VII.

With a laughing glance, she says, Þenne ho gef hym god-day, & wyth a glent laȝed. & as ho stod, ho stonyed hym wyth ful stor wordeȝ: "I am doubtful whether ye be Gawayne. 1292 "Now he þat spedeȝ vche spech, þis disport ȝelde yow! Bot þat ȝe be Gawan, hit gotȝ in mynde." "Quer-fore?" quod þe freke, & freschly he askeȝ, Ferde lest he hade fayled in fourme of his castes; 1296 Bot þe burde hym blessed, & bi þis skyl sayde, [Fol. 108b.] "So god as Gawayn gaynly is halden, & cortaysye is closed so clene in hym-seluen, Were it he, surely, ere this, he would have craved a kiss." Couth not lyȝtly haf lenged so long wyth a lady, 1300 Bot he had craued a cosse, bi his courtaysye, Bi sum towch of summe tryfle, at sum taleȝ ende." "I shall kiss," says the knight, "at your commandment." Þen quod Wowen, "I-wysse, worþe as yow lykeȝ, I schal kysse at your comaundement, as a knyȝt falleȝ, 1304 & fire¹ lest he displese yow, so² plede hit no more." With that the lady catches him in her arms and kisses him. Ho comes nerre with þat, & cacheȝ hym in armeȝ, Louteȝ luflych adoun, & þe leude kysseȝ; Þay comly bykennen to Kryst ayþer oþer; 1308 Ho dos hir forth at þe dore, with-outen dyn more. & he ryches hym to ryse, & rapes hym sone, Gawayne then rises and goes to mass. Clepes to his chamberlayn, choses his wede, Boȝeȝ forth, quen he watȝ boun, blyþely to masse, 1312 & þenne he meued to his mete, þat menskly hym keped, He makes mirth all day till the moon rises, & made myry al day til þe mone rysed, with game; With³ neuer freke fayrer fonge, between the "two dames," the older and the younger. 1316 Bitwene two so dyngne dame, Þe alder & þe ȝonge, Much solace set þay same. ¹ fere (?). ² fo, in MS. ³ Was (?) Nas (?).