"Louerd, merci," he þouȝte, "hou is þis?" : with gret wonder he ire grette;
"Dame," he seide, "hou goth þis? : ȝwat dost þou nouþe here?
ho liggez in ore bedde athom : Man and womman i-fere?"
"A, sire," quath þis guode leuedi : "wel glad miȝt þou beo,
I-hered beo ore louerdes grace : þat þov most þis day i-seo :
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Þi fader and þi moder it is : þat wide þe habbez i-souȝt,
I-hered beo ore louerdes sonde : þat hidere heom hath i-brouȝt!
Leoue sire, hiȝe þe hom : þou schalt heom faire a-fonge
And make with heom Ioie i-nouȝ : me þinchez er wel longe."
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"Nai, certes," quath þis Iulian þo : "ȝif þat it is so,
Al mi blisse of þusse liue : and mi Ioye is al i-do.
Alas þat ich habbe þus longe i-leoued : þat i-ne hadde er i-beo ded!
habbe ich a-slawe fader an Moder! : louerd, ȝwat mai beo mi-red?
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Al-to soth me seide þat wilde best : alas þulke stounde;
Þei ich habbe i-folewed [al. i-flowe] his bi-heste : þe soþe ich habbe i-founde.
haue nouþe, dame, wel guod day : for i-nelle habbe no reste
Er ich habbe mine penaunce ido— : god leue me don mi beste."
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"A, sire, merci," seide is wijf : "ȝware-fore seistþou so!
Sikerliche þou schalt athom bi-leue : and þine penaunce do."
"beo stille, dame," Iulian seide : "þou spext al embe nouȝt,
certes, I-nelle neuere a-stunte : are ich me habbe of londe i-brouȝt.
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Ake haue guod dai, mi treowe spouse : and god þe leue wel do;
led clene lijf; and bide for me : for I-ne wene neuere come þe to."
"Alas," seide þis guode wijf : "sire, ȝwi seistþou so!
Ȝif god wole, þe ȝwyle we a-liue beoth : ne schulle we departi atwo;
bote þou wolle bi-þenche þe bet : And at hom bi-leue here,
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Certes, ȝwodere þou euere i-wenst : i-chulle beo þi fere [folio 117]
And parti with þe of þi wo : ase ich dude er of þi blis—
For ho-so deth þat on, he schal þat oþur : þou wost wel þat riȝt it is."
ÞIs guode Man and is trewe wijf : wel stille forth heo i-wende
And leten lond and leode : and al þat god heom sende.
So þat heo wenden feor and longue : þat atþe laste heo come
to a deop watur and perilous : þare Men a-dreinten i-lome.
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Þis guode Men [a-stynte [MS. adreinten expunged, a stynte by a later hand.] ] þer : and leten heom sone a-rere
A luytel hous—bote hit was guod i-nouȝ— : bi-side þe watere þere.
