The Sources and Analogues of 'A Midsummer-Night's Dream'/The Romance of Thomas of Erceldoune

by Frank Sidgwick

The Romance of Thomas of Erceldoune

Fytte I

As I me went this endris^[1] day,

Full fast in mind making my moan,

In a merry morning of May

By Huntlie banks myself alone,

I heard the jay and the throstle-cock;

The mavis meaned^[2] her of her song;

The woodwale berèd^[3] as a bell,

That all the wood about me rong.

Alone in longing thus as I lay

Underneath a seemly tree,

Saw I where a lady gay

Came riding over a longè lea.

If I should sit to Doomèsday

With my tongue to wrable and wry^[4],

Certainly that lady gay

Never be she described for me!

Her palfrey was a dapple-gray,^[5]

Swilk^[6] one ne saw I never none;

As does the sun on summer's day,

That fair lady herself she shone.

Her saddle it was of roelle-bone^[7];

Full seemly was that sight to see!

Stiffly set with precious stone

And compast all with crapotee^[8]—

Stones of Orient great plenty;

Her hair about her head it hang;

She rode over that longè lea;

A while she blew, another she sang.

Her girths of noble silk they were;

The buckles were of beryl-stone;

Her stirrups were of crystal clear,

And all with pearl overbegone^[9];

Her paytrell^[10] was of iral-stone;

Her crupper was of orpharè^[11];

And as clear gold her bridle shone;

On either side hang bellès three.

She led three grew-hounds in a leash,

And seven raches^[12] by her they ran;

She bare an horn about her halse^[13],

And under/her belt full many a flane^[14].

Thomas lay and saw that sight

Underneath a seemly tree.

He said "Yon is Mary most of might,^[15]

That bare that child that died for me.

But-if^[16] I speak with yon lady bright,

I hope my heart will break in three!

Now shall I go with all my might

Her for to meet at Eildon tree^[17]."

Thomas rathely^[18] up he rase,

And he ran over that mountain high;

If it be as the story says,

Her he met at Eildon tree.

He kneelèd down upon his knee,

Underneath that greenwood spray,

And said "Lovely lady, rue on me,

Queen of heaven, as thou well may!"

Then spake that lady mild of thought,

"Thomas, let such wordès be;

Queen of heaven ne am I nought,

For I took never so high degree.

But I am of another country,

If I be 'parelled most of price;

I ride after these wildè fee^[19];

My raches runnès at my device."

"If thou be 'parelled most of price,

And here rides thus in thy folly,

Of love, lady, as thou art wise,

Thou give me leave to lie thee by!"

She said "Thou man, that were folly;

I pray thee, Thomas, thou let me be;

For I say thee full sekerly^[20],

That sin will fordo all my beauty,"

"Now, lovely lady, rue on me,

And I will evermore with thee dwell;

Here my troth I will plight to thee,

Whether thou wilt in heaven or hell."

"Man of mould, thou wilt me mar;

But yet thou shalt have all thy will;

And, trow it well, thou 'chievest the ware^[21],

For all my beauty wilt thou spill."

Down then light that lady bright

Underneath that greenwood spray.

And, as the story tells full right,

Seven times by her he lay.

She said "Man, thee likes thy play;

What byrde^[22] in bower may deal with thee?

Thou marrest me all this longè day;

I pray thee, Thomas, let me be!"

Thomas stood up in that stead^[23],

And he beheld that lady gay;

Her hair it hang all over her head;

Her eyne were out, that ere were gray;

And all the rich clothing was away

That he before saw in that stead;

Her one shank black, her other gray,

And all her body like the lead.

Then said Thomas "Alas, alas!

In faith this is a duleful^[24] sight;

How art thou faded thus in the face,

That shone before as the sun so bright!"

She said, "Thomas, take leave at sun and moon,

And also at leaf that grows on tree;

This twelvemonth shalt thou with me gone^[25],

And Middle-earth^[26] shalt thou none see."

He kneelèd down upon his knee,

Underneath that greenwood spray,

And said "Lovely lady^[27], rue on me,

Mild queen of heaven, as thou best may!

Alas!" he said, "and woe is me!

