[6-text p 162]
This Senatour / is to kyng Alla go
To feste / and shortly / if I shal nat lye
Custaunces sone / wente in his compaignye
Line 1008
¶ Som men wolde seyn / at requeste of Custaunce
This Senatour / hath lad this child to feste
I may nat tellen / euerich circumstaunce
Be as be may / ther was he atte leste
Line 1012
But sooth is this / þat at his modres heste
Biforn Alla / duryng the metes space
The child stood / lookynge in the kynges face
Line 1015
¶ This Alla kyng hath of this child greet wonder
And to the Senatour / he seyde anon
Whos is that faire child / that stondeth yonder
I noot quod he / by god and by Seint Iohn
Line 1019
A moder he hath / but fader hath he non
That I of woot/ and shortly in a stounde
He tolde Alla / how þat this child was founde
Line 1022
[Bu]t god woot quod this Senatour also [folio 126b]
So vertuous a lyuere / in my lyf
Ne saw I neuere as she / ne herde of mo
Of worldly wommen / mayde ne of wyf
Line 1026
I dar wel seyn / hir hadde leuere a knyf
Thurgh out hir brest/ than been a womman wikke
Ther is no man / koude brynge hire to that prikke
Line 1029
¶ Now was this child / as lyk vn to Custaunce
As possible is / a creature to be
This Alla / hath the face in remembraunce
Of dame Custaunce / and ther on mused he
Line 1033
If þat the childes moder / were aught she
That is his wyf / and pryuely he sighte
And spedde hym fro the table that he myghte
Line 1036
