Dwellyng,
That meche ys of myght. 270
Be my trowthe, and he the see,
Were ther~ XX lyvys in~ the,
Thy dethe than wyÆÆ he dyght.
I{es}u cryst yef me g{ra}ce
To hyd the in~ some preve plase 275
Owt of the fynd{es} syght! . . . . .

[Linenotes:
265. _bel._] om. MS.
266. _of_] om. MS.
_me dryve_] _hyght_Â MS.
267. _so_] _feyer and_ add. MS.
271. _the_] _thow_, _w_ erased and _e_ changed into _o_, MS.
273. _They_ (!) MS.
275. _hyd_] corrected from _hyde_.]

[[Linenote 271: _all âeâ and âoâ printed as shown_]]

(26)

[Sidenote:
The Lady takes Torrent past the Lions, into the Castle.]
âEuyr~ me thynkythe be thy tale,
The song of the burd{es} smale
On slepe hathe hyme browght.â
âYe,â seyd Torrent, âore he be wakyn~, 280
I schaÆÆ the teÆÆ soche a tokyn~,
Of hym thow haue no thowght!
But woldd{es} thow for thy gentry
Do the lyonnys downe lye,
That they nyee me nowght?â 285
By the hande sche gan{n}e hym ta
And led hyme in~ be{tw}e them twa;
Ryght ase sche wold, they wrowght.

[Linenotes:
277. _thy_] _my_ erased and _thy_ written above the line.
283. _thy_] _th_ corrected from _m_.
_gentry_] _gentre_, _e_ corrected from _y_.
285. _nyee_] first _e_ above the line.
286. _hande_] _d_ corrected from _e_.
_tane_Â MS.
287. _bewte_ MS.
_twayne_ MS.]

[Headnote: TORRENT IS TAKEN INTO THE GIANTâS CASTLE.]

(27)

[Sidenote:
He tells her he has kild the Giant.]

The lady wase neuyr~ so a-drad,
In to the hale sche hym lad, 290
That lemyred ase gold bryght;
Sche byrlyd whyt wyne and Rede: f. 81a.
âMake vse myrre a-geyne ow{re} Dedd,
I wot wiÆÆ, yt ys so dyght!â
âBe my trowthe!â seyd Torrent, 295
âI wole be thy warrant,
He comythe not here thys nyght.
On soche a slepe he ys browght,
AÆÆ men of lyve wakythe hym nowght,
But onely god{es myght}.â 300

[Linenote:
300. _godes myght_] _gode a lone_ MS.]

(28)

[Sidenote:
She tells him of Prince Verdownys, and 4 Earlsâ sons in the Giantâs
prison.]

Blythe then wase that lady jent,
For to on-harnes Torrent,
That dowghtty wase and bold;
âFor sothe,â sche seyd, âI wot wher ys
The kyng{es} sone {Verdownys}, 305
Fast put in hold
In a dongon~, that ys dym;
Fowyre good Eryll{es} sonnys be w{i}t{h} hyme
Ys fet in~ fere and fold.
The gyant wan theme in~ a tyde, 310
Ase they Rane be the watyr syd,
And put them in~ preson~ cold.

[Linenote:
305. _Verdownys_] _of pvense_ MS.]

[Headnote: TORRENT FREES A PRINCE AND 4 EARLSâ SONS.]

(29)

[Sidenote:
Torrent breaks open the prison,]

âIn an yron~ cage he hathe them done.â
Torrent went thether~ sone:
âAre ye yet levand?â 315
The kyng{es} sone askyd than~,
Yf ther were anny crysten man~,
âWold bryng vse ow{t} of bond?â
âLord,â he seyd, âgod aÆÆmyght,
I had levyr on a Day to fyght, f. 81b. 320
Than aÆÆ my fathyrys lond.â
W{i}t{h} an iryn~ maÆÆ styff and strong~
He brake vpe an yron~ dore or longe,
And sone the keyes he fond.

[Linenotes:
318. _owt_] _ow_ (!) MS.
323. _or longe_] added in paler ink.]

(30)

[Sidenote:
and frees the 5 youths. They sup.]

