The right plesaunt and goodly historie of the foure sonnes of Aymon. Englisht from the French by William Caxton, and printed by him about 1489. Ed. from the unique copy, now in the possession of Earl Spencer, with an introduction by Octavia Richardson.

CHAPTER IV.

[folio G.vii.b] How after that the olde Aymon hadde dyscomfyted his chyldren / They wente and dwelled in the deppeste of the foreste of Ardeyne soo longe that they were all countrefayte blacke and roughe as bestes, for the grete hongre that they had endured. After they went to Ardeyne to see their moder, that fested ⁴and chered⁴ [^4—4 omitted, F. orig.] theym gretly / and gaaf to theym soo grete goode that they mighte well enterteyne theymselfe ⁴and their astate thervpon⁴ [^4—4 omitted, F. orig.] agenst Charlemagn / And how Mawgys their cosin arryved whan they wolde departe, which wente wyth theym in to the royame of Gascoyn wyth fyve hundred knyghtes / And of the sorowe that their lady modre made atte their departynge.

Capytulum IIII.

Ine this party the tale sayth / that after Reynaude had slayn Esmenfray, & gyven his horse to his

broder Alarde, they passed over the ryver, & wente in to the forest of Ardeyn, sore depe in it, by cause they wolde not be aperceyved. And whan they had ben there a lityll while, they began to kepe the wayes / and ¹all they that cam foreby theym, & that bare ony vytaylles, they were dystressed by theym,¹ [^1—1 tous ceulx q portoient viures estoient destroussey, F. orig. f. vii.] and therof they lived / for they durst not goo to no townes nor to castelles for to bye ony vitayles; and therfore they suffred grete nede & grete disease, for thei hadde nother mete nor drinke / but water. For the most parte they ete flesshe withoute ony brede / And knowe, that for cause of this grete suffraunse that they endured thus, and also of the grete colde that they had for by cause of the snowes that were there, theyr folke began to dye / And abode nomoo lyve, but Reynawde and his thre brethern. And this was by cause of the grete strengthe that was in their bodyes. /

For noo traveylle myghte not hynder theym / [folio G.viii.a] And wyte, that they hadde but eche of theym foure an horse / that is to wyte, Bayarde and the thre other / But they have nother ootes nor other corne for to gyve theym / ³but they eete onoly suche as they myghte fynde in the foreste, of rotes and leves.³ [^3—3 fors que de racines de ble, F. orig. F. vii.] And for this cause theyr horses were so lene, that wyth peyne myghte they stonde / sauff Bayarde, that was fatte and in good plighte, for he coude better fede and lyve wyth rotes / than the other sholde have doon wyth heye and otes / And wyte it well, that the foure sones of Aymon lyved there this liffe soo longe, that every man that passed there as they were & kepte theym selfe / escaped not / but he was other slayne or dystressed ⁴of suche vytaylles as he hadde,⁴ [^4—4 omitted, F. orig.] soo that all the countrey aboute theym

was sore wasted by theym that it was merveylle / And atte the laste, the foure [omitted, F. orig.] knyghtes were soo sore apayred, that they that hadde seen theym afore sholde not have knowe theym / For theyr harneys was all rousty, and theyr sadylles and brydelles all roten, soo that they hadde made theyr reynes wyth cordes / And theymselfe were become all blacke. And it was no merveylle, for they wered alwayes theyr cote of mayle all rousty vpon theyr doubelettes / [et aussi leurs auquectons estoient tous pourries, F. orig. f. vii.] and hadde nother sherte nor Iacket / but they were all roten.

What shall I telle you more? Wyte that Reynawde was doubted and fered soo sore, that it was merveylle / For nyghe there as Reynawde haunted, was no man that durste abyde there / but onely wythin the fortresses. For whan Reynawde was mounted vpon Bayarde, and his thre brethern upon there other thre horses / [tout le monde les suqoit et si pastoient le pays, F. orig. f. viii. back.] all theyr rychese & power was wyth theym / and yet they wasted and dystroyed all the countrey all aboute theym / And soo the foure powre knyghtes were soo sore dysfygured / that who had seen theym sholde not have knowe theym / For they were [folio G.viii.b] as roughe as beres that ben famysshed, & were sore lene, that every body had of it pyte.

