Ouer þat corn þer comen þre [corne. þer fehlt.]
Ridinde men of one ble, [Ridinge.]
And he hoem þere .I.-mette. [With hym þer they mette.]
Line 225
Þe kniȝttes weren on horse heye, [rydyne on horsys hye.]
Mid wordes milde, fayre and sleye [With wordys. feyre. sclyȝe.]
Þene hayward .I.-grette. [Þat heyward fare þi grette.]
Þe hayward nom and bleu his horn,
For he wes wardein of þat corn; [229—30) umgesetzt: Fore he was wardane ouer þat corne, The heywerd stod & blow his horne.]
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Here wed he bad hem ȝelde. [þer wedde he bade theme ȝelde.]
He axede wat hy souhten þare, [askyde what þi soughtyne þer.]
And wy hy weren so .I.-fare [þi went ouer so ferre.]
Ouer þat heued felde. [heued = ags. eowde, herd?] , [hyȝe st. heued.]
"Sire, we ben kniȝttes, fer .I.-fare [Syre, þi seyd, be not dysplesyde,]
Line 235
For to sechen wide-ware [We knaw þat we haue ȝow dessesyde,]
After one monne: [Fore we seke after a mane.]
Þe enperoures cunsiler [We bene þe emperoures consylerys.]
.I.-sout we awen fer and ner, [We haue hym souȝte bothe ferre & nere,]
Ne con him ous noman kenne. [Bot fynd hym nought we canne.]
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Wiseste kniȝt of alle he was, [A nobulle knyght fore-sothe he was.]
His nome wes hoten Placidas. [name. was callyd sir.]
On honting hout he ferde, [oute he farede.]
Nevereft seþþen ne com he hom, [Neuer sethyne comme home.]
Ne no tidinge from him ne com [ne fehlt vor come.]
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Þat ani mon hy-herde. [Þat no-mane sethen of herde.]
Here we hauen .I.-founde þe, [haue foundyne.]
We wenen wel þat þou hit be
Bi þine fayre chere; [248—9) By a wounde þat I se On the þat stondys here.]
Ovp-on þi neb is an wonde: [One thy nose þer is a wounde:]
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Þere-bi we hauen wel .I.-founde [Werby we haue þe here founde,]
Þat þou art oure .I.-fere". [And þou schall bene owre fere.]
"Nay, quaþ he, hou miȝtte hit be? [Nay, sires, so mote I thene,]
Were suldich houre fere be? [I may not ȝour feloy bene.]
Ne am ich a pouere mon?" [I ame a pore mane.]
Line 255
"Þou most wiþ ous to þe enperour, [muste. vs.]
For to fongen þat honour [haue thy.]
Þat þou were erroure on". [Þat thou wer wonte to hanne.]
Þo nom sire Eustas his leue þare,
Mid hise .I.-feren he is .I.-fare. [259) ff. Syre Eustas se þat he muste nedes Forto go forth with þes knyghtys Vnto þe kyngys courte. Darauf folgt: He toke hys leue at grete & smalle, At mane & wyfe & gentylles alle; þi were lothe to departe. Forthe he wente with theme alle thre, With þe emperour forto be; T(o) þe kyngys courte he came. (A. hat eine Strophe mehr).]
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To kingges court he com.
Þere wes ioye and blisse .I.-nouh! [was ioy. Inouȝhe.]
Þe enperour on him he louh, [onne hym lowȝhe.]
And kniȝt and sweyn and grom. [And knyghtys, squyre & grome.]
He tolde his louerd of his care, [told. lord.]
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His stronge lif, his harde fare, [In strange lyffe is herd.]
Ord and eque þan ende, [eque = eke.] , [Fro begynning to þe ende.]
Boþe of lere and of biȝete [Bothe of hys swynke & of hys suete,]
And of soure and eke of swete, [Of his treuthe & of hys byhete,]
Þat god him wolde sende. [Of all þat god hym sende.]
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