English

[The Seventh Part.]

till itt beffell vpon a day
he mett w i th Ellen tha t may
betwene the Castle and the tower;
Then vnto him shee gan say,
" thou art ffalse of thy ffay
vnto King Arthur!
ffor the loue of that Ladye
that can soe much curtesye,

[The Sixth Part.]

Now let vs rest awhile
of S ir Otes de lile,
& tell wee other tales.
S i r Lybius rode many a mile,
sawe aduentures many & vile
in England & in Wales,
till itt beffell in the monthe of June,
when the ffenell hangeth in the towne
all greene in seemlye manner,
The midsum m er day is ffaire & long;
merry is the ffoules songe,
the notes of birds on bryar;

[The Fifth Part.]

S i r Lybius and his ffaire May
rode fforth on their way
towards Sinadon
then as they rod in a throwe,
hornes heard they lowd blowe,
& hoinds of great game
the dwarffe said in tha t throwe,
" tha t horne I well know
many yeeres agone;

" Thatt horne bloweth S i r Ortes de lile,
That serued my Ladye a while
seemlye in her hall;
& when shee was taken w i th guile,

[The Fourth Part.]

now S i r Lybius and his May
tooke their leaue, & rode their way
thither as they had hight
Then they saw in a parke
a Castle stiffe & starke,
tha t was ffull maruelouslye dight;

wrought itt was w i th lime & stone, —

[The Third Part.]

S i r Lybius was stout & gay,
& leapt vpon his palffrey,
& tooke his sheeld & speare
& rode fforth ffull ffast.
2 gyants hee ffound at Last,
[that] strong & stout were.
The one was blacke as any sole,
the other as red as ffyerye cole,

[The Second Part.]

S i r Lybius now rideth on his way,
& soe did tha t ffaire may,
the dwarffe alsoe rode them beside,
till itt beffell vpon the 3 day
vpon the K nigh t all the way
ffast they gan to chide,
& said, " Lorell and Caitiue!
tho thow were such ffiue,

I ESUS christ, Christen Kinge,
& his mother tha t sweete thing,
helpe them att their neede
tha t will listen to my tale!
of a knight I will you tell,
a doughtye man of deede,
his name was cleped Ginglaine;
gotten he was of S i r Gawaine
vnder a fforrest side;
a better knight w i thout ffable,
W i th Arthur att the round table,
yee heard neuer of read.

Gingglaine was ffaire & bright,

SCENE III.

A road between Eisenach and Marpurg. Peasants waiting by the road-side . W ALTER OF V ARILA , the Count OF S AYM , and other Gentlemen entering on horseback .

Gent . Talk not of honour — Hell's a flame within me:
Foul water quenches fire as well as fair;
If I do meet him he shall die the death,
Come fair, come foul: I tell you, there are wrongs
The fumbling piecemeal law can never touch,
Which bring of themselves to the injured, right divine,

SCENE II.

A Room in a Convent at Mayence . C ONRAD alone .

Con . The work is done! Diva Elizabeth!
And I have trained one saint before I die!
Yet now 'tis done, is't well done? On my lips
Is triumph: but what echo in my heart?
Alas! the inner voice is sad and dull,
Even at the crown and shout of victory.
Oh! I had hugged this purpose to my heart,
Cast by for it all ruth, all pride, all scruples;
Yet now its face, that seemed as pure as crystal,

SCENE IX.

E LIZABETH'S Bower . E LIZABETH and Lewis sitting together .

SONG .

Eliz . Oh! that we two were Maying
Down the stream of the soft spring breeze;
Like children with violets playing
In the shade of the whispering trees.

Oh! that we two sat dreaming
On the sward of some sheep-trimmed down