And whan Reynawde sawe hymselfe soo pooreli arayed, he called to hym his bredern, and sayd / 'Lordes, I merveylle myselfe moche that we take not some good counseyll what we have to doo; and me semeth that we ben become yll / and that slougthe is amonge vs. For yf we were suche as I trowed / we sholde not suffre the martyrdome that we endure; and that we have endured soo long agoo, now knowe I

that we ben but lityll worthe, to have lette reste our enmyes as we have. But one thynge I consider / we have but fewe horses [ne harnoys ne monnoye, F. orig. f. viii. back.] and lityll harneys / and no money at all, and yet we ben in suche a plyghte that we ben more like bestes than folke / Soo praye I you all in generall, that ye wille tell me what we oughte to doo for the best / for I telle you for veraye certeyn, that I had moche lever deye as a knyghte, than for to deye here for hunger and for dysease.'

Whan Alarde herde Reynawde speke thus, he sayd / 'Broder, soo helpe me god / It is long sith I dyde take hede to that ye saye now / but I fered me full sore to telle you therof, lest ye wolde have ben dysplaysed wyth me for it / but sith that ye have opened the wordes / yf ye wyll byleve me / I shall gyve you good counseyll as me seemeth / Syr, we have suffred here grete poverte a long tyme / & we maye not goo in to no countrey but we shall be take / For as ye knowe all the barons of fraunce / and namly, [specially.] our fader and all our kynsmen haten vs dedly. And yf ye wyll beleve me / we shall goo streyghte to Ardeyne, towarde our moder / for she shall not faylle vs; and there we shall soiourne a lityll / And whan we shall have soiourned / we shall take wyth vs som company, and shalle go serve some grete lorde / Where we [folio H.i.a] shall get som goode. For ye be not suche a man but that ye shall yet ones have grete plente of goodes; for I knowe no man in erthe that of worthynes & of strengthe maye compare to you' / 'Broder,' sayd Reynawde, 'ye saye well and wysely, and I promyt you I shall doo soo' / Whan the two other knightes herde the counseylle that Alarde theyr breder had gyven to Reynawde / they began to saye / 'Broder Alarde, we knowe well that

ye gyve goode counseyll ¹to our broder Reynawde¹ [^1—1 a Reynault. F. orig.] ' / Thenne sayd Reynawde, 'Sith that this counseyll semeth to you goode, we shall doo it to nyghte' / Soo moche abode the foure sones of Aymon; that the nyghte came. and whan it was come, they lighted on horsebacke, & put theymselfe to the waye soo well clothed & arrayed, as I have tolde you above, and in suche wyse that theyr flesshe was seen naked in many places of theyr bodyes / And so longe they rode by nyghte & by daye, that they came there as they were borne, that was nyghe the cyte of Ardeyne / and whan they were soo nyghe the cyte that they myght well see it / they loked vpon it; and thenne they remembred the grete ryches wherfrom they were caste & banysshed / and of the grete poverte that they had suffred longe [Ils sont tant dolent que peu sen faillit, quilz ne tomberent pasmez a terre. F. orig. f. viii.] / And as they approached nyghe the cyte, Reynawde sayd to his brethern, 'We have doon evyll that we have not taken surete of our fader, for ye knowe well that he is soo cruell, that yf he maye take vs he shall yelde vs prysoners to Charlemagne.' 'Broder,' sayd Richarde, 'ye saye well; but my herte gyveth me not that our fader wolde doo as ye have sayd. And yf he so dyde, yet have I lever deye afore Ardeyne, than for grete dysease and hungre in the foreste. Late vs ryde surely, for I tell you that no body shall knowe vs. And of thother parte, yf we can sette our feete wythin Ardeyne / we shall be sauff ynough / for we be well beloved / and my lady, [folio H.i.b] our moder, sholde never suffre that men doo to vs any harme ne dysplaysure.'

'Certes, fayr brother,' ⁴sayd Reynawde,⁴ [^4—4 omitted, F. orig.] 'ye have sayd ryghte well and wysely / and moche ye have recomforte me. Now late vs ryde in a good hour.' And whan he had sayd thise wordes / they

