The Man of Law's Tale
Folio 59v
2 of 21 folios
Who kepte hire / fro the drenchynge in the See
Who kepte Ionas / in the fysshes mawe
Til he was spouted vp / at Nynyuee
390
Wel may men knowe / it was no wygħt but hee
That kepte peeple Ebrayk / fro here drenchynge
Witħ drye feet / thurgħ out the see passynge
¶ Who bad the foure spiritez / of tempest
That power han / to anoyen lond and see
395
Bothe Nortħ and soutħ / and also West and Est
Anoyetħ neither see / ne lond ne tree
Sothely the comaundour / of that was he
That fro the tempest / ay this wōman kepte
As wel whan she wook / as whan she slepte
400
¶ Where mygħt this wōman / mete & drynk haue
Thre ȝer & more / how lastetħ hire vetaille
Who fedde the egipciene Marye / in the caue
Or in desert / no wygħt but crist saunz faille
Fyue thousand folk / it was as gret meruaylle
405
Witħ loues fyue / and fisshes two to fede
God sent his foysoū / at here grete nede
¶ She dryuetħ fortħ / in to oure occeane
Thurgħ out oure wylde see / til at the laste
Vnder an hold / that nempnen I ne can
410
Fer in Nortħhumberlond / the wawe hire caste
And in the sond / hire shipe stiked so faste
That thens wold it nougħt / of al a tyde
The wyl of criste was / that she shulde a byde
¶ The Constable of the Castel / doun is fare
415
To sen this wrek / and al the shipe he sougħt
And fond this wery wōman ful of care
He fond also / the tresor þt she brougħt
In hire langage / mercy she bysougħt
The lyf out of hire body / for to twynne
420
Hire to delyuere of woo / that she was Inne
¶ A maner latyn corupt / was hire speche
But algates ther by / was she vnderstonde
The Constable whan hī list / no lengere seche
This wooful wōman / brougħt he to the londe
425
She kneletħ doun / and thanketħ goddes sonde
But what she was / she wold noman say
For foule ne fayr / thougħ that she shulde deye
¶ She seide she was / mased in the See
That she forgat / hir mynde be hire trouthe
430
The Constable hatħ of hire / so gret pitee
And eke his wyf / that þei wepen for routhe