The Corpus ms (Corpus Christi coll., Oxford) of Chaucer's Canterbury tales. Ed. by Frederick J. Furnivall.

[PART II.]

¶ Arryued been þise cristene folk to londe In Surrie with a gret solempne route And hastiliche þis sowdan sent his sonde ffirst to his mooder and alle þe regne aboute Line 389 And saide his wijf was come out of doute And preyde hir for to ryde agein þe queene The honour of his regne to susteene Line 392

¶ Gret was þe prees and riche was þarray Of Surriens and Ramains met y feere The mooder of þe Soudan riche and gay Receyued hire with also glad a cheere Line 396 As any mooder might hir doughter deere And to þe nexte Citee þer bisyde A softe paas solempnely þei ryde Line 399

¶ Naught trowe I þe tryumphe of Iulius [folio 79b] Of which þat lukan makeþ such a bost Was riallere ne more curious Than was thassemble of þis blisful oost Line 403 But þis scorpion this wikkede goost The Sowdanesse for alle hir flateringe Caste vnder þis ful mortally to stynge Line 406

¶ The Sowdan comeþ himself sone after þis So really that wonder is to telle he welcomeþ hire with alle ioye and blis And þus in merthe and Ioye I lete hem dwelle Line 410

[6-text p 143] Line 410 The fruyt of þis matiere þat I telle Whan tyme come men þought it for þe best That Reuel stynte and men gon to here Rest Line 413

¶ The tyme com þis olde Sowdanesse Ordeyned haþ þis feeste of which I tolde And to þe feste cristene folk hem dresse In general boþe ȝonge and olde Line 417 here may men feste and rialte biholde And deyntees mo þan I can ȝou deuyse But all to deere þei bought it ar þey ryse Line 420

¶ O sodein woo þat euer art Successour [¶ Semper mundane leticie tristicia repentina succedit. Mundana ergo felicitas multis amaritudinibus est respersa. Extre|ma gaudij luctus occupat audi ergo salubre consilium in die bonorum ne immemor sis malorum.] To worldly blysse spreynd is with bitternesse The ende of þe ioye of oure worldly laboure Wo occupieth þe fyn of oure gladnesse Line 424 herk þis counseille for þi sikernesse vpon þi glade day haue in thy mynde The vnwar wo or harm þat comth behynde Line 427

ffor schortly for to tellen at oo word The Sowdan and þe cristene euerychone Ben al to-hewe and stiked atte bord But it were oonly dame Custance allone Line 431 This olde Sowdanesse cursede crone haþ with hire freendes doon þis cursede dede ffor sche hir self wolde alle þe contre lede Line 434

¶ Ne þer nas Surrian non þat was conuerted That of þe counseil of þe Sowdan wot [folio 80a] That he nas al to-hewe or he asterted And circumstance han þei take anon foot hoot Line 438 And in a Schippe al steereles god woot Thay han hire sette and bidden hire lerne sayle Out of Surrie agaynward to ytaile Line 441

[6-text p 144] Line 441

¶ A certein tresour þat sche þider ladde And soþ to sain vitaile gret plente They han hire yeuen and cloþes eek sche hadde And forþ sche saileþ in þe Salte see Line 445 O my Custance ful of benignite O emperoures yonge doughter deere he þat is lord ouer fortune be þy steere Line 448

¶ Sche blisseþ & with ful pitous vois vnto þe croys of crist þus seyde sche O cler o welful auter holy croys Rede of þi lambes blood ful of pite Line 452 That wisshe þe world fro þe olde iniquite Me fro þe feend and fro his clawes keepe That day þat I schal drenchen in þe deepe Line 455

¶ victorious tree proteccion of trewe That oonly worþi were for to bere The king of heuene with his woundes newe The white lambe þat hurt was with a spere Line 459 ffleemer of feendes out of him and here On whych þi lymes feithfully entenden Me keepe and yef me might my lijf tamenden Line 462

¶ yeeres and dayes fleet þis creature Thurgh out þe see of grece vnto þe strayte Of Marrok as it was hire auenture O many a sory meel now may sche bayte Line 466 After hire deþ fulofte may sche wayte Or þat þe wilde wawes wil hir dryue vnto þe place þer sche schal arryue Line 469

¶ Men mighten [aske] whi sche nas nat slayn Eke atte feste who might hir body saue I answere to þat demande agayn [folio 80b] he saued daniel in þe horrible caue Line 473

[6-text p 145] Line 473 Ther euery wight saue he maister or knaue Was wiþ þe leon frete or asterte No wight but god þat he bar in his herte Line 476

