University of Virginia Library

Riȝtly þenne þemperour wendes him euene tille,
þe child comes him agayn & curtesliche him gretes.
In hast þemperour hendely his gretyng him ȝeldes,
and a-non riȝttes after askes his name,
& of what kin he were kome komanded him telle.
þe child þanne soberliche seide “sir, at ȝoure wille
I wol ȝow telle as tyt trewely alle þe soþe.
william, sire, wel y wot wiȝes me calles;
I was bore here fast bi by þis wodes side.
a kowherde, sire, of þis kontrey is my kynde fader,
and my menskful moder is his meke wiue.
þei han me fostered & fed faire to þis time,
& here i kepe is kyn as y kan on dayes;
but, sire, by crist, of my kin know i no more.”
whan þemperour hade herd holly his wordes,
he wondered of his wis speche as he wel miȝt,
& seide, “þow bold barn biliue i þe praye,
Go calle to me þe cowherde þow clepus þi fadere,
For y wold talk [wiþ] him tiþinges to frayne.”
“nay, sire, bi god,” quaþ þe barn, “be ȝe riȝt sure,
bi crist, þat is krowned heye king of heuen,
For me non harm schal he haue neuer in his liue!”
“ac perauenture þurth goddis [grace] to gode may it turne,
For-þi bring him hider faire barn, y preye.”
“I schal, sire,” seide þe child “for saufliche y hope
I may worche on ȝour word to wite him fro harm.”
“ȝa, safliche,” seide þemperour “so god ȝif me ioie!”
þe child witly þanne wende wiþ-oute ani more,
comes to þe couherdes hows & clepud him sone;
For he feiȝliche wen[d] þat he his fader where;
& seide þan, “swete sir s[o] ȝou criste help!
Goþ yond to a gret lord þat gayly is tyred,
& on þe feirest frek for soþe þat i haue seie;
and he wilnes wiȝtli wiþ ȝou to speke;
For godis loue goþtil him swiþe lest he agreued wex.”
“what? sone,” seide þe couherde “seidestow i was here.”
“ȝa, sire, sertes,” seide þe child “but he swor formest
þat ȝe schuld haue no harm but hendely for gode
he praide ȝou com speke wiþ him & passe a-ȝein sone.”
þe cherl grocching forþ goþ wiþ þe gode child,
& euene to þemperour þei etteleden sone.
þemperour a-non riȝt as he him of-seie,
clepud to him þe couherde & curteysly seide;
“now telle me, felawe, be þi feiȝþ for no þing ne wonde,
sei þou euer þemperour so þe crist help?”
“nay, sire, bi crist,” quaþ þe couherde “þat king is of heuen,
I nas neuer ȝet so hardi to neȝh him so hende
þere i schuld haue him seie so me wel tyme.”
“sertes,” þan seide þemperour “þe soþe forto knowe,
þat y am þat ilk weiȝh i wol wel þou wite;
al þe regal of rome to riȝtleche y weld.
þerfore, couherde, i þe coniure & comande att alle,
bi vertu of þing þat þou most in þis world louest,
þatow telle me tiȝtly truly þe soþe,
wheþer þis bold barn be lelly þin owne,
oþer comen of oþer kin so þe crist help!”
þe couherd comsed to quake for kare & for drede
whanne he wist witerly þat he was his lorde,
& biliue in his hert be-þout ȝif he him gun lye,
he wold prestely perceyue pertiliche him þout.
þer-fore trewly as tyt he told him þe soþe,
how he him fond in þat forest þere fast bi-side,
clothed in comly cloþing for any kinges sone,
vnder an holw ok þurth help of his dogge,
& how faire he hade him fed & fostered vij winter.
“bi crist,” seide þemperour “y con þe gret þonke,
þat þou hast [seide] me þe soþe of þis semly childe,
& tine schalt þou nouȝt þi trawayle y trow, at þe last!
ac wend schal it wiþ me witow for soþe,
Min hert so harde wilnes to haue þis barne,
þat i wol in no wise þou wite it no lenger.”
whan þemperour so sayde soþe forto telle,
þe couherde was in care i can him no-þing white.
ac witerly dorst he nouȝt werne þe wille of his lord,
but graunted him goddeli on godis holy name,
Forto worchen his wille as lord wiþ his owne.
whan william þis worþi child wist þe soþe,
and knew þat þe cowherde nas nouȝt his kinde fader,
he was wiȝtliche a-wondered & gan to wepe sore,
& seide saddely to him-self sone þer-after,
“a! gracious gode god! þouȝ grettest of alle!
Moch is þi mercy & þi miȝt þi menske, & þi grace!
now wot i neuer in þis world of wham y am come,
ne what destene me is diȝt but god do his wille!
ac wel y wot witerly wiþ-oute ani faile,
to þis man & his meke wif most y am holde;
For þei ful faire han me fostered & fed a long time,
þat god for his grete miȝt al here god hem ȝeld.
but not y neuer what to done to wende þus hem fro,
þat han al kindenes me kyd & y ne kan hem ȝelde!”
“bi stille, barn,” quaþ þemperour “blinne of þi sorwe,
For y hope þat hal þi kin hastely here-after,
ȝif þou wolt ȝeue þe to gode swiche grace may þe falle,
þat alle þi frendes fordedes faire schalstow quite.”
“ȝa, sire,” quaþ þe couherde, “ȝif crist wol þat cas may tyde,
& god lene him grace to god man to worþe.”
& þan as tit to þe child he tauȝt þis lore,
& seide, “þou swete sone seþþe þou schalt hennes wende,
whanne þou komest to kourt among þe kete lordes,
& knowest alle þe kuþþes þat to kourt langes,
bere þe boxumly & bonure þat ich burn þe loue.
be meke & mesurabul nouȝt of many wordes,
be no tellere of talis but trewe to þi lord,
& prestely for pore men profer þe euer,
For hem to rekene wiþ þe riche in riȝt & in skille.
be feiȝtful & fre & euer of faire speche,
& seruisabul to þe simple so as to þe riche,
& felawe in faire manere as falles for þi state;
so schaltow gete goddes loue & alle gode mennes.
Leue sone, þis lessoun me lerde my fader,
þat knew of kourt þe þewes for kourteour was he long,
& hald it in þi hert now i þe haue it kenned;
þe bet may þe bi-falle þe worse bestow neuere.”