Owt he toke thys chyldyryn~ fyve, 325
The feyrest that were on lyve,
I-hold in~ anny sted.
The lady wase fuÆÆ gl{e}d,
Sche byrlyd whyt wyn~ and Redd,
And sethyn~ to soper sone they yed. 330
âLord{es},â he seyd, âsyn yow are her~,
I Red yow make Ryght good cher~,
For now ys aÆÆ thy nede.â
Thus he covyrd owt of care.
God, that sofryd wondd{es} s{a}re, 335
Grante vse weÆÆ to sped!

[Linenotes:
325. _chyld._] a _v_ struck out, follows.
328. _glad_ MS.
335. _sore_ MS.
336. _well{e} to sped_] _to sped welle_ MS.]

[Headnote: THEY ALL CHOOSE THEIR HORSES TO RIDE AWAY.]

(31)

[Sidenote:
Torrent freed Prince Verdownys, Lords Torren, Jakys, and Amyas, and
Princess Eleanor.]

Lordd{es}, and ye wol lythe,
The chyldyr namys I woÆÆ teÆÆ blythe,
Here kyn, how they were me told;
The kyng{es} sone, that dowghtty {ys}, 340
Wase clepyd Verdownys,
That dowghtty wase and bold,
And an Eryll{es} son, that hyght Torren~,
A nother Iakys of Berweyne,
The forthe was Amyas bold. f. 82a. 345
The kyng{es} dowghttyr of Gales lond,
Elyoner~, I vndyrstond,
That worthy wase in hold,

[Linenotes:
337. after _wol_, _be_ struck out MS.
340. _ys_] _wase_ MS.
346-348 put before 343-345, MS.]

(32)

[Sidenote:
She takes Torrent to his chamber, and then all of them to the
stable, where each chooses a horse.]

In to hys chambyr sche hyme led,
Ther gold and syluyr wase spred, 350
And asur~, that wase bl{o};
In yron ther he gan stond,
Body and armys {al sch}y{n}and,
In~ powynt to trusse and goo.
In to a stabyÆÆ sche hym led, 355
Eche toke a fuÆÆ feyer~ sted,
They were {redy} to goo;
And wote ye weÆÆ and vndyrstond,
Had the gyant be levand,
They had not p{ar}tyd soo. 360

[Linenotes:
351. _blo_] _blewe_ MS.
353. _al sch._] _lygand_ (!) MS.
354. _trusse_] corrected from _truste_.
357. _redy_] om. MS.
358. _wote_] with paler ink corrected from _what_.
359. _Had_] corrected out of _han_.
_byn_ follows, almost entirely erased.
_gyant_] _t_ corrected from _d_.]

(33)

[Sidenote:
Torrent feeds the lions on the Giantâs body, and puts his head on a
horse.]

They woÆÆ not to bed gan{ge},
TyÆÆ on the morrow the Day spronge,
Thus a wey to ffare.
Torrant sperryd the gattys, i-wyse,
AÆÆ that he lyst he clepyd hys, 365
The keys and thyng he bare.
The lyon{s that was} at the dore
Wase led to her~ mayst{er} that wase befor~,
{O}n hym thay fed them {ya}r{e},
Vpp won of the horse, that wase ther~ levyd, 370
{O}n hym thei trussyd the gyantt{es} he{ve}d.
Thus helpt hym god th{a}r~.

[Linenotes:
361. _gange_] _gan_ MS.
_ll{e} on the_ struck out, follows.
366. _keys_] _e_ written with paler ink above the line.
367. _lyons that was_] _lyone_ MS.
369. _Vn_ (!) MS.
_hym_] _y_ corrected out of _e_ MS.
_thay_] corrected from _that_.
_yare_] _ther_Â MS.
371. _Vn_ (!) MS.
_thei_] _i_ written above the line.
_hed_Â MS.
372. _ther_ MS.]

[Headnote: TORRENT RETURNS TO PORTUGAL.]

(34)

[Sidenote:
He goes back to Portugal.]

But ore III wek{es} wer~ com{m}yn~ to End,
To PortynggaÆÆ gan he wend,
Ther~ ase the kyng gan {lend}; 375
The porter~ sawe {hym} ther he stood,
He fled a wey, ase he were wod,
Flyngyng ase a fynd. f. 82b.
âSyr kyng,â he seyd, âbe godd{es} dede,
Torrant bryngythe a devyÆÆ ys hed, 380
Ther w{i}t{h} he woÆÆ yow present.â
DesoneÆÆ seyd: âPorter~, be styÆÆ!â . . .
In hys walke ther ase he went.

