Then forth is gone Burlow-beanie, As fast as he co’ld hie, And feich he did the powder-box, And came againe by and by.
Then Sir Tristeram tooke powder forth of that box, And blent it with warme sweet milke, And there put it unto that horne, And swill’d it about in that ilke.
Then he tooke the horne into his hand, And a lowd blast he blew; He rent the horne up to the midst, All his ffellowes this they knew.
Then bespake him the Greene Knight, These were the words said he: Saies, ‘I conjure thee, thou Burlow-beanie, That thou feitch me the sword, that I see.’
Then forth is gone Burlow-beanie, As fast as he co’ld hie, And feitch he did that fairè sword, And came againe by and by.
Then bespake him Sir Bredbeddle, To the king these words said he: ‘Take this sword in thy hand, thou noble King Arthur, For thy vowes sake I’le give it thee, And goe strike off King Cornewall’s head, In bed where he doth lye.’
Then forth is gone noble King Arthur, As fast as he co’ld hye, And strucken he hath off King Cornewall’s head, And came againe by and by.
So King Arthur fulfils his vow; and, if the rest of the Ballad had been preserved, no doubt it would have told us how his companions fulfilled theirs.
[184] Collen brand = sword of Cologne steel.
Kinge Arthur lives in merry Carleile, And seemely is to see, And there he hath with him Queene Genever, That bride soe bright of blee[188].
And there he hath with him Queene Genever, That bride soe bright in bower, And all his barons about him stoode, That were both stiffe and stowre[189].
The king kept a royall Christmasse, Of mirth and great honor.
Soon after Christmas the King chanced to ride by Tarn Wadling[190], in the forest of Inglewood, when he was met by a fierce baron armed with a club, who offered him choice between fighting and ransom. For ransom, the King must return on New Year’s Day--
‘And bring me word what thing it is That a woman will most desire; This shalbe thy ransome, Arthur,’ he sayes, ‘For I’le have noe other hier.’
King Arthur then held up his hand, According thene as was the law; He tooke his leave of the baron there, And homward can he draw.
And when he came to merry Carleile, To his chamber he is gone, And ther came to him his cozen Sir Gawaine, As he did make his mone.