The Man of Law's Tale
Folio 62r
3 of 21 folios
Swiche maner necessaries / as ben plesynges
To folk / that han I wedded hem / witħ rynges
615
And ley a lite / here holynesse a syde
As for the tyme / it may no bet betide
¶ On hire he gat / a knaue child a noone
And to a Busshope / and his Constable eke
He tok his wyf to kepe / whan he is gone
620
To Scotlondward / his foomen for to seke
Now fair Custaunce / þt is so humble & meke
So longe is goon wt childe / to that stille
She halt hire chaumbre / a bidynge cistes wylle
¶ The tyme is come / a knaue child she beer
625
Mauricius at the fontstone / they hī calle
This Constable / dotħ fortħ come / a messanger
And wroot vn to his kynge / þt cleped was Alle
How that this blisful tidynge / is byfalle
And othere tidynggis / spedeful for to seye
630
He hat
ħ the
ƚre
/ and fort
ħ he got
ħ his weye
There is a cross in dry point next to this stanza.ODR
¶ This messanger / to doon hise auauntage
Vn to the kynges moder / ridetħ swithe
And saluetħ hire faire / in his langage
Madame qd he / ȝe may be glad and blithe
635
And thanketħ god / an hundred thouȝsand sithe
My lady Queene hatħ child / wt oute doute
To ioye & blisse / to al this regne a boute
¶ Lo heere the ƚres / seeled of this thynge
That I moot beere / witħ al the hast I may
640
If ȝe wol augħt vn to ȝoure sone the kynge
I am ȝoure seruaūt / bothe nygħt and day
Donegilde answered / as now at this tyme / nay
But heere al nygħt / I wol thow take thy reest
To morwe wol I sey thee / what me leest
645
¶ This messanger drank sadly / Ale and wyne
And stolen were hise ƚres / Preuyly
Out of his box / while he slepe / as a swyne
And countrefeted was / ful subtilly
A nother ƚre / wrougħt ful synfully
650
Vn to the kynge / directe of this mateer
Fro his Constable / as ȝe shuln after heer
¶ The ƚre spak / the Queene delyuered was
Of so horrible / a feendliche creature
That in the Castel / noon so hardy was
655
That any while / durst there endure
The moder was an Elf / be auenture
I comen be charmes / or by sorcerie