[6-text p 274]
[6-text p 275]
¶ ffortune / hym hadde enchaunted so in pride
That verraily / he wende he myghte attayne
Vn-to the sterres / vp on euery syde
And in balance / weyen ech montayne
Line 3776
And alle the floodes / of the see restrayne
And goddes peple / hadde he moost in hate
Hem wolde he sleen / in torment and in payne
Wenynge / that god ne myghte / his pryde abate
Line 3780
¶ And for that Nichanore / and Thymothe
Of Iewes / weren venquysshed myghtily
Vn-to the Iewes / swich an hate hadde he
That he bad greithe his Chaar ful hastily
Line 3784
And swoor / and seyde ful despitously
Vn-to Ierusalem / he wolde eft soone
To wreken his Ire / on it ful cruelly
But of his purpos / he was let ful soone
Line 3788
¶ God for his manace / hym so soore smoot
With invisible wounde / ay incurable
That in hise guttes / carf it so and boot
That hise peynes / weren inportable
Line 3792
And certeinly / the wreche was resonable
ffor many a mannes guttes / dide he peyne
But from his purpos / cursed and dampnable
ffor al his smert he wolde hym nat restreyne
Line 3796
¶ But bad anon / apparaillen his hoost
And sodeynly / er he was of it war
God daunted / al his pride / and al his boost
ffor he / so soore fil / out of his char
Line 3800
That it hise lymes / and his skyn totar [lacerauit]
So þat / he neither myghte go ne ryde
But in a chayer / men aboute hym bar
Al forbrused / bothe bak and syde
Line 3804
