University of Virginia Library

the wolf þat first tuk þe ta barne,
til wod ran with It ful ȝarne;
bot telemen left þe tiltht in hy
& folouyt hym fast & deliuerly:
sa þat he let þe barne fal hym fra;
& þe telemen son can it upe ta,
& bar [it] with hym to þe town.
& hyrdis chasit þe lyon
with hond & horn sa wondir fast
þat he þe barne left at þe last,
thru godis grace [al]anerly.
& þane þe hyrdis in til hy
tuk & hame with It þai bar— [OMITTED]
for in a town þai bath duelland ware,
& fosterit þame wele & fed,
& as þar awen barnis þaim cled;
bot nane of þame wist ocht
quheþir þai brethyr ware or nocht.
na eustace had na persawing
quhare þai becom in ony thing,
bot treuyt wel forut wene
þat þai consumyt quyt had ben,
& walkyt furth makand regret,
oft sayand til hym-self þusgat:
“allace! allace! wa is me!
þat wyf has tynt & barnis fre,
as thing wes sprongyn of þe stan,
allace! I am ful wil of wane!
alace! I had mony gud knycht
for to serwe me day & nycht,
& squyaris als þat ware thra
besy seruice me to ma,
& now, allace! alane is sted
in wer degre þane is a lad!
allace! quhar is my mykil gud?
allace! quhar is my welthy fud?
& for hungyr nou, alace!
in poynt to de is in þis place!
allace! quhare ar my frendis sere
þat quhylum let þai war me dere?
now is nane þat euir wil
helpe or confort send me til!
bot ȝet, alace! is my mast wa
þat my gud wyf is tynt me fra,
& my barnis ar reft me als.
allace! fortone, þu art ful fals,
þat quhylum smylit apon me,
& now has left me in þis degre!
allace! ded, quhen wil þu tak
me & [al] my sorou slak?
bot, lord, I think wele þu me hicht
þat I suld with þe feynd fele ficht,
& rycht as wes Iob fandyt be;
suth þat is, & hardare, parde!
for, þo he tynt had al his thing,
ȝet wes lewit hym a myding,
quhar-in he mycht sit; bot me
Is na thing lewit bot pouerte.
& he had thre frendis alsa
þat hym visit in til his wa;
bot frendis, allace! haf I nane,
bot saw my barnis fra me tan
with fele bestis but helpe of man,
þat with þame to þe forest ran.
sa quhar he had frendis thre,
I haf fais to disese me.
& his wyf als wes lewit hym til;
bot my wyf agayne my wil
allace! allace! fra me is tane,
& I lewit þusgat me alane.
ȝet wes lewit hym a schele
to schrape his scabbis rycht snel.
þane amesit sum thing his care,
quhen his seknes smytit hym sare.
for-þi, god, gyf it be þi wil,
of my trawel rest send me til,
& to me sic ȝemsel gef
þat my word þe nocht gref,
þat I ne be fra þi face
thru murmur put, na tyn þi grace!”

and þis he, al gretand,
com til a gud ton at hand,
quhar gud men mad hym kepare
of þe feildis, for fywten ȝere,
& þarfor sic reward hym mad
þat he gat clething & lyflad.
& nere-by, his vnwittand,
his sonnis twa ware duelland.
& for his wyf god sa did
þat þe schipman na il hyr ded,
bot deit, & thru godis grace
of filth of syne scho vnuemmyt wes.
agayne rom in þis sithtware
wes mowit were, as was are,
þat disesit þe emperoure
þat þat tyme of rom had cure,
& al þe romanis mad rad,
seand þai ware in parel sted;
for chiftane had þai nan, þai wist,
þat to þar fais cuth resist.
þan thocht þai on placydas,
hou wicht wereoure he wes,
hou stutly befor he had
for þaim gret trauale mad,
& vpe-held wele þare honour ay,
quhen þai war set in herd assay,
& þan a-way wes sudanly,
na man wittand cause quhy.
