And after thys farther forth me brought
Dame Countenaunce into a goodly hall :
Of jasper stones it was wonderly wrought,

The wyndowes cleare, depured all of crystall,
And in the roufe on hye over all
Of golde was made a ryght crafty vyne;
Instede of grapes the rubies there did shyne.

The flore was paved with berall clarified,
With pillers made of stones precious,
Like a place of pleasure so gayely glorified,
It might be called a palaice glorious,
So muche delectable and solacious.
The hall was hanged, hye and circuler,
With cloth of arras in the rychest maner.

That treated well of a ful noble story,

Of the doubty waye to the tower perillous ; 5
Howe a noble knyght should wynne the victory
Of many a serpente foule and odious:

XI.

The Child of Elle1

is given from a fragment in the Editor's folio MS.; which, though extremely defective and mutilated, appeared to have so much merit, that it excited a strong desire to attempt a completion of the story. The reader will easily discover the supplemental stanzas by their inferiority, and at the same time be inclined to pardon it, when he considers how difficult it must be to imitate the affecting simplicity and artless beauties of the original.

Child was a title sometimes given to a knight. See Gloss.

ON yonder hill a castle standes,

With walles and towres bedight,

And yonder lives the Child of Elle,
A younge and comely knighte.

5 The story of the poem.

1 The fragment in the folio MS. contains but thirty-nine verses, upon which Percy has founded two hundred; yet the corrections are, as Sir Walter Scott says, "in the true style of Gothic embellishment."-Editor.

The Child of Elle to his garden wente,

And stood at his garden pale,

Whan, lo! he beheld faire Emmelines page
Come trippinge downe the dale.

The Child of Elle he hyed him thence,

Y-wis he stoode not stille,

10

And soone he mette faire Emmelines page

Come climbing up the hille.

"Nowe Christe thee save, thou little foot-page,

"And here shee sends thee a silken scarfe, Bedewde with many a teare,

And biddes thee sometimes thinke on her,
Who loved thee so deare.

"And here shee sends thee a ring of golde,
The last boone thou mayst have,

And biddes thee weare it for her sake,
Whan she is layde in grave.

"For, ah! her gentle heart is broke,

And in grave soone must shee bee,

Sith her father hath chose her a new, new love,
And forbidde her to think of thee.

"Her father hath brought her a carlish knight, Sir John of the north countràye,

And within three dayes shee must him wedde,
Or he vowes he will her slaye."

35

"Nowe hye thee backe, thou little foot-page, And greet thy ladye from mee,

And telle her that I, her owne true love,
Will dye, or sette her free.

40

"Nowe hye thee backe, thou little foot-page,
And let thy fair ladye know,

This night will I bee at her bowre-windòwe,
Betide me weale or woe."

The boye he tripped, the boye he ranne,
He neither stint ne stayd,

45

Untill he came to faire Emmelines bowre,

Whan kneeling downe he sayd:

"O ladye, Ive been with thy own true love, And he greets thee well by mee;

50

This night will he bee at thy bowre-windowe,
And dye or sette thee free."

Nowe daye was gone, and night was come,
And all were fast asleepe,

All save the Ladye Emmeline,

55

Who sate in her bowre to weepe:

This ladder of ropes will lette thee downe,
Ile carrye thee hence awaye."

“Nowe nay, nowe nay, thou gentle Knight, Nowe nay, this may not bee;

65

For aye sould I tint my maiden fame,
If alone I should wend with thee."

"O Ladye, thou with a knighte so true Mayst safelye wend alone;

To my ladye mother I will thee bringe,
Where marriage shall make us one.'

"My father he is a baron bolde,
Of lynage proude and hye;

And what would he saye if his daughtèr
Awaye with a knight should fly?

70

75

"Ah! well I wot, he never would rest,
Nor his meate should doe him no goode,
Till he had slayne thee, Child of Elle,
And seene thy deare hearts bloode."

80

"O Ladye, wert thou in thy saddle sette, And a little space him fro,

I would not care for thy cruel father,

Nor the worst that he could doe.

"O Ladye, wert thou in thy saddle sette, And once without this walle,

85

I would not care for thy cruel father,

Nor the worst that might befalle.”

Faire Emmeline sighed, faire Emmeline wept,
And aye her heart was woe :

90

At length he seizde her lilly-white hand,

Quoth shee, "My Lord shall knowe of this,

Soe I shall have golde and fee.

Awake, awake, thou Baron bolde!

105

Awake, my noble dame!

Your daughter is fledde with the Child of Elle,
To doe the deede of shame."

The baron he woke, the baron he rose,

And called his merrye men all:

110

"And come thou forth, Sir John the knighte;

The ladye is carried to thrall."

Faire Emmeline scant had ridden a mile,
A mile forth of the towne,

When she was aware of her fathers men

115

Come galloping over the downe.

And foremost came the carlish knight,

Sir John of the north countràye:

"Nowe stop, nowe stop, thou false traitòure, Nor carry that ladye awaye.

120

"For she is come of hye lynàge,

And was of a ladye borne,

And ill it beseems thee, a false churles sonne,
To carrye her hence to scorne."

"Nowe loud thou lyest, Sir John the knighte, Nowe thou doest lye of mee;

125

A knight mee gott, and a ladye me bore,

Soe never did none by thee.

"But light nowe downe, my Ladye faire, Light downe, and hold my steed,

130

While I and this discourteous knighte
Doe trye this arduous deede.

Faire Emmeline sighde, faire Emmeline wept,

And aye her heart was woe,

While twixt her love and the carlish knight

Past many a baleful blowe.

The Child of Elle hee fought soe well,

As his weapon he wavde amaine,

That soone he had slaine the carlish knight,

And layde him upon the plaine.

And nowe the baron, and all his men
Full fast approached nye:

Ah! what may Ladye Emmeline doe?
Twere now no boote to flye.

145