[Linenotes:
373. _wer{e}_] _ther_, struck out, and _were_ written over.
375. _lend_] _lye_ MS.
376. _sawe h. th._] _ther sawe he_ MS.]

(35)

[Sidenote:
The King and his Lords are afraid of the lions. Torrent kisses the
King of Portugal.]

The kyng to the gatys gan pase,
Gret lord{es} that ther wase, 385
Bothe knyght{es} and squyerr{e},
Lord{es} wase fuÆÆ sore a-dred
Fore the lyonys, þ{a}t he had,
They durst not come hyme ner~.
The kyng seyd: âI wyÆÆ {the} kysse, 390
Durst I for~ thy best{es}, Iwysse.â
Torrent dyd them ly ther~,
And kyssyd the kyng w{i}t{h} joy and blyse;
And aftyr, other lord{es} of hys,
And aftyr, ladys {clere}. 395

[Linenotes:
386. _squyerres_ MS.
390. _the_] _hym_ MS.
395. _aftyr_] _other_ add. (!) MS.
_clere_] _jent_Â MS.]

[Headnote: VERDOWNYSâS FATHER IS TOLD OF HIS SAFETY.]

(36)

[Sidenote:
The King of Provyns is glad of his son Verdownysâs safety]

Messengyr{es} {went} the weye,
To the kyng of P{ro}vyns to sey,
Hys sone ys owt of hold:
âYyng Torrent of PortynggaÆÆ
Hathe browght hym owt of balle 400
And slayne the jeyant bold.â
LytyÆÆ and mykyÆÆ Ã¾{a}t ther wer~,
AÆÆ they mad good cher f. 83a.
Her~ prynse fayne se wold.
The kyng {seyd}: âSo mot I the, 405
I woÆÆ geff the towynnys thre
For~ the tall{es} thow hast me told.â

[Linenotes:
396. _went_] _to_ (!) MS.
397. after _Provyns_ _I_ MS.
399. _Yoyng_ MS.
405. _kyng seyd_] _kynges messengere_ MS.
405-7 put before 402-4.]

(37)

[Sidenote:
and promises Torrent gifts. The King of Gales offers Torrent his
daughter.]

Tha{n seyd} they, tha{t} to Gales yede,
Yeftys to {take} were h{e}m no ned,
Then {Ver}downys had they. 410
Ase they seyÅyd on a tyde,
At Perrown~ on the see syd
. . . . . . . . . . .
The kyng of P{ro}vy{n}se seyd: âSo mot I the,
Yftles schaÆÆ they not be, 415
That dare I sothely sey.â
The kyng of Gales proferd hym feyer~:
âWed my dowghttyr and myn Eyer~,
When so euyr~ thow may! . . . . .

[Linenotes:
408. _Than--that_] _That they than_ MS.
_Gales_] with paler ink corrected from _Calles_.
_yede_] corrected from _went_.
409. _take_] om. MS.
_hym_ MS.
410. _Then Downys_ MS.
417. _gales_] _g_ with paler ink corrected from _c_.]

[[seyÅyd _printed as shown, with line through single âlâ_]]

[Headnote: TORRENT GETS WELANDâS SWORD ADOLAKE.]

(38)

[Sidenote:
The King of Provyns gives Torrent his Sword made by Weland,]

The kyng of Perve{n}se seyd: âSo mot I the, 420
Thys seson~ yeftles schaÆÆ thow not be,
Haue here my Ryng of gold,
My sword, that so wyÆÆ ys wrowyt;
A bett{er} than~ yt know I nowght
W{i}t{h} in~ crystyn~ mold; 425
Yt ys ase glemyrryng ase the glase,
Thorrow Velond wroght yt wase,
Bettyr ys non~ to hold.
I have syne sum tyme in~ lond,
Whoso had yt of myn~ hond, 430
Faw{e} the{y were} I-told.â

[Linenotes:
429. _Loke thou hold yt with full{e} hond_, add. MS.
431. _I fawght therfore I told_ MS.]

(39)

[Sidenote:
and named Adolake. A fortnightâs Feast is held.]

Tho wase Torrent blythe and glad,
The good swerd ther he had,
The name wase Adolake.
A gret mayne{re}y let he make {ryght} 435
That lest aÆÆ a fortnyght,
Who so wiÆÆ hys met take. f. 83b.
Euyry man toke ys leve, ase {I} yow say,
Hom-ward to wend ther wey,
Eu{er}y man ys Rest to take. 440
TyÆÆ yt be-feÆÆ vppon a day,
Ase they went be the wey,
The kyng to hys dowghttyr spake:

[Linenotes:
435. _mayn._] _mayne let_, with paler ink corrected into _mayney_.
_ryght_] om. MS.
438. _I_] om. MS.
440. _to take ys Rest_ MS.]

[Headnote: DESONELL GIVES TORRENT A WHITE CHARGER.]

(40)

[Sidenote:
The King of Portugal tells Desonell that Torrent kild the Giant for
love of her.]

âYe schaÆÆ take hed of a jeentyÆÆ man~,
A feyer~ poynt for~ yow he wane, 445
DesoneÆÆ, at the last.â
âSyr,â sche seyd, âbe hevyn kyng,
TyÆÆ ye me told, I knewe no thyng,
For who ys love yt wase.â
âDesoneÆÆ, so mvt I the, 450
Yt wase for the lowe of the,
That he trovylld so fast.
I warne yow, dowghttyr, be the Rode,
Yt ys for yow bothe good,
Ther to I Red yow tr{a}st.â 455

[Linenote:
455. _trust_ MS.]

[[âSyr,â sche seyd, _open quote invisible_]]

(41)

[Sidenote:
She gives Torrent a white steed which the King of Nazareth had sent
her.]

Forthe sche browght a whyt sted,
As whyt as the flowyr in~ med,
Ys fytte blac ase slo{n}.
âLeman~, haue here thys fole,
That dethe ys dynt schalt þ{o}u not {thole}, 460
WhyÆÆ thow setty{s}te hyme appon~,
And yf thow had p{ersew}yd be
And hadyst ned fore to fle,
Fast for to gone.
The kyng of Nazareth sent hym me, 465
Torrent, I wet-saffe hym on the,
For bett{er} love may I none.â f. 84a.

[Linenotes:
458. _slo_ MS.
460. _thole_] _haue_ MS.
461. _settythe_ MS.
462. _pârevyd_ (!) MS.
465. So Fragm. I (F. I);
_The kyng of Portynggalle seyd: âSo mot I the_Â MS.
466. _hym on_] so F. I; _of_ MS.]

(42)

[Sidenote:
The King treacherously asks Torrent to get Desonell a Falcon]

Aftyr-ward vppon a tyd,
Ase the went be the watyr{es} syd,
The kyng and yong Torrent, 470
The kyng wold fayne, that he ded wer~,
And he wyst, in~ what maner~,
How he schuld be schent;
A false lettyr mad the kyng
And dyd messengyr{es} forthe yt bryng, 475
On the Rever~, ase they went,
To Torrent, that was trew ase styÆÆ,
Yf he love DesoneÆÆ wyÆÆ,
Get her a facon~ jent.

[Linenotes:
471. _ded wer{e}_] so F. I; _were ded_Â MS.
472. _he_] so F. I; _hym_ MS.
477. _that was_] so F. I; om. MS.]

[Headnote: THE FALSE KING OF PORTUGAL DECEIVES TORRENT.]

(43)

[Sidenote:
from the Forest of Magdalen.]

Torrent the lett{er} be-gan~ to Red, 480
The kyng lestyned & nere yed,
Ase he yt nevyr ad s{e}ne.
âSyr,â he seyd, âwhat may thys be,
Loo, lord, come ner~ and see,
A-bowght a facon~ schene? 485
I ne wot, so god me sped,
In what lond that they bred.â
The kyng answerd: âI wene,
In the forrest of Mavdeleyn~,
Ther be hawk{es}, ase I herd seyne, 490
That byn of lenage {cl}en~.â

[Linenotes:
482. _syne_ MS.
487. _that_] so F. I; om. MS.
_they_] _ne_ add. (!)Â MS.
489. _Mavd._] so F. I; _Mavdlen_ MS.
491. _clen~_] _gene_ MS.]

