The Man of Law's Tale
Folio 121r
17 of 31 folios
540
¶ She sette hir down on knees / and thus she sayde
Inmortal god / that sauedest Susanne
Fro fals blame / and thow merciful mayde
Marie I mene / doghter to Seint Anne
Biforn whos child / Aungels synge Osanne/
545
If I be giltlees / of this felonye
My socour be / for ellis shal I dye
¶ Haue ye nat seyn som tyme / a pale face
Among a prees / of hym þt hath be lad
Toward his deeth / wher as hym gat no gace
550
And swich a colour / in his face hath had
Men myghte knowe his face / þt was bistad
Amonges alle the faces / in that route
So stant Custance / and looketh hir aboute
¶ O Queenes / lyuynge in prosperitee
555
Duchesses / and ye ladies euerichon
Haueth som reuthe / on hir aduersitee
An Emperours doghter / stant allone
She hath no wight / to whom to make hir mone
O blood roial / that stondest in this drede
560
Fer be thy freendes / at thy grete nede
¶ This Alla kyng hath swich compassioun
As gentil herte / is fulfild of pitee
That from his eyen / ran the water doun
Now hastily / do fecche a book / quod he
565
And if this knyght. wol sweren how þt she
This wōman slow / yet wol we vs auyse
Whom þt we wole / that shal been oure Iustise
¶ A Briton book writen with Euangiles
Was fet and on this book he swoor anon
570
She gilty was / and in the mene whiles
An hand hym smoot vp on the nekke bon
That doun he fel / atones / as a stoon
And bothe hise eyen / broste out of his face
In sighte / of euery body in that place