University of Virginia Library

Þe duk þan was in drede & wend to deie sone,
& lelly, þouȝh him loþ þouȝt no lenger to striue,
swiþe he ȝald vp his swerd to saue þanne his liue,
& seide, “man, for þi mensk haue mercy on me nouþe,
lette me nouȝt lese þe liif ȝut lord, y þe bi-cheche.”
þanne william witly as a wiȝh hende,
receyued of þat riche duk realy his swerde,
& euen to þemperour wiþ him þan he hiȝed.
wanne þemperour seiȝh william come & wiþ him þe duke,
he was on þe gladdest gome þat miȝt go on erþe;
& william þanne to welkome he wendes him aȝeynes,
& clipte him kindeli & kest fele siþes.
þan william wiȝtly as he wel couþe,
profered him þat prisoner prestely at his wille
to do þan wiþ þe duk what him dere þouȝt.
þemperour þat worþi william wel oft þan þonked
of þe grete grace þat god godliche þere schewede,
& strokes was þer delt na mo fram þe duk was take.
For al his folk þan gunne fle as fast as þei miȝt,
& he þat hadde best hors þan held him best saued.
but þemperours men manly made þe chace,
& slowen doun bi eche side wham þei of-take miȝt,
but ȝif þei manly hem meked mercy to crie.
& euer william so wiȝtly went hem a-mong
to þe boldest burnes as he bi-fore hadde,
þat soþly dar y seie þurth his socour þanne,
Riȝt fewe went a-wey vn-woundet or take.
ac hadde þe day last lenger lelli to seye,
no wiȝt a-wei hadde schaped i wot wel þe soþe.
but þe niȝt was so neiȝh þat non miȝt sen oþer
þe furþe del of a furlong from him þat time.
& in þat derk þe dukes [men] wiþ-drow hem manie,
& ho-so hardest miȝt hiȝe held him nouȝt bi-giled.
þemperour wiþ moche merþe his men þan meled;
& whanne þei samen were a-sembled soþ for to telle,
þei hadde take þat time of trie grete lordes
Fulle fiue hundered of ful nobul prisouns,
wiþ-oute alle þe burnes þat in batayle deide.
þan was þemperour greteli glad & ofte god þonked,
& williams werk þat he so wel hadde spedde.
& holliche þanne wiþ his host hiȝede to here tentes
wiþ merþe of alle menstracye & made hem attese,
& turned to rest at time til erliche a morwe.
& wanne þei were a-rise þei remewed to cherche,
& herden holly here masse & afterward sone
þemperour al holliche his cunseyle dede clepe,
& sone bi here a-sent at þat selue time,
Riȝt as william wold þat wisly him radde,
alle þe douȝthi lordes of þe dukis were take;
he dede fecche hem him bi-fore & freyned hem swiþe,
ȝif þei wold of him holly halde alle here londes.
& þei graunted godli ful glad of þat sawe,
& alle anon riȝtes þere omage him dede,
& þemperour wel loueliche deliuered he[m] þenne,
& sente wiþ hem sondes to saxoyne þat time,
& nomen omage in his name nouȝt forto layne,
Forto riȝtleche þat reaume real of riche & of pore.
whanne þat dede was do dernly at wille,
and alle lele lawes in þat lond sette,
& alle þe peple held hem payed pes forto haue;
whanne þemperour it wist he was wel a-payed,
& loueliche wiþ alle his lordes to lumbardie fares,
wiþ alle þe merþe vpon molde þat man miȝt diuise;
but feiþli his felachipe forþ wiþ him he hadde.
þe douȝty duk of saxoyne þe duel þat he made,
for his peple was slayn & to prison take,
& wist þan he hade wrongly wrouȝt þurȝth his pride;
& swiche duel drow to hert for his dedus ille,
þat he deide on þe fifte day to talke þe soþe.
whanne þemperour þat wist wiȝtly he comanded,
to burye him as out to be swiche a burne nobul,
wiþ alle worchipe & wele; so was he sone.
þan remued þemperour toward rome euene,
& wiȝtly william wiþ him þat was wounded sore;
but lelly nobul leches loked to his woundes,
þat seide he schuld be sauf & sweteliche heled.
messangers ful manly þemperour þanne sente,
by-fore to his dere douȝter to do hire to wite
þat he come wiþ his companie as crist wold, al saf.