(44)

[Sidenote:
He agrees to do it. Torrent rides]

And than seyd the kyng on-trew:
âYf thow get hawkys of gret valew,
Bryng on of them to me!â
Torrent Seyd: âSo god me saue, f. 84b. 495
Yf yt be-tyd, that I may haue,
At yow{r} wyÆÆ they schal be.â
Hys squyere bode he th{a}r~,
Aftyr hys armor~ for to far~,
In the fyld byddythe he. 500
They armyd hym in~ hys wed,
Tho he be-strod a noble sted,
And forthe than Rod hee.

[Linenote:
498. _squyere_] so F. II; _squyeres_ MS.
_there_ MS.]

[Headnote: TORRENT FINDS A DRAGON IN THE FOREST.]

(45)

[Sidenote:
to the Forest of Magdalen, gets separated from his Squire,]

+T+orrent toke the wey a-geyn~
In to the forest of Mawdleyn~, 505
In the wyld-some way;
Berys and apes there founde he,
And wylde bestys great plente,
And lyons where they lay.
In a wod that wase tyght, 510
Yt Drew nere-hand nyght
By dymmynge of the Day,
Harkyn, lord{es}, {to} them came wo,
He and hys squyer~ p{ar}tyd in two,
CarfuÆÆ men then were they. 515

[Linenotes:
502. _noble_] so F. II; _nothere_ MS.
507-509: so F. II:
_Berrys he sawe stondyng
And wyld bestes ther goyng,
Gret lyonys ther he fond._Â MS.
510: _tyght_] so F. II; _thyke_ MS.
512: _By d._] so F. II; _And ine the Dawnyng_Â MS.
513: _to--wo_] so F. II;
_to_] of F. II.
_what I schalle sey_Â MS.
514: _in two_] so F. II; _they_ MS.
515: _men--they_] so F. II; _they were that Day_Â MS.]

(46)

[Sidenote:
and comes on a Dragon.]

At the schedyng of a Rome
Eche p{ar}tyd other frome,
For sothe, ase I vndyrstond.
Torrent toke a dulful wey
Downe in~ a depe valey 520
Be-syd a weÆÆ strong.
A lytyÆÆ be fore mydnyght
Of a dragon he had syght,
That grysly wase to {fond};
He had hym nowght to were, 525
But hys schyld and hys spere, f. 85a.
That wase in~ hys squyer{es} hond.

[Linenote:
524. _fond_] _syght_ MS.]

[Headnote: AÂ DRAGON ATTACKS TORRENT.]

(47)

[Sidenote:
Torrent prays to Christ to be his help.]

Torrent knelyd on hys kne,
To I{es}u Cryst p{ra}yd he:
âLord, mykyÆÆ of myght, 530
Syne I wase in~ meche care,
Let me nevuyr~ owt of {t}hys world far~,
TyÆÆ I haue take o{rd}er of knyght.
Ase I ame falsely hether~ sent,
Wyld-som weyes haue I went, 535
W{i}t{h} fynd{es} for to fyght.
Now, I{es}u, for thy holy name,
Ase I ame but man~ a-lone,
Than~ be my helpe to nyght!â

[Linenotes:
532. _thys_] _hys_ (!) MS.
533. _haue_] _or_ add. (!) MS.
_order_] _othere_ (!)Â MS.]

(48)

[Sidenote:
The Dragonâs tail is 7 yards long,]

Ase Torrent I{es}u gan~ p{ra}y, 540
He herd the dragon~, ther he lay
Vndyr-nethe a clo{w};
Of an{d} on he wase stronge,
Hys tayle wase VII yerd{es} long,
That aftyr hyme he dr{o}we; 545
Hys wyngg{es} wase long and wyght,
To the chyld he toke a flyght
W{i}t{h} an howge sw{ow}e;
Had he nether~ schyld ne spere,
But p{ra}yd to god, he schold hyme were, 550
For he wase in dred i-nowe.

[Linenotes:
542. _clow_] _colod_ or _colvd_, _l_ corrected from _d_, MS.
543. _and_] _an_ MS.
545. _drewe_ MS.
548. _swowe_] _swayne_ (!) MS.
551. _inowthe_ MS.]

