[Sidenote: The king refuses.] By ſhort awys the king his anſuer yald; “Shir kny{ch}t, your lorde wondir hie pretendis, When he to me ſic ſalutatioune send{is}; 560 For I as yit, in tymys that ar gone, Held neu{er} lond excep of god alone, Nore neu{er} thinkith til erthly lord to yef Trybut nor rent, als long as I may lef.” 564 [Sidenote: The knight replies, that his lord bids him defiance, and will invade his land in a month;] “Well,” q{uo}d the kny{ch}t, “ful ſor repentith me; Non may reciſt the thing the wich mone bee. To yow, ſ{ir} king, than frome my lord am I With diffyans ſent, and be this reſone why; 568 His purpos Is, or this day moneth day, With all his oſt, planly to aſſay Your lond, w{i}t{h} mony ma{n}ly man of were, [Sidenote: not to return till he has conquered;] And helmyt kny{ch}t{is}, boith with ſheld {and} ſpere; 572 And neu{er} thinkith to retwrn home whill That he this lond haith conqueſt at his will; [Sidenote: and he intends to possess queen Vanour.] And ek vanour the quen, of whome that hee Herith report of al this world that ſhee 576 In fairhed and in wertew doith excede, He bad me ſay he think{is} to poſſede.” [Sidenote: Arthur returns his defiance.] “Schir,” q{uod} the king, “your meſag me behuf{is} Of reſone and of curtaſy excuſß; 580 But tueching to your lord {and} to his oſt, His powar [and] his meſag and his boſt, That pretendith my lond for to diſtroy, Thar-of as ȝit tak I non anoye; 584 And ſay your lord one my behalf, when hee [Fol. 8b.] Haith tone my lond, that al the world ſhal see That It ſhal be magre myne entent.” [Sidenote: The knight departs, lamenting Arthur’s adventurous spirit.] With that the kny{ch}t, w{i}t{h}outen leif, is went, 588 And richt as he was paſing to the dure, He ſaith, “a gode![T15] what wykyt aduenture Apperith!” w{i}t{h} that his hors he nome, Two knicht{is} kepit, waiting h{is} outcome. 592 [Footnote T15: MS. “agod^e.”]