"kanst þou weyl on sorcerye?
Sum wycchecrafte þou doust aboute bere, [aboute þou doust bere.]
Þat þy bondes mow þe nat dere.
Line 10616
For soþe," he seyd, "sum what þou dos,
Þat euer-more þey fynde þe los."
he seyd, "on whycchecrafte beleue y noȝt,
Ne for me shal none be wroȝt,
Line 10620
Ne wyl nat be, [be O, om. H.] þurgh fendys crafte,
Vnbonde, ne with no whycchëcrafte.
Syre erle," he seyd, "hyt ys a-nouþer;
Yn my cuntre y haue a broþer
Line 10624
Þat supposyþ weyl þat y am [be.] slayn,
For y come nat home agayn;
For me he syngeþ euery day a messe; [folio 70b:2]
Prest, and abbot, for soþe he ys;
Line 10628
Y wote weyl, þát ys þe enchesun
Þat my bondes are so ondoun,
For, no þyng haþ powere
Aȝens þe sacrement of þe autere;
Line 10632
And ȝyf y were dede [dede O, de H.] yn ouþer werlde,
hys preyer shulde for me be herde,
To bryngë me of pyne and wo
And aftyrward to blys[së] go."
Line 10636
Alle þe meyne þan, and þe erle,
Supposed weyl he was no cherle,
As he to hem byfore hadde seyd,
whan þey on hym fyrst handës leyd;
By hys semblant and feyre beryng
Line 10641
Hym semed weyl to be a lordyng;
By hys speche, þey vndyrstode
Þat he was man of gentyl blode.
Line 10644
Þe erle toke hym yn pryuyte;
Of when [wenne.] he was, telle hym shulde he;
"Sey me þe soþe, and, as y am knyȝt,
Þou ne shalt haue [for me haue.] for me, skaþe ne plyȝt."
"Syn ȝe me behete ȝoure pes and gryth,
Y am þe kyngës man Edfryth;
Armës y bare yn þe batayle,
