[6-text p 149]
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