¶ God list to schewe his wonderful myracle In hire. for sche scholde seen his mighty werkes Crist which þat is to euery harm triacle By certein menes oft as knowen clerkes Line 480 Doþ þing for certein ende þat ful derk is To mannes wit þat for oure ignorance Ne konne nought knowe his prudent purueance Line 483

¶ Now siþ sche was not atte feste y-slawe Who kept hir fro þe drenching in þe see Who kepte Ionas in þe fisshes mawe Til he was spouted vp at Nyniue Line 487 Wel may men knowe it was no wight but he That kepte pepul ebraik from here drenchyng With drye feet þurgh out þe see passyng Line 490

¶ Who bad þe foure spiritz of tempest That power han boþe to annoyen lond and see Boþe north and south and also west and est Anoyeþ neyþer see ne lond ne tree Line 494 Soþly þe comandour of þat was he That fro þe tempest ay þis womman kepte As wel whan sche wook as whan sche slepte Line 497

¶ Wher might þis womman mete and drynke haue Three ȝeer and moore how lasteþ hire vitaille Who fedde þe Egipcien marie in the Caue Or in desert no wight but crist sanz faille Line 501 v. þousand folk it was a gret meruaille With loues fyue and fisshes tuo to feede God sent his foyson at hire grete neede Line 504

[6-text p 146] Line 504

¶ Sche driueþ forþ in to oure Occean þurghout oure wilde see til atte last vnder an hold þat nempnen I ne can ffor in Northumburland þe wawe hir cast [folio 81a] And in þe sond hir schippe stiked so fast That þennes wold it nought of alle a tyde The wille of crist was þat sche scholde abyde Line 511

¶ The Constable of þe castelle doun is fare To seen þis wrak and alle þe schippe he sought And fond þis wery womman ful of care he fond also þe tresow þat sche brought Line 515 In hire langage mercy sche bisought The lyf out of hir body for to twynne hire to deliuere of wo þat sche was Inne Line 518

¶ A maner latyn corupt was hire speche But algates þer by was sche vnderstonde The constable whan him list no lengere seche This woful womman brought he to þe londe Line 522 Sche kneeleth doun and þankeþ goddes sonde But what sche was sche wolde no man seye ffor foul ne fair þough þat sche scholde deye Line 525

¶ Sche seyde sche was so mased in þe see/ That sche foryat hire mynde by hire trouþe The constable of hire haþ so gret pite And eek his wyf þat þei weepen for rouþe Line 529 Sche was so diligent wiþouten slouþe To serue and plese euerich in þat place That alle hire louen þat loken on hire face Line 532

¶ The constable and dame hermengheld his wif Were payens and þat contray euery where But hermyngeld loued hir right as hire lijf And Custance haþ so longe soiorned þere Line 536

[6-text p 147] Line 536 In orisons wiþ many a bitter teere Til Ihesu haþ conuerted þurgh his grace Dame hermyngeld constablesse of þilke place Line 539

¶ In alle þat land durste no cristene route Alle cristene folk ben fled from þat contre Thurgh payens þat conquereden heer aboute The plages of þe north by land & see Line 543 To wales fledde þe cristianite/ [folio 81b] Of olde britons dwellyng in þis Isle/ There was hire refut / for þe meene while Line 546

¶ But yit nas neuer cristene britons so exiled That þer nas somme in here priuyte honourede crist/ and hethen folk bygiled And neygh þe castelle swich þer dwelden þre Line 550 That oon of hem was blynd and might not se But it were wiþ þilk eyen of his mynde With whiche men seen after þat þai ben blynde Line 553

¶ Bright was þe sonne as in þat Someres day ffor which þe Constable and his wyf also And Custance han y-take þe righte way Toward þe see a forlong weye or two Line 557 To pleyen and to Romen to and fro And in here walk þre blynde men þey mette Crokede and olde with fast eyen y-schette Line 560

¶ In the name of crist criede þis blynde breton dame hermyngild yeue me sight agayn This lady wax affrayed of þe soun lyst þat hir housbond schortly for to sein Line 564 Wolde hire for ihesu cristes loue haue slain Til Custance made hire bold and made hire werche The wille of crist as doughter of his cherch Line 567

[6-text p 148] Line 567

¶ The Constable wax abaisshed of þat sight And sayde what amounteþ al þis fare Custance answerde sire it is cristes might That helpeþ folk out of þe feendes snare Line 571 And so ferforth sche gan oure lay declare That sche þe Constable or þat it was eue Conuerteþ and on cryst made him bileeue Line 574

