[6-text p 149]
And kutte þe þrote of hermegild a two /
And leyd þe bloody knyf/ by dame Constaunce
And went his way þat god ȝeue him meschaunce
Line 602
Sone after comþ þis Constable hom agayn
Line 603
And eek alla þat was kyng of þat lond
And say his wyf dispitously I-slayn
For which ful oft / he wept and wrong his hond
Line 606
And in þe bed þe blody knyf he fond
By Dame Custaunce allas what might he say
For verray woo / hir witt was al a-way
Line 609
To king Alla was told al þis meschaunce [folio 79a]
Line 610
And eek/þe tyme and wher and eek þe wyse
That in a schip was founden þis Constaunce
As here bifore ȝe haue herd me deuyse /
Line 613
The kinges hert of pite gan agrise
whan he saugh so benigne a creature
Falle in disese and in mysauenture
Line 616
For as þe lomb toward his deþ is brought /
Line 617
So stant þis Innocent bifore þe kyng
This false knight þat haþ þis tresoun wrought
Bereþ hir an hand þat sche hath don þis þing
Line 620
But neuer þe les þer was gret mornyng
Among þe people and seyn þey can not gesse
That sche had doon so gret a wikkednesse
Line 623
For þey han seyen hir so vertuous
Line 624
And louyng hermegyld right as hir lyf
Of þis bar witnesse euerich in þat hous
Saue he þat slowȝ hermegyld with his knyf
Line 627
This gentil kyng haþ caught a gret motyf
Of his witnesse and þought/ he wold enquere
Deppere in þis cas a trouþe to lere
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