entred soone after wythin Ardeyne / and thei rode thrughe the maysters strete, that they were not knowen of noo body. And they went streyghte to the castell wythoute ony taryeng / And wyte, that whan they passed thurghe the stretes, the folke that behelde theym marueylled moche of theym. For they wyst not what folke they were, and sayd the one to thother / 'See, what folke ben thyse / I trowe that they ben not of our lawe / nor of our beleve' / Thenne they asked theym / 'What ben ye, lordes, that are soo countrefayt / are ye paynemes / or of what countrey ben ye?' 'Syres,' answered Reynawde, 'ye enquere over moche; see ye not what folke we ben.' And whan they were com to the palays, they lighted doun a fote / and toke theyr horses to kepe to [a troys cheualliers. F. orig. g. i. back.] their knyghtes that were com of late in their felawshyp / And thenne the foure brethern wente vp to the hall, and met wyth noo bodi / For the olde Aymon theyr fader was a hawkyng vppon the ryver / and the duchesse ²theyr moder² [^2—2 omitted, F. orig.] was in her chambre, where she was contynuelly pencyfull & sory by cause that she myghte not here noo tydynges of her children. Whan the foure brethern were entred wythin the hall, they fonde noo man to whom they sholde speke / wherof they were sore merveylled /

And / they sette themselfe doun / the one here / and the other there / And abode thus a longe while that noo body ³[came] there / and whan they hadde taryed longe ynough, [then]ne came the duchesse theyr moder oute of her chambre, [and] she loked a longe the halle, Where [et elle veoir, F. orig. g. i.] she saw her son[nes thus]³ [^3—3 [] from ed. 1554 corrected, as there was a piece cut out of Caxton.] countrefayte, [folio H.ii.a] whyche she knewe not / But merveylled

herselfe gretly what folke they were / And whan Alarde sawe his lady moder com / he sayd to his broder Reynawde and to his other brethern, 'yonder is our moder that we sore desire for to see. Late vs goo agenst her, yf it playse you / and tell her our grete penurye and our nede' / 'Brother,' sayd Reynawde, 'we shall doo soo; but we shall tary tyll she speke to vs or not.' [pour veoir se elle nous congnoistra ou non, F. orig. g. i.] And taryed thus the foure brethern tylle that theyr moder was com to theym. And whan she sawe theym so blacke and soo hidous / and pryncypally Reynawde, that was so grete & soo roughe, she toke soo grete fere of theym that she wolde have goon agen in to her chambre / But anon she assured herselfe, and sayd to theym, 'god save you, lordes / What be you, ne of what nacyon / are ye crysten or paynymes / or folke that doth penaunce? Wyll ye not have some almesse, or some clothynge for to cover your body wyth / For I see ye have grete nede of it / and yf ye wyll have it, for goddys sake I shall gyve it you gladly, to the ende he have mercy on my children, And that wyll kepe theym from ylle combraunce and fro pareyll, For it is wele seven yeres that I dyd not see theym.' And whan the duchesse hadde sayd this, she toke so grete pyte to remembre her children that she beganne to wepe sore tenderly. And whan she hadde wepte a longe while, she sayd soo highe that her children vnderstode it, 'Ha, good god! when shall the daye come that I shall see my chyldren / Alas, goode lorde, how fayne wolde I see theym! Was there e[ver [From ed. 1554. A piece cut out of the Caxton.] ] lady that bare soo ryche a bourden as I have / And that [were [From ed. 1554. A piece cut out of the Caxton.] ] of it soo dyscomforted as I am?

And whan Reynawde sawe his lady moder soo so[row]full and sory, He hadde of hit grete pyte / And [the] teeres began to come atte his

eyen / And wolde dyscovere [folio H.ii.b] hymselfe / ²But whan the duchesse behelde well his visage and his byhavoyr / and maner² [^2—2 mais la duchesse le regarde, F. orig. g. i.] / her blode ranne vppe to her face / and hevered wythin her body / and beganne to shake full faste, soo that almoste she felle doun in a swoune to the erthe, And was a grete while that she myghte not speke, her herte was soo close and soo sore pressed / and all her colour loste and goon / And whan she was come agen to herselfe, she dyde caste her sighte agayn vpon Reynawde, and knewe hym ryght well by a wounde that he hadde in his face, whiche was doon to hym of a fall / whan he was in his tendre age / Thenne she sayd to hym, as gladde as any moder may be, 'Reynawde, my sone / whos peere is not amonge all the knyghtes of the worlde / How see I you soo sore appayred and chaunged? Where is goon your grete beaulte / Why, my sone, doo ye hyde you towarde me / that loveth you more than my selfe' / And while that she sayd thyse wordes, she loked aboute her / and knewe her children / and anone she went towarde theym wyth her armes spred abrode [comme forcennee, F. orig. g. i.] / for to colle and kysse theym, sore wepyng for grete pyte that they were soo sore apayred of theyr beaulte. And soo longe she kyssed one and thenne a nother / that at laste she felle doun in a swoune / And Reynawde toke her vp in his armes / where she abode a good while. And Reynawde and his bretherne ceassed not from weppynge, for grete pyte that they hadde of theyr moder.