¶ This Constable was noþing lord of þis place Of which I speke þere he Custance fond But kepte it strongly many a wynter space vnder .alla. kyng of all Northumberlond Line 578 þat was ful wys and worþy of his hond Agayn þe Scottes as men may wel heere [folio 82a] But torne I wil again to my mateere/ Line 581

¶ Sathan þat euer vs wayteth to begile Saugh of Custance al hire perfection And cast anon how he might quite her while And made a yong knight þat dwelte in þe toun Line 585 loue hire so hoot of fowl affection That verraily him þought he schulde spill But he of hire might ones haue his wille Line 588

¶ he woweth hire but it auaileþ nought Sche wolde do no synne by no weye And for dispit he compassed in his þought To make hir on schameful deþ to deye Line 592 he wayteþ whan þe Constable was aweye And priuyly vpon a night he crept In hermyngildes chambre whil sche slept Line 595

¶ Wery for-waked in his orisons Slepeth Custance and hermenghild also This knight þurgh Sathanas temptacions Al softely is to þe bedde I-go Line 599

[6-text p 149] Line 599 And kutte þe þrote of hermengild a tuo And leyde þe blody knyf by dame Custance And wente his wey þer god yeue him meschance Line 602

¶ Sone after comth þis constable hom a gayn And eek Alla þat king was of þat lond And saugh his wyf dispitousliche slain ffor which ful ofte he wepte and wrong his hond Line 606 And in þe bed þe bloody knyf he fond By dame Custance allas what might sche seye ffo verray woo hir witte was alle aweye Line 609

¶ To king Alla was told al þis meschance And eek þe tyme and wher and in what wise That in a schip was founde þis Custance As heer biforn ȝe han herd eer deuise Line 613 The kinges herte of pite gan agrise Whan he seih so benigne a creature ffalle in disese and in mysauenture [folio 82b]

¶ ffor as þe lomb toward his deth is brought So stant þis Innocent bifore þe king This false knight þat haþ þis trayson wrought Bereþ hire an hand þat sche haþ do þis þing Line 620 But naþeles þer was gret mornyng Among þe poeple and seye þay can not gesse That sche hadde don so gret a wickednesse Line 623

¶ ffor þey han sein hir euer so vertuous And louyng hermynghild right as hire lif Of þis bar witnesse euerich in þat hous Sauf he þat hermegild slough wiþ his knif Line 627 This gentil king haþ caught a gret motyf Of þis witnesse and þought he wolde enquere Deppere in þis cas a trouthe for to lere Line 630

[6-text p 150] Line 630

¶ Allas Custance þou nast no champion Ne fighte canst þou nought so weyloway But he þat for oure redempcion And bond Sathan and lith yet þer he lay Line 634 So be þy stronge champion þis day ffor but vpon þe miracle kithe Wiþouten gilt þou schalt ben slayn as swithe Line 637

¶ Sche sitte hir doun on knees and þus sche sayde Immortal god þat sauedest Susanne ffro false blame and þou merciful mayde Marie I mene doughter to seint Anne Line 641 Biforn whos child aungelis synge Osanne If I be gilteles of þis felonie My socour be for elles schalt I dye Line 644

¶ haue ye not sein som tyme a pale face/ Among a prees of him þat haþ be lad Toward his deth wher as him get no grace/ And swich a colour in his face haþ had Line 648 Men mighte knowe his face þat was bystad Amonges alle þe faces in þat route So stant Custance and loketh hire aboute Line 651

¶ O queenes lyuynge in prosperite [folio 83a] Duchesses and ȝe ladies euerichone haue som routhe on hir aduersite An emperoures doughter stant allone Line 655 Sche haþ no wight to whom to make hir moone O blood real þat stondest in þis drede/ ffer been þi freendes at þy grete neede Line 658

¶ This alla king haþ such compassion As gentil herte is fulfild of pite That from his eyhen ran þe water don Now hastilich do fecche a book quod he Line 662

[6-text p 151] Line 662 And if þis knight wol swere how þat sche This womman slough ȝit wol we vs auyse / Whom þat we wolde þat schal be oure Iustise Line 665

¶ A briton book y-writen with euaungiles Was fette and on þis book he swor anon Sche giltif was in þe mene whiles An hand him smot vpon þe nekke bon Line 669 That doun he felle at ones as a stoon And boþe his eyen brust out of his face/ In sight of euery body in þat place Line 672

¶ A vois was herd in general audience And seyde þou hast disclandred gilteles The doughter of holy chirche in heigh presence Thus hast þou doon and ȝet I moot holde my pees Line 676 Of þis merueyle agast was alle þe prees As m[a]zed folk þei stooden euerychone ffor drede of wreche saue Custance allone Line 679

