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"Sen that I go beguil'd,

"With one that faith has syl'd,'

"That gars2 me oft-syis3 sigh full sare,
"And walk among the holtis hair,4
"Within the woodis wild.

"This great disease for love I dre,s
"There is no tongue can tell the woe.
"I love the love that loves not me;
“I may not mend, but mourning moʻ
"While God send some remede
"Through destiny or deid.7

"I am his friend, and he my foe.
"My sweet, alas! why does he so?

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"Withouten feign, I was his friend,

"In word and work, great God it wait!? "Where he was placed, there list I leynd,1o "Doing him service air 11 and late.

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"Till his honour and mine:
"But now he goes another gait,3
“And has no eye to my estate,4
"Which does me all this pyne.5

"It does me pyne that I may prove,

"That makis me thus mourning mo."My love he loves another love,

"Alas, sweet-heart, why does he so ? "Why should he me forsake?

"Have mercy on his make.

"Therefore my heart will burst in two:
"And thus, walking with doe and roe

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Then weeped she, lusty in weed,
And on her wayis gan she went,7
In hie, after that hend I yede,

And in my armis could her hent,

Keeping, watching, guarding against.

Sin, impeachment.

3 Gait, or gate, and way, were formerly synonymous; and the Scotch still use gang your gait, for go your way.

4 State, situation.

6 Companion, mistress.

Beautiful woman.

5 Pain.

* Wend, go.

9 Sieze; hende. Sax.

And said, "Fair lady, at this tide, "(With leave) ye mon abide,

"And tell me who you hither sent? "Or why ye bear your bow so bent "To slay our deer of pride?

"In waithman1 weed sen I you find,
"In this wood walking, your alone,

"Your milk-white handis we shall bind

"While that the blood burst from the bone.

"Charging you to prison,

"To the king's deep dungeon,

"They may ken by your feather'd flane2

"Ye have been many beastis' bane,

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That free answer'd with fair afeir3

And said, "Sir, mercy! for your might! "Thus mon I bow and arrows bear,

"Because I am a banish'd wight;

'Hunter, and frequently an outlaw.

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They ought not be hold vagabons or waith."

[G. Douglas, p. 159, 27.]

Little John and Robin Hood,

Waithmen were commended good.

[Wintown's Chron. Vol. I. p. 397.]

Arrows. Ruddim. Gloss.

• Propriety? aferir, Fr. is synonymous with convenir.

"So will I be full lang:
"For God's sake let me gang;

"And here to you my truth I plight,
"That I shall, neither day nor night,
“No wild beast wait with wrang.

"Though I walk in this forest free,

"With bow, and eke with feather'd flane, "It is well more than dayis three

"And meat or drink yet saw I nane.. "Though I had ne'er such need "Myself to win my bread,

"Your deer may walk, sir, their alane.1 "Yet was I ne'er na beastis bane;

"I may not see them bleed !

"Sen that I never did you ill,

"It were no skill ye did me skaith.2
"Your deer may walk where'er they will,

"I win my meat with no such waith,3 "I do but little wrang,

"But if I flowers fang,+

In the eighth stanza, the author uses your alone instead

of you

alone.

• Mischief.

4 Seize. Sax.

Hunting; wæthan. Sax.

"If that ye trow not in my aith
"Take here my bow and arrows baith,
"And let my own self gang.".

"I say your bow and arrows bright! "I bid not have them, by Saint Bride, "But ye mon rest with me all night, "All naked, sleeping by my side." "I will not do that sin,

I

"Leif you, this world to win!"

"Ye are so hale of hue and hide, "Love has me fanged in this tide, I may not from you twinn." 3

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Then looked she to me, and lough;4

And said, "Such love I rede you layn;5

"Albe ye make it ne'er so tough,

"To me your labour is in vain.

"Were I out of your sight,

"The space of half a night,

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Suppose ye saw me ne'er again

"Love has you strain'd with little pain, "Thereto my truth I plight."

'Love you! a mode of address.

• Skin.

• Laughed.

3 Separate.

I advise you to dismiss.

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