The Man of Law's Tale
Folio 126r
27 of 31 folios
890
¶ Kyng Alla / which þt hadde his moder slayn
Vp on a day / fil in swich repentaunce
That if I shortly / tellen shal and playn
To Rome he cometh / to receyuen his penaunce
And putte hym / in the Popes ordinaunce
895
In heigh and logh / and Ihū Crist bisoghte
Foryeue / his wikked werkes þt he wroghte
¶ The fame anon / thurgh Rome town is born
How Alla kyng shal comen in pilgrymage
By herbergeours / that wenten hym biforn
900
For which the Senatour / as was vsage
Rood hym agayns / and many of his lynage
As wel to shewen / his heighe magnyficence
As to doon / any kyng a reuerence
¶ Greet cheere / dooth this noble Senatour
905
To kyng Alla / and he to hym also
Euerich of hem / dooth oother greet honour
And so bifel / þt in a day / or two
This Senatour / is to kyng Alla go
To feste / and shortly / if I shal nat lye
910
Custaunces sone / wente in his compaignye
¶ Som men wolde seyn / at requeste of Custaunce
This Senatour / hath lad this child to feste
I may nat tellen / euerich circumstaunce
Be as be may / ther was he atte leste
915
But sooth is this / þt at his modres heste
Biforn Alla / duryng the metes space
The child stood / lookynge in the kynges face
¶ This Alla kyng hath of this child greet wonder
And to the Senatour / he seyde anon
920
Whos is that faire child / that stondeth yonder
I noot quod he / by god and by Seint Ioħn
A moder he hath / but fader hath he non
That I of woot and shortly in a stounde
He tolde Alla / how þt this child was founde