I gladly take the present opportunity of acknowledging my very great obligation to Prof. Koelbing, from whom I have received ample assistance throughout the whole of this work. It would be absolutely impossible to me entirely to discriminate his part from mine. He carefully revised the introduction, notes, and the glossary, before they went to press, and after they came from it, and he looked several times through the proofs of the text. Nor am I less indebted to Mr. Joseph Hall at Manchester, who not only kindly read the proofs of the text with the MS. in the Chetham Library, but also contributed some valuable notes, which are marked by his name. The Director has added the head-lines and side-notes. Torrent of Portyngale. Here bygynneth a good tale f. 76a. Of Torrente of Portyngale. (1) [Sidenote: May God give us grace to win Heaven! I’ll tell you of a doughty knight.] +G+od, that ys worthy and Bold, _leaf_ 1] Heuen~ and Erthe haue In hold, Fyld, watyr, and wynde, Yeve vse g{ra}ce hevyn~ to wyne, And brynge vs owt off Dedly synne 5 And In thy s{er}uyse to Ende! A stounde and ye woƚƚ lyst be-Dene, Ale dowghtty men~ þ{a}t Euyr hathe b{e}n~, Wher So that they lende, I Schaƚƚ yow teƚƚ, ore I hense pase, 10 Off a knyght, þ{a}t Dowghtty wase, In Rome ase clarkys ffynde. [Linenote: 8. _byn_ MS.] (2) [Sidenote: He dwelt in Portugal, and fought well when 18.] In Portynggaƚƚ, that Ryche londe, An Ereƚƚ that wase wonande, That curtese wase and {wyght}; 15 Sone aftyr he had a sone, The feyerest þ{a}t on fot myght gon, Tyrrant, men seyd, he hyght. Be tyme he wase XVIII yer~ old, Of dedd{es} of armys he wase bold, 20 To felle bothe kyng and knyght; And now com{m}ythe dethe appon a day And takythe hys father~, ase I yow sey, For God ys most of myght. [Linenotes: 15. _wyght_] _Dowghtty_ MS. 21. _felle_] first _l_ above the line MS.] [Headnote: TORRENT LOVES DESONELL.] (3) [Sidenote: The King gives Torrent an earldom, and he falls in love with the King’s daughter Desonell,] The kyng of Portynggaƚƚ wase fayne, 25 To-warde hym he takythe Torrayne, That Dowghtty ys in~ dedde; And ther he fesomnyd in~ hys hond A good Eyrldom in~ that lond, Bothe forest and {fede}. f. 76b. 30 The kyng hathe a dowghttyr {whyte} ase {fame}, Dys{o}ne{ll} wase her name, Worthyest in wede. When Torrent had of her~ a syght, More he lovyd that swet{e} wy{gh}t 35 Than~ aƚƚ ys fathyrys l{e}de. [Linenotes: 30. _fede_] _Downe_ MS. 31. _whyte ase fame_] _feyer ase flowyr_ MS. 32. _Dyscenys_, MS. 35. _swete_] _swet_, MS. _wyght_] _wyte_ MS. 36. _lede_] _londe_ MS.] (4) [Sidenote: and for her, unhorses many knights.]