Sir Lyonell- Percy MS (Shropshire) c.1650 Child A
Sir Lyonell is from Percy's manuscript transcribed in the middle decades of the 17th century. It was published in 1867 under the title Sir Lionell although Sir Lyonell is used throughout. Below is some information from Wiki:
Those who owned the manuscript before Percy did not treat it well; its owners had probably regarded its Middle English and border dialect as incomprehensible and worthless. When Percy first came across the manuscript, in the house of its former owner Sir Humphrey Pitt of Shiffnal, pages were being used by his housemaids to start fires. Percy had the manuscript bound, and the bookbinder inflicted additional damage in trimming the edges of the sheets, losing first or last lines on many pages. Percy did not treat the manuscript particularly well himself; he wrote notes and comments in it and tore out some pages after binding.
The original folio is in the British Library, known as Additional MS. 27879. In its present form the manuscript consists of some 520 paper pages, containing 195 individual items. The works were transcribed in the middle decades of the 17th century. The handwriting in the manuscript appears to be the same throughout and bears some similarity with that of Thomas Blount but it cannot be determined for certain if he originally collected the work. The loose leaves that comprise the manuscript are now individually mounted and covered with gauze.
The Percy Folio Manuscript (British Library Additional MS. 27879) from Bishop Percy's Folio Manuscript: Ballads and Romances, eds. John W. Hales and Frederick J. Furnivall (London: N. Trübner & Co., 1867).
"The Manuscript itself is a 'scrubby, shabby paper' book, -- about fifteen and a half inches long by five and a half wide, and about two inches thick, --which has lost some of its pages both at the beginning and end. Percy found it 'lying dirty on the floor under a Bureau in ye Parlour' of his friend Humphrey Pitt of Shiffnall in Shropshire, 'being used by the maids to light the fire.' He begged it of Mr. Pitt, and kept it unbound and torn till he was going to lend it to Dr. Johnson. Then he had it bound in half-calf by a binder who pared off some of the top and bottom lines in different parts of the volume." (Vol. i., xli)
Sir Lyonell- Version A: Child 18, Sir Lionel
Sir Lionell Percy Manuscript, p. 32, Hales and Furnivall, I, 75. [stanzas 19 and 34 incomplete]
1. Sir Egrabell had sonnes three,
Blow thy horne, good hunter
Sir Lyonell was one of these.
As I am a gentle hunter
2. Sir Lyonell wold on hunting ryde,
Blow thy horne, good hunter
Vntill the forrest him beside.
As I am a gentle hunter
3. And as he rode thorrow the wood,
Blow thy horne, good hunter
Where trees and harts and all were good,
As I am a gentle hunter
4. And as he rode over the plaine,
Blow thy horne, good hunter
There he saw a knight lay slaine.
As I am a gentle hunter
5. And as he rode still on the plaine,
Blow thy horne, good hunter
He saw a lady sitt in a graine.
As I am a gentle hunter
6. 'Say thou, lady, and tell thou me,
Blow thy horne, good hunter
What blood shedd heere has bee.'
As I am a gentle hunter
7. 'Of this blood shedd we may all rew,
Blow thy horne, good hunter
Both wife and childe and man alsoe.
As I am a gentle hunter
8. 'For it is not past 3 days right
Blow thy horne, good hunter
Since Sir Broninge was mad a knight.
As I am a gentle hunter
9 'Nor it is not more than 3 dayes agoe
Blow thy horne, good hunter
Since the wild bore did him sloe.'
As I am a gentle hunter
10 'Say thou, lady, and tell thou mee,
Blow thy horne, good hunter
How long thou wilt sitt in that tree.'
As I am a gentle hunter
11 She said, 'I will sitt in this tree
Blow thy horne, good hunter
Till my friends doe feitch me.'
As I am a gentle hunter
12 'Tell me, lady, and doe not misse,
Blow thy horne, good hunter
Where that your friends dwellings is.'
