‘If thou were a man, as thou art none, It is here thou shouldest dye; But a paire of new gallowes shall be built, Thou’st hang on them soe hye. XIV ‘And a fayre fyer there shall be bett[58], And brent our Queene shall been.’ Forth then walk’d our comely King, And met with our comely Queene. XV Saies, ‘God you save our Queene, Madam, And Christ you save and see! Here you have chosen a new, new love, And you will have none of mee. XVI ‘If you had chosen a right good knight, The lesse had beene your shame; But you have chosen a lazar man That is both blind and lame.’ XVII ‘Ever alacke!’ said our comely Queene, ‘Sir Aldingar he is false; But ever alacke!’ said our comely Queene, ‘And woe is me, and alas! XVIII ‘I had thought swevens[59] had never been true I have proved them true [today]: I dream’d in my swevens on Thursday at even In my bed wheras I lay, XIX ‘I dreamèd a grype[60] and a grimlie beast Had carried my crowne away, My gorget and my kirtle of golde, And all my heade-geare [gay]. XX ‘He wo’ld have worryed me with his tush[61], And borne me into his nest, Saving there came a little hawke Flying out of the east. XXI ‘--Saving there came a little hawke Which men call a merlion[62]; He stroke him downe untill the ground, That deade he did fall downe. XXII ‘Gif I were a man, as I am none, A battell I wo’ld prove; I wo’ld fight with that false traitor; At him I cast my glove! XXIII ‘Seeing I am able noe battell to make, You must grant me, my liege, a knight, To fight with that traitor, Sir Aldingar, To maintaine me in my right.’ XXIV ‘I’le give thee forty dayes,’ said our King, ‘To seeke thee a man therein; If thou find not a man in forty dayes, In a hott fyer thou shalt brenn.’ XXV Our Queene sent forth a messenger; He rode fast into the south; He rode the countryes through and through Soe far unto Portsmouth. XXVI [But for all his riding ne’er sped he To fetch help to our Queene;] He co’ld find noe man in the south countrỳ ‘Wo’ld fight with the knight soe keene. XXVII The second messenger shee sent forth, Rode far into the east; But--blessèd be God ’made sunn and moone!-- He sped then all of the best. XXVIII As he rode then by one river side, There he mett with a little Child; He seemèd noe more in a man’s likenesse Than a child of four yeeres old. XXIX He ask’d the messenger how far he rode; Loth he was him to tell; The little one was offended att him, Bade him adieu, farewell. XXX