Bedwell, who was eminently skilled in the Oriental and other languages appears to have been but little conversant with the ancient writers in his own; and he so little entered into the spirit of the poem he was publishing, that he contends for its being a serious narrative of a real event, and thinks it must have been written before the time of Fiward III., because turnaments were prohibited in that reign. “I do verily believe,” says be, " that this Turnament was acted before this proclamation of King Edward. For how durst any to attempt to do that, although in sport, which was so straightly forbidden, both by the civill and ecclesiasticall power ? For although they fought not with lances, yet, as our author sayth, “It was no children's game. And what would have become of him, thinke you, which should have slayne another in this manner of jeasting ? Would he not, trow you, have been hang'd for it in earnest ? yea, and have bene buried like a dogge?" It is, however, well known that turnaments were in use down to the reign of Elizabeth.

In the former editions of this work, Bedwell's copy was reprinted here, with some few conjectural emendations ; but as Bedwell seemed to have reduced the orthography at least, if not the phraseology, to the standard of his own time, it was with great pleasure that the Editor was informed of an ancient MS. copy preserved in the Museum (Harl. MSS. 5396), which appeared to have been transcribed in the reign of King Henry VI., about 1456. This obliging information the Editor owed to the friendship of Thomas Tyrwhitt, Esq., and he has chiefly followed that more authentic transcript, improved however by some readings from Bedwell's book.

Of all thes kene conquerours to carpe it were kynde;
Of fele feyztyng folk ferly we fynde;
The Turnament of Totenham have we in mynde ;
It were harme sych hardynes were holden byhynde,
In story as we rede

Of Hawkyn, of Herry,
Of Tomkyn, of Terry,
Of them that were dughty

And stalworth in dede.
It befel in Totenham on a dere day,
Ther was mad a shurtyng be the hy-way;
Theder com al the men of the contray,
Of Hyssylton, of Hy-gate, and of Hakenay,
And all the swete swynkers :

Ther hopped Hawkyn,
Ther daunsed Dawkyn,
Ther trumped Tomkyn,

And all were trewe drynkers.

Tyl the day was gon and evyn-song past,
That thay schuld reckyn ther scot and ther counts cast;
Porkyn, the potter, into the press past,
And sayd, “Randol, the refe, a dozter thou hast,
Tyb the dere.

Therfor faine wyt wold I,
Whych of all thys bachelery
Were best worthye

To wed hur to hys fere."
Upstyrt thos gadelyngys wyth ther lang staves,
And sayd, “Randol, the refe, lo, thys lad raves;
Boldely amang us thy dozter he craves;
We er rycher men than he, and mor gode haves,
Of cattell and corn."

Then sayd Perkyn, “ To Tybbe I have hyzt,
That I schal be alway redy in my ryzt,
If that it schuld be thys day sevenyzt,

Or elles zet to morn.”
Then sayd Randolfe, the refe, “Ever be he waryd
That about thys carpyng lenger wold be taryd :
I wold not my dozter, that scho were miscaryd,
But at hur most worschip I wold scho were maryd.
Therfor a Turnament schal begynne

Thys day sevenyzt,-
Wyth a flayl for to fyzt:
And he' that is most of myght

Schal brouke hur wyth wynne.
“ Whoso berys hym best in the turnament,
Hym schal be granted the gre be the comon assent,
For to wynne my dozter wyth “dughtynesse' of dent,
And Coppell' my brode-henne, 'that' was brozt out of Kent,
And my dunnyd kowe.

50
For no spens wyl I spare,
For no cattell wyl I care ;
He schal have my gray mare,

And my spottyd sowe.” Ver. 20. It is not very clear in the MS. whether it should be conts o! conters.

V. 48, dozty. MS. V. 49, coppeld. We still use the phrase "a copple-crowned hen.”

Ther was many 'a' bold lad ther bodyes to bede :
Than thay toke thayr leve and homward they zede,
And all the weke afterward graythed ther wede,
Tyll it come to the day, that thay suld do ther dede.
They armed tham in matts,

Thay set on ther nollys,
For to kepe ther pollys,
Gode blake bollys,

For bateryng of bats.
Thay sowed tham in schepeskynnes, for thay schuld not

brest,
Ilk-on toke a blak hat, insted of a crest,
'A basket or a panyer before on ther brest,'
And a flayle in ther hande; for to fyght prest,
Furth gon thay fare.