þe messangeres ful manly to meliors þanne spedde,
& gretten hire godli whan þei þat gode seie,
& mynged here message to þat mayde hende,
how hir fader in helþe hom wold come
feiþli wiþ-inne þe fourtene-niȝt wiþ his frekes bold.
Gret merþe to þe messangeres meliors þan made,
for þe tidy tidinges þat tiȝtly were seide.
“nouȝ, faire frendes, be ȝour feiþ fond ȝe ani lette
of segges of þe oþer side þat sette ȝou a-geynes?”
“o madame!” seide þe messageres “what mele ȝe nouþe?
seþþe crist deide on þe croyce mankinde to saue,
ȝe ne herde neuer, y hope of so hard a cunter,
ne of so fele burnes at on batayle slayne!”
“telles how ȝou tidde” seide meliors þanne.
“Madame,” seide þe messageres “be marie in heuen,
þe duk hadde so gret an host of gode men of armes,
þat soþli al oure side sone slayn hadde bene,
nadde þe socour of o seg þat in oure side dwelleþ,
þat haþ lengþed al oure [liues] leue ȝe forsoþe,
þurth þe douȝti dedes þat he haþ do þere.”
“swete sire, what is he?” þat seide meliors sone.
“I-wisse,” he seide, “it is william þat is newe kniȝted,
he may lelly be hold a lord & ledere of peples,
Forto weld al þe world to wisse & to rede,
for þer nis king vnder crist þat he ouer-com nolde.
I-wisse, nade his werk be we mow nouȝt for-sake,
þi fader and al his folk so misfaren hadde,
þat alle here liues in a stounde hadde be lore.”
þanne told þei hire tiȝtly al þe trewe soþe,
at how miche meschef here men were formest,
& seþþe how wiȝtly william went to here foos,
& dede deliuerly nym þe duk to talke þus formest;
& seþþe þe grettes[t] lordes he garte here liif tine,
& also þei told trewli how he was take him-selue,
& reddely wiþ his owne rinkes rescued after;
& seþþe what dedes he dede he tok þe selue duk,
and brouȝt þurth is bolde dedes þe batayle to hende;
& seþen how þe duk for duel deyde in here ward,
& how al saxoyne was set wiþ wel sadde lawes,
to wirche here faderes wille þurȝth william dedes.
& whan þis tale was told meliors tyt seide,
“leue lordinges, for my loue lelly me telles,
comes þat william wiþ my fader & weldes his hele?”
“ȝe sertes, madame,” seide þei “he sewes ȝour fader;
but wel weldes he nouȝt his hele for wonded was he sore,
þat greuen him gretly but god may do bote.”
“For mary loue,” seide meliors “mai he be heled?”
“ȝa certes, madame he is so sounde nowþe,
þat he may redly ride & rome whan þat him likes.”
Meliors to þe messageris þan made gret ioye,
for þe tyding þat þei told touchend hire fader.
but i hote þe, in hert sche hade swiche blisse,
þat neuer womman in þis world miȝt weld more,
for hire louely lemman hade swiche los wonne,
to bere him best in þat batayle wiþ so breme dedus.
þanne made þei hem [merie] to make schort tale,
soþly al þat seueniȝt; & so, atte last,
þemperour & alle peple to his palays come;
Receyued was he of romaynes realy as lord.
þanne meliors ful mekly wiþ maydenes fele,
ferde out a-ȝens hire fader & faire him gret,
& hire louely lemman lelly next after,
& made hem as moche ioye as miȝt any burde;
Kyndeliche clipping and kessing hire fader,
& wiþ a curteise cuntenaunce william next after,
for no seg þat it seye schuld schoche but gode.
but priueli un-perceyued sche praide william þanne,
to seche softily to hire chaumber as sone as he miȝt.
& he bi quinte contenance to come he granted,
for he ne durst openly for ouer-trowe of gile;
but wel sche knew þurth konnyng at þat cas his wille.
to long mater most it be to myng al þe ioye,
& þe real romayns array for here lordes sake,
& þe mochel mornyng þei made for here frendes,
whanne þei wist witterly whiche in batayle deyde.
but confort for þe conquest þei cauȝt sone after,
& made hem as mery as ani men couþe.
& william went to meliors whan he seiȝ time,
& layked him at likyng wiþ þat faire burde
pleyes of paramours vn-parceyued longe time,
so sliliche, þat no seg scouched non ille.
but algate alysaundrine atte wille hem serued,
þat non knew here cunseile but þei þre one.