I trow my deeds will work me care;

My soul, Jesu, beteach^[28] I thee,

Whithersoever my bones shall fare."

She led him in at Eildon hill

Underneath a dernè^[29] lea,

Where it was dark as midnight mirk,

And ever the water till his knee.

The mountenance^[30] of dayès three

He heard but swoughing of the flood;

At the last he said "Full woe is me!

Almost I die for fault of food."

She led him intill a fair herbere^[31]

Where fruit was growing great plenty;

Pear and apple, both ripe they were,

The date, and also the damasee,

The fig, and also the wine-berry;

The nightègales bigging^[32] on their nest;

The papejoys^[33] fast about gan fly,

And throstles sang, would have no rest.

He pressed to pull fruit with his hand,

As man for food that was near faint.

She said "Thomas, thou let them stand,^[34]

Or else the fiend thee will attaint!

If thou it pluck, soothly to say,

Thy soul goes to the fire of hell;

It comes never out or Doomèsday,

But there in pain aye for to dwell.

Thomas, soothly, I thee hight^[35],

Come lay thy head down on my knee,

And thou shalt see the fairest sight

That ever saw man of thy country."

He did in hight^[36] as she him bade;

Upon her knee his head he laid,

For her to pay^[37] he was full glad,

And then that lady to him said:

"Seest thou^[38] now yon fair^[39] way,

That lieth over yon high mountain?

Yon is the way to heaven for aye

When sinful souls are past their pain.

Seest thou now yon other way,

That lieth low beneath yon rise^[40]?

Yon is the way, thee sooth to say,

Unto the joy of Paradise.

Seest thou yet yon thirdè way,

That lieth under yon greenè plain?

Yon is the way, with teen and tray^[41],

Where sinful soulès suffer their pain.

But seest thou now yon fourthè way,

That lieth over yon deepè dell?

Yon is the way, so wellaway!

Unto the burning fire of hell.

Seest thou yet yon fair castel,

That standeth over yon highè hill?

Of town and tower it bears the bell,

In earth is none like it untill.

For sooth, Thomas, yon is mine own,

And the king's of this country;

But me were lever^[42] be hanged and drawn

Or that^[43] he wist thou lay me by.

When thou com'st to yon castle gay,

I pray thee courteous man to be,

And whatso any man to thee say,

Look thou answer none but me.

My lord is servèd at each mess

With thirty knightès fair and free;

I shall say, sitting at the dess^[44],

I took thy speech beyond the sea."

Thomas still as stone he stood,

And he beheld that lady gay;

She came again as fair and good

And also rich on her palfrey.

Her grewhounds fillèd with deer-blood;

Her raches coupled, by my fay;

She blew her horn with main and mood^[45];

Unto the castle she took the way.

Into the hall soothly she went;

Thomas followèd at her hand;

Then ladies came, both fair and gent,

With courtesy to her kneeland^[46].

Harp and fithel both they fand^[47],

Gittern and also the sawtery^[48],

Lute and ribib^[49] both gangand^[50],

And all manner of minstrelsy.

The most marvel that Thomas thought,

When that he stood upon the floor,

For fifty hartès in were brought,

That were bothè great and store^[51].

Raches lay lapping in the blood;

Cookès came with dressing-knife;

They brittened^[52] them as they were wood;

Revel among them was full rife.

Knightès danced by three and three,

There was revel, gamen, and play;

Lovely ladies, fair and free,

That sat and sang on rich array.

Thomas dwelled in that solace

More than I you say, pardè;

Till on a day, so have I grace,

My lovely lady said to me^[53];

"Do busk thee, Thomas; thee buse^[54] again;

For thou may here no longer be;

Hie thee fast with might and main;

I shall thee bring till Eildon tree."

Thomas said then with heavy cheer^[55],

"Lovely lady, now let me be;

For certes, lady, I have been here

Nought but the space of dayès three!"

"For sooth, Thomas, as I thee tell,

Thou hast been here three year and more;

But longer here thou may not dwell;^[56]

The skill^[57] I shall thee tell wherefore.

To-morn^[58], of hell the foulè fiend

Among this folk will fetch his fee;

And thou art mickle man and hend^[59],

I trow full well he would choose thee.

