In a mede was this tourney,

Of men that were of gret noblài.

The knyght in the mede hadde o maner,
Al biclosed with o riuer,

Of chaumbers, and of hegghe halle,
Of old werk, for-crased alle.
The knight hadde a fair leuedi;

A wel fair child sche hadde him bi.
Hit hadde of thre norices keping;
The ferste gaf hit soukying;

That other norice him scholde bathe,
Whan hit was time, late an rathe;

The thridde norice him scholde wassche.
The child was keped tendre, an nessche.
The knight hadde a graihond,
Y-n'as no better in lond i-found.
Alle the bestes that [he] ran to
He tok, bothe hert and ro.

He was so hende, and wel i-taught;
He n'olde yiue him for non aught.

720

730

The knight was lopen on his stede,

And armed wel in iron wede,

740

The scheld aboute his nekk, the spere on his hond

And burdised with the knightes of the lond.
The leuedi stod, in pount tournis,

For to bihelde the burdis.

The norice went out of the halle,

And set the cradel under the walle.

Mani stede ther ran and lep;

To hem men toke gode kep.

An addre was norissched in the wal,

And herde the riding, and the noise al,

750

And pelt out here heued to se that wonder,

And segh that schild ligge therunder.

He crep to grounde quik anon,

In the cradel the child to slon.
The graihond seghth the adder red,
Grislich, rough, strong and qued;
Anon he gan hire to asail,

And hente here in his mouth, saun fail.
The adder so the grehound stang,
And he feled the bite so strang,
Anon he let the adder gon:
Upon the cradel sche fleigh anon,
And was aboute the child to sting.
And the greihond com yerne flingging,
And hente the adder in strong ger,
And flapped here al aboute his er;
Bitwene the adder and the grehound,
The cradel turnd up so doun on ground,

Up so doun, in hire feghting,

That the child lai dweling.

The stapeles hit upheld al quert,

760

770

That the child n'as nowt i-hert.

The addre so the greihoun bot,

Bi the side, God hit wet,

He cried, and on the cradel lep,
And bledde theron a wel gret hep!
And whan the smert was al i-gon,
To that addre he sterte anon,
And bi the bodi he him hent,

And al to peces here to-rent.

The grehound wolde nowt sessed be,
Til that adder ware toren of thre,

And al the place ther aboute,

Was wel blodi withouten doute.

The burdis to-yede, the folk gan hom tee,

And the norices alle thre.

The cradel and the child thai found

780

Up so doun upon the ground;

The greihoun criede for his smert;

The norice was sori in hert;

790

And eche of hem understode,
That the greihond was wod,

And hadde that faire child i-slawe.
Awai thai gonne fle and drawe,
Als hit were wode wimmèn.
The leuedi com hom ayèn,
And asked hem what hem was?
Anon thai telde here al the cas.
Thai lowen on that greihound hende;

Hit was pitè so God ma mende!

800

"The leuedi, when sche herde this,

Aswone sche fil adoun, I wis.

The knight com fram the justing fare;
Anon asked hem what hem ware?
"Sire, quadth sehe, ich wille bi ded!
I n'elle never ete bred;

For thi greihond, that is so wilde,
Hath i-slawe oure faire childe:
And but ye willen him slen anon,
Right now ich wille mi lif forgon.

810

The knight, for rage, into halle set;

His hende graihond ther he met,

That him welcomed with fot and tail.

The knight drowgh his swerd, saunz fail;
The graihond on the rigge he hit,

Into the grounde he him slit.

The greihound is ded; the knight goth forth,
Into his halle grim and wroth.

Of the adder he fond mani tronsoun,

And the cradel up so doun.

He turneth the cradel and fint the child quik,
Hol and sond, and hath ferlich.

He seghth the adder the graihound slowgh;
He hadde slawen his greihond with wough!
He cride and made mochel sorewe :
"Ne be that man neuere i-borewe,
But in euel water adreint,

That ever leue wimmannes pleint !"
Eft he maketh a gret cri;
And he clepeth the leuedi,

VOL. III.

820

830

And on the knightes and sweines also,
And pleined him of his mochel wo;
And sschewede his child hol and sound,
And slawen was his gode graihond,
For his prouesse and his gode dede,
Al for his fole wiues rede!

"O grehound! he seide, wight and strong,
I schal miselue abigge that wrong,

And tache other knightes, saun fail,

To leue here leuedis conseil !"

840

He set him doun in that thrawe;
Als quik he dede his schon of-drawe,
And karf his vaumpes, fot-hot,
And wente him forht al barfot,
Withouten leue of wif and child,
And wente into a forest wild,
Into desert fram alle men;

Wolde he never come agen.

He tholede mani a biter stounde,

For the wrong of his greihonde.

850

"So falle on thè, sire emperour,

Swich arın, and schame, and desonòur,
Yif thou do thi sone unright,

Als to the greihound dede the knight.
Thourgth the counseil of hiis wif,
He sloughth his greihond nowt geltif."