[Sidenote A: On the morn he asks for his arms.] [Sidenote B: A carpet is spread on the floor,] [Sidenote C: and he steps thereon.] [Sidenote D: He is dubbed in a doublet of Tarsic silk, and a well-made hood.] [Sidenote E: They set steel slices on his feet, and lap his legs in steel greaves.] [Sidenote F: Fair cuisses enclose his thighs,] [Sidenote G: and afterwards they put on the steel habergeon,] [Sidenote H: well-burnished braces, elbow pieces, and gloves of plate.] [Sidenote I: Over all this is placed the coat armour.] [Sidenote J: His spurs are then fixed,] [Sidenote K: and his sword is attached to his side by a silken girdle.]
V.
[A] When he wat3 hasped in armes, his harnays wat3 ryche, [Fol. 99a.] Þe lest lachet ou[þ]er loupe lemed of golde; 592 So harnayst as he wat3 he herkne3 his masse, Offred & honoured at þe he3e auter; [B] Syþen he come3 to þe kyng & to his cort fere3, Lache3 lufly his leue at lorde3 & ladye3; 596 & þay hym kyst & conueyed, bikende hym to kryst. [C] Bi þat wat3 Gryngolet grayth, & gurde with a sadel, Þat glemed ful gayly with mony golde frenges, Ay quere naylet ful nwe for þat note ryched; 600 Þe brydel barred aboute, with bry3t golde bounden; [D] Þe apparayl of þe payttrure, & of þe proude skyrte3, Þe cropore, & þe couertor, acorded wyth þe arsoune3; & al wat3 rayled on red ryche golde nayle3, 604 Þat al glytered & glent as glem of þe sunne. [E] Þenne hentes he þe holme, & hastily hit kysses, Þat wat3 stapled stifly, & stoffed wyth-inne: Hit wat3 hy3e on his hede, hasped bihynde, 608 [F] Wyth a ly3tli vrysoun ouer þe auentayle, [G] Enbrawden & bounden wyth þe best gemme3, On brode sylkyn borde, & brydde3 on seme3, As papiaye3 paynted pernyng bitwene, 612 Tortors & trulofe3 entayled so þyk, As mony burde þer aboute had ben seuen wynter in toune; [H] Þe cercle wat3 more o prys, 616 Þat vmbe-clypped hys croun, Of diamaunte3 a deuys, Þat boþe were bry3t & broun.
[Sidenote A: Thus arrayed the knight hears mass,] [Sidenote B: and afterwards takes leave of Arthur and his court.] [Sidenote C: By that time his horse Gringolet was ready,] [Sidenote D: the harness of which glittered like the "gleam of the sun."] [Sidenote E: Then Sir Gawayne sets his helmet upon his head,] [Sidenote F: fastened behind with a "urisoun,"] [Sidenote G: richly embroidered with gems.] [Sidenote H: The circle around the helmet was decked with diamonds.]
VI.
[A] Then þay schewed hym þe schelde, þat was of schyr goule3, 620 Wyth þe pentangel de-paynt of pure golde hwe3; He brayde3 hit by þe baude-ryk, aboute þe hals kestes, Þat bisemed þe segge semlyly fayre. [B] & quy þe pentangel apende3 to þat prynce noble, 624 I am in tent yow to telle, þof tary hyt me schulde; Hit is a syngne þat Salamon set sum-quyle, In bytoknyng of trawþe, bi tytle þat hit habbe3, For hit is a figure þat halde3 fyue poynte3, [Fol. 99b] 628 & vche lyne vmbe-lappe3 & louke3 in oþer, [C] & ay quere hit is endele3,[1] & Englych hit callen Ouer-al, as I here, þe endeles knot. For-þy hit acorde3 to þis kny3t, & to his cler arme3, 632 For ay faythful in fyue & sere fyue syþe3, [D] Gawan wat3 for gode knawen, & as golde pured, Voyded of vche vylany, wyth vertue3[2] ennourned in mote; 636 For-þy þe pen-tangel nwe He ber in schelde & cote, [E] As tulk of tale most trwe, & gentylest kny3t of lote.
[Sidenote A: Then they show him his shield with the "pentangle" of pure gold.] [Sidenote B: The "pentangle" was devised by Solomon as a token of truth.] [Sidenote C: It is called the endless knot] [Sidenote D: It well becomes the good Sir Gawayne,] [Sidenote E: a knight the truest of speech and the fairest of form.] [Footnote 1: MS emdele3.] [Footnote 2: MS verertue3]
VII.
