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To him seide king Yuore:
‘Treitour, whar hastow be þus ȝore?’
‘Sire,’ a seide, ‘haue souȝt þe quene,
& haue had for hire miche tene!
Sire,’ a seide, ‘certeine for soþe,
Ȝet ich kouþe bringe hire to þe!’
‘Ich wile þe ȝeue a kingdom riȝt,
Bring þow me þat leuedi briȝt!’
Queþ Ascopart: ‘Þer to i graunt,
Be Mahoun & be Tervagaunt,
So þat ichaue fourti kniȝtes,
Stout in armes & strong in fiȝtes;
For Beues is ful sterne & stoute,
Of him ichaue swiþe gret doute;
He ouer-com me ones in bataile:
Me be-houeþ help, him to asaile.’
King Yuor grauntede anon riȝtes;
He let him chese fourti kniȝtes
And armede hem in yrene wede,
& forþ wiþ Ascopard þai ȝede.

Now lete we be þis Ascopard
& speke of Beues, þat rit forþward
In is wei til Ermonie
Þourȝ Fraunce & þourȝ Normondie;
And Iosiane, Crist here be milde!
In a wode was be-stonde of childe.
Beues and Terri doun liȝte
And wiþ here swerdes a logge piȝte;
Þai brouȝte Iosiane þer inne,
For hii ne kouþe no beter ginne.
Beues is seruise gan hire bede,
To helpe hire at þat nede.
‘For godes loue,’ ȝhe seide, ‘nai,
Leue sire, þow go þe wai,
God for-bede for is pite,
Þat no wimman is priuite
To noman þourȝ me be kouþe:
Goþ and wendeþ hennes nouþe,
Þow and þe swain Terry,
And let me worþe & oure leuedy!’
Forþ þai wente boþe ifere,
For hii ne miȝte hire paines here.
Allas, þat ilche cherre
Hii wente fro hire alto ferre!
Alse hii wer out of þe weie,
Ȝhe hadde knaue children tweie.
Also ȝhe diliuered was,
Þar com Ascopard go-ande a pas
& fourti Sarasins, þe Frensch seþ,
Al iarmede to þe teþ.
For al hire sorwe & hire wo
Þai made hire wiþ hem te go,
And gret scorning of hire þai maked
And bete hire wiþ swerdes naked.
Wo was þe leuedi in þat stounde,
Þat was so beten & ibounde;
& in here wei ase þai gonne wende,
Ȝhe seide: ‘Ascopard, freli frende,
For bounte, ich dede þe while
And sauede þe fro perile,
Þo Beues þe wolde han slawe
And i-brouȝt of þe lif dawe,
Ich was þe bourȝ, þe schost be trewe:
Þar fore i praie, on me þe rewe
And ȝeue me space a lite wiȝt,
For wende out of þis folkes siȝt,
To do me nedes in priuite,
For kende hit is, wimman te be
Schamfaste and ful of corteisie,
& hate dedes of fileinie.’

Ascopard answerde hire þo:
‘Whider þow wilt, dame, þow schelt go,
So ichaue of þe a siȝt!’
Þanne Iosiane, anon riȝt
Out of þe way ȝhe gan terne,
Ase ȝhe wolde do hire dedes derne.