Francis James Child

“ I dreamed in my sweauen on Thursday at eueninge,
In my bed wheras I lay,
'I dreamed a grype and a grimlie beast
Had carryed my crowne away,
My gorgett and my kirtle of golde,
And all my faire heade-geere.
How he wold haue worryed me with his tush,
And borne me into his nest,
Saving there came a little hawk,
Flying out of the east.
'Saving there came a little hawke,
Which men call a merlion;
Vntill the ground he stroke him downe,
that dead he did fall downe.
'Giffe I were a man, as I am none,
A battell I would proue;
I wold fight with that false traitor ”

“ To fight with that traitor, Sir Aldingar,
To maintaine me in my right.'
'I'le giue thee forty dayes,' said our king,
'To seeke thee a man therin;
If thou find not a man in forty dayes,
In a hott fyer thou shall brenn.'
Our queene sent forth a messenger;
He rode fast into the south;
He rode the countryes through and through,
Soe ffar vnto Portsmouth.
. . . . . .
. . . . .
He cold find never a man in the south country
that wold fight with the knight soe keene. ”

“ Ile make thee a whole man and a sound
In two howres of a day.
And then went forth Sir Aldingar,
Our queene for to betray,
And then he mett with our comlye king,
Saies, God you saue and see!
'If I had space, as I haue grace,
A message I wold say to thee:'
'Say on, say on, Sir Aldingar,
Say thou on and vnto me.'
'I can let you now see one of [the] greiuos [est] sights
that euer Christen king did see ”