University of Virginia Library

Þan þe curtes quen ful cunyngli saide,
“swete sire, saie me now so ȝou crist help,
what gom wol ȝe þat ȝou giue ȝour garnemens nouþe?
ȝe ne tok neuer as i trowe of kniȝthod þe hordere.
for-þi þow telle me of whom ȝe take it þenk,
for wel ȝe wite [what] whiȝ worþiest is here.”
“Madame,” þan seide alphouns “be marie in heuen,
I wol take myn a-tir & þat trie ordere
of þe worþiest weiȝ þat weldes now liue.”
“hoo is þat,” seide þe quen “is it ȝour fader?”
“Nay, bi god,” quath alphuns “þat gart me be fourmed,
It is þat ilk kud kniȝt þat ȝe alle knowe,
þat deliuered þe of þe deth þis day of mi-selue.
a worþier wieȝh in þis world woneþ non nouþe,
king ne kniȝt as of kin ne of kud dedes.
Mi tir of him wol ich take and þat trie order,
& loue him as mi lege lord al mi lif time.”
þe quen after william went in-to halle,
& tok him sliȝli bi þe sleue & saide in his ere,
“sire, ȝif þi wille were þe werwolf þe bi-secheþ,
þat tow tit com him to to tire him in his wedes;
he ne wol þat non oþer þat worchipe him ȝeue.”
“is þat soþ,” saide william “mi swete lady hende?
cleymeþ he after cloþes for cristes loue in heuen?
deceyue me nouȝt with þi dedes but seie me þe soþe.”
“ȝis, bi crist,” quaþ þe quen “cloþes he askes;
he is as hol, heriȝed be god as he was euer ȝite,
& manliche in alle maneres as to man falles;
hiȝes him hastili him to & help he were greiþed;
for i wot þat þis folk fayn wold him sene.
but he wol þat no wiȝt to chaumber with þe come,
but meliors þi menskful make & þe quenes douȝter,
Dame florence þe faire for whom was þis werre.
hem boþe he biddeþ bring & no wiȝt elles.”
þan william ful wiȝtli as man ful of ioye,
clipte þe quen & kest & oft crist þonkes,
þat his felawe was hol þat hade him holp oft.
as bliue was him brouȝt al þat bi-houed
of alle comli cloþing þat a kniȝt schuld haue;
no man vpon mold miȝt richer deuise.
þan william wiȝtli with meliors & his suster,
& þe comli quene spacli forþ þei went
in-to þe chois chaumber þer chaunged was þe best
out of þe werwolfs wise to a worþi kniȝt.
þan bi-held þei þe baþ & a bed bi-side,
& in þat bed als bliue þat burn þei seien,
þat non so semli to here siȝt saw þei neuer ere;
but of þat companie, be crist þer ne knew him none.
naþeles william wiȝtli worþili him grette,
& þo menskful maidenes mekli þer-after,
& þan alphouns a-non answered & saide,
“crist krouned king sire kniȝt, mot ȝou saue,
& þi faire felachipe þat folweþ þe after.
sire kniȝt, i am in þi kiþ & comen to þi owne,
& þow makes me now but þis mene semblant.
to put þe of peril i haue ney perisched oft,
& many a scharp schour for þi sake þoled,
to litel þow me knowest or kinhed me kiþes.”
“sertes, sire, þat is soþ” seide william þanne,
“I ne wot in þis world what þat ȝe are;
but i coniure ȝou, be crist þat on croyce was peyned,
þat ȝe seie me swiþe soþ ho-so ȝe bene.”
“I am he, þe werwolf” sede alphouns þanne,
“þat haue suffred for þi sake many sori peynes,
& pult þe out of periles þer þou perisched schuldest,
nade goddes grete miȝt be & mi gode help.”
“certes, sire, þat is soþ” sede william þanne,
& lepes liȝtli him to & lacchis him in armes;
with clipping & kesseng þei kidden gret ioye.
alle þe men vpon mold ne miȝt half telle
þe mirþ þat was maked in þe mene while.
& ȝif william was glad wittow forsoþe,
Meliors was moche more ȝif it so miȝt bene;
& florence of þat fare þanne gret ferli hadde.
& sone as sche him saw loueli sche him grett,
& he godli a-gayn gret þat gode mayde,
& for þe beaute þat sche bar as bliue his hert
turned to hire treuli to loue for euer-more.
whan þei in þat gladnesse a gret while hade sete,
alphouns asked a-non a-tir for to haue,
to fare out as fast with his fader to speke,
& with lordesse of þat lond þat him long hade missed.
& william wiȝtli with-oute any more,
Greiþed him as gaili as any gom þurt bene,
of alle trie a-tir þat to kniȝt longed,
so þat non miȝt a-mend a mite worþ, i wene.
& whan þei were at wille as þei wold be greiþed,
eche on hent oþer bi þe hand hendli & faire,
& hastili in-to þe heiȝe halle hiȝeden in-fere.
whan þe perles puple perceyueden hem come,
Many a lord ful loueli lep hem aȝens,
as þo þat were geinli glad on þat gom to loke.
Gret murrþe at þat metyng was mad, be ȝou sure.
þe king of spayne forsoþe knew his sone sone,
& gret him ferst as a glad man & oft god þonkes,
þat he so faire hade founde his formest sone.
seþen þe lordes of londe loueli him gretten,
& his bold broþer be-fore alle oþer;
saue þe king him-self semliest he him gret,
& most ioye for þat metyng made þat time.
no tong miȝt telle treuli þe soþe,
þe ioye þat was wrouȝt with lasse & with more.
þe comli quen of palerne oft crist þonked,
þat hade hire sent of his sond so moche ioye to haue,
& hade setteled hire sorwe so sone, þat was huge.
sone þe semli segges were sette in halle;
þe real rinkes bi reson at þe heiȝe dese,
& alle oþer afterward on þe side benches,
& sete so in solas sadli ful þe halle,
eche dingneli at his degre to deme þe soþe.
whan þe noyse was slaked of þe semli burnes,
þe king of spayne spak to alphouns his sone,
& sede, “semli sone sore has me longed
to se þi freli face þat i for-lore hadde.
for þis comli quen þurth ȝone kniȝtes dedes,
haþ vs alle in hold to harm at hire wille.
but swete sone saide it haþ ben oft,
þat our deliueraunce was don on þe one;
þurth þe schuld we help haue or neuer-more elles.
þer-fore, heuen king heried mot ȝe bene,
þat haþ þe lend lif vs alle to deliuere.”
“swete sire,” seide alphouns “so ȝou crist help,
wharfore was al þis fare formest bi-gunne?”
“bi crist, sone,” quaþ þe king “to carpe þe soþe,
alle þe werre & þis wo is our wronge dedes.
i desired þis damisele þat digne is & nobul,
to haue hire to þi broþer þat here bi þe sitteþ;
ac hire moder in no maner hire nold me graunte.
for-þi wiȝtli with werre i wasted alle hire londes,
& brouȝt hire at swiche bale þat sche mercy craued,
in þis maner þat sche most mekli & faire,
do hire a-wei with hire douȝter boute more harme;
sche wilned nouȝt elles but þat nold i graunt.
but þan com þis kene kniȝt & þurth his clene strengþe,
boldli in batayle he bar doun vs alle,
& pult vs in prison to payne at his grace;
þus sped we vs out of spayne to spire after winnyng.”