significations of some vengeance to follow therevpon. [Sidenote: A
dreame. _Matth. West._ _Wil. Malm._] The king also himselfe on a night
as he slept & dreamed, thought that the veines of his armes were broken,
and that the blood issued out in great abundance. Likewise, he was told
by Robert Fitz Hammon, that a moonke should dreame in his sléepe, how he
saw the king gnaw the image of Christ crucified, with his teeth, and
that as he was about to bite awaie the legs of the same image, Christ
with his feet should spurne him downe to the ground, insomuch that as he
lay on the earth, there came out of his mouth a flame of fire, and such
abundance of smoke, that the aire was darkened therewith. But the king
made a iest of these and the like tales; "He is a right moonke (saith
he) and to haue a péece of monie, he dreameth such things, giue him
therefore an hundred shillings, and bid him dreame of better fortune to
our person." Neuerthelesse, the king was somewhat mooued herewith in the
end, and doubted whether he should go into the new forest to hunt on
Lammas day (as he had purposed) or no, bicause his fréends councelled
him not to trie the truth of dreames to his owne losse and hinderance.
Wherevpon he forbare to go foorth before dinner, but when he had dined
and made himselfe merrie with receiuing more drinke than commonlie he
vsed to doo, abroad he got him into the forest with a small traine:
[Sidenote: Sir Walter Tirel.] amongst whom was one sir Walter Tirell a
French knight, whom he had reteined in seruice with a large stipend.

This Sir Walter chanced to remaine with the king, when all the rest of
the companie was dispersed here and there, as the maner in hunting is.
Now as the sunne began to draw lowe, the king perceiuing an hart to come
alongst by him, shot at the same, and with his arrow stroke him; but not
greatlie hurting him, the beast ran awaie. The king, to mark which way
the hart tooke, and the maner of his hurt, held vp his hand: betweene
the sunne and his eies; who standing in that sort, out came another