Perkyn the Potter into the prefs past,

And ayd Randol the refe, a dozter thou haft,
Tyb the dere :

Therfor faine wyt wold I,
Whych of all thys bachelerz

Were best worthye.

To wed hur to hys fere.

Upftyrt thos gadelyngys wyth ther lang ftaves,
And fayd, Randol the refe, lo! thys lad raves;
Boldely amang us thy dozter he craves ;
We er rycher men then he, and mor gode haves
Of cattell and corn;

Then fayd PerkynTo Tybbe I have hyzt
That I fchal be alway redy in my ryzt,
If that it fchuld be thys day sevenyzt,
Or elles zet to morn.

25

39

35

Then fayd Randolfe the refe, Ever be he waryd,
That about thys carpyng lenger wold be taryd:
I wold not my dozter, that scho were miscaryd,
But at hur most worfchip I wold fcho were maryd; 40
Therfor a Turnament schal begynne

Whofo berys hym beft in the turnament,

Hym fchal be granted the gre be the comon affent,

45

3

For

ANCIENT POEM S.

17

For to wynne my dozter wyth 'dughtyneffe' of dent,
And coppeld my brode-henne 'that'was brozt out of Kent:
And my dunnyd kowe

For no fpens wyl I spare,

For no cattell wyl I care,

He schal have my gray mare,
And my spottyd fowe.

Ther was manya' bold lad ther bodyes to bede:
Than thay toke thayr leve, and homward thay zede;
And all the weke after thay graythed ther wede,
Tyll it come to the day, that thay fuld do ther dede.
'They armed ham in matts;

Thay fet on ther nollys,

For to kepe ther pollys,

50

56

(afterward 27

Do hàm

60

Gode blake bollys,

For batryng of bats.

Thay fowed tham in fchepefkynnes, for thay fchuld not

breft:

Ilk-on toke a blak hat, infted of a crest:

* A basket or a panyer before on ther brest,'

And a flayle in ther hande; for to fyght preft,

65

Sych

Ver. 48. Dozty. MS. V. 49. We ftill use the phrafe" a copplecrowned ben." V. 57. Afterward M. gayed. PC. V. Co. is wanting in MS, and supplied from PC. V. 76. He borrowed him, FC.

2/

Sych another gadryng have I not fene oft,

When all the gret company com rydand to the croft:

75

Tyb on a gray mare was fet up on loft

On a fek ful of fedyrs, for fcho fchuld fyt foft,

A gay gyrdyl Tyb had on, borowed for the nonys,
And a garland on hur hed ful of rounde bonys,

30

And a bronche on hur breft ful of sapphyre' ftonys,
Wyth the holy-rode tokenyng, was wrotyn for the

nonys;

For no spendings' thay had spared.

When joly Gyb saw hur thare,

He gyrd fo hys gray mare,

That fcho lete a fowkin' fare

At the rereward.

85

9@

I wow to God, quoth Herry, I fchal not lefe behynde,
May I mete wyth Bernard on Bayard the blynde,
Ich man kepe hym out of my wynde,

For whatsoever that he be, before me I fynde,

I wot

Ver. 76. The MS. had once fedys, i. e. feeds, which appears to have been altered to fedyrs, or feathers. Bedwell's copy has Senvy, i. e. Muftard-feed. V. 77. And led hur to cap. MS. V. 83. Bedivell's PC. bas Ruel Bones'. V. 84. fafer ftones. MS. V. 85. wrotyn, i. e. wrought. PC. reads, written. V. 86. No catel they had fpared. MS. V. 89. Then... fancon. MS.

fancon.

Λ

[perhaps chatel I