And whan the duchesse was come agen to herselfe, she toke her chyldren, and made theym sitte doun by her / And sayd to theym, 'How is it that I see you thus poure and dysfygured? Why is it that ye have wyth you no knyghtes / nor none other company / Where have ye ben, that have endured so grete

poverte and soo grete dysease' / [Saiches que quant la duchesse, F. orig. g. ii. back.] Whan [folio H.iii.a] the duchesse spake thus to her children, she dyd wepe styll sore tendrely / and fowndered all in teeres [omitted, F. orig.] / holdynge her sone Reynawde bytwene her armes / and kyssed hym full swetly / 'Lady,' sayd Reynawde, 'we have wyth vs but thre knyghtes, that kepe our horses yonder wythoute / For our fader hathe slayn all our knyghtes and all our folke. And also he sholde have slayne vs, if it hadde not be our lorde that kepte vs therfro thoroughe his pyte and mercy / Sore harde parentage dyd he shewe to vs, our naturell fader' / Whan the duchesse vnderstode thise wordes, she was ryght sory for it, And called to her one of her servauntes, and sayd to hym / 'Goo and make my sones horses to be in to a good stable / And that they be well tended. And brynge hither the thre knyghtes that kepe the horses wythoute / For I wyll see theym.' 'madame,' sayd her squyer, 'it shall be doon Incontynente' / And thenne he wente to the thre knyghtes / and sayd to theym that the duchesse wolde see theym, Which incontynente dyde as the lady hadde commaunded, and cam vp to the palays, where as Reynawde taryed for theym. 'Lordes,' sayd the duchesse to theym, 'ye be ryght welcome' / 'Madame,' sayd the knyghtes, 'god gyve ³you goode lyffe and longe,³ [^3—3 omitted, F. orig.] and Ioye of your chilydren / For they ben the beste [meilleurs du monde, F. orig. g. ii.] and the moste worthy of all the worlde' / This hangynge, came there a yoman / that sayd to the duchesse / 'Madame, yf it playse you to sitte atte the table, the meete is redy.' The lady toke Reynawde and the other wyth her / and ledde theym to dyner, & made theym sitte doun all afore her / And theyr thre knyghtes ⁵atte the lyfte syde of her⁵ [^5—5 aupres delle, F. orig. g. ii.] / There made goode chere the foure sones of Aymon, and ete at theyr ease and atte

theyr owne wyll / For it was longe syth that they hadde ony goode mele, Where they myghte take [ung seule repas, F. orig. g. ii.] theyr naturell foode [folio H.iii.b] atte theyr ease / And as they were atte the table, Thenne came theyr fader Aymon from hawkynge and huntynge / whiche hadde taken foure hertes and two wylde bores, ³and dyverse pertryches and feysauntes³ [^3—3 omitted. le quil entra en sa salle et trouva ses enfans qui memgeoient, et la duchesse leur mere qui les servoit, F. orig. g. ii.] / Whan Aymon sawe theym / he knewe theym not / and he sayd to the duchesse / 'Lady, what are thyse folke that ben thus countrefayte' / Whan the duchesse vnderstode her husbande, she was sore agaste / and beganne to wepe, and sayd / 'Syre, thyse ben your chyldren and myn / that ye have traveylled so moche, and sore hunted as wylde bestes, The whiche have dwelled longe tyme in the foreste of Ardeyne [la grant forest la ou ilz sont aussi devenuz comme veoir pourres, F. orig. g. ii.] / Where as they have ben sore tourned, as ye now maye see. Now are they come to me, by cause I am ryght gladde whan I see theym / For to you they ben not come, for they knowe well that ye love theym not. But I praye you for god, that for the love of me ye wyll lodge theym thys nyghte, For they shall departe to morowe erly. And I wote not yf ever I shall see theym / wherfore of this I beseche you ryght humbly.'

