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| ¶Here begynneth vndo your dore. | |
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| IT was a squyre of lowe degre | |
| Yt loued the kynges doughter of hungre | |
| Yt squyre was curtes and kynd | |
| Eche man hi loued and was his frende | |
| 5 | He serued the kynge her fader dere |
| Fully the tyme of seuen yere | |
| For he was marshall of his hall | |
| And set the lordes bothe grete and small | |
| An hardy man he was and wyght | |
| 10 | Bothe in batayll and in fyght |
| But euer he was styll mournynge | |
| And no man wyst for what thynge | |
| And all was for that fayre lady | |
| The kynges doughter of hungry | |
| 15 | There wyst no wyght in crystente |
| How well he loued that lady free | |
| He loued her more than seuen yere | |
| Yet was he of loue neuer the nere | |
| He was not ryche of golde and fe | |
| 20 | A gentylman borne for sothe was he |
| To no man durst he make his mone | |
| But syghed sore hym_self alone | |
| And euer_more whan he was wo | |
| Into his chambre wolde he go | |
| 25 | And throughe the chambre he toke the way |
| In_to a garden that was full gaye | |
| And in that gardyn as I wene | |
| Was an arbor fayre and grene | |
| And in that arbor was a tree | |
| 30 | A fayrer in the worlde myght none be |
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| The tree it was of cypresse | |
| The fyrste tree that Ihesu chese | |
| The soeherne-wode and the sykamoure | |
| The rede rose and the lely floure | |
| 35 | The boxe the beche and the laurell tree |
| The date and also the damyse | |
| The fylberdes hangynge to the grounde | |
| The fygge-tree and the mapyll rounde | |
| And other trees there were many one | |
| 40 | The pyany the popeler and the playne |
| With brode bra[u]nches all aboute | |
| Within the erber and eke withoute | |
| On euery braunche satte byrdes thre | |
| Syngynge with grete melodye | |
| 45 | The laueroke and the nyghtyngale |
| The ruddocke and the woodwhale | |
| The pye and t[he p]opyngaye copytext damaged here and in two lines following | |
| The throstell [san]ge bothe nyght an daye | |
| The martele[n an]d the wrenne also | |
| 50 | The swalowe wyppynge to and fro |
| The Iaye Iangled them amonge | |
| The larke began that mery songe | |
| The sparowe spredde her in the spraye | |
| The mauys sange with notes full gaye | |
| 55 | The nothawke with her notes nuwe |
| The sterlynge set her notes full trewe | |
| The goldefynche made full mery chere | |
| Whan she was bente vpon a breer | |
| And many other foulces mo | |
| 60 | The osyll and the thrushe also |
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| But leue of that stewarde here | |
| And speke we more of that squyere | |
| How he to his chambre wente | |
| Whan he past fro that lady gente | |
| 65 | There he arayed him in scarlet reed |
| And set his chapelet on his heed | |
| A belte aboute his sydes two | |
| With brode barres to and fro | |
| A horne aboute his necke he caste | |
| 70 | And forthe he wente than at the laste |
| To do his offyce in the hall | |
| Amo[n]ge the lordes grete and small | |
| He toke a whyte yerde in his hande | |
| Before the kynge than he gan stande | |
| 75 | And soone he set him on his kne |
| And serued the kynge full ryally | |
| With deynte metes that were dere | |
| With partryche pecocke and plouer | |
| With byrdes in the brede ybake | |
| 80 | The tell the ducke and the drake |
| The cocke the curlue and the crane | |
| With fesauntes fayre there where no wane | |
| Bothe storkes and turtes there were also | |
| And venyson feesse of bucke and do | |
| 85 | And other deyntes many one |
| For to sette afore the kynge anone | |
| And whan the squyer had doone so | |
| He serued the hall bothe to and fro | |
| Eche man hym loued in honeste | |
| 90 | Hye and lowe in theyr degre |
