The Cambridge ms (University library, Gg. 4.27) of Chaucer's Canterbury tales / edited by Frederick J. Furnivall.

[PART III.]

Alla þe kyng comyth hom soone aftyr þis On-to þe Castel whiche I tolde And axsith where þat his wif & his child is The Constabele gan a-boute hise herte colde Line 879

Line 879 And pleynly al þe manere hym tolde As ȝe han herd I can telle it no bettre As schewith þe kyng his sel & hise lettere Line 882

And seyde lord as ȝe comaundede me Vp peyne of deth so haue I do serteyn This massanger turmentid was tyl he Moste beknowe & telle plat & pleyn Line 886 ffrom nyȝt to nyȝt what place he hadde leyn And þus by wit & subtyl Inquyrynge Ymagined was bi hom þis harm gan sprynge Line 889

The hand was knowe þat þe lettere wrot And al þe venym of þis cursede dede But in what wise serteynli I not Theffect is þis þat Alla out of drede Line 893 His modyr slow þat may men pleynly rede ffor þat sche traytour was to hire legiaunce Thus endyth donegild with myschaunce Line 896

The sorwe þat þis alla nyȝt & day Makith for his wif & hise child also Ther is no tunge þat it telle may But now wolde I on-to Custaunce go Line 900 That fletyth in þe se in peyne & wo ffyue ȝer & more as lykede cristis sonde Er þat hir schip aprochede to þe londe Line 903

Vndyr an hethene castel at þe laste [folio 207a] Of which þe name in myn tixt not I fynde Custaunce & ek hire child þe se vp caste Almyȝty god þat sawith al mankynde Line 907 Haue on custaunce & of hire child sum mynde that is fallyn in hethene hand eft sone In poynt to spylle as I schal telle ȝow sone Line 910

Line 910

Doun from þe castel comyth þere manye a wyȝt To gauryn on þis wyȝt & on custaunce But schortly from þe castel on a nyȝt The lordis styward god ȝeue hym myschaunce Line 914 A thef that hadde reneyed oure cre-aunce Cam in-to þe schip alone & seyde he schulde Hire leman be wheþer sche wolde or nolde Line 917

Wo was þe wrechede woman þo be-gon Hire child cryed & sche cryede pitously Blysful marye halp hyre ryȝt a-non ffor with hire strogelyng wel & myȝtyly Line 921 The thef fel ouyr bord al sodeynly And in þe se he dreynte for veniaunce And þus hath cryst onwemmede kept custaunce Line 924

O foule lust of luxurye lo thyn ende Not only þat þou feyntist manys mynde But verayly þou wilt hise body schende Thende of þy werk or of þynne lustis blynde Line 928 Is compleynynge how manyon may men fynde That not for werk but only þe entente To don þis synne ben owthir slayn or schente Line 931

How may þis wayke woman han þis strenthe Hire to defende a-ȝen þis Renegat O golyas vnmesurabe of lenthe How myȝte dauid make þe so maat Line 935 So ȝong & of armeure so desolat How durste he loke vp-on þyn dredful face Wel may men sen it was but godis grace Line 938

Ho ȝaf Iudyth corage or hardynesse [folio 207b] To slen hym Olofernus in hise tente And to delyueryn out of wrechedenesse The peple of god I sey for þis entente Line 942

Line 942 But ryȝt as god spyrit of vigour sente To hym & sauede hym from myschaunce So sente vigour & myȝt to Custaunce Line 945

fforth goth the schip þour-out þe narwe mouth Of Iubaltare / and Cepte dryuynge ay Sumtyme west & sumtyme north & south And sumtyme est ful many a wery day Line 949 Til Cristis modyr blyssede be sche ay Hath schapyn þour hire endeles goodnesse To make an ende of al hire heuynesse Line 952

Now lat vs stynte of Custaunce but a trowe And speke we of þe romayn Emperour That out of surry hath bi letterys knowe The slauthe of Cristene folk & dishonoure [[? eure]] Line 956 Don to his douȝtyr by a fals traytoure I mene þe wikkede cursede soudonesse That at þe feste let sle boþe more & lesse Line 959

ffor which þis emperour hath sent a-nor His senatour with royal ordenaunce And oþere lordis god wot many on On surryens to take veniaunce Line 963 They brenne & slen & brynge hem to myschaunce fful manyaday but schortly þis is þe ende Homward to rome þey schapyn hem to wende Line 966

