Cap. XLVIII. How Melusyne came euery nyght to vysyte her two children.
Thenne departed Raymondyn from thens & came to Lusynen, & brought with hym his two children, Raymond & theodoryke / and said that he shuld neuer entre ayen in to the place wher [folio 190] he had lost his wyf. And wete it wel that Melusyne came euery day to vysyte her children, & held them tofore the fyre and eased them as she coude / and wel sawe the nourryces that, who durst no word̛ speke. And more encreced the two children in nature in a weke than dide other children in a moneth; wherof the peuple had grete meruayƚƚ. but whan Raymondyn knew it by the nourryces that melusyne came there euery nyght to vysyte her children / relessed his sorowe / trustyng to haue her ayen / but that thoughte was for nought, For neuer after sawe he her in fourme of a woman / how be it dyuers haue sith sen her in femenyn figure. And wete it that how wel Raymondyn hooped to haue her ayen / neuertheles he had alway suche hertly sorowe that there is none that can tell it / And there was neuer man syth that sawe hym lawgh nor make joye / andPage 323 hated gretly geffray with the grete toth / and yf he myght haue had hym in his yre, he wold haue dystroyed hym. But here seaceth the hystorye of him And speketh of geffray. /
Thystorye sayth, that geffray rode so long̘ that he came in Northomberland with the ambaxatours and hys ten knyghtes with hym / And whan the barons of the Countre vnderstod̛ his commyng̘ they cam ayenst hym honourably, & receyued hym solemply, sayeng: 'ha, sire, of your joyful comyng we owe wel to lawde & preyse our lord god, For without it be by you & thrugh your prowes we may not be delyuered of the horryble geaunt and meruayllous murdrer, Grymauld, by whom aƚƚ this countre is dystroyed.' Thenne ansuerde geffray to them: 'And how may ye knowe that by me ye may be quytte & delyuered of hym?' to whom they ansuered, 'My lord, the sage astronomyens haue said to vs that the geaunt grymauld [folio 190b] may not dey but by your dede of armes / and also we knowe for certayn that he knoweth it wel. Wherfore yf ye go to hym, and that yf ye telle hym your name ye shall not kepe hym, but he shall you escape.' Thenne sayd geffray to the barons, 'Sire, lede me toward the place where I may find̛ hym, For grete desyre I haue to see hym.' And Immedyatly they toke hym two knyghtes of the land that conduyted hym toward the place / but that one of them said to that other þat they shuld not approche al to nygh grymauld / and that they myght not beleue that geffray shuld haue the vyctory of hym. And thenne geffray toke leue of the barons and departed, the two knyghtes with hym, and so long they rode tyl they saw the montayne of Brombelyo. Thenne sayd the two knyghtes to geffray, 'My lord, yonder ye may see the mountayne where he holdeth hym / & this way shal lede you thither without ony fayƚƚ, For certaynly he is euer at yonder trees vpon that mountaynePage 324 for to espye them that passe by the way. Now may ye goo thither, yf it playse you, For as touching our personnes we wyl goo no ferþer that way.' And geffray ansuerd̛ to them in this manere, 'Yf I had come vpon thaffyaunce of your ayde I had faylled therof at this tyme.' 'By my feyth,' sayd one of them, 'ye say trouth.' Thenne came they to the foot of the hyƚƚ / and there geffray descended & armed hym, and syn remounted on his hors, and layed the sheld tofore hys brest, and toke his spere, and thenne he said to the two knyghtes that they shuld abyde hym vnder the mountayne, and that they shuld soone see what therof shuld befaƚƚ. And they sayd that so shuld they doo.
