SIR CAULINE.

And soe fast he called on syr Cauline,

O man, I rede thee flye,

For, 'but' if cryance come till thy heart,
I weene but thou mun dye.

He sayth, 'No cryance comes till my heart,
Nor, in faith, I wyll not flee;

95

For, cause thou minged not Christ before,

The less me dreadeth thee.

The Eldridge knighte, he pricked his steed;
Syr Cauline bold abode:

Then either shooke his trustye speare,

100

And the timber these two children1 bare

Soe soone in sunder slode.

Then tooke they out theyr two good swordes,
And layden on full faste,

Till helme and hawberke, mail and sheelde,
They all were well-nye brast.

105

The Eldridge knight was mickle of might,
And stiffe in stower did stande,

But syr Cauline with a 'backward" stroke,

Then up and came that ladye brighte,

Faste wringing of her hande:

For the maydens love, that most you love,
Withold that deadlye brande:

120

V. 109, aukeward. MS.

i. e. Knights. See the Preface to Child Waters, vol. iii.

For the maydens love, that most you love, E

Now smyte no more I praye;

And aye whatever thou wilt, my lord,

He shall thy hests obaye.

The Eldridge knighte gave up his armes
With many a sorrowfulle sighe;

And sware to obey syr Caulines hest,

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Till the tyme that he shold dye.

And he then up and the Eldridge knighte

Sett him in his saddle anone,

And the Eldridge knighte and his ladye
To theyr castle are they gone.

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O ladye, I have bin on the Eldridge hills:

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These tokens I bring away.

For now I perceive thou art a true knighte,

But sith thou hast hight, thou comely youth,

From that daye forthe he only joyde
Whan shee was in his sight.

Yea, and oftentimes they mette
Within a fayre arboùre,

Where they in love and sweet daliaunce
Past manye a pleasaunt houre.

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**In this conclusion of the First Part, and at the beginning of the Second, the reader will observe a resemblance to the story of Sigismunda and Guiscard, as told by Boccace and Dryden: see the latter's description of the lovers meeting in the cave, and those beautiful lines which contain a reflection so like this of our poet, "everye white," &c, viz. — 'But as extremes are short of ill and good,

And tides at highest mark regorge their flood;
So Fate, that could no more improve their joy,
Took a malicious pleasure to destroy.
Tancred, who fondly loved," &c.

The kinge hee sterted forthe, i-wys,

And an angrye man was hee:

Nowe, traytoure, thou shalt hange or drawe,
And rewe shall thy ladiè.

15

Then forthe syr Cauline he was ledde,

And throwne in dungeon deepe:

And the ladye into a towre so hye,
There left to wayle and weepe.

The queene she was syr Caulines friend,
And to the kinge sayd shee:

I praye you save syr Caulines life,

And let him banisht bee.

Now, dame, that traitor shall be sent
Across the salt sea fome:

But here I will make thee a band,

If ever he come within this land,
A foule deathe is his doome.

Syr Cauline, thou little think'st on mee,
But I will still be true.