This senatour repayreth wictorye To romeward saylynge ful ryalye And mette þe schyp dryuynge as seyth þe story In which Custaunce sit pitously Line 970 No þyng knewe he what sche was ne why Sche was in swich a-ray / ne sche wolde seye Of hyre estat þow sche schulde deye Line 973

Line 973

He bryngith hire to rome & to hise wyf [folio 208a] He ȝaf hire & hire ȝonge sone also And with þe senatour sche ledde hire lyf Thus can oure lady bryngyn out of wo Line 977 Woful custaunce & manye a noþer mo And long tyme dwellede sche in þat plase In holye werkys euere as was hyre grace Line 980

This senatourys wyf hyre aunte was But for al þat sche knew hyre neuere þe more I wele no lengere taryen in þis cas But to kyng alla which I spak of ȝore Line 984 That for hise wyf wepede & syghede sore I wele retorne & lete I wele Custaunce Vndyr þe senatourrys gouernaunce [[This stanza is repeated in the MS. See the second version on p. 133 above]]

Kyng Alla wich þat hadde hise modyr slayn Vp-on a day fil In swich repentaunce That ȝif I schortely schulde telle & playn To rome he comyth to receyue hese penaunce Line 991 And putte hym in þe popis ordenaunce In high & logh & Ihesu crist be-souȝte fforȝeue hise wikke werkis þat he wrouȝte Line 994

The fame a-non þour rome toun is born How Alla kyng schal come in pilgrymage By herberiourys þat wentyn here be-forn ffor which þe senatour as was þe vsage Line 998 Rod hym a-geyn as was þe vsage As wel to schewyn his magnificence As to don any kyng a reuerence Line 1001

Gret cher doth þis noble senatour [folio 208b] To kyng alla & he to hym also Euerych of hem doþ oþer gret honour An[d] that with-in a day or too Line 1005

Line 1005 This senatour is to kyng Alla go To feste & schortly ȝif I schal not lye Custauncis sone wente in his cumpanye Line 1008

Summen wolde seyn at þe request of Custaunce This senatour hath lad þis child to feste I ne may not tellyn euery circumstaunce Be as be may þere was he at þe leste Line 1012 But soth is þis þat at his moderys heste By-forn Alla durynge þe metis space This child stod lokynge in þe kyngis face Line 1015

This Alla kyng hath of þe child gret wondyr And to þe senatour he seyde a-non Whos is þat fayre child þat standis ȝondyr I not quod he bi god & bi seynt Iohn Line 1019 A modyr he hath but fadyr hath he non That I of wot & schortly in a stounde He tolde alla how þat þe child was founde Line 1022

But god wot quod this senatour also So verteuous a leuere in myn lyue Ne saw I neuere as sche ne herde of mo Of wordely wemen maydyn nor of wif Line 1026 I dare wel seyn hire hadde leuere a knyf Thurgh-out hyre brest þan ben a woman weke þere is no man coude brynge hire to þe prikke Line 1029

Now was þis child as lyk on-to custaunce As possible is a creatour to be This alla hath þis face in remembraunce Of dame custaunce & þeron musede he Line 1033 Ȝif þat þe childis modyr were ouȝt sche That is his wyf & pryuyly he sighte And sped hym from þe table þat he myȝte Line 1036

Line 1036

Parfay thouȝte he fantome is in myn hed [folio 209a] I oghte deme of ryȝtful iugement That in þe salte se myn wif is ded And aftyr he made hise argument Line 1040 What wot I if þat crist hath hire I-sent Myn wif be se as wel as he hire sente To myn cuntre from þens þat sche wente Line 1043

And aftyr non hom with þe senatour Goth alla for to se þis wondyr chaunce This senatour doth alla gret honour And hastilyche he sente aftyr custaunce Line 1047 But trustyth wel hire lyste not to daunce Whan þat sche wiste wherfore was þat sonde Oneþe vp-on hire feet sche myȝte stonde Line 1050

Whan Alla saw his wif fayre he hire grette And wep þat it was routhe for to se ffor at þe ferste lok he on hyre sette He knewe wel verayly þat it was sche Line 1054 And sche for sorwe as doumb stant as a tre So was hire herte set in distresse Whan sche remembrede hys vnkyndenesse Line 1057

Twyes sche swounnyth in hise owene syghit He wepte & hym excuseth pitously Now god quod he & hise halwis bryȝte So wisely on myn soule as haue mercy Line 1061 That of ȝoure harm as gilteles am I As is Mauryce myn sone so lyk ȝoure face Ellis þe fend me feche out of þis place Line 1064

Long was þe sobyng & þe bittere peyne Er þat hire woful hertis myȝtyn cesse Gret was þe pyte for to here hem pleyne Thorgh whiche pleyntis gan hire wo encrese Line 1068

