Why grieve you, damfelle faire, he fayd,
And what doth cause you moane?
The damfell fcant wolde deigne a looke,
But faft fhe pricked on.

125

Yet turn againe, thou faïre damsèlle,
And greete thy queene from mee :
When bale is att hyeft, boote is nyest,

130

Now helpe enoughe may bee.

Bid her remember what fhe dreamt
In her bedd, wheras fhee laye ;
How when the grype and the grimly beaft
Wolde have carried her crowne awaye,

Even then there came the litle gray hawke,
And faved her from his clawes:
Then bidd the queene be merry at hart,

For heaven will fende her cause.

135

140

145

Then woeful, woeful was her hart,

And the teares stood in her eye.

And

Three times the herault he waved his hand,

And three times fpake on hye:

Giff any good knight will fende this dame,
Come forth, or shee must dye.

No knight ftood forth, no knight there came,

No helpe appeared nye :

And now the fyer was lighted up,

Queen Elinor fhe must dye.

The tinye boy they fee.

155

160

Away with that flake, away with those brands, 165

And loofe our comelye queene:

I am come to fight with fir Aldingar,
And prove him a traitor keene."

Forthe then flood fir Aldingar,

But when he saw the chylde,

170

He laughed, and fcoffed, and turned his backe,

And weened he had been beguylde.

Now

Now turne, now turne thee, Aldingar,

And eyther fighte or flee;

I trust that I fhall avenge the wronge,
Thoughe I am fo small to fee.

175

Ahad

The boye pulld forth a well good sworde

So gilt it dazzled the ee;

The firft ftroke ftricken at Aldingar

Smote off his leggs by the knee.

Stand up, stand up, thou false traitòr,

And fight upon thy feete,

For and thou thrive as thou begin ft,
Of height wee fhal be meete.

A prieft, a priest, fayes Aldingar,
While I am a man alive.

A prieft, a prieft, fayes Aldingar,
Me for to houzle and fhrive.

I wolde have lane by our comle queene,

Bot fhee wolde never confent;

Then I thought to betraye her unto our kinge

In a fyer to have her brent.

There came a lazar to the kings gates,

A lazar both blind and lame:
I tooke the lazar upon my backe,

And on her bedd him layne.
A

Then