The Man of Law's Tale
Folio 127r
29 of 31 folios
960
¶ Twies she swowneth / in his owene sighte
He weepe / and hym excuseth pitously
Now god quod he / and his halwes brighte
So wisly on my soule / as haue mercy
That of youre harm / as giltlees am I
965
As is Maurice my sone / so lyk youre face
Ellis the feend / me fecche out of this place
¶ Long was the sobbyng and the bitter peyne
Er þt / hir woful hertes myghte cesse
Greet was the pitee / for to heere hem pleyne
970
Thurgh whiche pleintes / gan hir wo encresse
I pray yow / al my labour to relesse
I may nat telle hir wo / vn til to morwe
I am so wery / for to speke of sorwe
¶ But finally / whan þt the sooth is wist /
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That Alla / giltlees was of hir wo
I trowe / an hundred tymes been they kist
And swich a blisse / is ther bitwix hem two
That saue the ioye / þt lasteth eueremo
Ther is noon lyk / þt any creature
980
Hath seyn / or shal / whil þt the world may dure
¶ Tho preyde she / hir housbond mekely
In relief / of hir longe pitous pyne
That he wolde praye / hir fader specially
That of his magestee / he wolde enclyne
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To vouche sauf / som day with hym to dyne
She preyde hym eek he sholde by no weye
Vn to hir fader / no word of hir seye
¶ Som men wolde seyn / how þt the child Mauryce
Dooth this message / vn to this Emperour
990
But as I gesse / Alla was noght so nyce
To hym þt was / of so souereyn honour
As he þt is / of cristen folk the flour
Sente any child / but it is bet to deme
He wente hym self / and so it may wel seme