Upsterte the gadlyngs with thaire lang staves,
And seid, "Rondyll the refe, lo, this lad raves;
How prudly among us thy dozter he craves; 30
And we ar richer men then he, and more gode haves,
Off catell and of corne."
Then seid Perkyn, "To Tibbe I have hyzt,
That I will be alle wey redy in my rizt,
[With a fleyle for to fyght, this day seven nyzt,] 35
And thouz hit were [to morne]."
Then seid Rondill the refe, "Ever be he waryd
That aboute this carpyng lenger wolde be taryd:
I wolde not my dozter that she were myskaryd,
But at hir moost worship I wolde she were maryd. 40
[Ther]ffor the turnament shalle begynne]
This day seven nyzt,
With a flayle for to fyzt:
And he that is moste of myzt
Shalle brok hir with wynne. 45
"He that berys hym best in the turnament,
[Him] shal be grauntid the gre be the comyn assent,
Ffor to wynne my dozter with duztynesse of dent,
And Coppull, my brode hen, that was brozt out of Kent,
And my donned cow. 50
Ffor no spence will I spare,
Ffor no catell wille I care;
He shalle have my gray mare,
And my spottyd sowe."
Ther was mony a bolde lad theire bodys to bede: 55
Than thei toke theire leve and hamwarde thei zede,
And alle the weke afterward thei graythed her wede,
Tille hit come to the day that thei shulde do thaire dede.
Thei armyd theym in mattes,
Thei sett on theire nolles 60
Gode blake bolles,
Ffor to kepe theire pollis
Ffor batteryng of battes.
Thei sewed hem in schepe skynnes, for thei shuld not brest,
[And everilkon of hem a blac hatte] in stidde of a crest, 65
A baskett or a panyer before on thaire brest,
And a flayle in theire honde; for to fyzt prest,
Forth con thei fare.
Ther was kid mycull fors,
Who shulde best fend his cors; 70
He that hade no gode hors,
[Borowyd hym a mare.]
Sich another [clothyng] have I not sene ofte,
When alle the gret cumpany come ridand to the crofte;
Tibbe on a gray mare was sett up on lofte; 75
Upon a secke full of senvye, for she shuld sitt softe,
And ledde tille the gappe:
[Fforther wold she not than,]
[For the luf of no man,]
[Tille Coppull, hir brode hen,] 80
[Were brozt in to hir lappe.]
A gay gyrdull Tibbe hade [on], borowed for the nones,
And a garland on hir hed, full of ruell bones,
And a broch on hir brest, full of saphre stones,
[The holy rode tokynyng was writon] for the nones: 85
For no spendyng they [had] spare[d].
When joly Jeynken wist hir thare,
He gurde so fast his gray mare,
That she lete a fowkyn fare
At the rerewarde. 90
["I make a vow," quod Tibbe, "Coppull is comyn of kynde;]
[I shalle falle fyve in the felde, and I my flayle fynde."]
["I make a vow," quod Hudde, "I shalle not leve behynde;]
[May I mete with Lyarde, or Bayarde the blynde,]
[I wot I schalle theym greve."] 95
["I make a vow," quod Haukyn,]
["May I mete with Daukyn,]
[Ffor alle his rich kyn,]
[His flayle I shalle hym reve."]
"I make a vow," quod Gregge, "Tib, [son] thu shal se 100
Which of alle the bachelery grauntid is the gre.
I shalle skomfet hem alle, for the luf of thé,
In what place that I come, thei shall have dout of me.
[Ffor I am armyd at the fole;]
In myn armys I ber well 105
A doz troz and a pele,
A sadull withowt panele,
With a flece of wole."
["Now go down," quod Dudman, "and bere me bet abowte:]
[I make a vow thei shall abye that I fynde owte.]110
[Have I twyse or thrise riden thruz the rowte,]
[In what place that I come, of me thei shall ha[ve] doute.]
[Myn armys bene so clere:]
[I bar a ridell and a rake,]
[Poudurt with the brenyng drake,] 115
[And thre cantels of a cake]
[In ilke a cornere."]