And mucle his duzethe: í Drem wes on hirede. 2 Tha quene, an other halve, 3 Heo's hafde of wif-monne Tha the king wes iseten To than kinge com tha biscop, Seind DUBRIZ, the was swa god; 9 And nom 10 of his hafde, His kinc-helm hæhne. 12 * Many of his nobility, Sax. II Joy was in the household? drem, dream, Jubilatio. Hirede, Sax. a retinue, household, &c. nearly equivalent to the French word, mesnie. 3 On the other half, side. * Her lodging (harbour) sought. 5 She, sometimes they, sometimes you. 6 Women. 7 Wonder a many one; i. e. she had wonderfully many women with her. 8 The accusative case of the,-Sax. 9 Saint Dubric, that was so good. 10 Took, Shakspeare's nim. 11 Off his head. * His high? royal? king-helm, i, e. crown, 'The king him bear ne would, i. e. did not choose to carry so much gold on his head. And did (i. e. placed) a less crown on the king's head. 3 Sith-then, afterwards. He did the same to the queen. Was the law or custom. "From their elder days. 7 When Britons came from thence ? All the women that were well done (well educated) at their meat sate asunder by themselves. 9 That they thought well done. 1 Tha the king wes isete, Mid alle his duzeth to his mete, Eorles, and beurnes, At borde thas kinges; The stiward com steppen, The KAY wes ihaten; Under than kinge, Of Arthures hirede. Kay hehte him bivoren, Moni heah mon iboren. 2 Ther weoren a thusen cnihte bald, Wunder wel italde, That theineden than kingen, And his here thringen.3 Elc cniht hafde pal on,4 And mid golde bigon; Heap, number,—i. e. when the king was seated with all his nobility at his meat, earls and barons at the king's table, the steward came stepping, that Kay was called, the highest knight in the land, under the king, of all the number of Arthur's household. 2 Kay summoned before him many high men born, i.e. high born men. 3 There were a thousand bold knights, wonder well numbered, that served the king, and thronged as his servants ? * Each knight had a pall on (i. e. a mantle), and bordered with gold. And alle heore vingeres From kuchene to than kinge. An other half, was BEDUER, Mid him weoren eorlene sunen, And there hehze cnihtene sunen, Tha thider weoren icunen. Seoven kingene sunen, That mid him quehten.7 Thrasten 9 to hirede. Their fingers fastened with gold rings. That bore sundry things? or what was sent ? 3 Kitchen. The word seems to have been pronounced cookeene. On another part was Bedwer, the king's high-butler (birlian, haurire, Sax.) 5 Of noble kin born. • Probably for icumen—that thither were come. 7 Marched, cweten, Sax. Aforemost yode, went first, with a gold bowl. 9 Thrust, or pressed forward to serve. All kinds of drink that they could think of? or they can drink all that they could think of? • Very beautiful, handsome; the construction seems to be" And the queen on her part [was with] very beau"tiful women. A thousand men, rich and well chosen, "(coren, Sax.) went before, to serve the queen, and those "that were with her." 3 "Ne was he never born of none chosen knight, learned "nor lewd (ignorant), nor any where was there a people "that could tell, in any kind of spell (language), of half "the rich-dom (riches) that was in Caerlion." The second verse seems to have been introduced solely for the sake of the rhyme. |