Altenglische legenden ...

                                
                                  þat wordes myght he spede na mo. [Ms. spede st. speke.] 
                                
                                  Bot home he hied un to his toure,
                                
                                  & tolde un to his counseloure
                                
                                  All hou he with his sun had spoken,
                                  Line 935 
                                
                                  And þat he wolde on him be wroken.
                                
                                  He answerde þan & said: sir, nay,
                                
                                  All softly sall þou first assay,
                                
                                  For childer er ether for to teche
                                
                                  With wordes fayre þan wt full speche.
                                  Line 940 
                                
                                  Sone on þe morn when it was day,
                                
                                  þe kyng to his sun toke þe way;
                                
                                  He halsed him & kyssed oft,
                                
                                  & sethin he said with wordes soft:
                                
                                  Dere sun, he said, þou solde take kepe
                                  Line 945 
                                
                                  þi fader to honure & to wirshipe,
                                
                                  & namely me, a man of elde;
                                
                                  Who bot my barn solde be my belde?
                                
                                  Sun, wolde þou wit what mede it were
                                
                                  þi fader & moder to wirship here,
                                  Line 950 
                                
                                  & how ill it es þam to despite,
                                
                                  þan walde þou noght wirk on his wise [Ms. his st. þis.] 
                                
                                  To make me haue swilk bitter braid.
                                
                                  þan answerde Josaphat and said:
                                
                                  Tyme es of luff in ilk a stede
                                  Line 955 
                                
                                  & tyme es als so of hatrede,
                                
                                  Tyme es of pes & tyme of were,
                                
                                  & all euyll tyme es for to forbere,
                                
                                  Bot in no tyme aw us to bow
                                
                                  To þam þat in god will noght trow,
                                  Line 960 
                                
                                  Bot titter sall we fro þam fle,
                                
                                  Fader or moder, whoþer euer it be.
                                
                                  þan said þe kyng: sen it es so
                                
                                  þow will noght meke þe me un to,
                                
                                  þou sall nowþer haue þi will, ne I,
                                  Line 965 
                                
                                  Bot bothe acord us to clergy;
                                
                                  I haue berlam in my presoun,
                                
                                  Take zoure counsaile & mak zow bown!
                                
                                  & my counsaile I sall do call,
                                
                                  & lat þam luke omang þam all
                                  Line 970 
                                
                                  Wheþer I haue þe wrang, or þow;
                                
                                  & als þai tell so sall we trow:
                                
                                  Yf berlam tales be funden trew,
                                
                                  þan sall I lere þat law o new;
                                
                                  & yf his fare be funden fals,
                                  Line 975 
                                
                                  þou sall trow my law, & he als.
                                
                                  Josaphat said: sir, I assent.
                                
                                  & þan þe kyng fast home he went.
                                
                                  His counsaill un to him he cald;
                                
                                  & all assent þai for to hald
                                  Line 980 
                                
                                  þat coueand, þat was made bifore, [Ms. coneand.] 
                                
                                  How þat þe fals Ermyt nachore
                                
                                  Solde first comend fast cristes name,
                                
                                  & sethin he solde reproue þe same
                                
                                  & graunt him conuicte in þt case,
                                  Line 985 
                                
                                  & turn þe child so to his trace.
                                
                                  On þe morn was all þis graid.
                                
                                  & Josaphat to nachore said,
                                
                                  Als he his mayster had noght myst,
                                
                                  For all þaire purpose wele he wist:
                                  Line 990 
                                
                                  My mayster berlam, luke þou be
                                
                                  Trew to þat law þou lered me,
                                
                                  & luke fully þou it defend
                                
                                  & mayntene it als þou me kend,
                                
                                  &, yf þe will þe gyf þar to,
                                  Line 995 
                                
                                  I sall it luf ay whis I lyf, [whis st. whils.] 
                                
                                  & I sall styfly with þe stand
                                
                                  & may(n)tene þe with hert & hand; [Ms. maytene st. mayntene.] 
                                
                                  & yf þou faintly it for sake,
                                
                                  On þe wightly I sal take wrake:
                                  Line 1000 
                                
                                  þi tong wt my hend I sal out draw
                                
                                  & gyf þi hert to hundes at gnaw,
                                
                                  þat oþer men may ensaumple take
                                
                                  þaire awin sawes for to forsake,
                                
                                  Or any kyng sun to bigyle,
                                  Line 1005 
                                
                                  Als þou has done to me þis while.
                                
                                  þan nachore understode wele þare
                                
                                  þat he was takin in his awin snare,
                                
                                  & fallen he was in his owin pit;
                                
                                  þarfore he kest in his awin wit
                                  Line 1010 
                                
                                  To þe kynges son war him better assent

About this Item

Title: Altenglische legenden ...
Author: Horstmann, Carl, ed. b. 1851.
Canvas: Page 238
Publication: Paderborn,: F. Schöningh,; 1875.
Subject terms: English poetry; Legends

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Collection: Corpus of Middle English Prose and Verse
Link to this Item: https://name.umdl.umich.edu/afy7823.0001.001
Link to this scan: https://quod.lib.umich.edu/c/cme/afy7823.0001.001/282:7.2

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DPLA Rights Statement: No Copyright - United States

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Manifest: https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/t/text/api/manifest/cme:afy7823.0001.001

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Full citation: "Altenglische legenden ..." In the digital collection Corpus of Middle English Prose and Verse. https://name.umdl.umich.edu/afy7823.0001.001. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed June 22, 2025.

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