As I am a gentle hunter
13 'Downe,' shee said, 'in yonder towne,
Blow thy horne, good hunter
There dwells my freinds of great renowne.'
As I am a gentle hunter
14 Says, 'Lady, Ile ryde into yonder towne
Blow thy horne, good hunter
And see wether your friends beene bowne.
As I am a gentle hunter
15 'I my self wilbe the formost man
Blow thy horne, good hunter
That shall come, lady, to feitch you home.'
As I am a gentle hunter
16 But as he rode then by the way,
Blow thy horne, good hunter
He thought it shame to goe away;
As I am a gentle hunter
17 And vmbethought him of a wile,
Blow thy horne, good hunter
How he might that wilde bore beguile.
As I am a gentle hunter
18 'Sir Egrabell,' he said, 'My father was;
Blow thy horne, good hunter
He neuer left lady in such a case;
As I am a gentle hunter
19 'Noe more will I' . . .
Blow thy horne, good hunter
. . . . . . .
As I am a gentle hunter
20 'And a[fter] that thou shalt doe mee
Blow thy horne, good hunter
Thy hawkes and thy lease alsoe.
As I am a gentle hunter
21 'Soe shalt thou doe at my command
Blow thy horne, good hunter
The litle fingar on thy right hand.'
As I am a gentle hunter
22 'Ere I wold leaue all this with thee,
Blow thy horne, good hunter
Vpoon this ground I rather dyee.'
As I am a gentle hunter
23 The gyant gaue Sir Lyonell such a blow,
Blow thy horne, good hunter
The fyer out of his eyen did throw.
As I am a gentle hunter
24 He said then, 'if I were saffe and sound,
Blow thy horne, good hunter
As with-in this hower I was in the ground,
As I am a gentle hunter
25 'It shold be in the next towne told
Blow thy horne, good hunter
How deare thy buffett it was sold;
As I am a gentle hunter
26 'And it shold haue beene in the next towne said
Blow thy horne, good hunter
How well thy buffett it were paid.'
As I am a gentle hunter
27 'Take 40 daies into spite,
Blow thy horne, good hunter
To heale thy wounds that beene soe wide.
As I am a gentle hunter
28 'When 40 dayes beene at an end,
Blow thy horne, good hunter
Heere meete thou me both safe and sound.
As I am a gentle hunter
29 And till thou come to me againe,
Blow thy horne, good hunter
With me thoust leaue thy lady alone.'
As I am a gentle hunter
30 When 40 dayes was at an end,
Blow thy horne, good hunter
Sir Lyonell of his wounds was healed sound.
As I am a gentle hunter
31 He tooke with him a litle page,
Blow thy horne, good hunter
He gaue to him good yeomans wage.
As I am a gentle hunter
32 And as he rode by one hawthorne,
Blow thy horne, good hunter
Even there did hang his hunting horne.
As I am a gentle hunter
33 He sett his bugle to his mouth,
Blow thy horne, good hunter
And blew his bugle still full south.
As I am a gentle hunter
34 He blew his bugle lowde and shrill;
Blow thy horne, good hunter
The lady heard, and came him till.
As I am a gentle hunter
35 Sayes, 'The gyant lyes vnder yond low,
Blow thy horne, good hunter
And well he heares your bugle blow.
As I am a gentle hunter
36 'And bidds me of good cheere be,
Blow thy horne, good hunter
This night heele supp with you and me.'
As I am a gentle hunter
37 Hee sett that lady vppon a steede,
Blow thy horne, good hunter
And a litle boy before her yeede.
As I am a gentle hunter
38 And said, 'lady, if you see that I must dye,
Blow thy horne, good hunter
As euer you loued me, from me flye.
As I am a gentle hunter
39 'But, lady, if you see that I must live,'
Blow thy horne, good hunter
. . . . . . . .
As I am a gentle hunter