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mounte / And thenne anone he maad hym redy / and armed
hym at alle poyntes / and tooke his hors and his sheld /
And soo they thre departed thens and rode forthe as faste as
euer they myȝt tyl that they cam to the forlond of that mount
And there they alyghted / and the kynge commaunded them
to tarye there / for he wold hym self goo vp in to that mounte

Milestone: King Arthur meets widow on mount

And soo he ascended vp in to that hylle tyl he came to a grete
fyre / and there he fonde a careful wydowe wryngynge her han
des and makyng grete sorowe syttynge by a graue newe marked ma//
de / And thenne kynge Arthur salewed her / and demaunded
of her wherfore she made suche lamentacion /

Milestone: Widow speaks of Giant

to whome she an//
suerd and sayd Syre knyghte speke softe / for yonder is a de
uyll yf he here the speke / he wylle come and destroye the / I
hold the vnhappy what dost thow here in this mountayne /
For yf ye were suche fyfty as ye be / ye were not able to ma
ke resystence ageynst this deuyl / here lyeth a duchesse deede the
whiche was the fayrest of alle the world wyf to syre Howel /
duc of Bretayne / he hath murthred her in forcynge her / and
hath slytte her vnto the nauyl / ¶ Dame sayd the kynge / I
come fro the noble Conqueroure kynge Arthur for to treate
with that tyraunt for his lyege peple / Fy on suche treatys sa//
yd she / he setteth not by the kynge ne by no man els / But
and yf thou haue broughte Arthurs wyf dame Gweneuer /
he shalle be gladder than thow haddest gyuen to hym half fra//
unce / Beware approche hym not to nygh / for he hath vaynquys
shed xv kynges / and hath maade hym a cote ful of precious
stones enbrowdred with theyre berdes / whiche they sente hym
to haue his loue for sauacion of theyr peple at this laste Cry//
stemasse / And yf thow wylt / speke with hym at yonder grete
fyre at souper / wel sayd Arthur I wyll accomplysshe my mes
sage for al your ferdful wordes /

Milestone: King Arthur sees Giant

and wente forth by the creast
of that hylle / and sawe where he satte atte souper gnawynge
on a lymme of a man / bekynge his brode lymmes by the fyre
and brecheles / and thre fayr damoysels tornynge thre broches
wheron were broched twelue yonge children late borne lyke
yonge byrdes

Milestone: King Arthur addresses Giant

¶ Whanne kynge Arthur beheld that
pyteous syȝte / he had grete compassion on them so that his hert

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Preface Table of Contents Book V Book XXI