[6-text p 438]
¶ O tender o dere o ȝonge childern myne
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Ȝoure woful modere wende stedfastly
Þat cruel houndes or sum foule vermyne
Had eten ȝowe bot god of his mercye
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And ȝoure benigne fader tendurly
Haþe done ȝowe kepe in þe same stounde
Al sodanly sche swapped a-downe to grounde
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And in hir swoune so sadly haldeþ sche
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Here childern tuo whan sche gan hem enbrace
That wiþ grete slyht and grete difficulte [folio 127b]
The childerne from hir harme þei gun race
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O many a tere on mony a pitous face
Doune ranne on hem þat stoden hir be side
Vnneþ aboute hir myhten þei a-bide
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¶ Walter hire gladeþ and hire sorwe slakeþ
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Sche riseþ vp a-basched from hir traunce
And euery wyht hire ioyeþ and fest makeþ
Til sche haþe cauht aȝeine her countenance
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Waltier hir doþe feiþefully plesance
Þat it is deynteþ for to see þe chiere
Be-twexe hem tuo nowe þei bue mette in fere
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¶ This ladyse whan þat þei her time seie
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Han taken hire and in to chambre gone
And strippen hir oute of hir rode araie
And in a cloþe of golde þat briht schone
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Wiþ a corenal and mony a riche stone
Vpon hir hede þei in-to hal hir brouhte
And þan sche was honoured as sche ouhte
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¶ Thus haþe þis pytous daie a blisful ende
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For euery man and womman doþe her myht
This daie in merþe and reuel to despende
Til on þe welkine schone þe sterres briht
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