I wold not my dozter, that scho were miscaryd,
But at hur most worschip I wold scho were maryd;
Therfor a Turnament schal begynne
Thys day sevenyzt,--
Wyth a flayl for to fyzt:
And he, that is most of might
Schal brouke hur wyth wynne.
"Whoso berys hym best in the turnament,
Hym schal be granted the gre be the comon assent,
For to wynne my dozter wyth dughtynesse of dent,
And Coppell[3] my brode-henne that was brozt out of Kent:
And my dunnyd kowe
For no spens wyl I spare,
For no cattell wyl I care,
He schal have my gray mare,
And my spottyd sowe."
There was many a bold lad ther bodyes to bede:
Than thay toke thayr leve, and homward theyzede;
And all the weke afterward graythed ther wede,
Tyll it come to the day, that thay suld do ther dede.
They armed ham in mitts
Thay set on ther nollys,
For to kepe ther pollys,
Gode blake bollys,
For bateryng of bats.
Thay sowed tham in schepeskynnes, for thay schuld not brest:
Ilk-on toke a blak hat, insted of a crest:
A basket or a panyer before on ther brest,
And a flayle in ther hande; for to fyght press,
Furth gon thay fare:
Ther was kyd mekyl fors,
Who schuld best fend hys cors:
He that had no gode hors,
He gat hym[4] a mare.
Sych another gadryng have I not sene oft,
When all the gret company com rydand to the croft:
Tyb on a gray mare was set upon loft
On a sek ful of fedyrs for scho schuld syt soft,
And led 'till the gap.
For cryeng of the men
Forther wold not Tyb then,
Tyl scho had hur brode hen
Set in hur Lap.
A gay gyrdyl Tyb had on, borowed for the nonys,
And a garland on hur hed ful of rounde bonys,
And a broche on hut brest ful of sapphyre stonys,
Wyth the holy-rode tokenyng, was wrotyn for the nonys;
For no spendyngs thay had spared.