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Hit tidde after on a time as tellus oure bokes,
as þis bold barn his bestes blyþeliche keped,
þe riche emperour of rome rod out for to hunte
In þat faire forest feiþely for to telle,
wiþ alle his menskful meyne þat moche was & nobul.
þan fel it hap þat þei founde ful sone a grete bor,
& huntyng wiþ hound & horn harde alle sewede.
þe emperowr entred in a wey euene to attele
to haue bruttenet þat bor & þe abaie seþþen;
but missely marked he is way & so manly he rides,
þat alle his wies were went ne wist he neuer whider.
so ferforþ fram his men feþly for to telle,
þat of horn ne of hound ne miȝt he here sowne,
&, boute eny liuing lud left was he one.
þemperour on his stif stede a sty forþ þanne takes
to herken after his houndes oþer horn schille;
so komes þer a werwolf riȝt bi þat way þenne,
grimly after a gret hert as þat god wold,
& chased him þurth chaunce þere þe child pleide,
þat kept þe kowherdes bestes i carped of bi-fore.
þemperour þanne hastely þat huge best folwed
as stiffuly as is stede miȝt strecche on to renne;
but by-þan he com by þat barn & a-boute loked,
þe werwolf & þe wilde hert were a-weye boþe,
þat he ne wist in þis world were þei were bi-come,
ne whiderward he schuld seche to se of hem more.
but þanne bi-held he a-boute & þat barn of-seye,
hov fair, how fetys it was & sreliche schapen;
so fair a siȝt of seg ne sawe he neuer are,
of lere ne of lykame lik him nas none,
ne of so sad a semblant þat euer he say wiþ eiȝyen.
þemperour wend witerly for wonder of þat child,
þat feiȝþely it were of feyrye for fairenes þat it welt,
& for þe curteys cuntenaunce þat it kudde þere.