Yet one thing would I, said our king,
If thou wilt not seem strange:
Though my horse be better than thy mare,
Yet with thee I fain would change.
Why if with me thou fain wilt change,
As change full well may we,
By the faith of my body, thou proud fellòw,
I will have some boot of thee.
That were against reason, said the king,
I swear, so mote I thee:[91]
My horse is better than thy mare,
And that thou well mayst see.
Yea, sir, but Brock is gentle and mild,
And softly she will fare:
Thy horse is unruly and wild, I wiss;
Aye skipping here and there.
What boot wilt thou have? our king replied,
Now tell me in this stound.
No pence, nor half-pence, by my faith,
But a noble in gold so round.
Here's twenty groats of white money,
Sith thou will have it of me.
I would have sworn now, quoth the tanner,
Thou hadst not had one penny.
But since we two have made a change,
A change we must abide,
Although thou hast gotten Brock my mare,
Thou gettest not my cow-hide.
I will not have it, said the king,
I swear, so mote I thee;
Thy foul cow-hide I would not bear,
If thou wouldst give it to me.
The tanner he took his good cow-hide,
That of the cow was hilt;[92]
And threw it upon the king's saddle,
That was so fairly gilt.
Now help me up, thou fine fellow,
'Tis time that I were gone;
When I come home to Gyllian my wife,
She'll say I am a gentleman.