University of Virginia Library

Deliuerli on þe morwe er þe day gan dawe,
þe stiward of spayne þat stern was & bold,
hadde bi-seged þat cite selcouþeli hard
wiþ þre M̄. of men þat þro were to fiȝt.
& þo þe segges of þe cite sone were ȝare,
as douȝti men of dedes defence for to make,
ȝerne schetten here ȝates & ȝemed þe walles.
for of þo wiþ-inne non wold hem out aunter,
so fele were of here fon & so fewe wiþ-inne.
þe cry rudli a-ros þat reuþe it was to hure,
for þei wiþ-inne þe toun swiche meschef were inne.
þat þei witterli wende haue be wonne þat daye.
titli was þe tiding told in þe paleys,
how felli here fomen gun fiȝt atte walles.
whan william þat wiste wiȝtli vp he stirte,
as glad as any gome þat euer god wrouȝt,
þat he miȝt his fille fiȝt for þat fre quene.
anon he was armed at alle maner poyntes,
& streiȝt him in-to the stabul þere þe stede stod,
& moche folk him folwed þat ferli to bi-hold,
how sternli he & þe [stede] schold stiȝtil to-gadere.
& as sone as þe kniȝt kud kome to þe stabul,
þat þe stede him of-saw sone he vp-leped,
& faire wiþ his fore fet kneled doun to grounde,
& made him þe most ioye þat [man] miȝt deuise,
& alle frekes þat him folwed gret ferli hade.
þe stede stod ful stille þouȝh he sterne were,
while þe kniȝt him sadeled & clanli him greiþed;
& wan vp wiȝtli him-self whan he was ȝare,
& schuft his scheld on is schulder a scharp spere on honde,
& gerd him wiþ a god swerd for any man in erþe.
þe stede liked wel þe lode his lord whan he felte,
he wist him wiȝht of dede & wel coude ride,
& braundised so bremli þat alle burnes wondred
of þe comli cuntenaunce of þe kniȝt þat he bare.
so schene he was to se in his semli armes,
þat alle burnes were bliþe to bi-hold him one;
for so semli a seg had þei nouȝt ȝore seie.
þat quen & hire douȝter & meliors þe schene
wayteden out at a windowe wilfulli in-fere,
how that komeli kniȝt kunteyned on his stede.
þe quen & here douȝter deuised him so moche,
& preisede him perles for eny prince in erþe,
& seiden, “wel is þat womman þat he wold haue!
vnder crist, is no kniȝt þat so kud semeþ!”
Meliors al þis mater what it ment herde,
& was a-drad to þe deth þei deseuy here wold,
to winne william here fro þat þei so wel praysede,
& seide softili to hire-self þese selue wordes,
“Lord, ȝif þe hade liked leuer me hade bene
haue woned in wildernesse wiþ mi lemman swete,
þan wonye here in al þe welþ of þe world riche,
to lese mi lemman þat al mi loue weldes.”
swiche mistrowe had meliors for þei so moche him preised.