The Man of Law's Tale
Folio 204v
17 of 29 folios
This massanger to don his auaūtage
Vn to þe kyngis modyr ridyth swythe
And saluyth hire ful fare in hyre langage
Madame quod he ȝe may ben glad & blyþe
635
And thākede god a hunderede thousent sythe
Myn lady quen hath child wt outyn doute
To Ioye & blysse to al þe regne a boute
Lo here þe letteris selede of þis thyng
That I mot bere with þe haste I may
640
Ȝif ȝe wele ouȝt on to ȝore sone þe kyng
I am ȝoure seruaunt bothe nyȝt & day
Donegild answerede as now at þis tyme nay
But here al nyght I wele þu take þyn reste
To morwe wele I seye þe what me leste
645
This massangere drank faste ale & wyn
And stole were hise letteris piuyly
Out of his box whil he slepte as a swyn
And countyrfetid was ful subtilly
Anoþer lettere wrouȝt ful synfully
650
Vn to þe kyng direckt of this matere
From his Constabil as ȝe schal aftyr here
The lettere spak þe quen delyuerede was
Of so orible & fendlyche cryature
That in þe castel non so hardy was
655
That ony while durste þere endure
The modyr was an elf by nature
I comyn by charmys or bi socerye
And euery wyȝt hath hire cūpanye
Wo was this kyng whan he þis lettere hath seyn
660
But to no wyȝt he tolde hise sorwis sore
But of hyse owene hand he wrot a geyn
Wolcome þe sonde of cryst for euere more
To me that am now lernede in þis lore
Lord wolcome be thȳ lust & þȳ plesaūce
665
Myn lust I putte al in thȳ ordenaūce