The Man of Law's Tale
Folio 57r
15 of 27 folios
This Alla kyng hath swich compassioū
As gentil herte / is fulfild of pitee
That from hise eyen / ran the water doun
Now hastily / do fecche a book quod he
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And if this knygħt wol sweren how þt she
This womman slow / yet wol we vs auyse
Whom þt we wole / that shal been oure Iustise
A Britoū book / writen with Euangiles
Was fet and on this book he swoor anoon
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She gilty was / and in the meene whiles
An hand hym smoot vp on the nekke boon
That doun he fil / atones as a stoon
And bothe hise eyen / broste out of his face
In sigħte / of euery body in that place
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¶ A voys was herd / in general Audience
And seyde / thou hast desclaundred giltlees
The doghter of hooly chirche / in heigh persence
Thus hastou doon / and yet holde I my pees
Of this meruaille / agast was al the prees
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As mazed folk they stoden euerichone
For drede of wreche / saue Custance allone
¶ Greet was the drede / and eek the repentance
Of hem / that hadden wrong suspecioū
Vpon / this sely Innocent Custance
585
And for this miracle in conclusioū
And by Custances mediacioū
The kyng and many another in that place
Conuerted was / thanked be cristes grace
¶ This false knygħt was slayn for his vntrouthe
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By Iuggement of Alla hastifly
And yet Custance / hadde of his deeth greet routhe
And after this Ihūs of his mercy
Made Alla wedden ful solempnely
This hooly mayden / that is so brigħt and sheene
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And thus hath crist ymaad Custance a queene
But who was woful / if I shal nat lye
Of this weddyng but Donegild and namo
The kynges mooder / ful of tirannye
Hir thoughte / hir cursed herte brast atwo
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She wolde nogħt hir sone had do so
Hir thoughte a despit that he sholde take
So strange a creature vn to his make