And I anoon gan ffastë fflee, [Stowe folio 325a]
And wolde haue taken anoon the see;
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But, longe or I entter myght,
Whan [[St., Tib. blurd]] Sathan off me hadde a syght,
He gan to crye (so stood the cas)
'Out and harow! allas, allas!'
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¶ Sathan the hunte weymentith [[huntar St.]] And tormentyth with hym silffe. [[sathan ye huntar St.]] [[Illustration.]]
'Vnhappy, [[St., I vnhappy Tib.]] and fful off meschaunce
I was, whanne I dyde me avaunce
In any wysë ffor to teche
Vertu, or [[of St.]] trowthë ffor to preche;
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ffor, it longeth not to me
To techë trouthe in no degre;
But, off ffortune it happë so, [Tib folio 57b]
That I be cónstreynëd ther-to,
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By vertu off som orysoun
Or by som conyurisoun, [[coniurasion St.]]
That greetë [[greet Tib., grete St.]] clerkës me compelle,
The verrey trowthë ffor to telle,
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Mawgrey my wylle, off many a thyng,
By vertu off the greetë [[gret St., greet Tib.]] kyng.
ffor ellys (who that kan espye)
My purpos is, euere ffor to lye,
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And [[I St.]] haue disseyued fful many a man,
Ryght as dydë Iulyan.
'Though I were by hym constreyned,
And by his charmës greetly peyned,
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Ȝit at the laste, whanne I abrayde,
I lyëd, alle that euere I sayde.
And now I oughte a-cursyd be,
Whanne that I gan medle me
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To seyne a trouthe agaynës [[agayns Tib., St.]] kynde,
Sethen men, in me may [[ne may in me St.]] noon ffynde;
There-off I répente me fful sore,
With trowthë, medle I wole no more.'
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¶ The Pylgryme answerth to Satan: [[pilgrim St.]]
"OSathan, thi displesaunce
Was to me fful greet plesaunce,
