"Madame, me semeth in my thouht
That we ben in perel brouht,
Line 880
ffor I kan sen no passage
To passe by, nor avauntage."
Grace dieu:
'Off me, dred the never a del,
ffor thow shalt passë fayre & wel.'
Line 884
The pylgrym:
"I kan not swymmen, yt stondeth so,
Wherfor I not what I may do.
And yiff I entre, I am in doute
But [[How St.]] euer I shold komen oute;
Line 888
ffor wych, tentrë [[to enter]] I stonde in drede, [folio 16a]
I have of helpe so gretë [[grete St., gret C.]] nede."
Grace dieu argueth:
'What menyth thys? what may thys be, [prose cap xi]
Line 891
That thow art now, as semeth me, [[De sacramento Baptismi.—Later hand in St.]]
So sore a-drad of thys Ryver,
Wych ys but lytë, smothe & cler?
Why artow ferful of thys streem?
And art toward Ierusaleem,
Line 896
And mustest of necessyte
Passen ferst the gretë [[grete St., gret C.]] see,
Or thow kome ther. lo, her ys al,
And dredyst now thys Ryuer smal!
Line 900
And most kouthe ys thys passage
To chyldre that be yonge of age,
And offter han thys ryver wonne
Than folk that ben on [[beth in St.]] age ronne.
Line 904
And the passage ys most kouthe
To chyldren in ther tender youth,
ffor yt, in soth, ys fyrst passage
Off euerych good pylgrymage;
Line 908
ffor other weyë ys ther noon
To Ierusaleem by to goon,
But yiff yt be by cherubin.
And yet somme ha ther entryd In,
Line 912
That wer nat wasshe in thys Ryuer,
Nor bathyd in the stremys cler.
Wych to the ys not contrárye,