For all the gold that ever may be

From hethen^[60] unto the worldès end,

Thou beest never betrayed for me;

Therefore with me I rede^[61] thou wend."

She brought him again to Eildon tree,

Underneath that greenwood spray.

In Huntlie banks is merry to be,

Where fowlès sing both night and day.^[62]

"Farewell, Thomas, I wend my way,

For me buse^[63] over the bentès brown."

—Lo, here a fytte; more is to say^[64]

All of Thomas of Erceldoune.

Endnotes

In preparing the text, I have reduced in as simple a manner as possible the fifteenth-century spelling to modern forms. Dr. J.A.H. Murray's parallel texts (see note on The Fairy Plot) have been consulted, but mainly I have followed the oldest of them—that of the Thornton MS. in Lincoln Cathedral Library. The footnotes explain all words save those that are or ought to be familiar to every reader.

1 ↑  endris, last.

2 ↑  meaned, moaned.

3 ↑  berèd, sounded. The woodwale is some kind of wood-bird.

4 ↑  wrable and ivry, ? wriggle and twist, i.e. in the attempt to describe her.

5 ↑  See The Fairy Plot.

6 ↑  Swilk, such.

7 ↑  roelle-bone; a commonplace in early poetry, as the material for saddles; meaning unknown.

8 ↑  crapotee, toad-stone.

9 ↑  overbegone, overlaid.

10 ↑  paytrell = poitrail, breast-leather of a horse; iral (?).

11 ↑  orpharè = orferrie, goldsmith's work.

12 ↑  raches, dogs.

13 ↑  halse, neck.

14 ↑  flane, arrow.

15 ↑  See The Fairy Plot and note.

16 ↑  But-if, unless.

17 ↑  For an elaborate investigation of the circumstances concerning the Eildon tree, see the special section in Murray's edition.

18 ↑  rathely, quickly.

19 ↑  fee, beasts, cattle.

20 ↑  sekerly, truly.

21 ↑  ware, worse.

22 ↑  byrde, bride.

23 ↑  stead, place.

24 ↑  duleful, painful.

25 ↑  gone = go (old infinitive).

26 ↑  Middle-earth = Earth, the middle region in the old Northern cosmogony.

27 ↑  Thomas is here addressing the Virgin.

28 ↑  beteach, entrust, hand over to.

29 ↑  dernè, secret.

30 ↑  mountenance, space.

31 ↑  herbere, garden.

32 ↑  bigging, building.

33 ↑  papejoys, popinjays, parrots.

34 ↑  On the danger of eating fairy apples, see The Fairy Plot.

35 ↑  hight, command.

36 ↑  hight (MS. hye), ? pleasure.

37 ↑  pay, please.

38 ↑  See The Fairy Plot.

39 ↑  fair, pronounced as two syllables.

40 ↑  rise, brushwood, undergrowth.

41 ↑  teen and tray, pain and trouble.

42 ↑  me were lever, I had rather.

43 ↑  Or that, ere that, before that.

44 ↑  dess, daïs.

45 ↑  main and mood, might and main.

46 ↑  kneeland = kneeling. Cf. l. 191.

47 ↑  fand, found.

48 ↑  sawtery = psaltery.

49 ↑  ribib, rebeck, lute.

50 ↑  gangand = going.

51 ↑  store, plentiful.

52 ↑  brittened = brittled, cut up (the deer)

53 ↑  This sudden and momentary change to the first person is found in all the older MSS. See The Fairy Plot.

54 ↑  thee buse—it behoves thee. Cf. l. 234.

55 ↑  cheer, look, face.

56 ↑  See The Fairy Plot; also Sir Walter Scott's introduction to the ballad of The Young Tamlane, in The Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border.

57 ↑  skill, reason.

58 ↑  To-morn, in the morning.

59 ↑  hend, noble, mighty.

60 ↑  hethen = hence. Cf. sithen = since.

61 ↑  rede, advise.

62 ↑  Four lines of the MSS. omitted here.

63 ↑  buse. See note on l. 209.

64 ↑  Fyttes II and III are wholly concerned with the prophecies, and have nothing to do with the story of Thomas.