The Man of Law's Tale
Folio 65r
9 of 21 folios
Thus can oure lady / bryngen out of woo
880
Wooful Custaunce / and many a nother moo
And longe tyme dwelled she/ in that place
In holy werkes euere / as was hire grace
¶ The Senatours wyf / hire Aunte was
But for al that / she knew hire neuere the moore
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I wyl no lengere tary / in this caas
But to the kyng Alla / whicħ I spak of ȝore
That wepeth for his wyf / and sygħetħ sore
I wyl returne / and lete I wyl Custaunce
Vnder the Senatours / gouernaunce
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¶ Kyng Alla / whicħ / þat hatħ / his moder slayn
Vp on a day fel / in swicħ repentaunce
That if I shortly tellen shal / and pleyn
To Rome he cometħ / to resceyue his penaunce
And putte hī / in the Popes ordinaunce
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In heigħ and low / and iħu crist bysougħt
Forȝeue hise wykked werkes / that he wrougħt
¶ The fame a noon / thurgħ out the toun is borñ
How Alla kyng / shal come on pilgrymage
By herbegeours / that wenten hī byforñ
900
For whicħ the Senatour / as it was vsage
Rood hī a ȝein / and many of his lynage
As wel to shewen / his heigħ magnificence
As to doon / any kyng / a reuerence
¶ Gret cher maketħ / this noble Senatour
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To kyng Alla / and he to hym also
Eueryche of hem / dotħ other greet honour
And so byfeƚƚ / that with inne a day or twoo
This Senatour is / to kyng Alla goo
To feeste / and shortly / if I shal nat lye
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Custaunces sone / went in his companye
¶ Sōme men wold seyn / that at the request of Custaunce
This Senatour hatħ lad / this child to feste
I may nat tellen / euery circumstaunce
Be as be may / there was he at the leste
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But sotħ is / that / at his modres heeste
Byforñ Alla / duryng the metes space
The child stood / lokyng in the kynges face
¶ This Alla kyng / hatħ of the child greet wonder
And to the Senatour / he seide a noon
920
Whoos is this fair child / that stondetħ ȝonder
I not qd he / by god / and by Seynt Ioħn