(49)

[Sidenote:
and has a fiery head on it. Torrent cuts 4 ells off the Dragonâs
tail;]

On the tayle an hed ther~ wase,
That byrnyd Bryght as anny glase, f. 85b.
In fyer whan {yt} was dyght;
A-bowght the schyld he lappyd yt ther~, 555
Torrent the bowght a-sondyr schere
Thurrow the g{ra}ce of god almyght.
As the boke of Rome telly{s},
Of hys taylle he cut IIII ell{es}
W{i}t{h} hys swerd so bryght. 560
Than cryed the lothely thyng,
That aÆÆ the daÆÆ be-gan to Ryng,
That hard the gyant wyght.

[Linenotes:
554. _yt_] _he_ MS.
558. _Tellys_] _tellythe_ MS.
563. _That the gyant hard wyght_ MS.]

[[f. 85b. _Text has anomalous âfol.â_]]

[Headnote: TORRENT KILLS THE DRAGON.]

(50)

[Sidenote:
and while its Giant-owner is getting ready to help it,]

The gyant seyd: âI vndyrstond,
There ys sum crystyn~ man~ nere hond, 565
My dragon here I cry.
By hym, that schope bothe watyr~ and lond,
AÆÆ that I can se be-fore me stond,
Dere schaÆÆ they a-bye!
Me thynkythe, I here my dragon~ schowt, 570
I deme, ther be svme dowghtty man~ hym a-bowght,
I trow, to long I ly.
Yf I dweÆÆ in my pyÆÆ of ston~,
And my cheff-fost{er} were gone,
A false mayst{er} were I!â 575

[Linenote:
574. _foster_] _st_ corr. out of _t_.]

(51)

[Sidenote:
Torrent kills it. Torrentâs Squire]

Be the gyant wase Redy dyght,
Torrent had slayne the dragon~ Ryght;
Thus gan god hyme scheld.
To the mownteyne he toke the wey
To Rest hyme, aÆÆ that day, 580
He had myst{er}, to be kyld.
TyÆÆ the day be-gan to spryng, f. 87a.[T1]
Fowllys gan myrre to syng
Bothe in~ frethe and in feld.
Leve we now of Torrent th{o}re 585
And speke we of thys squyer~ more:
I{es}u hys sole fro heÆÆ shyld!

[Linenotes:
581. _kyllyd_ MS.
585. _there_ MS.]

[Footnote T1: There is no f. 86 in the paging of the MS.]

[Headnote: TORRENTâS SQUIRE IS MET BY A GIANT.]

(52)

[Sidenote:
rides all night in a wood,]

Hys squyer~ Rod aÆÆ nyght
In a wod, that wase fuÆÆ tyght,
W{i}t{h} meche care and gret fare, 590
For to seke hys lord Torrent,
That wy{ght}ly wase frome hyme sent,
And he wyst nevyr~ whethyr ne wh{a}r~.
He Durst neuyr~ cry ne schuot,
For wy{l}d best{es} were hym a-bowght 595
In~ the holtt{es} h{a}re;
A lyty{l} whyÆÆ be-fore the day
He toke in~ to a Ryde-wey
Hyme self to meche care.

[Linenotes:
592. _wysly_ MS.
593. _wher_ MS.
595. _wyld_] _wyd_ MS.
596. _hore_ MS.
597. _lyty_ MS.]

(53)

[Sidenote:
till he finds a highway,]

Forthe he Rod, I vndyrstond, 600
TyÆÆ he an hey wey fond,
W{i}t{h}-owtyn~ any Del{ite},
Also fast ase he myght fare,
Fore berrys and apys, þ{a}t ther w{a}re,
Lest they wold hym byght. 605
The sone a-Rose and schone bryght,
Of a castyÆÆ he had a syght,
That wase bothe feyer~ and whyte . . . .

[Linenotes:
602. _Delite_] _delay_ MS.
604. _were_ MS.]

(54)

[Sidenote:
and is met by a Giant. The Giant cuts Torrentâs Squire into 4
quarters.]

The gyant h{i}m se, & ny yed,
And seyd: âFellow, so god me sped, 610
Thow art welcom to me: f. 87b.
What dost thow here in my forest?â
âLord, to seke an hawkys nest,
Yff yt yow{r} wyl be.â
âThe be-hovythe to ley a wede.â 615
To an oke he hym led:
Gret Ruthe yt wase to se.
In IIII q{uar}ter{es} he hym dr{o}we,
And eu{er}y quarter vppon a bowe;
Lord, soche weys toke hee! 620

[Linenotes:
609. _hem_ MS.
618. _drewe_ MS.]