þe emperoure, to mend þare stat,
with consent of þe senat,
ordenyt feile men for to fare
to sek sir placydas alquhare,
hichtand fare reward & gret
to quha-sa erast mycht hym get,
& send þame furth on þare way
with gret dispens til assay.
of þai men tyd percas þat twa,
þat þe trawal can vndirta,
com to þat ton percase,
quhare wonand wes sir placydas;
& þai twa, of quhilkis I men,
of his awn duelling had ben.
& as þai com to herbry,
sir placydas þaim kneu in hy,
& quhat þai war wist rycht wele;
bot nane of þame kneu hym a dele.
þane ran hyme to mynd hou he
wes falline fra gret dingnite,
& wes anoyt, & cane say:
“þou mychty god, þat althing may,
as I vnwenandly has sene
þer men þat with my-self has ben,
richt sa þu wil grant to me
my wyf anis þat I ma se;
bot of my barnis spek I nocht,
þat I saw wele to ded brocht.”
þane come a woice, & sad on hicht:
“tak confort, eustace, & be wicht,
for þi first honour þu sal son
recouer; & quhen þat is don,
þi worthy wyf þan sal þu wyne,
þat unuemmyt has ben of syn,
& þi barnis with hyr alsa.
for-þi be wicht & confort ta!”
þane met he þai knychttis in hy,
& halust enterchangebly.
þane cane þai at hym hertly spere
eftir a man, wes þame dere,
þat to name had sir placydas,
gyf he wist quhare he was,
& as pylgram of land can ga
with his wyf & barnis twa.
he sad: “na.” & ȝet þane
til ane Inis haf þaim he can,
& gert mak þaim welfare
of al thing þat was necessare.
& þane he thocht hou þat he
vont wes þar master to be,
& mocht na langar hald hym stil,
bot passit furth & gret his fil,
& wesche his face. þat beand done,
in agayne he com rycht son
& mad þaim seruice warly.
þan þai beheld hym increly.
þane priuely þe tan can say
to þe todir: “behald, I pray,
hou lyk þis man is in althing
til hym of quham we mak spering!”
quod þe todir: “falou, parde,
richt wondir lyk til hyme is he.
ȝe til hyme gud tent tak,
& gyf þe weme of a gret strak
in til his hewyd ma we se,
bot dout sir placydas is he.”
þane beheld þai increly,
& saw þe weme mare grathly,
þat in sik batale he had tane,
quhare he relewit mony ane.
þane, quhen þai kneu hym, in hy
þai kissit hyme oft tendirly,
& franyt [hym] of al his fare,
& quhare his wyf & barnis ware.
þane sad he þame agane,
þat wyf wes ded & barnis slane.
þan al þe nithbouris, þat had sene
hou tendirly þir knychttis kene
to sic a poure man mad sic fare,
ful gretly for-wondryt ware.
bot þan þai knychttis, þat ware blyth,
til al þat þare ware tald swyth,
þat he wes man of gret honoure
& derreste to þe emperoure;
hou to sek hyme þai ware send
fra rom, þar stat til amend;
& als, hou þe emperoure
command to do hyme honoure
& byding gef, gyf þat he
in ony place mycht fundyne be,
þat he suld tak & pay richt nocht
at his wil, as hyme gud thocht,
þat al þat ware in þat town
to serue sir placydas ware bon,
& gat hyme al necessyte,
þat hyme nedyt in ony degre,
bath for þe pece & for þe were.
quhen þis don was in þis manere,
sa besyly traualyt þay
þat to rom þe fywten day
þai com, quhare þe emperoure
resawyt þame in gret honoure.
for out of þe ton he hyme met.
& þare ful frendfylly hym gret,
& kissit hyme richt tendirly.
& tald he hyme rycht opynly
perordre quhat hym betyd,
& hou þat forton with hym did.
bot hou þat he wes cristine mane,
ȝet he co[n]seilyt with hyme þane.