Thenne whan Aymon vnderstode thyse wordes, he shoke all for angre, And tourned hymselfe towarde his sones / and made to theym evyll chere, and sayd to theym, 'Glotton, goddys curse have you / [Car vous ne valles riens, et comme garcons de neant estes, F. orig. g. ii.] For ye ben not worthe a strawe, For ye have nother folke nor money, nor noo prysoner that myghte paye to you a grete havoyr.' 'Fader,' sayd Reynawde, 'by the feyth that I owe to you, yf your londe is in peas / the

other ben not soo / For ye myghte goo [quatre vings lieux, F. orig.] six score myles that ye sholde not fynde nother ryche man nor poure.

But that they kepe theymselfe wythin fortresses and in castelles / But ye doo grete wronge for to doo vs the worst that ye canne; ye toke fyrste frome vs our goode castell of Mountenforde / And after that ye hadde assaylled vs in the [folio H.iv.a] wode of Ardeyne, and slewe all oure folke / so that of [cent cheualliers, F. orig.] fyve hundred knyghtes that I had, ye lefte a lyve with me but enlevyn / Wherof VIII ben deed, and thyse thre that ye see here are abyden a lyve / Now beholde well, fader, and thynke how ye bare your selfe towarde vs / But sith it is thus that ye oughte to vs noo goode wyll, and that ye maye not see vs, Make vs the hedes to be smytten of / And soo shall you be beloved of Charlemagne / And hated of God / and of all men.'

And whan the olde Aymon vnderstode Reynawde thus speke, he knewe well he sayd trouth / and beganne to fyghte sore atte his herte / And thenne he sayd to his children / 'Myschaunt, your ledernes and slouth hath overcomen you. Ye were never my chyldren / For if ye were suche as men wene / ye sholde not have suffred the grete poverte that ye have endured soo longe / But ye shulde have goon wynne vpon your enmyes / for to mayntene your selfe honestly / and make good werre to Charlemagne thorough all his londe. But ye are becom myschaunte; and therfore I telle you that ye gete noo thynge of me / Now thenne, voyde oute soone my palays, and ⁴goo begge where ye wyll atte a nother place.'⁴ [^4—4 omitted, F. orig. g. iii.] 'Syre,' sayd Reynawde, 'ye saye that / that an evyll and an vnkynde fader oughte to saye / For I telle you for veraye certeyne, that we have slayne soo many theves & brygauntes that I canne not

number theym, Wherof I fele my selfe in grete synne / But for god we requyre you that you, wyll helpe vs to recovere our londes of Charlemagne.

And yf ye wyll not do so, gyve to vs of your goodes, & we shall goo ferre from you' / 'I wyll not,' sayd Aymon. 'Fader,' sayd Reynawde, 'here I see well your evyll wyll. I and my bretherne have doon soo moche, that we ben comen in to your place / that we sholde fare the better for it; but I see well [folio H.iv.b] ye wyll caste vs therfro wyth grete afray. And I swere to you, by the feyth that I owe to my lady moder, that yf I muste nedes departe fro you in suche a maner, ye shall abye it full dere, yf ye cast vs thus oute of your londe. For I have lever deye here by you / than to deye for hungre / Syth that it maye be none other wyse.'

Thenne whan Reynawde sawe that his fader was soo harde herted agenst hym & his brethern / he wexed red for angre / and began to chaung colour, and drewe his swerde halfe oute of the sheeth / And whan Alarde sawe his brother Reynawde chaunge colour, he knewe well that he was wrothe / so ranne he & called hym, sayng, 'ha, fayr brother / for goddys love, angre not yourselfe so sore to our fader, for he is our lorde / And therfore, where [whether.] it is ryghte or wronge, he maye saye to vs as yt playseth hym / and we oughte to doo his commaundement / And yf he is cruell towarde vs / we oughte to be humble & playsaunte [omitted, F. orig.] towarde hym / Soo kepe your selfe for goddys love that ye sette not hande vpon hym / For it were agenst the commaundement of god' / 'Brother,' sayd Reynawde, 'it lacketh but lityll that I wexe madde all quycke / Whan I see afore me hym that sholde helpe vs, defende & love vs as his chyldren, and gyve vs his good counseylle to vs / and towarde all men. And he dooth all contrary the same / He hath made peas wyth Charlemagne for

to dystroye and undoo vs / I saw never so cruell a man agenste his sones. For he chasseth & putteth vs away from hym full shamefully / as though we were strangers or sarrasins / I sholde not conne telle the harme and grete hurte that he hath doon to vs / nor the grete poverte that we have suffred for hym / I wolde never have doo so to hym / for rather I wolde have lete me be slayn all quycke / But and yf I can ever go [folio H.v.a] from hens, I certyfye you that I shall angre hym, and shall so waste his londe that it shall doo hym but lytyll prouffyte, soo that it shall be spoken of it perpetuelly.'

