He caught his helme in grete Ire,1156Ferumbras is wrath
That wroght was of goode fyne steleand seizes his
With Perlis pight, Rubeis and Saphire.helmet, which Oliver
Olyuehalpe him it to onlase;assists him to lace.
Gilte it was alle abowte.1160Ferumbras thanks him,
Ferumbras þanked him of his gracecourteously bowing to
And curteisly to him gan lowte.him. They mount their
Thai worthed vp o here stedes,steeds,
To Iuste thai made hem preest,1164
Of Armes to shewe hemyghty dedisrush together like
Thai layden here speres in a-reeste,fire of thunder, and
To-geder thai ronne as fire of thonde,have their lances
That both here Launces to-braste.1168broken. [leaf 29]
That they sete, it was grete wonder;They draw their
So harde it was, þat thay gan threste.swords.
Tho drowe thai oute here swordes kene
And smyten to-geder by one assente.[1172]
There thai hitte, it was wele sene;
To sle eche other was here entente.Ferumbras smites
Syr Ferumbras smote OlyueOliver on his
Vppo the helme righte on hye1176helmet so that the
With his swerde of metel cle,fire flies. Oliver
That the fyre he made oute-flye.strikes at the head
Olyuehim hitte agayvpo the hedeof Ferumbras, breaks
[125]the hede than fulle sore,1180away the circle of
He carfe awaye with mygħt and maynehis helmet, and the
The cercle, that sate vppo his crow.sword glancing off
The stroke glode down by his bake,down his back, he
The Arson he smot ther awaye1184cuts off two bottles
And the botelles of bawme withoute lake,of balm,
That uppone the grene ther thai laye,
That were trussed by-hynde him faste.
Tho Ferumbras was fu woo;1188
Olyuelight adow in haste,
The botellis he seased both two,

[‹p035›] THROWS THEM INTO THE RIVER, BUT HAS HIS HORSE KILLED.

He threwe hem into the River thanwhich he throws into
As feras he myghte throwe.1192the river.
“Alas” quod Ferumbras “what doistowe,[126] manne?
Thou art wode, as I trowe.
Thai were worth an C m poundeFerumbras tells
To a man, þat were wounded sore.1196him that they were
Ther was no preciosour thinge vppo grounde,invaluable to a
That myghte helpe a man more.wounded man, and that
Thou shalt abye by Mahounde,he
That is a man of myghtes moost.1200
I shall breke both bake and crow
And sle the, ther thou goist.”should atone for
Tho Olyueworth vp agay,their loss with his
His swerde he hade oute I-drawe.1204life. He strikes at
Ferumbras him smote with mayneOliver, who wards off
And mente to haue him slawe.the blow with his
He smote as doth the dinte of þondir;shield, but his steed
It glased down by his sheelde[1208]is killed under him.
And carfe his stedes neke a-sonder,[leaf 30]
That dede he fille in the felde.
Wightly Olyuevp-sterteOliver quickly starts
As Bacheler, doughti of dede,1212up and tries to kill
With swerde in honde him for to hirtehis adversary’s horse,
Or Ferumbras goode stede.
That Ferumbras aspied welle,
He rode a-waye than ful faste1216
And tiede him to a grene hasel,but Ferumbras rides
And come ayen to him in hasteoff and ties it to
And saide “nowe yelde the to me!a hazel. “Yield
Thou maiste not longe endure;1220thyself to me,” says
And leve on Mahounde, þat is so de,[127]Ferumbras; “believe
And thy life I shalle the ensure.[128]on Mahound, and I
Thou shalt be a Duke in my cont,will make thee a duke
And men haue at thyowe wille.1224in my country and
To my Sustir shaltowe wedded be,give thee my sister.”

[‹p036›] THEY TAKE BREATH. OLIVER DECLARES HIS NAME.

