[6-text p 165]
¶ The morwe cam / and Alla gan hym dresse
And eek his wyf / this Emperour to meete
And forth they ryde / in Ioye and in gladnesse
And whan she say / hir fader in the Streete
Line 1103
She lighte doun / and falleth hym to feete
ffader quod she / youre yonge child Custaunce
Is now ful clene / out of youre remembraunce
Line 1106
¶ I am youre doghter Custance / quod she
That whilom ye han sent / vn to Surrye
It am I fader / that in the salte See
Was put allone / and dampned for to dye
Line 1110
Now goode fader / mercy I yow crye
Seend me namoore / vn to noon hethenesse
But thonke my lord heere / of his kyndenesse
Line 1113
¶ Who kan the pitous Ioye / tellen al
Bitwix hem thre / syn they be thus ymette
But of my tale / make an ende I shal
The day goth faste / I wol no lenger lette
Line 1117
This glade folk to dyner they hem sette
In ioye and blisse / at mete I lete hem dwelle
A thousand fold / wel moore than I kan telle
Line 1120
¶ This child Maurice / was sithen Emperour
Maad by the Pope / and lyued cristenly
To cristes chirche / he dide greet honour
But I lete / al this storie passen by
Line 1124
Of Custaunce / is my tale specially
In the olde Romayn gestes / may men fynde
Maurices lyf / I bere it noght in mynde
Line 1127
¶ This kyng Alla / whan he his tyme say [folio 128a]
With his Custaunce / his holy wif so swete
To Engelond / been they com the righte way
Wher as they lyue / in ioye and in quiete
Line 1131
