[6-text p 162]
This Senatour is to king alla go
To feeste and schortly if I schal not lye
Custance sone is in his companye /
Line 1008
¶ Som men wolde seyn atte requeste of Custance
This Senatour haþ lad þis child to feste
I may not tellen euerich circumstance /
Be as be may þer was he atte leste [folio 88a]
But soþ is þis þat at his moodres heste
Byforn Alla duryng þe metes space
The child stood loking in þe kinges face
Line 1015
This alla king haþ of þe child gret wonder
And to þe Senatour he sayde anon
Whos is þat faire child þat stondeþ yonder
I not quod he by god and by seint Iohn
Line 1019
A mooder he haþ but fader haþ he non
That I of woot and schortly in a stounde /
he tolde alla how þat þis child was founde
Line 1022
¶ But god wot quod þis Senatour also
So vertuous a lyuere in my lyf
Ne saugh I neuer as sche ne herde of mo
Of worldly wommen mayde ne of wijf
Line 1026
I dar wel sayn sche hadde leuer a knyf
Thurghout hire brest þan ben a womman wikke
Ther is noman kowde bringe hire to þat prikke
Line 1029
Now was þis child as lik vnto Custance /
As possible as is a creature to be
This alla haþ þe face in remembrance
Of dame Custance and þer on mused he
Line 1033
If þat þe childes moder were aught sche /
That is his wyf and priuily he sighte
And spedde him fro þe table þat he mighte
Line 1036
