"His neck is great as any fummere;
"He renneth as fwifte as any diftrere;
"Pawes he hath as a lyon:

"All that he toucheth he feath dead downe.
"Great winges he hath to flight,

"That is no man that bare him might.
"There may no man fight him agayne,
"But that he fleath him certayne:
"For a fowler beaft then is he,

"Twis of none never heard ye."

Sir William Dugdale is of opinion that the ftory of Guy is not wholly apocryphal, tho' he acknowledges the monks have founded out his praifes too hyperbolically. In particular, he gives the duel fought with the Danish champion as a real hiftorical truth, and fixes the date of it in the year 926, Etat. Guy, 67. See his Warwickshire.

The following is written upon the fame plan_as_ballad V. Book I. but which is the original and which the copy, cannot be decided. This fong is ancient, as may be inferred from the idiom preferved in the margin, ver. 94. 102: and was once popular, as appears from Fletcher's Knight of the Burning Peftle, Act 2.fc. ult.

It is here published from an ancient MS. copy in the Editor's old folio volume, collated with two printed ones, one of which is in black letter in the Pepys collection.

AS ever knight for ladyes fake

WAS

Soe toft in love, as I fir Guy
For Phelis fayre, that lady bright

As ever man beheld with eye?

She gave me leave myself to try,

The valiant knight with sheeld and speare,
Ere that her love fhee wold grant me;

Which made mee venture far and neare.

Then

Then proved. I a baron bold,

In deeds of armes the doughtyeit knight
That in thofe dayes in England was,
With fworde and fpeare in feild to fight.

An English man I was by birthe:

In faith of Chrift a chriftyan true:
The wicked lawes of infidells

I fought by proweffe to subdue.

'Nine' hundred twenty yeere

and odde

After our Saviour Chrift his birth,

When king Athèlftone wore the crowne,

I lived heere upon the earth.

Sometime I was of Warwicke erle,

And, as I fayd, of very truth,

A ladyes love did me constraine

To feeke ftrange ventures in my youth.

To win me fame by feates of armes

25

In Arange and fundry heathen lands;

Where I atchieved for her fake

Right dangerous conquefts with my hands.

For first I fayled to Normandye,

And there I ftoutlye wan in fight

The emperours daughter of Almaine,

From manye a vallyant worthye kuight.

30

Ver. 9. The proud fir Guy. PC. Ver. 17. Two hundred, MS. and P.

Then paffed I the feas to Greece

To helpe the emperour in his right; Against the mightye fouldans hoaste

Of puiffant Persians for to fight.

Where I did flay of Sarazens,

And heathen pagans, manye a man; And flew the fouldans cozen deere,

Who had to name doughtye Coldràn.

Elkeldered a famous knight

To death likewife I did pursue: And Elmayne king of Tyre alfoe, Moft terrible in fight to viewe.

I went into the fouldans hoaft,

Being thither on embassage fent,

And brought his head awaye with mee;

I having flaine him in his tent.

There was a dragon in that land

35

40

45

Moft fiercelye mett me by the waye

50

As hee a lyon did purfue,

Which I myself did alfoe flay.

Then foon I paft the feas from Greece,

And came to Pavye land aright:

Where I the duke of Pavye killed,

His hainous treafon to requite.

55

Το

To England then I came with fpeede,

To wedd faire Phelis lady bright:

For love of whome I travelled farr

To try my manhood and my might.

But when I had efpoufed her,

I ftayd with her but fortye dayes,

60

Ere that I left this ladye faire,

And went from her beyond the feas.

65

All cladd in gray, in pilgrim fort,
My voyage from her I did take
Unto the bleffed Holy-land,

For Jefus Chrift my Saviours fake.

Then I to England came againe,

And here with Colbronde fell I fought:

An ugly gyant, which the Danes

Had for their champion hither brought.

85

I over

I overcame him in the feild,

And flewe him foone right valliantlye;
Wherebye this land I did redeeme
From Danish tribute utterlye

And afterwards I offered upp

The ufe of weapons folemnlye At Winchester, whereas I fought, In fight of manye farr and nye.

But first,' neare Winfor, I did fiaye
A bore of paffing might and ftrength;
Whofe like in England never was

For hugeneffe both in bredth, and length.

Some of his bones in Warwicke yett,

Within the caftle there doe lye: One of his theeld-bones to this day Hangs in the citye of Coventrye.

On Dunsmore heath I alfoe flewe
A monstrous wyld and cruell beast,
Calld the Dun-cow of Dunfmore heath;
Which manye people had oppreft.

Some of her bones in Warwicke yett
Still for a monument doe lye;
And there exposed to lookers viewe
As wonderous strange, they may espye.

85

до

95

100

Var. 94. 102. doth lye. MS.

A dragon