þat wyl [wyle O, wil not D.] nat amende here lyuys, [amenden her lyf D.]
Shal y [I schal D ('narracio' in margin).] tellë ȝow a tale,—
To swychë wyuys byttyr [suyche wyuys han bitter D.] bale.
Line 1740
[The Tale of the Adulterous Wife, whose Skeleton split in two.] [[Source not found by G. Paris, Hist. Lit. de la France, xxviii. 195.]]
Þer ys an Ile be-ȝunde þe see, [A tale]
Þer men were wunt [wnt O, wunt duellyng D.] wonyng to be;
Þys ychë ylë wax [ilke yle wex D.] al waste,
And þe folk [folke O.] drogh þen [þenne O, þe folk þens drow (om. And) D.] yn haste;
Line 1744
So with-ynne a lytyl whyle [so þat . . qwyle D.]
Men helde hyt [hylden it D.] a forsakyn yle.
Seþþë, [siþþin D ('dragoun' in margin).] wonede þere a dragun,
Þat dede many man confusyun;
Line 1748
Men and wommen faste he slogh,
And dede ouer al shame ynogh; [slow . . . a now D.]
Al þat he fonde with-outë [outtyn D.] house [folio 12b]
Þys dragun slogh so [þe dragoun slow D.] merueylouse;
Line 1752
So mochë folkë [many folk D.] gan he quelle,
Men seyd [seyden D.] he was a fende of helle.
Alle þe folk [Al þe folke O.] of þat cuntre
Line 1755
Cunseyled [Cunseylde O, counseyldyn D.] hem what þat [best O, qwat myȝt best D.] myght be;
Þey armyde hem alle [many armyd hem D.] at here myght,
Aȝens þe dragun for to fyght,
But noun of hem myght vndyrstande
Where þe dragun was wonande. [vnderstonde; qwere . . . dwellende D.]
Line 1760
Befel ȝyt, [hyt O, So fil it in þat ilke D.] þat ychë tyde,
An ermyte wonede [hermyte duellede D.] þere besyde,
A godë man and ryȝt [and a ryȝt O, þat a good man was for D.] certeyn,
Dwelled [Dwelde O.] besydë þat [& woned þer be syde in a D.] wasteyn,—
Line 1764
