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Whan þat loueli ladi hade listened his wordes,
& herd seie þat sche schold hire sone a-ȝen winne,
wonderli for ioye sche wept for þo wordes,
& sorwfuliche sche siȝt last out schold it lett;
Lest any fals fortune for-dede him þurth sinne.
but buxumli þat briȝt lady þan busked to hire chapel,
& praied hire prest par charite a masse to singe,
of þe trinite in trone, to turne hire sweuen to ioye.
deliuerli he it dede deuouteliche & faire,
& seþþen þat comli ladi cayres to hire chaumber,
& weued vp a window þat was toward þe place
þere as þe hert & þe hinde hadde take here reste.
þere þat semli ladi hire set out forto loke,
& strek in-to a styf studie of hire sterne sweuen,
waytend out at window while sche so þouȝt.
& vnder a louely lorel tre in a grene place,
sche saw þe hert & þe hinde lye collinge in-fere,
Makende þe most ioye þat man miȝt deuise,
wiþ alle comli contenaunce þat þei kiþe miȝt;
haden here priue pleyes of paramoures wordes,
but soþli, of nouȝt þat þei seide miȝt þe quen here.
but of here selcoþe solas samen þat þei made,
so gret wonder walt þe quen of þe worþ bestes
but lenede þer þe long day to lok out at þe windowe,
to se þe selcouþ signes of þe semli bestes,
til þe day him wiþ-drow in-to þe derk niȝt,
þat þe lady no lenger miȝt loke on þe bestes.
þan tiffed sche hire treuli & turned in-to halle,
Made a-mong hire meyne as mirie as sche couþe.
whan þei samen hade souped & seþþe whasche after,
here kniȝtes & hire cunseile kome hire vntille,
Munged newe her meschef how neiȝ þei misferde;
how here walles were broke wiþ engynes strong,
here bretages al a-boute for-brent & destroyed,
þat þei miȝt no more meintene þe sege.