Perkyn cum leypyng in with a mall;

He seyd, "Thou schalt not kyll hus all:
Y wyll it the qwytte."

Ther start in Sander Sydebreche,

And swere, be his fader sowle, he schulde abyche,

That he schulde not chese.

Thus sone won hyt hym on the syde,
That euer after he stode full wyde,
III. fote betwene the knees.
He smote down his schulder-blade,
And that was long on Jac Wade;
The batell he began.

Sym, that was balyd lyke a kow,
He seyd: "Syrres, Y arest yow now."
The tyde a farly grace!

180

Won hit hym on the balè with a mall

Hym thoght his guttes fallen owt withall,

And he beschynde that place.

Jac of Bonam he was constabull,

He seyd, "Yow to arese Y am full abull,
All that ben olde or yong."

Anon won brake his necke well ny,

That euer after he lokud awry,

And hongyd owt the tonge.

190

Hobb Andrw he was thridborro;

He bad hom," Pesse! God gyff hom sorro! 200

For Y mey arrest yow best."

Thus sone won hit hym on the eyr,
That euer after he brydylt full feyr;
His chyn ley on his brest.

Gybon Sowter he layd on fast,
Tyll his breche-belt all to-brast,
As fast as he myght lake.

Thus sone won hit hym on the crope,
That neuer after he myght not stoppe,

Bot his arse lette a cracke.

Perkyn Clotter cryed: "Alas!
Ye schalle abye or Y passe;

With yow wylle Y not talke."

Thus sone won hit hym on the backe.
That euer after his arse seyd qwacke,
When he schulld ryse to walke.

Thus sore ychon leyd on oder;
Thei spared noder fader nor broder,

Ryght as thei had byn madde.

A mon myght have hart the malles dontte,

And euermore the sely men fast dyd grontte,

The malles thei lyght so sadde.

210

220

Thus fagh thei to thei werè was :
The dogges in anoder plasse,
A lytyll ther besyde.

Whyle thei wer besy in this warke,
The yomon rodde awaywarde,
And wold no lenger abyde.

Then euery towne a myle abowt,
Hard the malles and gedyrt owt,

230

To wytte what hit myght bee.

Sum seyd it was a beyr-beytyng, Sum seyd it was a dogg feghttyng,"Goo we ner and see."

Thei went theder as fast as thei myght ren,
And feyr thei partud them atwen,

And then styndyd all the stryfe.

Sum thei fond leyd on the grownd;
All thei wer wel ny swonand,

Vnethe thei had ther lyfe.

Thei went to the towne to fach ther wyvys,
To gyffe hom drynke to safe the lyvys;

Therto thei wer full bwon;

Theder come bothe prestys and clarkys
And broghtton with hom hor cartys,
And caryd the seke men to the town.

240

Pore husbondes that had no marowes,

Ther wyfes broghtton hom whelebarows,
For thei had no waynes.

Then euery wyfe broghtte hom her spows,
And leyd hym in his owne hows,

And keueryd hom vp ayeyn.

A moneth after a mon myghtte hom affond,
Lyand styll on the grownd,

Thei myght noder ryde ne goo.

Euer after the dogges wer so starke,

Thei stode aschore when thei schuld barke ;

Her feytt thei drew hom soo.

Ofte Y have hard hit twold,

250

Thei myghtt not passe the dure threscwold, 260

Nor lope ouer the hache-styd.

Thus the hare is gwon her gate,

Hur to fynde hit is to late,

Y putte yow owt of drede.

The cowrse Y wold that ye

had sene;

In the nownes ye had me the coppe gene,

For therof had Y nede. Here endis the hare beytyng: God gyff us all gud endyng, And hevon tyll owre mede! EXPLICIT.

NOTES.

VOLUME I.

KYNG ALISAUNDER.

V. 17, For Caton seith, thes gode techere
"Other monis lif is owre schewere."]

Vita est nobis aliena magistra.-Distich. Catonis.

73, Neptanamous.] In the Latin this celebrated necromancer is denominated Nectanabus or Anectanabus; in the Italian Anatanabo. Camoens alludes to this fabulous parentage of Alexander the Great in the following lines, which he first introduced into the Lusiad, but subsequently rejected. On the occasion of celebrating King John of Portugal, he enumerates the most celebrated bastards of antiquity, and among them,

66 se he certo o que a fama já escreveo,

Se muitos a Philippo nomeáram
Por pai do Macedonico mancebo,
Outros lhe dao o magno Nectanebo."

The history of Nectanabus, with his enchantments, and his amour with Queen Olympia, was introduced