Gret was þe drede and eek þe repentance Of hem þat hadden wrong suspecion vpon þis seely Innocent Custance And for þis miracle in conclusion Line 683 And by Custance mediacion The king and many anoþer in þat place Conuerted was þanked be goddes grace Line 686

¶ This false knight was slain for his vntrouthe By Iuggement of. alla. hastily [folio 83b] And yet Custance haþ of his deth gret rouþe And after þis ihesus [[MS ihc]] of his mercy Made Alla wedden ful solempnely This holy mayden þat is so bright and scheene And þus haþ Crist made Custance a queene Line 693

[6-text p 152] Line 693

¶ But who was woful if I schul nat lye Of þis wedding but Donegilde and nomo The kinges mooder ful of tyrannye hir þought hir cursed herte barst/ a two Line 697 Sche wolde nought hir sone hadde don so hir þought a despit þat he schulde take So strange a creature vnto his make Line 700

¶ Me list nouȝt of þe chaf ne of þe stre Make so long a tale as of þe corn What schulde I tellen of þe realte Of mariage or which cours goþ biforn Line 704 Who bloweþ in a trompe or in an horn The fruyt of euery tale is for to seie/ Thei ete and drynke and daunce and synge and pleye Line 707

They gon to bedde as it was skile and right ffor þough þat wyfes ben ful holy þinges They moste take a pacience a night Such manere necessaries as ben plesynges Line 711 To folk þat han y-wedded hem wiþ rynges And leye a litel here holynesse asyde As for þe time it may non oþer betyde Line 714

¶ On hire he gat a knaue child anon And to a bisshope and his counseil eeke he took his wijf to kepe whan he is goon To Scotland ward his fomen for to seeke Line 718 Now faire Custance þat is so humble and meeke So longe is gon wiþ childe til þat stille Sche halt hir chambre abydyng at cristes wille Line 721

¶ The tyme is come a knaue child sche beer Mauricius atte font ston þei him calle This Constable doþ forþ come a messagere [folio 84a] And wrot to his king þat cleped was alle. Line 725

[6-text p 153] Line 725 how þat þis blisful tyding is bifalle And oþer tydynges spedful for to seye he takeþ þe lettre and forth he goþ his weye Line 728

¶ This messager to don his auantage/ vnto þe kinges moder rideþ swiþe And salueth hire ful faire in his langage Ma dame quoþ he ȝe may be glad and bliþe Line 732 And thanke god an hundred þousand siþe My lady queen haþ child wiþouten doute To Ioye and blisse of alle þis regne aboute Line 735

¶ lo here þe lettres seled of þis þing That I mot bere with al þe haste I may If ye wole aught vnto your sone þe king I am your seruant boþe night and day Line 739 Dongyld answerd as now at þis tyme nay But heer al night I wole þou take þi rest Tomorwe wil I seie what me lest Line 742

¶ This messager drank sadly ale and wyn And stolen weren his lettres priuyly Out of his box whil he sleep as a swyn And counterfeted was ful subtilly Line 746 Anoþer lettre wrought ful synfully vnto þe king direct of þis matiere ffro his Conestable as ȝe schal after heere Line 749

The lettre spak þe queen deliuered was Of so horrible a feendlich creature That in þe Castelle non so hardy was That ony while dorste þerinne endure Line 753 The mooder was an elf by auenture ycome by charmes or by sorcerie And euery wight hateþ hire companye Line 756

[6-text p 154] Line 756

Wo was þis king whan he þis lettre hadde seyn But to no wight he tolde his sorwes sore But of his oughne hond he wrot ageyn Welcome þe sonde of crist for eueremore [folio 84b] To me þat am now lerned in his lore lord welcome be þi lust and þi plesance My lust is put al in þin ordinance Line 763

¶ kepeth þis child al be it foul or faire And eek my wif vnto myn hom comyng Crist whan him list may sende me an haire More agreable þan þis is to my liking Line 767 This lettre he seleþ priuyly wepyng Which to þe messager was take sone And forth he goþ þer is nomore to doone Line 770

¶ O messager fulfild of dronkenesse / [¶ Quid turpius ebrioso cui fetor in ore tremor in corpore qui promit stulta prodit occulta cui mens alienatur facies trans|formatur nullum enim latet secretum vbi regnat ebrietas.] Strong is þi breþ þi lymes faltren ay And þou biwreyest alle sikernesse / Thy mynde is lorn þou iangelest as a Iay Line 774 Thy face is torned in a newe aray Ther dronkenesse regneþ in ony route Ther nys no counseil hid wiþouten doute Line 777

