SIR TRISTREM.

FYTTE THIRD.

I.

IN Wales tho was a king,

That hight Triamour; He had a doughter yinge,

Was hoten Blaunche Flour;

Urgan with gret wering,

Biseged him in his tour, To winne that swete thing,

And bring hir to his bour,

With fight;

Tristrem with gret honour, Bicom the kinges knight.

K

Of Triamour tok he pray;

Triamour to Tristrem teld,

Opon a somers day,
Wales he wald him yeld,

Gif he it winne may,
Right than ;

Tristrem withouten nay,

With were, Wales wan.

III.

Tristrem mette Urgan,

In that feld to fight;

To him seyd he than,

As a douhti knight,

"Thou slough mi brother Morgan,

At the mete ful right;

As Y am douhti man,

His deth thou bist to night,

Mi fo ;"

Tristrem seyd aplight,

"So kepe Y the to slo."

IV.

Tuelve fete was the wand,

That Urgan wald with play;
His strok may no man stand,

Ferly yif Tristrem may;
Tristrem vantage fand,
His clobbe fel oway;

And of the geauntes hand,
Tristrem smot, that day,
In lede:

Tristrem, for sothe to say,
The geaunt gert he blede.

V.

Urgan al in tene,

Faught with his left hand;

Oyain Tristrem kene,

A stern stroke he fand,

Opon his helme so schene,

That to the ground he wand,

Bot up he stirt bidene,

And heried godes sand,*

Almight;

Tristrem with his brand,

Fast gan to fight.

* As explained by an ingenious friend, "Blessed God's son,"

or rather perhaps, " God's sent," i. e. God's ambassador.

VI.

The geaunt aroume he stode,

His hond he tint Y wis;

look for prens

He fleighe as he were (wode,

Ther that the castel is;

Tristrem trad in the blod,

And fond the hond that was his;

Oway Sir Tristrem yode;

The geaunt com with this,

And sought,

To hele his honde that was his,

Salves hadde he brought.

VII.

Urgan the geaunt unride

After Sir Tristrem wan;

The cuntre fer and wide,

Y-gadred was bi than;

Tristrem thought that tide,

"Y take that me gode an ;"

On a brigge he gan abide;

Biheld ther mani a man;

Thai mette:

Urgan to Tristrem ran,

And grimli there thai gret.