[Sidenote: The black knight, knowing who is beholding him,] The blak kny{ch}t ſaw the dang{er} of the feld, And al his doing{is} knowith quho beheld, And ek reme{m}brith in to his entent Of the meſag that ſche haith to hyme ſent: 3168 Than curag, ſtrenth encreſing w{i}t{h} ma{n}hed, Ful lyk o kny{ch}t one to the feld he raid, [Sidenote: thinks to have his lady’s love, or die before her.] Thinking to do his ladice love to have, Or than his deth befor hir to reſave. 3172 Thar he begynyth in his ferß curag Of armys, as o lyoune in his rag; Than m{er}well was his doing to behold; Thar was no kny{ch}t ſo ſtrong, nor yhit ſo bold, 3176 That in the feld befor his ſuerd he met, Nor he ſo hard his ſtrok apone hyme ſet, That ded or wondit to the erth he ſo{ch}t; [Sidenote: He works nothing but wonders;] For thar was not bot wond{er}is that he wro{ch}t. 3180 And magre of his fois eu{er}ilkone, [Sidenote: and often passes alone through the field.] In to the feld oft tymys hyme aloñ Throuch and throuch he paſſith to & fro; For in the ward[T73] it was the man{er} tho 3184 That non o kny{ch}t ſhuld be the brydill tak Hyme to oreſt, nore cum behynd h{is} bak, Nor mo than on at onys one o kny{ch}t Shuld ſtrik, for that tyme worſchip ſtud ſo ry{ch}t. 3188 Ȝhit was the feld ry{ch}t p{er}ellus and ſtrong Till arthuris folk, ſet thai {con}tenyt longe; Bot in ſich wyß this blak kny{ch}t can {con}ten, [Fol. 39b.] [Sidenote: He fights in such wise as to encourage all who see his deeds.] That thai, the wich that hath his manhed ſeñ, 3192 Sich hardyment haith takyne In his ded, Them tho{ch}t thai had no man{er} cauß of dred, Als long as he my{ch}t owthir ryd or go, At euery ned he them recomfort ſo. 3196 [Sidenote: Sir Kay and his fellows follow him all day.] S{ir} kay haith w{i}t{h} his falowis al the day Folowit hyme al that he can or may, And wondir well thai have in armys p{re}wit, And w{i}t{h} thar manhed oft thar folk relewit; 3200 Bot well thai faucht in diu{er}ß placis ſere, [Sidenote: But at last they are nearly all overpowered by numbers.] W{i}t{h} multitud y{ar} folk confuſit were, That long in ſich wyß my{ch}t thai no{ch}t {con}teñ. [Footnote T73: Another spelling of _warld_, i.e. world, which occurs in the fuller form in l. 3212.] [Headnote: SIR KAY’S MESSAGE TO SIR HARWY.]