[1] If I should say any thing out of wantonness or vanity, the spirit which teaches me would immediately leave me. [2] Bade him use his cunning, for the sake of the bodies of those noble and wise Britons. [3] 'Kylar:' Kildare. [4] 'Habbet:' have. [5] 'The treche of giants:' 'The dance of giants.' The name of this collection of immense stones. [6] 'Myd:' with. [7] 'Somdeal to-lygh:' somewhat laughed. [8] 'Fale:' many. [9] Giants once brought them from the furthest part of Africa. [10] 'Hett:' was called. ARTHUR'S INTRIGUE WITH YGERNE. At the feast of Easter the king sent his sond,[1] That they comen all to London the high men of this lond, And the ladies all so good, to his noble feast wide, For he shoulde crown here, for the high tide. All the noble men of this land to the noble feast come, And their wives and their daughtren with them many nome,[2] This feast was noble enow, and nobliche ydo; For many was the fair lady that ycome was thereto. Ygerne, Gorloys' wife, was fairest of each one, That was Countess of Cornewall, for so fair n'as there none. The king beheld her fast enow, and his heart on her cast, And thoughte, though he were wise, to do folly at last. He made her semblant fair enow, to none other so great. The earl n'as not therewith ypayed[3], when he it under get. After meat he nome his wife myd[4] sturdy med enow, And, without leave of the king, to his country drow. The king sente to him then, to byleve[5] all night, For he must of great counsel have some insight. That was for nought. Would he not, the king sent yet his sond, That he byleved at his parlement, for need of the lond. The king was, when he n'olde not, anguyssous and wroth. For despite he would a-wreak be he swore his oath, But he come to amendement. His power atte last He garked, and went forth to Cornewall fast. Gorloys his castles a store all about. In a strong castle he did his wife, for of her was all his doubt, In another himself he was, for he n'olde nought, If cas[6] come, that they were both to death ybrought. The castle, that the earl in was, the king besieged fast, For he might not his gins for shame to the other cast. Then he was there seen not, and he spedde nought, Ygerne, the countesse, so much was in his thought, That he nuste none other wit, ne he ne might for shame Tell it but a privy knight, Ulfyn was his name, That he truste most to. And when the knight heard thia, 'Sir,' he said, 'I ne can wit, what rede hereof is, For the castle is so strong, that the lady is in, For I ween all the land ne should it myd strengthe win. For the sea goeth all about, but entry one there n'is, And that is up on harde rocks, and so narrow way it is, That there may go but one and one, that three men within Might slay all the laud, ere they come therein. And nought for then, if Merlin at the counsel were, If any might, he couthe the best rede thee lere.'[7]