And whan Aymon herde Reynawde speke thus, his herte wexed softe, & began to wepe full sore / and sayd, 'Ha, god, how I am sory that I maye not enioye the goode that god hath gyven to me largely / there sholde be no man in the worlde soo happy as I were / yf my chyldren had theyr peas with kynge Charlemagne. For I am sure that the kynge Pyramus ²of Troye² [^2—2 omitted, F. orig.] had never better men to his chyldren, nor more valyaunte ²ne prue,² [^2—2 omitted, F. orig.] than I have. Ha, evyll herte, thou sholdest not take hede to none other agenst thy chyldren, But sholdest helpe theym & kepe theym agenste all men, wherfore I ought well to hate the / evyll herte; thou hast made me hate that I oughte to love as myn owne selfe' / and whan he had thus spoken to hymselfe / he sayd to Reynawde, 'Fayr sone, ye are ryght worthy and sage / For never Hector of Troye was worthe thou, [Il na cheuallier au monde qui te vaille, F. orig. G. iii.] Nor in all the worlde is not founde your matche, And therfore I oughte well to doo your wyll' / Whan the duke Aymon had sayd this worde, he spake [a la duchesse, F. orig. g. iii.] to his wyff the duchesse, and sayd / 'Lady, I goo yonder wythout, for I wyll not be forsworn agenst the

kyng charlemagne. Ye have wythin golde & sylver ynough / and mani horses and moche harneys / palfreys & sommers / Now gyve to my chyldren all that they will take.' And whan he hadde sayd thus / he toke his men wyth hym and wente his waye.

Thenne sayd Reynawde, 'we oughte to thanke you moche of that ye have now sayd. And we shall goo hens to morowe erly ¹wyth goddys grace¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig] / To the ende that ye ben not evyll at ease; and yf it playse you, we shall [folio H.v.b] abyde for thys nyghte for to comforte our moder, ³that hathe be so yll at ease for the love of vs³ [^3—3 pour lamour de nous a cause quelle nous auoit perduz, F. orig. G. iv. back.] / And I promytte you, fader, we sholde not have come yet, but it had be for her sake' / 'Reinawde, fayr sone,' sayd the duk, [aymon, F. orig.] 'you are full of grete wyt / wyte that whan berthelot [artus, F. orig.] was deed, I durst not shewe me afore the kyng Charlemagn / by cause he sayd he had lever have lost the halfe of his royame / & thretened me for to hange or brenne and dystroye all my londe / and I dyd so moche by the counseyll of my frendes, that I made myn a-poyntement, and that I was oute of all blame / And ye have not considered the othes that Charlemagn made me doo agenst you / as agenste all other that helde wyth you / and I am sore dysplaysed of that I fonde you in the wodes of Ardeyn as I dyd / But I was forced of myn honour to do as I dyd, for to be in peas wyth kyng Charlemagne / Your moder hath not forsworn you / & therfore she maye gyve you of our goodis at her wyll.' And whan the duke had sayd thise wordes, he yssued oute of his palays, and wente to the woode.

After whan the free ducnesse herde that, that the duke Aymon gaaff her leve to doo wyth his goodes at her wyll, she called her chyldren, and sayd