It were pite the for to spille!”
“Better” quod Olyue“shul we dele,
By God that is in magiste,1228“Ere I yield to
And of my strokes shaltow more fele,thee,” answered
Er I to the shalle yelde me.”Oliver, “thou shalt
Thai smeten togeder witħ egre mode,feel my strokes.”
And nathir of othire dradde;1232They fight for a
Thai persed hehauberkes, that were so goode,considerable time;
Tille both thayr bodyes bladde.the blood ran from
Thay foughte soo longe, þat by assenteboth their bodies. By
Thai drewe hem a litil bysyde,1236mutual consent they
A litil while thaym to avente,stop to take breath.
And refresshed hem at þat tyde.
“Generis” quod Ferumbras,Ferumbras asks Oliver
“As thou arte here gentil knighte,1240again his name and
Telle me nowe here in this placekin.
Of thy ky and what thohight;
Me thenkith by the now evermore,
Thou shuldist be one of the xij peris,[1244]“Thou must be one
That maiste fighte with me so sore,of the douzepeers,
And arte so stronge, worthy and fiers.”as thou fightest so
Olyuere answered to hym agay:well.”
“For feI leve it not ontoolde,1248“I am Oliver, cousin
My name is Olyuere certay,to Charlemagne.”
Cousyn to kynge Charles the boolde,[leaf 31]
To whome I shalle the sende
Qwikke or dede this same daye,1252
By conqueste here in this feelde,
And make the to renye thy laye.”
“O” quod Ferumbras tha to Olyue,
“Welcome thoarte in-to this place,1256“Thou art welcome
I have desyrede many a yerehere,” says
To gyfe the harde grace.Ferumbras; “thou
Thou slough my uncle Sir Persagyne,slewest my uncle,
The doughty kinge of Italye,1260
The worthyeste kinge þat lyued of men,

[‹p037›] OLIVER RECEIVES A HEAVY BLOW.

By Mahounde, thou shalt abye!”now thou shalt pay
Tho thai donge faste to-gedethe penalty!” The
While the longe day endured,1264fight continued the
Nowe hithe and nowe thide;whole day.
Fro strokes wytħ sheeldes here bodies þai couered.
And at the laste Olyuesmote him soAt last Oliver,
Vppo the helme, þat was of stele,1268smiting Ferumbras
That his swerde brake in two.upon the helmet, has
Tho wepe had he nevere a dele.his sword broken.
Who was woo but Olyuere than?
He saugh noone other remedy.1272
He saide “si,as thoarte gentile man,
On me nowe here haue mercy.
It were grete shame I-wis,
And honuwere it noo,1276
To sle a man wepenles;
That shame wolde nevegoo.”
“Nay traitour, thou getiste noo.
Hade I here an hundred and moo![1280]
Knele dow and yelde the here anoo,
And eles here I woole the sloo.”
Olyuesaugh, it wolde not be,
To truste to moch in his grace.1284
He ranne to the stede, þat stode by the tre,He ran to the steed
A swerde he raught in þat place,at the tree and
That was trussed on Ferumbras stede,seized a sword that
Of fyne stele goode and stronge.1288was hanging there;
He thought he quyte[129] Ferumbras his mede.
Almoost hadde he abyde to longe;
For in turnynge Ferumbras him smote,[leaf 32]
That stroke he myghte welle fele,1292but in turning on
It come on hym so hevy and hoote,Ferumbras he received
That down it made hym to knele.a blow that made him
Tho was Olyuesore ashamedekneel down.
And saide “thou cursed Sarasyne,1296

[‹p038›] CHARLES PRAYS TO GOD.

Thy proude pride shall be atamed,
By God and by seinte Qwyntyne.
Thou hast stole on me that dynte,
I shall quyte the thy hire.”1300
A stroke than Olyuehim lente,But Oliver returns
That hym thought his eyeweon fi.him fearful stroke.
Kinge Charles in his pavilo wasCharles, seeing
And loked towarde þat fyghte1304Oliver on his knees,
And saugh, howe fiers Ferumbras
Made Olyuere knele dow right.
Wo was him tho in his herte;
To Ihesu Criste he made his mone;1308prayed to Christ
It was a sight of peynes smerte,
That Olyuere kneled so sone:
“O Lord, God in Trinite,
That of myghtis thoarte moost,1312
By vertue of thy maieste
That alle knoweste and woste,
Lete not this hethen man
Thy seruaunte ouercome in fyght,[1316]
That on the bileve ne kan,
Ihesu, Lorde, for thy myghte!
But graunte thy man the victorye,that he might grant
And the Payny skomfited to be,1320the victory over the
As thou arte Almyghty God of glorye!Pagan.
Nowe mekely, Lorde, I pray to the.”
To Charles anoone an Aungel came
And broght him tidingges sone,1324An angel announces
That God had herde his praiethahim, that his prayer
And graunte him his bone.was heard. Charles
Tho Charles thanked God aboue[130]thanks God.
With herte and thought, worde and dede,1328
And saide “blessed be tho,lorde almyghty,†
That helpiste thy seruaunte in nede.”
These Champions to-gedir thai gone[leaf 33]

[‹p039›] FERUMBRAS BEING WOUNDED CRIES MERCY.