The Canterbury tales and Faerie queene &c., &c., &c., ed. for popular perusal with current illustrations and explanatory notes, by D. Laing Purves.

THwi'MA't OP LA W)S TAEi. 5
Where every wight, save he, master or knave,l She said, she was so mazed in the sea,
Was with the lion frett,2 ere he astart? 3 That she forgot her minde, by her truth.
No wight but God, that he bare in his heart. The Constable had of her so great pity
God list 4 to shew his wonderful miracle And eke his wife, that they wept for ruth: 2
In her, that we should see his mighty work&s: She was so diligent withoute slouth
Christ, which that is to every harm triacle,5 To serve and please every one in that place,
By certain meanes oft, as knowe clerkis,6 That all her lov'd, that looked in her face.
Doth thing for certain endS, that full derk is The Constable and Dame Hermegild his wife
To manne's wit, that for our ignorance Were Pagans, and that country every where;
Ne cannot know his prudent purveyance.7 But Hermegild lov'd Constance as her life;
Now since she was not at the feast y-slaw,8 And Constance had so long sojourned there
Who kepte her from drowning in the sea? In orisons, with many a bitter tear,
Who kept6 Jonas in the fish's maw, Till Jesus had converted through His grace
Till he was spouted tip at Nineveh? Dame Hermegild, Constabless of that place.
Well may men know, it was no wight but he In all that land no Christians durste rout;25
That kept the Hebrew people from drowning, All Christian folk had fled from that country
With drye feet throughout the sea passing. Through Pagans, that conquered all about
Who bade the fouri spirits of tempest,9 The plages 26 of the North by land and sea.
That power have t' annoy6 land and sea, To Wales had fled the Christianity
Both north and south, and also west and east, Of olde Britons,27 dwelling in this isle;
Annoye neither sea, nor land, nor tree? There was their refuge for the meanewhile.
Soothly the c6mmander of that was he But yet n'ere 28 Christian Britons so exiled,
That from the tempest aye this woman kept, That there n'ere 28 some which in their privity
As well when she awoke as when she slept. Honoured Christ, and heathen folk beguiled;
Where might this woman meat and drinki And nigh the castle such there dwelled three:
have? And one of them was blind, and might not see,
Three year and more how lasted her vitaille? 10 But29 it were with thilk 30 eyen of his mind,
Who fed the Egyptian Mary in the cave With which men maye see when they be blind.
Or in desert? no wight but Christ sans faille.n Bright was the sun, as in a summer's day,
Five thousand folk it was as great marvaille For which the Constable, and his wife also,
With loaves five and fishes two to feed: And Constance, have y-take the rights way
God sent his foison 12 at her greatB need. Toward the sea, a furlong way or two,
She drived forth into our ocean To playen, and to roami to and fro;
Throughout our wilde sea, till at the last And in their walk this blind6 man they met,
Under an hold,13 that nempnenl4 I not can, Crooked and old, with eyen fast y-shet.31
Far in Northumberland, the wave her cast, "In the name of Christ," cried this blind
And in the sand her ship sticked so fast, Brit6n,
That thennis would it not in all a tide: 15 "Dame Hermegild, give me my sight again I "
The will of Christ was that she should abide. This lady wax'd afrayed of that soun',32
The Constable of the castle down did fare 16 Lest that her husband, shortly for to sayn,
To see this wreck, and all the ship he Would her for Jesus Christe's love have slain,
soughtl7 Till Constance made her bold, and bade her
And found this weary woman full of care; wirch 33
He found also the treasure that she brought: The will of Christ, as daughter of holy Church.
In her language mercy she besought, The Constable wax'd abashed34 of that sight,
The life out of her body for to twin, 8 And said6; "What amounteth all this fare?",,
Her to deliver of woe that she was in. Constance answered; " Sir, it is Christ's might,
A manner Latin corrupt 9 was her speech, That helpeth folk out of the fiende's snare:"
But algate 20 thereby was she understond. And so farforth 36 she gan our law declare,
The Constable, when him list no longer seech,21 That she the Constable, ere that it were eve,
This woeful woman brought he to the lond. Converted, and on Christ made him believe.
She kneeled down, and thanked Godd6's This Constable was not lord of the place
sond; 22 Of which I speak, there as he Constance fand,37
But what she was she would to no man say But kept it strongly many a winter space,
For foul nor fair, although that she should Under Alla, king of Northumberland,
dey.23 That was full wise, and worthy of his hand
1 Servant. t Devoured. 19 A kind of bastard Latin.
3 Escaped. 4 It pleased. 20 Nevertheless. 21 Search (in the ship).
5 Treacle; remedy, salve. 6 Scholars. 22 Thanked God for what He had sent.
7 Foresight. 8 Slain. 23 Die. 24 Pity.
9 The four angels who held the four winds of the 25 Assemble. 26 Regions, coasts.
earth, and to whom it was given to hurt the earth and 27 Such of the old Britons as were Christians.
the sea (Rev. vii. 1, 2). 10 Victuals. 28 Were not. 29 Except. 30 Those.
11 Without fail. 12 Abundance. 31 Closed, shut. 32 Was alarmed by that cry.
13 Castle. 14 Name. 33 Work. 34 Astonished.
15 Thence would it not move for long, at all. 35 What means all this ado?
16 (o. 17 Searched. 18 Divide. 36 So far, with such effect. 7. 3ound,
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