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| So dyde the kynge full sodenly | |
| And he wyst not wherfore nor why | |
| The kynge behelde the squyer well | |
| And all his reymente euery dele | |
| 95 | Hym_thought he was the semelyest man |
| That euer in the worlde he sawe of than | |
| Thus sate the kynge and ete ryght nought | |
| But on his squyer was all his thought | |
| Anone the stewarde toke good hede | |
| 100 | And to the kynge full soone he yede |
| And soone he tolde vnto the kynge | |
| All theyr wordes and theyr wowynge | |
| And how she hyght hym lande and fe | |
| Golde and syluer gete plente | |
| 105 | And how she sholde his leue take |
| And become a knyght for her sake | |
| And thus they talked bothe in fere | |
| And I drewe me nere and nere | |
| Had I not come in veryly | |
| 110 | The squyer had layen her by |
| But whan he was ware of me | |
| Full fast a_waye gan he fle | |
| That is southe lo here is my hande | |
| To fyght with hym whyles I maye stande | |
| 115 | The kynge sayd to the stewarde tho |
| I maye not be_leue it sholde be so | |
| Hath he be so bonayre and benynge | |
| And serued me syth he was y[o]nge | |
| And redy with me in euery nede | |
| 120 | Bothe trewe in worde and eke in de[d]e dede] deee 1560 |
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| I maye not leue by nyght nor daye | |
| My doughter dere he wyll betraye | |
| Nor not to come her chambre nye | |
| That fode to fonde with no folye | |
| 125 | Toughe she wolde to hym consente |
| That louely lady fayre and gente | |
| I trowe hym so well withouten drede | |
| That he wolde neuer do that dede | |
| But yf he myght that lady wynne | |
| 130 | In weddelocke to welde withouten synne |
| And yf she wyll assente hym tyll | |
| That squyere is worthy to haue none yll | |
| For I haue seen that many a page | |
| Haue become men by maryage | |
| 135 | Then it is semly to that squyer |
| To haue my doughter by this manere | |
| And eche man in his degree | |
| Become a lorde of ryaltee | |
| By fortune and by other grace | |
| 140 | By herytage and by purchase |
| Ther_fore stewa[r]de beware here_by stewarde] stewade 1560 | |
| Dyffame hym not for none enuy | |
| It were grete ruthe he sholde be spylte | |
| Or put to dethe withouten gylte | |
| 145 | And more reuth of my doughter dere |
| For chaungynge of that ladyes chere | |
| I wolde not for my crowne so newe | |
| That lady chaunged hyde or hewe | |
| Or for to put thy solle in drede | |
| 150 | But thou myght take theym with that dede |
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| For yf it maye be founde in the | |
| That thou them fame for enuyte | |
| Thou shalte be taken as a felon | |
| And put full depe in my pryson | |
| 155 | And fetered fast vnto a stone |
| Tyll xii. yeres be comen and gone | |
| And drawen with hors throught this cyte | |
| And soone hanged vpon a tree | |
| And yf thou may thy_selfe excuse | |
| 160 | This dede thou shalte no waye refuse |
| And therfore Steward take good hede | |
| How thou wylte answere to this dede | |
| The stewarde answered with grete enuy | |
| That I haue sayd I wyll stande therby | |
| 165 | To suffre dethe and endlesse wo |
| Syr kynge I wyll neuer go therfro | |
| For yf that ye wyll graunt me here | |
| Strength of men and grete powere | |
| I shall hym take this same nyght | |
| 170 | In chambre with your doughter bryght |
| For I shall neuer be gladde of chere | |
| Tyll I be venged of that squyere | |
| Than sayd the kynge full curteysly | |
| Unto the stewarde that stode hym by | |
| 175 | Thou shalte haue strength ynough with the |
| Men of arm[e]s .xxx. and thre armes] armrs 1560 | |
| To watche that lady moche of pryce | |
| And her to kepe frome her enmyes | |
| For there is no knyght in crystente | |
| 180 | That wolde betraye that lady fre fragment ends here |