XIV.
Reading edition
He let fall his loom on the bare He lyftes lyȝtly his lome, & let hit doun fayre, [Fol. 122.] neck of Sir Gawayne. With þe barbe of þe bitte bi þe bare nek Þaȝ he homered heterly, hurt hym no more, 2312 Bot snyrt hym on þat on syde, þat seuered þe hyde; The sharp weapon pierced the flesh so that the blood flowed. Þe scharp schrank to þe flesche þurȝ þe schyre grece, Þat þe schene blod over his schulderes schot to þe erþe. When the knight saw the blood on the snow, & quen þe burne seȝ þe blode blenk on þe snawe, 2316 He sprit forth spenne fote more þen a spere lenþe, Hent heterly his helme, & on his hed cast, Schot with his schuldereȝ his fayre schelde vnder, he unsheathed his sword, and thus spake: Braydeȝ out a bryȝt sworde, & bremely he spekeȝ; 2320 Neuer syn þat he watȝ burne borne of his moder, Watȝ he neuer in þis worlde, wyȝe half so blyþe:— "Cease, man, of thy blow. "Blynne, burne, of þy bur, bede me no mo; I haf a stroke in þis sted with-oute stryf hent, If thou givest me any more, readily shall I requite thee. 2324 & if þow recheȝ me any mo, I redyly schal quyte, & ȝelde ȝederly aȝayn, & þer to ȝe tryst, & foo; Our agreement stipulates only one stroke." Bot on stroke here me falleȝ, 2328 Þe couenaunt schop ryȝt so, [Sikered]1 in Arþureȝ halleȝ, & þer-fore, hende, now hoo!" 1 Illegible.