University of Virginia Library

Þanne was þat menskful meliors muchel y-gladed,
& gon þan to þat gome a god pas al boþe.
& as tit as þei come him to þe soþe for to telle,
þei sett hem doun softly þat semly be-fore.
& wanne þe mayde meliors miȝt se his face,
sche þout þroly in herte þat leuer hire were
haue welt him at wille þan of þe world be quene;
so fair of alle fetures þe frek was, hire þouȝt.
& fayn sche wold þan in feiþ haue fold him in hire armes,
to haue him clipped & kest kenely þat tide,
ac sche dred it to done for oþer derne a-spyes.
alysaundrine þan a-non attlede here þouȝtes,
& wiȝtly wiþ here whiles dede william to mete
þat þat time him þouȝt þat melior þe hende
and alysaundrine al-one com him þo tille,
& þe mayde melior ful mekly him brouȝt
a ful real rose and redly it him takes.
& whanne he in hond hit hade hastely hit semede,
þat he was al sauf & sound of alle his sor greues.
& for his langor was so lissed swich likyng he hadde,
& so gretly was gladed þat he gan a-wake.
& whan he seiȝ þat semly sitte him bi-fore,
He was al a-wondred and wiȝtly he vp-rises,
& kurteyslyche kneling þat komli he grett,
& afterward alysaundrine as he wel out.
& þe mayde melior ful mekly þan saide,
“Mi loueli swete lemman oure lord ȝif þe ioye!”
& william þan vnderstod þe word þat sche saide;
þat sche him called “leue lemman” it liked so his hert,
þat witerly he couþe no word long þer-after spek,
but stared on here stifly a-stoneyd for ioye,
þat he cast al his colour and bi-com pale,
and eft red as rose in a litel while.
so witerly was þat word wounde to hert,
þat he ferd as a mased man an marred neiȝ honde,
so louely loue þat time lent him an arewe
hetterly þurth his hert for þat hende mayde
cald him “leue lemman” he les al his miȝt.