Line 1068 I prey ȝow of myn labour to relese I may nat telle here wo vn-tyl to morwe I am so wery for to speke of sorwe Line 1071

But finalli whan þat þe sorwe is wist [folio 209b] That Alla giltles was of hire wo I trowe an hunderede tymys ben þey kyst And swich a blysse is þere be-twen hem two Line 1075 That saue þe ioye þat lastyth eueremo There is non lyk þat any creature Hath seyn or schal whil þe word wele dure Line 1078

Tho preyede sche hire housbonde mekely In relef of hire longe pitous peyne That he wolde preye hire fadyr specially That of his maieste he wolde enclyne Line 1082 To vouche-saf sumday with hem to dyne Sche preyede hym ek he schulde be no weye Vn-to hire fadyr no word of hire seye Line 1085

Summen wolde seyn how þat þe child mauryce Doth þis message vn-to þis emperour But as I gesse alla was not so nyce To hym þat was of so souereyn honour Line 1089 As he þat is of cristene folk þe flour Sente any child but it is bet to deme He wente him selue & so it may wel seme Line 1092

This emperour hath grauntid gentyly To come to dyner as he hym be-souȝte And wel rede I he lokede besily Vp-on þis child & on his douȝtyr thouȝte Line 1096 Alla goth to hise in and as hym ouȝte Arayede for þis feste in euery wyse As fer forth as hise kunnynge may suffyse Line 1099

Line 1099

The morwe cam and alla gan hym dresse And ek his wif þis emperour to mete And forth þey rede In ioye & in gladnesse And whan sche saw hire fadyr in þe strete Line 1103 Sche lyȝte a-doun & fallyth hym to feete ffadyr quod sche ȝoure ȝonge chyld Custaunce Is now ful clene out of ȝoure remembraunce Line 1106

I am ȝoure douȝty[r] custaunce quod sche [folio 210a] That whilhom han sent vn-to surrye It am I fadyr þat in þe salte se Was put a-lone & dampned for to deye Line 1110 Now goode fadyr mercy I ȝow preye Sende me no more vn-to to non hethenesse But thanke myn lord here of his kyndenesse Line 1113

Who can þe pytous ioye tellyn al By-twexe hem thre syn þey ben þus I-mette But of myn tale makyn an ende I schal The day goth faste I wele no lengere lette Line 1117 These glade folk to dyner þey ben sette In ioye & blysse at dyner I lete hem dwelle A thousent fold more þan I can telle Line 1120

This child Maurice was sythe emperour Mad bi þe pope & lyuede cristene lyf To Cristis cherche he dede gret honour But I lete alle hise storyis passyn by Line 1124 Of Custaunce is myn tale specially In þe olde romayn storyis may men fynde Maurycis lyf I bere it not in mynde Line 1127

This kyng Alla whan he hise tyme say With his Custaunce his holy wif so swete To ingelond ben þey come þe ryȝte way Where as þey lyue In ioye & in quiete Line 1131

Line 1131 But lytil while it lastyth I ȝow hete Ioye of þis world for tyme wele not a-byde ffrom day to nyȝt it schaungith as þe tyde Line 1134

Who lyuede euere in swich delyt a day That sche ne menede outhir concyence Or yre or talent or sumkenys a-fray Enuye or pride or passioun or offence Line 1138 I ne seye but for þis ende this sentence That lytyl while in ioye & in plesaunce Lastith þe ioye of alla with Custaunce Line 1141

ffor deth þat takyth of high & low hise rente [folio 210b] Whan passede was euene a ȝer as I gesse Out of þe world þis kyng alla he hente ffor whom Custaunce hath ful gret heuinesse Line 1145 Now let vs preyen god his soule blysse And dame Custaunce finally to seye Toward þe toun goth hire weye Line 1148

To rome is comyn þis holy creature And fyndith hire frendis hole & sounde Now is sche scapid al hire Auenture And whan þat sche hire fadyr hath I-founde Line 1152 Doun on hire kneis fallyth sche to grounde Wepynge for tendirnesse in herte blyþe Sche heryeth god an hundered thousent sythe Line 1155

In vertu & holy allemesse dede They lyuyn alle & neuere asundyr wende Thil deth departyth hem þis lyf þey leede And faryth now wel myn tale is at an ende Line 1159 Now Ihesu crist þat of his myȝt may sende Ioye aftyr wo gouerne vs in hise grace And kepe vs alle þat ben in þis place. Amen Line 1162