to theym, 'Fayr chyldren, now be you sure, that sin your fader is [est hors de seans, F. orig.] not wythin, ye shall be well tended vpon, and shall have all the chere that I can doo to you' [omitted, F. orig.] / And thenne she dyde doo make the bayns redy, and made theym all to bayne honestly / And wyte, that in theyr bayne were many a swete herbe / And whan they were well clene, the good lady [leur mere, F. orig. g. vii. back.] made bryng lynnen & other clothes for to chaunge, & to eche of theym a mantelle of fyne scarlet furred with hermyns / and whan she had theym well apareilled / she led theym in a chambre where their [ou le tresoir estoif, et le monstrases enfans car pour aultre nestoit il amasse, F. orig. g. iv.] faders treysur was, and shewed it to her chyldren. Whan reynaud sawe so riche [folio H.vi.a] a tresur / he began to laughe, & sayd, 'lady moder, gramercy of so fayre a yefte as here is / For it mystreth me well' / & thenne he toke of that tresour at hys wyll. And incontynente he sent messagers thoroughe all the countrey, for to gete hym sawdours ²of the beste men of werre.² [^2—2omitted, F. orig.] Wherof many one cam gladly to hym / the whiche Reynawde payed for an hole yere. What shall I tell you more? Reynawde and hys brethern laye that nyghte wythin the castell of ther sayd fader. And the nexste mornyng after, or it was daye, they departed. & had wyth theym V hundred men well horsed ²& well arayed² [^2—2omitted, F. orig.] / And whan Reynawde and his brethern had take leve of theyr lady moder the duchesse, she sayd to theym / 'Fayr sones, I wyll that ye draw towarde Spayn, for it is a plentuouse countrey.' And as they wolde have departed / thenne cam Mawgis theyr cosyn, that cam oute of Fraunce, Where he had ben long tyme.

After whan Mawgys was lighted / from his horse, he ranne to Reynawde / his armes spred abrode, and began to kysse hym / and [quant il eut baise il basse ses aultre freres, F. orig. g. iv.] whan he had soo doon /

he kyssed his other thre brethern [il monte a cheval et sortit hors dardeyne, F. orig. g. iv.] / and thenne he sayd to theym / 'Ha, fayr cosyns, I am ryght glad to see you / And thanked be our lorde that he hath broughte me in to this coste.' 'Cosin,' sayd Reynawde, 'where have you ben so longe, that we had never tydynges of you' / 'Cosyn,' sayd Mawgys, 'I come from the grete cyte of Parys, Where I have stolen thre horses laden wyth golde; and here they ben / the whiche Charlemagne wende for to have hydde well. And I gyve you the halfe of it / for I myghte not bestowe theym better than to you' / 'Cosin,' sayd Reynawde, 'god thanke you.' And whan he had sayd soo [il monte a cheval et sortit hors dardeyne, F. orig. g. iv.] he wente oute of Ardeyne wyth his bretherne & his folke / and fonde his fader, that cam fro the wode; & whan Reynawde sawe his fader, he made hym reverence, & bowed hymself to hym; & aymon [folio H.vi.b] sayd to theym / 'fayr sones, now ben ye well garnyssed & honestly arrayed. I praye you that ye doo soo in Fraunce / that men speke of your prowes / And ye, my other children / I commaunde you that ye obeye Reynawde / and kepe hym above all thyng. For as longe as he shall lyve, ye oughte not to be a ferde of noo harme.'

Thenne sayd Alarde, 'syre, we shall doo your commaundement / and we praye you for goddys love [que nous vous soions pour recommandez, F. orig. g. iv.] that ye wyll be evermore our good fader' / 'I wyll be soo, my chyldren,' ⁴sayd Aymon.⁴ And thenne Reynawde toke leve of his fader and of his moder, ⁴ [^4—4 omitted, F. orig.] that conveyd theym oute of the towne.⁴ But the good lady fell doun in a swoune whan she sawe departe her chyldren. And all the towne began to make suche a sorowe that it was grete pyte [a veoir, F. orig. g. v. back.] / And Reynawde & his

brethern wente on theyr waye / ¹And whan the duchesse cam to herselfe¹ [^1—1 vif ses filz qui sen aloient, elle commence a crier et a dire, F. orig. g. v. back.] / and sawe heyr chyldren departe / She began to saye, 'Ha, poure herte myn! Why brekest not thou / alas, yf I hadde deyed longe agoo, my soule were the better at ease / I am not a moder / but a stepmoder / [quant je voy, F. orig.] Alas, I see my ryche burden go to exyle / and yet I can not wythholde theym or helpe theym that they abyde wyth me' / Thus as the duchesse made her mone to her wymen / Aymon cam & toke her bytwene his armes, and recomforted her / and sayd to her / 'Lady, dyscomforte not yourselfe so moche, for my hert gyveth me that we shall yet see theym in grete prosperyte & honour / and grete Ioye & gladenes ye shall ones have of theym in short tyme.' Shortly to speke, the good Aymon recomforted so moche the duchesse that she left her sorowe & wente agen to the palays wyth the duk Aymon. I leve here to speke of the duk Aymon and of the duchesse hys wyf, & retorne to speke of Reynawde & of hys brethern. [les hardiz cheualliers, F. orig. g. v. back.]