And al this tyme his clothis wex nat oold; [cloth.]
With other tweyne leued as an hermyte, [othir. lyved.]
And by his wachchyng and fastyng manyfold [wacchyng.]
Be-side a welle lay lik an Anachorite.
Whos berthe and lyff fayn I wolde endite [birthe.]
Line 145
Compendiously and writen the substance.
But a fals serpent, callyd Ignorance,
Troubleth my penne, I maynot foorth proceede, [troublyth. forth procede.]
But grace shal helpe the wedir forto cleere [weedir.]
And these too kynges do fauour in this neede: [thes two.]
Line 150
First blissid Edmund, and his cosyn deere [blyssed Edmond.]
Callid Fremundus, to conueie this mateere.
And vndir support of these seyntes tweyne [thes.]
To write this story I shall do my peyne.
God by ther praier shal be my sup|portour, [prayeer.]
Line 155
Help me forward, yif it be his wille [helpe.]
By influence of his myhty socour
Into my penne sum licour to distille: [som.]
Lycour of grace, my purpos to fulfille, [purpoos.]
Vnder whos mercy and helpe that he shal sende [vndir.]
Line 160
Off this story to maken a good eende. [make. ende.]
Off Burchardus folwe I shall the style,
That of seyn Fremund whilom was secretarye; [seint. was whylom.]
Which of entent dide his liff compile,
Was his Registrer and also his notarye
Line 165
And in desert was with him solitarye,
With him ay present, remembryng euery thyng
Wrot liff and myracles of this holy kyng. [wroot.]
To kyng Offa Fremund was sone and hayr, [ayr.]
Regnyng in Mershlond, the story berth witnesse; [mersshland. berith.]
Line 170
His moodir Botild, riht goodly and riht fayr
And a womman of gret parfihtnesse,
Longe bareyn, the story doth expresse;
And she was suster and lik in many a thyng [sustir.]
Vnto seyn Edmund, the holy glorious kyng. [seint Edmond.]
Line 175
The kyng, the queen wer ferr ronne in age, [ferre.]
And al this while Botild was bareyn;
Tryst and heuy lest ther heritage [Ms. left st. lest.] [lyst. erytage.]
Wer translatid to som hayr foreyn [ayr.]
For lak of yssu. but god be grace hath seyn [Issew.]
Line 180
To ther requestis: the maner and the guyse
Ceriously the story shal deuyse.
In that prouynce withynne a smal village
Ther dwelled a man, which callid was Aldare, [dwellyd.]
Which with his wiff in a smal cotage
Line 185
Ther houshold heeld, whos lyflode was but bare. [houshoold held. lyfflood.]
And as the story in ordre shall declare,
She hath conceyued, myn auctour writ the same,
Born a sone, and Thoua was his name. [Thova.]
The thridde day of his Natyuyte,
Line 190
Ageyn nature, the story listnat lye,
Be myracle, ffamous in that contre,
The said child gan speke and loude crye, [lowde.]
And be a maner vnkouth prophecye:
How kyng Offa, as the child hem tolde, [hym.]
Line 195
Sholde haue a sone in his daies olde; [shulde.]
And ouermor in pleyn language he seith: [ovirmoore.]
Whan he were born, how he sholde also [wer.]
Fader and mooder conuerte vnto our feith [fadir. modir.]
By goddis myht and many a merueile do; [doo.]
Line 200
"And sike folkys shall lowly come hym to [And fehlt. Syk. too.]
To fynde socour of euery maladye,
And he be grace shal doon hem remedye:
