The Petworth ms. of Chaucer's Canterbury tales. Ed. by Frederick J. Furnivall.

[PART III.]

Alla þe kynge commeþ home sone after þis Vnto his Castel of þe which I tolde And axeþ wher his wif and his child is The Constable gan about his hert cold Line 879

[6-text p 158] Line 879 And pleynly al þe manere he hym told As ȝe han herde I can telle it no bettere And sheweþ þe kinge his seele and his lettere Line 882

And seide lord as ȝe commaunded me Vp peyn of deþe so haue I done certeyne This massagere tormented was til he Most be-knowen and tellen plat and pleyne Line 886 ffrom nyght to nyȝt in what place he had leyne And þus by witte and subtil enqueringe Ymagened was by whom þis harme can sprynge Line 889

The honde was knowen þat þe lettere wrote And al þe venyme of þis cursed dede But in what wise certeynly I note þe effecte is þis þat Alla out of drede Line 893 his modere sclowe þat mony men pleynly rede That for she tratour was to her legeaunce Thus endeþ old donegild with meschaunce Line 896

The Sorowe þat þis Alla nyȝt and day Makeþ for his wif and for his child also Ther nys no tunge þat it telle may But now wil I vnto Custance goo Line 900 That fleteþ in þe See in peyn and woo V. ȝere and more as liked cristes sonde Er þat her shippe approched vnto londe Line 903

Vnder an hethen Castell atte last Of which þe name in my tixt noȝt I fynde [folio 99a] Custance and eke þe child þe see vp cast Almyȝty god þat saueþ al man kinde Line 907 Haue on custaunce and her childe som mynde þat fallen is in hethen hand eft sone In poynt to spille as I shal telle ȝou sone Line 910

[6-text p 159] Line 910

Downe fro þe Castell comþe þere mony a wiȝt To gawen on þis ship and on custance But shortely from þe Castel on a nyȝt The lordes steward god ȝeue hym meschaunce Line 914 A theef þat had reyned our creaunce Come into shipp allone and seide he shuld Her lemman be where so she wold or nold Line 917

Woo was þis wrecched womman þoo bygone Her childe cried and she cried pitously But blisful mary halpe hure riȝt anone ffor wiþ her strogelinge wel and myȝtely Line 921 þe theef fille ouer bord al sodeynly And in þe See he dreynt for vengeance And þus haþ crist vnwemmed kepte custance Line 924

O foule lust of luxurie lo þine ende [¶ O extrema libidinis turpitudo que non solum mentem effeminat. sed et corpus eneruat semper sequuntur dolor & penitencia post &cetera.] Not only þat þou fayntest mannys mynde But verrely þou wilt his body shende þe ende of þi werk or of þi lustes blynde Line 928 Is compleynyng how mony one may men fynde þat nouȝt for werk somtyme but for þentente To done þis synne bene eiþer slayn or shente Line 931

How may þis weike womman han þis strength Hire to defend aȝeinst þis Renegat O Golyas vnmesurable of length How myȝt dauid make þe so mat Line 935 So yonge and of armure so desolat How durst he loke vpon þi dredful face [folio 99b] Wel may men seen it was but goddes grace Line 938

Who ȝaf Iudith corage or hardynesse To scleen hym Olesphernus in his tent And to delyuere out of wrecchednesse The puple of god I seye for þis entent Line 942

[6-text p 160] Line 942 That riȝt as god spirit and vigor sent To hem and saued hem out of meschaunce So sent he myȝt and vigor to Custaunce Line 945

Forþ goþ þe shippe þorowe-out þe narow mouþe Of Iubaltar and scepte dryuyng aye Som tyme west and somtyme nourþe and souþe And somtyme Este ful mony a wery daye Line 949 Til Cristes modere blessed be ȝe aye haþ scapen þorgh her endelees goodnesse To make an ende of al her hevynesse Line 952

Now lat vs stynt of Custance but a throwe And speke we of þe Romayn Emperour þat out of Surry haþ by letters knowe þe sclaughter of Cristen folk and dishonoure Line 956 Doon to his douȝter by a fals tratour I mene þe Cursed wicked Sowdenesse That at þe feest lete scleen boþ more and lesse Line 959

For which þe Emperour haþ sent anon His Senatour wiþ real ordynaunce And oþer lordes god wote mony on On Surriens to taken hie vengeaunce Line 963 They brennen sleen and bringgen hem to meschaunce. fful mony a day but shortely þis is þende Homword to Rome þei shapen hem to wende Line 966

This senatour repaireþ with victorye To Romeward saillinge ful Rially [folio 100a] And mette þe Shippe dryuyng as seiþ þe storye In which Custance sitte ful pitously Line 970 No þing ne knewe what she was ne why She was in such aray . ne she nyl sey Of her astaat þough þat she shulde deye Line 973

[6-text p 161] Line 973

HE bringeþ her to Rome and to his wiff He ȝaue hure and her ȝonge sone also And wiþ þe Senatoure she lad her liff Thus can our lady bringen out of woo Line 977 Wooful Custance and mony an oþer moo And longe tyme dwelled she in þat place In holy werkes euer as was hire grace Line 980

The Senatours wif her Aunte was But for al þat she knewe her neuere þe more I wil no lenger tarien in þis cas But to kinge Alla which I spake of yore Line 984 Þat for his wiff wepeþ and sigheþ sore I wil retorne and lete I wil Custance Vnder þe Senatours gouernaunce Line 987

Kynge Alla which þat had his modere sclayn Vpon a day felle in such repentaunce þat if I shortely tellen shal and playn To Rome he commeþ to resceyuen his penance Line 991 And putte him in þe Popes ordinance In by and lowe and Ihesu crist bysouȝt fforȝeue his wicked werkes þat he wrouȝt Line 994

The fame anon þorowe Room toune is born How Alla þe king shal commen in pilgrimage By herberiours þat wenten hym biforn ffor which þe Senatoure as was vsage Line 998 Rode hym aȝein and mony of his lynage As wel to shewen his hie magnificence [folio 100b] As to doon eny king a Reuerence Line 1001

Grete chere doþ þis noble Senatour To kinge Alla and he to hym also Euerech of hem doþ oþere grete honour And so byfelle þat in a day or twoo Line 1005

[6-text p 162] Line 1005 This Senatour is to king Alla goo / To feest and shortely if I shal not ly Custance sone in his Companye Line 1008

Somme men wold seyn atte request of Custance This Senatour haþ ladde þis child to fest I may not tellen euery Circumstance Be as be may þer was he atte leest Line 1012 But soþe is þis þat at his moders hest Byforn alla duringe þe metes space The Childe stode loking in þe kingges face Line 1015

This Alla kinge haþ of þe child gret wonder And to þe Senatoure he seide anoon Whoos is þat faire childe þat stondeþ ȝonder I noot quod he by god and be seynt Iohn Line 1019 A modere he haþ but fadere haþ he non þat I of wote and shortly in a stounde He told Alla how þat þis child was founde Line 1022

But god wote quod þis Senatour also So vertuous a lyuere in my liff Ne segh I neuere as she ne herd of mo Of worldly wommen / mayde ne wiff Line 1026 I dar wel seide she had leuer a knyff þorowe-out her brest þan bene a womman wicke þer is no man couþe bringe hire to þat prikke Line 1029

Now was þis Childe as like vnto custance As possible is a creature to be [folio 101a] This Alla haþ þe face in remembrance Of Dame Custance and þeron mused he Line 1033 If þat þe childes modere were ouȝt she þat is his wif and priuely he siȝt And spedde hym fro þe table þat he myȝt Line 1036

[6-text p 163] Line 1036

Perfay he þouȝt þe fantom is in myn hede I ouȝt demen of skilful Iuggement That in þe salt se my wif is dede And afterward he made his argument Line 1040 What wote I ȝif þat crist haþ hider sent My wiff by see as wel as he her sent To my cuntre from þennes as she was went Line 1043

And aftere anoon home wiþ þe Senatoure Goþ alla forto see þis wonder chance This Senatour doþ Alla grete honoure And hastifly he sent aftere Custance Line 1047 But trusteþ wel her lust nouȝt to dance Whan þat she wist wherfor was þat sonde Vnneþes on her fete she myȝt stonde Line 1050

Whan Alla segh his wif faire he her grette And wepte it was reuþe forto see ffor atte first loke he on hir sette He knewe wel verrely þat it was she Line 1054 And for sorowe as dombe stant as a tre So was hert shette in her distresse Whan she remembred his vnkindenesse Line 1057

Twise she swowneþ in his owne siȝt He wepte and him excuseþ pitously Nowe god quod he and his halowes briȝt So wisly on my soule haue mercy Line 1061 þat of ȝoure harme as giltelees am I As is Maurice Mi sone so lik ȝoure face [folio 101b] Ellis þe feend me fecche out of þis place Line 1064

Longe was þe sobbyng and þe bitter peyne Er þat her wooful hertes myȝten cese Grete was þe pite forto here hem pleyne þorgh whiche pleyntes gan her woo encrees Line 1068

[6-text p 164] Line 1068 I prei ȝou all my labour to relees I may not tellen her woo vntil to morowe I am so wery to speke of her sorowe Line 1071

But fynaly whan þat þe soþe is wist That Alla giltlees was of her woo I trowe an C. tymes ben þei kist And suche a blisse is þer ytwix hem twoo Line 1075 þat saue þe Ioie þat lesteþ euermoo þer is non like þat eny creature Haþ seyne or shal while þe world may dure Line 1078

Tho preied she her husbond mekely In relief of her longe pitous pyne þat he wolde prei hure fadere specialy þat of his maieste he wold enclyne Line 1082 To vouche sauf with him som day to dyne She preied him eke he shulde by no way vnto her fader no word of hire say Line 1085

Somme men wold seyn how þat þe childe Maurice Doþ þis massage vnto þe Emperour But as I gesse alla was not so nyce To him þat was of so souereyn honour Line 1089 As he þat is of cristen folk þe flour Sent eny childe but it is bette to deme He went him self and so it may wel seme Line 1092

This Emperour haþ graunted gentilly To come to dyner as he hym bysouȝt [folio 102a] And wel rede I he loked bisily Vpon þis child and on his douȝter þouȝt Line 1096 Alla goþ to his Inne and as hym ouȝt Arraied for þis feest in euery wise As ferforþ as his conyng may suffice Line 1099

[6-text p 165] Line 1099

The morowe come and Alla can hym dresse And eke his wif þis emperour forto mete And forþ þei ride in Ioie and in gladnesse And whan she segh her fadere in þe strete Line 1103 She liȝt a-doune and falleþ hym to fete ffadere quod she ȝoure ȝonge child Custance Is nowe ful clene out of ȝoure remembrance Line 1106

I am ȝoure douȝtere Custance quod she þat whilom ȝe sent vnto Surray It am I fadere þat in þe salt see Was putte allone and dampned forto dye Line 1110 Good fader now I yow mercye crye Send me no more vnto noon heþenes But þonke my lord here of his kindenes Line 1113

Who can þe pitous Ioye tellen alle Bitwixe hem þre siþ þei ben þus ymette But of my tale make an ende I shal The day goþ fast I wil no lenger lette Line 1117 This glad folk to dyner þei hem sette In Ioye and blisse at mete I lat hem dwelle A þousand fold wel more þan I can telle Line 1120

This child Maurice was siþen Emperour Made by þe pope and lyued cristenly To cristes churche he did grete honour But I lat al þis story passen by Line 1124 Of Custance is my tale specialy In olde romayn Gestes may men fynde [folio 102b] [¶ A mane vsque ad vesperam mutabitur tempus. tenent tympanum & gaudent ad sonum organi.] Mawrices lif I bere it not in mynde

This king Alla whan he his tyme say Wiþ Custance his holy wif so swete To Engelond ben þei come þe riȝt way Wher as þei lyve in Ioie and in quiete Line 1131

[6-text p 166] Line 1131 But litel while it lasteþ I ȝou hete Ioie of þis world for tyme wil not abide ffrom day to nyȝt it chaungeþ as þe tyde Line 1134

Who lyued euere in suche delite a day [Quis vnquam vnicam diem totam duxit in sua delecta|cione iocundam quem in aliqua parte die reatus consciencie vel im|petus ire vel motus concupiscencie inde non turbauerit quem liuor invidie vel ardor auaricie vel timor superbie non vexauerit. quem aliqua iactura vel offensa vel passio non commouerit & cetera.] Þat ne meued eiþer conscience Or Ire or talent or somkyn affray Envie or pride. or passion or offence Line 1138 I ne seie but for þis ende þis sentence Þat litel while in Ioye or in plesaunce Lasteþ þe blisse of alla wiþ Custaunce Line 1141

For deþ þat takeþ of high and lough his rente Whan passed was a ȝeer euene as I gesse Out of þis world þis kinge alla he hente ffor whoom Custance haþ ful grete hevynesse Line 1145 Now lat vs preien god his saule blisse And Dame Custance fynally to seye Toward þe towne of Rome goþ her weye Line 1148

TO Rome is come þis holy creature And fyndeþ her frende hool and sound Now is she scaped all hure auenture And whan she her fadere haþ yfounde Line 1152 Doune on her knees falleþ she to grounde Weping for tendernesse in hert blith She herieþ God an C. thousand siþe Line 1155

In vertue and holy Almesdede þei lyuen all and neuere a sondrie wende [folio 103a] Til deþ departe hem þis lif þei lede And fareþ now wel my tale is at an ende Line 1159 Now Ihesu crist þat of his myȝt may sende Ioye after woo gouerne vs in his grace And kepe vs all þat ben in þis place Line 1162