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Alysaundrine a-non þanne answered & sayde,
“now i-wisse, william witow for soþe,
Seþþe þou sadli hast me said þe soþe of þi cunsaile,
& tellest me treuly þou trestes to my help,
ȝif i miȝt in ani maner mende þi sorwe,
but i were busi þer a-boute to blame i were.
þer-for certes, be þou sur seþ it may be no oþer,
holliche al min help þou schalt haue sone.”
þan william was gretliche glad & loueliche hire þonked.
þan alisaundrine a-non as sche wel couþe,
clepud þat mayde meliors mekeliche hir tille,
& seide, “a mercy, madame on þis man here,
þat neȝh is driue to þe deþ al for youre sake!”
“how so for my sake?” seide melior þanne;
“I wraþed him neuer þat i wot in word ne in dede.”
“no sertes, madame, þat is soþ” saide þat oþer,
“ac he has langured for ȝour loue a ful long while;
& but ȝe graunt him ȝour grace him greiþli to help,
& late him be ȝour lemman lelly for euer,
his liif nel nouȝt for langour last til to-morwe.
þerfor, comeliche creature for crist þat þe made,
les nouȝt is liif ȝut for a litel wille.
seþþe he so lelly þe loues to lemman him þou take.”
þan meliors ful mekliche to þat mayde carped,
and seide ful soburli smyland a litel,
“nou bi god þat me gaf þe gost & þe soule,
I kepe ȝut for no creature manquellere be clepud,
ac leuer me were lelly a manes liif to saue.
seþþe he for me is so marred & has misfare long,
ful prestely for þi praire & for þe perile als,
þat i se him set inne and to saue his liue,
h[er]e i graunt him greþli on godis holi name,
lelliche mi loue for euer al mi lif time,
& gif a gift here to god & to his gode moder,
þat oþer lud, whil i liue schal i loue neuer!”
whan william herd þise wordes i hete þe forsoþe,
he kneled quikli on knes & oft god þonked,
& seide, “god! þat madest man & al middel-erþe,
a miȝti miracle for me hastow wrouȝt noþe.”
þan meked he him to meliors on alle maner wise,
as þe gladdest gom þat euer god wrouȝt.
& sche sertes bi hire side þe same him graunted,
to worche wiþ hire al his wille as he wel liked.
þan eiþer hent oþer hastely in armes,
& wiþ kene kosses kuþþed hem to-gidere,
so þat no murþe upon mold no miȝt hem bet haue lyked.
& tit þanne told eche til oþer here tenes & here sorwe,
þat sadly for eiþers sake hadden suffred long.
þanne alisaundrine anon attlede þe soþe,
þat hire maistres & þat man no schuld hire nouȝt misse,
þeȝh sche walked a while wide from here siȝt,
for sche trowed trewly to talke þe soþe,
were sche out of þe weye þat william wold fonde
for to pleie in þat place þe priue loue game,
& to hete here þan to layke here likyng þat time.
sche goþ a-boute in-to þe gardyn for to gader floures,
& to wayte þat no weiȝh walked þer-inne,
for drede of descuueryng of þat was do þere.
william wel wiþ meliors his wille þan dede,
& layked þere at lyking al þe long daye,
til þe sunne was neiȝh set soþli, to reste.
þanne alisaundrine at arst þan antresse hem tille,
& mekly to meliors “madame,” þan sche seide,
“haue ȝe geten þe gras þat i ȝou geynliche hiȝt?
I trowe trewli be þis time ȝour sorwe be passed;
eiþer of ȝou, as y leue is god leche til oþer,
alle þe surgyens of salerne so sone ne couþen
haue ȝour langoures a-legget i leue for soþe.”
þan william wax wiȝtly wonderli a-schamed,
& he & meliors mercy mekly hire criede
to kuuere wel here cunseile for cas in þis erþe,
& þroli hire þonked moni þousand siþes;
“For sche hade brouȝt hem of bale boþe,” þei seide,
“& i-lengþed here lif mani long ȝere.”