diff --git a/src/pkg/encoding/xml/xml.go b/src/pkg/encoding/xml/xml.go
index 5066f5c010..623f417801 100644
--- a/src/pkg/encoding/xml/xml.go
+++ b/src/pkg/encoding/xml/xml.go
@@ -850,6 +850,8 @@ Input:
 			// Parsers are required to recognize lt, gt, amp, apos, and quot
 			// even if they have not been declared.  That's all we allow.
 			var i int
+			var semicolon bool
+			var valid bool
 			for i = 0; i < len(d.tmp); i++ {
 				var ok bool
 				d.tmp[i], ok = d.getc()
@@ -861,6 +863,8 @@ Input:
 				}
 				c := d.tmp[i]
 				if c == ';' {
+					semicolon = true
+					valid = i > 0
 					break
 				}
 				if 'a' <= c && c <= 'z' ||
@@ -873,14 +877,25 @@ Input:
 				break
 			}
 			s := string(d.tmp[0:i])
-			if i >= len(d.tmp) {
+			if !valid {
 				if !d.Strict {
 					b0, b1 = 0, 0
 					d.buf.WriteByte('&')
 					d.buf.Write(d.tmp[0:i])
+					if semicolon {
+						d.buf.WriteByte(';')
+					}
 					continue Input
 				}
-				d.err = d.syntaxError("character entity expression &" + s + "... too long")
+				semi := ";"
+				if !semicolon {
+					semi = " (no semicolon)"
+				}
+				if i < len(d.tmp) {
+					d.err = d.syntaxError("invalid character entity &" + s + semi)
+				} else {
+					d.err = d.syntaxError("invalid character entity &" + s + "... too long")
+				}
 				return nil
 			}
 			var haveText bool
@@ -910,6 +925,7 @@ Input:
 					b0, b1 = 0, 0
 					d.buf.WriteByte('&')
 					d.buf.Write(d.tmp[0:i])
+					d.buf.WriteByte(';')
 					continue Input
 				}
 				d.err = d.syntaxError("invalid character entity &" + s + ";")
diff --git a/src/pkg/encoding/xml/xml_test.go b/src/pkg/encoding/xml/xml_test.go
index 1d0696ce08..d556789fdd 100644
--- a/src/pkg/encoding/xml/xml_test.go
+++ b/src/pkg/encoding/xml/xml_test.go
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@
 package xml
 
 import (
+	"fmt"
 	"io"
 	"reflect"
 	"strings"
@@ -158,6 +159,39 @@ func TestRawToken(t *testing.T) {
 	testRawToken(t, d, rawTokens)
 }
 
+const nonStrictInput = `
+<tag>non&entity</tag>
+<tag>&unknown;entity</tag>
+<tag>&#123</tag>
+<tag>&#zzz;</tag>
+`
+
+var nonStrictTokens = []Token{
+	CharData("\n"),
+	StartElement{Name{"", "tag"}, []Attr{}},
+	CharData("non&entity"),
+	EndElement{Name{"", "tag"}},
+	CharData("\n"),
+	StartElement{Name{"", "tag"}, []Attr{}},
+	CharData("&unknown;entity"),
+	EndElement{Name{"", "tag"}},
+	CharData("\n"),
+	StartElement{Name{"", "tag"}, []Attr{}},
+	CharData("&#123"),
+	EndElement{Name{"", "tag"}},
+	CharData("\n"),
+	StartElement{Name{"", "tag"}, []Attr{}},
+	CharData("&#zzz;"),
+	EndElement{Name{"", "tag"}},
+	CharData("\n"),
+}
+
+func TestNonStrictRawToken(t *testing.T) {
+	d := NewDecoder(strings.NewReader(nonStrictInput))
+	d.Strict = false
+	testRawToken(t, d, nonStrictTokens)
+}
+
 type downCaser struct {
 	t *testing.T
 	r io.ByteReader
@@ -219,7 +253,18 @@ func testRawToken(t *testing.T, d *Decoder, rawTokens []Token) {
 			t.Fatalf("token %d: unexpected error: %s", i, err)
 		}
 		if !reflect.DeepEqual(have, want) {
-			t.Errorf("token %d = %#v want %#v", i, have, want)
+			var shave, swant string
+			if _, ok := have.(CharData); ok {
+				shave = fmt.Sprintf("CharData(%q)", have)
+			} else {
+				shave = fmt.Sprintf("%#v", have)
+			}
+			if _, ok := want.(CharData); ok {
+				swant = fmt.Sprintf("CharData(%q)", want)
+			} else {
+				swant = fmt.Sprintf("%#v", want)
+			}
+			t.Errorf("token %d = %s, want %s", i, shave, swant)
 		}
 	}
 }
@@ -531,8 +576,8 @@ var characterTests = []struct {
 	{"\xef\xbf\xbe<doc/>", "illegal character code U+FFFE"},
 	{"<?xml version=\"1.0\"?><doc>\r\n<hiya/>\x07<toots/></doc>", "illegal character code U+0007"},
 	{"<?xml version=\"1.0\"?><doc \x12='value'>what's up</doc>", "expected attribute name in element"},
-	{"<doc>&\x01;</doc>", "invalid character entity &;"},
-	{"<doc>&\xef\xbf\xbe;</doc>", "invalid character entity &;"},
+	{"<doc>&\x01;</doc>", "invalid character entity & (no semicolon)"},
+	{"<doc>&\xef\xbf\xbe;</doc>", "invalid character entity & (no semicolon)"},
 }
 
 func TestDisallowedCharacters(t *testing.T) {