[Headnote: TORRENT IS ATTACKT BY THE GIANT ROCHENSE.]

(55)

[Sidenote:
Torrent finds these,]

Ase Torrent in~ the movnteyn~ dyd ly,
Hym thowght, he hard a ReufuÆÆ cry;
Gret fere ther hyme thowght.
âSeynt Marre,â seyd the chyld so f{re},
âWher euyr~ my jentyÆÆ squyer~ myght be, 625
That I w{i}t{h} me to wod browght?
On he dyd hys harnes a-geyne
And worthe on hys sted, s{er}teyne,
And thetherward he sowght.
And wot yow wyÆÆ, I vndyrstond, 630
In fowre quartyr{es} he hym fownd,
For other wyse wase yt nowght.

[Linenotes:
624. _fre_] _fer_ MS.
630. _wot_] _w_ add. (!) MS.]

(56)

[Sidenote:
and is attackt by this giant Rochense.]

The gyant lenyd to a tre
And be-hyld Torrent so free,
For sothe, ase {I} yow seye. 635
Thys fend wase ferly to fyght,
Rochense, seythe the boke, he hyght,
Ther wase a dredfuÆÆ fraye.
To the chyld than~ gan he smyght:
âA theff, yeld the asttyt, 640
As fast as thow may!â f. 88a.
âWhat,â seyd Torrent, âart thow wood?
God, that Dyed on the Rood,
Geff the evyÆÆ happe thys day!â

[Linenote:
635. _I_] om. MS.]

[Headnote: TORRENT FIGHTS THE GIANT ROCHENSE.]

(57)

[Sidenote:
Torrentâs steed is kild. He drives the Giant back]

He Rawght Torrent soche a Rowght, 645
Hys stedd{es} brayne he smot owte,
So mykyÆÆ he be-gan~.
Torrent tho a good sped
Ase fast a-bowte an eche {yede};
Ase swefte ase he myght, {he} R{a}n. 650
He gathyred svm of hys gere,
Bothe hys schyld and hys spere;
Nere hym yod he than~.
Bacward than be a browÈ
Twenty fote he gard hyme goo, 655
Thus erthe on hym he wane.

[Linenotes:
649. _yede_] _went_ MS.
650. _he Ran_] _Ryne_ MS.]

(58)

[Sidenote:
into a deep glen, where he stands in water.]

Yt solasyd Torrant th{e}n~,
When he sawe hyme bacward r{e}n
Downe be a movnteyn~ of Perowne,
Stomlyng thurrow frythe and fen~, 660
TyÆÆ he com to a depe {glen},
Ther myght non hym s{t}ere.
Torrent wase glad and folowyd fast,
And hys spere on hyme he brast,
Good Adyloke yed hyme nere. 665
The fynd in~ the watyr stod,
He fawte a-geyn, ase he were wod,
AÆÆ Ã¾e day in~ fere.

[Linenotes:
657. _than_ MS.
658. _ren_] _Rond_ (!) MS.
661. _glen_] _thorne_ MS.
662. _stere_] _schere_ MS.
668. _þe_] _the_ add. (!) MS.]

(59)

[Sidenote:
Torrent prays God for help. Jesus freshens up Torrent.]

Tho nere hond wase the day gone, f. 88b.
Torrent wase so werry than~ 670
That on hys kne he kneld:
âHelpe, god, that aÆÆ may!
DesoneÆÆ, haue good day!â
Fro hym he cest hys schyld.
I{es}u wold not, he were slayne, 675
To hym he sent a schowyr~ of Rayne,
Torrent fuÆÆ wyÆÆ yt keld.
The fynd saw, he wase ny mate,
Owt of the watyr he toke the gate,
He thowght to wyne the fyld. 680

[Linenotes:
671. _knelyd he_ MS.
677. _kelyd_ MS.]

[Headnote: TORRENT SLAYS THE GIANT ROCHENSE.]