640 [A] Fyrst he wat3 funden fautle3 in his fyue wytte3, & efte fayled neuer þe freke in his fyue fyngres, [B] & alle his afyaunce vpon folde wat3 in þe fyue wounde3 Þat Cryst ka3t on þe croys, as þe crede telle3; 644 & quere-so-euer þys mon in melly wat3 stad, His þro þo3t wat3 in þat, þur3 alle oþer þynge3, Þat alle his forsnes he fong at þe fyue ioye3, Þat þe hende heuen quene had of hir chylde; 648 At þis cause þe kny3t comlyche hade [C] In þe more half of his schelde hir ymage depaynted, Þat quen he blusched þerto, his belde neuer payred. Þe fyrst[1] fyue þat I finde þat þe frek vsed, 652 Wat3 fraunchyse, & fela3schyp for-be[2] al þyng; [D] His clannes & his cortaysye croked were neuer, & pite, þat passe3 alle poynte3, þyse pure fyue Were harder happed on þat haþel þen on any oþer. 656 Now alle þese fyue syþe3, forsoþe, were fetled on þis kny3t, & vchone halched in oþer, þat non ende hade, & fyched vpon fyue poynte3, þat fayld neuer, Ne samned neuer in no syde, ne sundred nouþ[er], 660 With-outen ende at any noke [a]i quere fynde, Where-euer þe gomen bygan, or glod to an ende. [E] Þer-fore on his schene schelde schapen wat3 þe knot, Þus alle wyth red golde vpon rede gowle3, 664 Þat is þe pure pentaungel wyth þe peple called, [Fol. 100] with lore. Now grayþed is Gawan gay, [F] & la3t his launce ry3t þore, 668 & gef hem alle goud day, He wende for euer more.
[Sidenote A: He was found faultless in his five wits.] [Sidenote B: His trust was in the five wounds.] [Sidenote C: The image of the Virgin was depicted upon his shield.] [Sidenote D: In cleanness and courtesy he was never found wanting,] [Sidenote E: therefore was the endless knot fastened on his shield.] [Sidenote F: Sir Gawayne seizes his lance and bids all "good day."] [Footnote 1: MS fyft.] [Footnote 2: for-bi (?).]
VIII.
[A] He sperred þe sted with þe spure3, & sprong on his way, So stif þat þe ston fyr stroke out þer-after; 672 [B] Al þat se3 þat semly syked in hert, & sayde soþly al same segges til oþer, Carande for þat comly, "bi Kryst, hit is scaþe, Þat þou, leude, schal be lost, þat art of lyf noble! 676 [C] To fynde hys fere vpon folde, in fayth is not eþe; Warloker to haf wro3t had more wyt bene, & haf dy3t 3onder dere a duk to haue worþed; [D] A lowande leder of lede3 in londe hym wel seme3, 680 & so had better haf ben þen britned to no3t, [E] Hadet wyth an aluisch mon, for angarde3 pryde. Who knew euer any kyng such counsel to take, As kny3te3 in caueloun3 on cryst-masse gomne3!" 684 [F] Wel much wat3 þe warme water þat waltered of y3en, When þat semly syre so3t fro þo wone3 þat[1] daye; He made non abode, 688 Bot wy3tly went hys way, [G] Mony wylsum way he rode, Þe bok as I herde say.
[Sidenote A: He spurs his horse and goes on his way.] [Sidenote B: All that saw that seemly one mourned in their hearts.] [Sidenote C: They declared that his equal was not to be found upon earth.] [Sidenote D: It would have been better for him to have been a leader of men,] [Sidenote E: than to die by the hands of "an elvish man."] [Sidenote F: Much was the warm water that poured from eyes that day.] [Sidenote G: Meanwhile many a weary way goes Sir Gawayne.] [Footnote 1: MS. þad.]
IX.
[A] Now ride3 þis renk þur3 þe ryalme of Logres, 692 Sir Gauan on Gode3 halue, þa3 hym no gomen þo3t; Oft, leudle3 alone, he lenge3 on ny3te3, Þer he fonde no3t hym byfore þe fare þat he lyked; [B] Hade he no fere bot his fole, bi frythe3 & doune3, 696 Ne no gome bot God, bi gate wyth to karp, [C] Til þat he ne3ed ful noghe[1] in to þe Norþe Wale3; Alle þe iles of Anglesay on lyft half he halde3, & fare3 ouer þe forde3 by þe for-londe3, 700 [D] Ouer at þe Holy-Hede, til he hade eft bonk In þe wyldrenesse of Wyrale; wonde þer bot lyte [E] Þat auþer God oþer gome wyth goud hert louied. [Fol. 100b] & ay he frayned, as he ferde, at freke3 þat he met, 704 [F] If þay hade herde any karp of a kny3t grene, In any grounde þer-aboute, of þe grene chapel;[2] & al nykked hym wyth nay, þat neuer in her lyue [G] Þay se3e neuer no segge þat wat3 of suche hwe3 708 of grene. Þe kny3t tok gates straunge, In mony a bonk vnbene, [H] His cher ful oft con chaunge, 712 Þat chapel er he my3t sene.
[Sidenote A: Now rides the knight through the realms of England.] [Sidenote B: He has no companion but his horse.] [Sidenote C: No men does he see till he approaches North Wales.] [Sidenote D: From Holyhead he passes into Wirral.] [Sidenote E: There he finds but few that loved God or man.] [Sidenote F: He enquires after the Green Knight of the Green Chapel,] [Sidenote G: but can gain no tidings of him.] [Sidenote H: His cheer oft changed before he found the Chapel.] [Footnote 1: nyghe (?).] [Footnote 2: MS. clapel.]