And there came to him his cozen Sir Gawaine, That was a curteous knight; ‘Why sigh you soe sore, unckle Arthur,’ he said, ‘Or who hath done thee unright?’--
‘O peace, O peace, thou gentle Gawaine, That faire may thee beffall! For if thou knew my sighing soe deepe, Thou wo’ld not mervaile att all.
‘Ffor when I came to Tearne Wadling, A bold barron there I fand, With a great club upon his backe, Standing stiffe and strong.
‘And he asked me wether I wo’ld fight Or from him I shold begone, Or else I must him a ransome pay, And soe depart him from.
‘To fight with him I saw noe cause; Methought it was not meet; For he was stiffe and strong with-all, His strokes were nothing sweete.
‘Therefor this is my ransome, Gawaine, I ought to him to pay; I must come againe, as I am sworne, Upon the New Yeer’s day;
‘And I must bring him word what thing it is [That a woman will most desire].
Arthur, having collected and written down many answers to the baron’s riddle, was true to his promise, thus--
Then king Arthur drest him for to ryde, In one soe rich array, Toward the fore-said Tearne Wadling, That he might keepe his day.
And as he rode over a more, Hee see a lady where shee sate Betwixt an oke and a greene hollen[191]; She was cladd in red scarlett.
Then thereas shold have stood her mouth, Then there was sett her eye; The other was in her forhead fast, The way that she might see.
Her nose was crooked and turn’d outward, Her mouth stood foule a-wry; A worse form’d lady than shee was, Never man saw with his eye.
To halch upon[192] him, King Arthur, This lady was full faine, But King Arthur had forgott his lesson, What he sho’ld say againe.
‘What knight art thou,’ the lady sayd, ‘That will not speak to me? Of me be thou nothing dismay’d, Tho I be ugly to see.
‘For I have halched you curteouslye, And you will not me againe; Yett I may happen Sir Knight,’ shee said, ‘To ease thee of thy paine.’
‘Give thou ease me, lady,’ he said, ‘Or helpe me any thing, Thou shalt have gentle Gawaine, my cozen, And marry him with a ring.’
The hag thereupon gave him the right answer and he rode forward.
And when he came to the Tearne Wadling, The baron there co’ld he finde, With a great weapon on his backe, Standing stiffe and stronge.