University of Virginia Library

Þe real emperour of rome remewed next after
redili towardes rome with al his route nobul.
william & his moder meliors & his suster,
þe king of spayne & his sones & here semli puple,
went wiþ him on gate wel an fiue myle,
to conueye him curtesli as kindnesse it wold,
wiþ al þe murþ vpon mold þat men miȝt on þenk.
& as þei went bi þe weie wittow for soþe,
ful mekli to meliors þemperour þus saide,
“now, dere douȝter, i þe preie do bi mi rede.
lok þou bere þe buxumli & be god & hende,
konnyng & kurtes to komwne & to grete;
be meke & mercyabul to men þat þe serue,
and be lel to þi lord and to þis ladi after,
þat is his menskful moder & moche þow hire loue.
& alle þe lordes of þis lond loue wel after,
& loke, douȝter, bi þi lif as þow me louest dere,
þat neuer þe pore porayle be piled for þi sake,
ne taxed to taliage but tentyfli þow help,
þat al þis lond be lad in lawe as it ouȝt;
þan wol al þe pore puple preie for þe ȝerne,
to liue long in god liif & þi lord alse.
stifli loke þow st[r]iue fo[r] state of holi cherche,
to meyntene it manli on alle maner wise.
Gif gretli of þi god for goddes loue of heuen;
be merciabul to alle men þat in mechef arn;
so schaltow gete god los & gretli be menskked,
as han al þin aunceteres or þow were bi-geten.
do þus, mi dere douȝter & drede þow þe neuer,
þat þow ne schalt haue heuen blisse after þis liue.”
ful mekli seide meliors wiþ meling of teres,
“i hope, sire, to heuen king ȝour hest so wirche,
þat no barn þat is born schal blame mi dedes.”
ful tyt after þo tales þei token here leue,
clipping & kesseng kurtesli eche oþer.
but þe mournyng þat meliors made þat time,
for hire fader schold fare from hire so sone,
treuli it were ful tor to telle þe soþe.
ac þemperour ful hendeli held hire in is armes,
& comforted here kindeli and þe quen preiede
to be meke & merciabule to meliors his douȝter,
“& cheresche here & chaste ȝif þat chaunce falles,
þat sche wold miswerche wrongli any time.”
“ȝis, bi crist, sire,” quaþ þe quen “kare nouȝt þerfore.
i loue hire as miin owne lif leue þou for soþe,
wel i wot sche wol worche al-way þe gode.
for-þi here wille schal be wrouȝt what sche wol ȝerne
þat sche ne schal want in no wise what þe hert likes.”
þemperour hire þroli þonked many þousand siþe,
& after þat, anon riȝt to alisaundrine he seide,
“God has þe nouȝt for-gete my gode hende mayde;
for worchipfulli artou wedded to welde a kinges sone.
ful busili i þe bidde þat burn euer honoure,
& wirche him al þe worchip in world þatou maye;
þanne schal eche lud þe loue & for þi lif preie.”
“ȝour hest, sire, schal be holde” sede alisaundrine þanne,
“so þat ȝe ne schul here of me nouȝt but gode,
I hope, þurth goddes grace but gomes on me lye.”
þemperour þan tiȝtli tok leue of hem alle,
& wendes forþ on his way wiȝtli to rome,
& liuede þere in liking a long time after.
now reste we of romaynes & reken we ferre,
& speke we of þe spaynols wil we haue space,
hou þei sped hem to spayne spacli þer-after.