(60)

[Sidenote:
The Giant attacks again. Torrent runs him throâ the heart, cuts his
head off,]

Thoo wase Torrent ffresse and good;
Nere the fynd sore he stod,
Cryst hym saue and see!
The fynd fawt w{i}t{h} an yron~ staff,
The fyrst stroke, to hym he gaffe, 685
He brast hys schyld on thre.
Torrent vndyr hys staff Rane,
To the hart he baryd hym than~,
And lothely cry gane he.
To the g{r}ownd he feÆÆ ase tyght, 690
And Torrent gan hys hed of-smyght,
And thus he wynnythe the gre.

[Linenote:
690. _gownd_ MS.]

(61)

[Sidenote:
finds him 24 ft. long, and goes to his Castle.]

Torrent knelyd on the grownd
And thankyd god þ{a}t ylke stownd,
That soche g{ra}ce hyme send. 695
Thus II journeys in thys woo
W{i}t{h} hys hand{es} slow {he} gyantys too,
That meny a man~ hathe schent. f. 89a.
Torrent forthe frome hyme þan yod,
And met hyme XXIIII fotte, 700
Ther he lay on the bent.
Hedles he left hym there,
Howt of the fyld the hed he bare
And to the casteÆÆ he went.]

[Linenote:
697. _he_] _II_ MS.]

[Headnote: THE SWORD AND STEED OF GIANT ROCHENSE.]

(62)

[Sidenote:
Torrent goes to the Giantâs Castle, and finds a splendid sword,]

To thys casteÆÆ he gan far~; 705
Ther fond he armor~ and other~ g{a}re,
A swerd, that wase bryght.
To the towre he toke the wey,
Ther the gyant{es} bed lay,
That Rychyly wase dyght. 710
At the bedd{es} hed he fond
A swerd, worthe an Erllys lond,
That meche wase of myght.
On the pomeÆÆ yt wase wret,
Fro a prynce yt wase get, 715
Mownpolyardn{us} he hyght.

[Linenote:
706. _gere_ MS.]

(63)

[Sidenote:
and a noble white steed. With the heads of the Giant and Dragon,
Torrent]

The sarten {to sey} w{i}t{h}-owt lese,
A scheff-chambyr~ he hym ches,
TyÆÆ on the morrow day.
To the stabuÆÆ tho he y{e}d, 720
There he fond a nobyÆÆ sted,
Wase comely whyt and grey.
The gyantt{es} hed gan he take,
And the dragonnys wold he not forsake,
And went forthe on hys wey. 725
He left mor~ good in that sale
Than wase w{i}t{h} in~ aÆÆ PortynggaÆÆ, f. 89b.
Ther ase the gyant laye.

[Linenotes:
717. _to sey_] om. MS.
718. _he_] _sche_ MS.
_chesys_ (!) MS.
720. _yod_ MS.]

(64)

[Sidenote:
rides back to Portugal. Torrent gives the King the Giantâs and
Dragonâs heads instead of a Falcon,]

Tho he Rod bothe Day and nyght,
TyÆÆ he come to a casteÆÆ bryght, 730
Ther ys lord gan dweÆÆ.
The kyng ys gone to the gate,
Torrent on kne he fond ther at,
Schort taÆÆ for to teÆÆ.
âHaue thow thys in~ thyn~ hond: 735
No nother hawkys ther I fond
At Mawdlenys weÆÆ.â
The kyng {quod}: âAse so haue I blyse,
Torrent, I trow, sy{bb}e ys
To the deweÆÆ of heÆÆ! . . . . 740

[Linenotes:
738. _quod_] om. (!) MS.
739. _sybbe_] _sylke_ MS.]

[Headnote: TORRENT IS LOVED BY DESONELL.]

(65)

[Sidenote:
and says the Giant Rochense was Slogus of Fuolles.]

âHere be syd dwellythe won on lond,
Ther ys no knyght, {hy}s dynt may stond,
So stronge he ys {in dede}!â
âSyr~,â he sayd, âfore sen Iame,
What ys the gyant{es} name, 745
So Euyr good me sped?â
âSyr~,â he seyd, âso mvt I the,
Slogus of Fu{o}ll{es}, thus hyte hee,
That wyt ys vndyr wede.â . . . . . .

[Linenotes:
742. _knyght hys_] _knyghtes_ MS.
743. _in d._] _on grond_ MS.]

(66)

[Sidenote:
Desonell gives her heart to Torrent.]