¶ O donegild I haue non englissh digne vnto þy malice and þy tyrannye And þerfore to þe feend I þe resigne / lat him enditen of þi traiterie / Line 781 ffy mannyssh fy o nay by god I lye ffy feendlich spirit for I dar wel telle Though þou here walke þy spirit is in helle / Line 784

¶ This messager comþ fro þe king agayn And at þe kinges moodres court he light And sche was of þis messager ful fain And plesed him in al þat euer sche might Line 788

[6-text p 155] Line 788 he drank and wel his gerdel vnderpight he sleepeþ and he snorteþ [[MS fn . . .]] in his gyse Al night til þe sonne gan arise Line 791

¶ Eft were his lettres stolen euerich on And countrefeted lettres in þis wise The king comandeþ his constable anon vp peyne of hangyng on a heih Iuyse Line 795 That he ne schulde suffre in no wise/ [folio 85a] Custance in with his Regne for tabide Thre dayes and a quarter of a tyde Line 798

¶ But in þe same schip as he hire fond hire and hire ȝonge sone and alle hir gere he schulde putte and croude fro þe londe And charge hire þat sche neuer eft come þere Line 802 O my Custance wel may þi goost haue feere/ And sleping in þi drem ben in penaunce/ Whan Donegild caste al þis ordinance Line 805

¶ This messager on morwe whan he wook Vnto þe castel halt þe nexte way And to þe Constable he þe lettre took And whan þat he þis pitous lettre say Line 809 fful ofte he seyde allas and weylaway ¶ lord crist quod he how may þis lettre endure So ful of synne is many a creature Line 812

¶ O mighty god if þat it be þi wille Sith þou art rightful Iuge how may it be That þou wolt suffren Innocentz to spille And wikke folk regnen in prosperite Line 816 ¶ O goode Custance allas so wo is me That I moot be þi tormentour or deye On schames deþ þer is non oþer weye Line 819

[6-text p 156] Line 819

¶ Wepen boþe ȝonge and olde in al þat place Whan þat þe king þis cursede lettre sente And Custance with a dedly pale face The ferþe day toward hir schip sche wente Line 823 But naþeles sche takeþ in good entente The wille of crist and knelyng in þe stronde Sche seyde lord ay welcome be þi sonde Line 826

he þat me kepte fro þe false blame Whil I was on þe lond amonges yow / he kan me kepe from harm and eek fro schame In salte see al þough I se not how Line 830 As strong as euer he was he is right now / In him trust I and in his mooder deere [folio 85b] That is to me my sail and eek my steere Line 833

hir litel child lay weepyng in hire arm And knelyng pitously to him sche seide Pees litel sone I wol do þe non harm Wiþ þat hir couerchef of hir heed sche breyde Line 837 And ouer his litel eyȝen sche it leyde/ And in hir arm sche lulleth it ful faste / And in to heuen hir yhen vp sche caste Line 840

¶ Moder quod sche and mayde bright marie Soth is þat þurgh wommannes eggement Mankynde was lorn and dampned ay to deye ffor which þi child was on a croys y-rent Line 844 Thy blisful eighen saugh al his torment Than is þer no comparison bitwene Thy wo and any wo man may sustene Line 847

¶ Thou saugh þi sone y-slayn biforn þin eyen And ȝit now lyueþ my litel child par fay Now lady bright to whom alle woful cryen Thow glorie of wommanhod þou faire may Line 851

[6-text p 157] Line 851 Thou hauen of refut brighte sterre of day Rewe on my child þat of þi gentilesse Rewest on euery rewful in distresse Line 854

¶ O litel child allas what is þi gilt That neuer wroughtest synne as ȝit par de Why wil þin harde fader haue þe spilt O mercy deere Conestable quod sche Line 858 As lat my litel child dwelle heer with þe And if þou darst nought sauen him for blame So kisse him ones in his fadres name Line 861

¶ Ther with sche lokeþ bakward to þe lond And sayde farewel housbonde routheles And vp sche rist and walketh doun þe stronde Toward þe schip hir folweþ alle þe prees Line 865 And euer sche preieþ hir child to holde his pees And takeþ hire leeue and with an holy entent Sche blisseþ hire and in to schip sche wente [folio 86a]

vitailled was þe schip it is no drede habundauntly for hire ful longe space And oþer necessaries þat scholden neede Sche hadde ynough heried be goddes grace Line 872 ffor wynd and weder almighty god purchace And brynge hir home I can no better sey But in þe see sche dryueþ forþ hir wey Line 875