Ther was kyd mekyl fors,
Who schuld best fend hys cors;
He that had no gode hors,

He gat hym a mare.
Sych another gadryng have I not sene oft,
When all the gret company com rydand to the croft;
Tyb on a gray mare was set up on loft
On a sek ful of fedyrs, for scho schuld syt soft,
And led 'till the gap.

For cryeng of the men
Forther wold not Tyb then,
Tyl scho had hur brode hen

Set in hur Lap.
A gay gyrdyl Tyb had on, borowed for the nonys,
And a garland on hur hed, ful of rounde bonys,
And a broche on hur brest, ful of sapphyre' stonys,
Wyth the holy-rode tokenyng, was wrotyn for the nonys; 85

V. 57, gayed. P.C. V. 66 is wanting in MS. and supplied from P.C. V. 72, he borrowed him. P.C.

V. 76, the MS. had once sedys, i.e. secd3, which appears to have been altered to fedyrs, or feathers. Bedwell's copy has senvy, i. e. mustard-seed.

V. 77, And led hur to cap. MS. V. 83, Bedwell's P.c. has ruel-bones.

V. 84, safer stones. MS. V. 85, wrotyn, i. e. wrought. P.C. reads written. VOL. I.

For no “spendings' thay had spared.

When joly Gyb saw hur thare,
He gyrd so hys gray mare,
“That scho lete a fowkin' fare

At the rereward.

90

“I wow to God,” quoth Herry,“ I schal not lefe behynde;
May I mete wyth Bernard on Bayard the blynde.
Ich man kepe hym out of my wynde,
For whatsoever that he be, before me I fynde,
I wot I schall hym greve.”

“Wele sayd,” quoth Hawkyn,
" And I wow," quoth Dawkyn,
“May I mete wyth Tomkyn,

Hys flayle 1 schal hym reve.”

95

"I make a vow," quoth Hud, “ Tyb, son schal thou se,
Whych of all thys bachelery "granted' is the gre.
I schal scomfet thaym all, for the love of the ;
In what place so I come thay schal have dout of me,
Myn armes ar so clere :
I bere a reddyl, and a rake,

105
Poudred wyth a brenand drake,
And three cantells of a cake

In ycha cornere.”

“I vow to God,” quoth Hawkyn, “yf 'I' have the gowt,
Al that I fynde in the felde thrustand' here aboute, 110
Have I twyes or thryes redyn thurgh the route,
In ycha stede ther thay me se, of me thay schal have

doute.
When I begyn to play,

I make avowe that I ne schall,
But yf Tybbe wyl me call,

115 Or I be thryes don fall,

Ryzt onys com away.”

V. 86, no catel (perhaps chatel] they had spared. MS. V. 89, Then . . . faucon. MS.

V. 101, grant. MS. V. 109, yf he have. MS. V. 110, the MS. literally has th'. sand here.

Then sayd Terry, and swore be hys crede:
“ Saw thou never yong boy forther hys body bede,
For when thay fyzt fastest and most ar in drede, 120
I schall take Tyb by the hand and hur away lede.
I am armed at the full;

In myn armys I bere wele
A doz trogh and a pele,
A sadyll wythout a panell,

125 Wyth a fles of woll.” “I make a vow," quoth Dudman, and swor be the stra, “ Whyls me ys left my mare,' thou gets hurr not swa ; For scho ys wele schapen and lizt as the rae, Ther is no capul in thys myle befor hur schal ga. 130 Sche wul ne nozt begyle;

Sche wyl me bere, I dar say,
On a lang somerys day,
Fro Hyssylton to Hakenay,
Nozt other half myle.”

135 “I make a vow," quoth Perkyn, “ thow speks of cold rost, I schal wyrch wyselyer' without any bost. Five of the best capulys that ar in thys ost, I wot I schal thaym wynne, and bryng thaym to my cost, And here I grant thaym Tybbe.

140
Wele boyes here ys he,
That wyl fyzt and not fle,
For I am in my jolyte,

Wyth so forth, Gybbe.”
When thay had ther vowes made, furth can thay hie, 145
Wyth flayles and hornes and trumpes mad of tre.
Ther were all the bachelerys of that contre:
Thay were dyzt in aray, as thaymselfes wold be.
Thayr baners were ful bryzt,
Of an old rotten fell;

150 The cheveron of a plow-mell, And the schadow of a bell,

Quartred' wyth the mone lyst. V. 128, merth. MS. V. 137, swyselior. MS. V. 146, failes, and harnisse. P.C. V. 151, The chiefe. P.C. V. 153, Poudred. MS.