Tyll that I came unto a ryall gate, Where I sawe stondynge the goodly Portres, All myne adventure, chaunce, and busynesse, Of whyche there flowed foure ryvers ryght clere, I dyd than taste the aromatyke lycoure, And after thys further forth me brought The flore was paved with berall clarified, 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 * Nysus. PC. V. 44, besy courte. PC. Y, 49, partyes. PC. That treated well of a ful noble story, Of the doubty waye to the Tower Perillous ; Howe a noble knyght should wynne the victory Of many a serpente foule and odious. XI. THE CHILD OF ELLE, -is given from a fragment in the editor's folio MS.: which, tho' extremely defective and mutilated, appeared to have so much merit, that it excited a strong desire to attempt a completion of the story. The Reader will easily discover the supplemental stanzas by their inferiority, and at the same time be inclined to pardon it, when he considers how difficult it must be to imitate the affecting simplicity and artless beauties of the original. Child was a title sometimes given to a knight. See Gloss. ON yonder hill a castle standes The Child of Elle to his garden wente, Whan, lo! he beheld fair Emmelines page The Child of Elle he hyed him thence, And soone he mette faire Emmelines page The story of the poem. 10 "Nowe Christe thee save, thou little foot-page, Now Christe thee save and see! Oh telle me how does thy ladye gaye, "My lady shee is all woe-begone, And the teares they falle from her eyne; And aye she laments the deadlye feude Betweene her house and thine. 15 20 And here shee sends thee a silken scarfe And biddes thee sometimes thinke on her, And here shee sends thee a ring of golde For, ah! her gentle heart is broke, And in grave soone must shee bee, 25 30 Sith her father hath chose her a new new love, Her father hath brought her a carlish knight, And within three dayes shee must him wedde, 35 "Nowe hye thee backe, thou little foot-page, And telle her that I her owne true love Nowe hye thee backe, thou little foot-page, This night will I bee at her bowre-windòwe, 40 The boye he tripped, the boye he ranne, Untill he came to fair Emmelines bowre, 45 "O ladye, I've been with thy own true love, This night will he bee at thy bowre-windòwe, Nowe daye was gone, and night was come, All, save the ladye Emmeline, Who sate in her bowre to weepe: And soone shee heard her true loves voice Lowe whispering at the walle, Tis I thy true love call. "Awake, awake! my deare ladyè, Awake, awake! my ladye deare, Come, mount this faire palfràye : This ladder of ropes will lette thee downe, "Nowe nay, nowe nay, thou gentle knight, "O ladye, thou with a knighte so true To my ladye mother I will thee bringe, "My father he is a baron bolde, Ah! well I wot, he never would rest, Nor his meate should doe him no goode, Until he had slayne thee, Child of Elle, "O ladye, wert thou in thy saddle sette, I would not care for thy cruel father, 50 55 60 65 70 75 80 O ladye, wert thou in thy saddle sette, I would not care for thy cruel father, Faire Emmeline sighed, fair Emmeline wept, At length he seized her lilly-white hand, And thrice he clasped her to his breste, 85 90 The teares that fell from her fair eyes, 95 Hee mounted himselfe on his steede so talle, And slung his bugle about his necke, And roundlye they rode awaye. All this beheard her owne damsèlle, In her bed whereas shee ley, Quoth shee, "My lord shall knowe of this, Soe I shall have golde and fee. Awake, awake, thou baron bolde! Your daughter is fledde with the Child of Elle, 100 105 The baron he woke, the baron he rose, And called his merrye men all: 110 "And come thou forth, Sir John the knighte, Thy ladye is carried to thrall.” Faire Emmeline scant had ridden a mile, When she was aware of her fathers men 115 And foremost came the carlish knight, "Nowe stop, nowe stop! thou false traitòure, Nor carry that ladye awaye. 120 |