Where that Conftance fafte by
Was falle aflepe, and fodeinly
He cried aloude, and fhe awoke
And forth with all fhe caft a loke
And figh this lady blede there,
Wherof fwounende dede for fere
She was and stille as any stone
She laie, and Elda therupon
Into the caftell clepeth out
And up fterte every man about,
Into the chambre forth they went.
But he whiche all untrouthe ment
This false knight among hem all
Upon this thing whiche is befall
Saith that Conftance hath don this dede.
And to the bed with that he yede
After the falfehed of his fpeche
And made him there for to feche
And fond the knife, where he it laid.
And than he cried and than he said:
Lo, fe the knife all bloody here,
What nedeth more in this matere
To axe and thus her innocence
He fclaundreth there in audience
With false wordes, whiche he feigneth.
But yet for al that ever he pleineth.

Elda no full credence toke.
And happed that there lay a boke,
Upon the which, whan he it fighe,

This knight hath swore and said on highe,

That alle men it mighten wite

Now by this boke, which here is write,
Conftance is gultif well I wote.

With that the honde of heven him smote

In token of that he was forfwore,
That he has bothe his eyen lore,
Out of his hed the same stounde
They ftert, and fo they were founde.
A vois was herd, whan that they fel,
Which faide: O dampned man to helle,
Lo, thus hath god thy fclaunder wroke,
That thou ayein Conftance hath spoke,
Beknowe the fothe er that thou deie.
And he tolde out his felonie

And ftarf forth with his tale anone.
Into the grounde, where alle gone,
This dede lady was begrave.

Elda, which thought his honour fave,
All that he may reftreigneth forwe.

For he the second day a morwe

The king came, as they were accorded.
And whan it was to him recorded,

Qualiter rex Allee ad fidem Chrifti converfus baptifmum recepit et Conftanciam fuper hoc leto animo

What god hath wrought upon this chaunce, defponfavit, que ta

He toke it into remembraunce
And thought more than he saide,
For all his hole herte he laide
Upon Conftance and faide he shulde
For love of her, if that she wolde,
Baptisme take and Cristes feith
Beleve and over that he faith,

men qualis vel unde fuit alicui nullo modo fatebatur, et cum infra breve poftea a domino fuo inpregnata fuiffet, ipfe ad debel

landum cum Scotis iter arripuit et ibidem fuper guerras aliquandiu permanfit.

And for to make shorte tales

There came a bisshop out of Wales
Fro Bangor, and Lucie he hight,
Which through the grace of god almight
The king with many an other mo
He criftned, and betwene hem two
He hath fulfilled the mariage.
But for no luft, ne for no rage
She tolde hem never what she was.
this cas

And netheles upon

The king was glad, how so it stood,
For well he wift and understood
She was a noble creature.

The highe maker of nature
Her hath visited in a throwe,
That it was openliche knowe,
She was with childe by the kinge,
Wherof above all other thinge
He thonketh god and was right glad.
And fell that time he was bestad
Upon a werre and must ride.
And while he fhulde there abide,
He left at home to kepe his wife
Suche as he knewe of holy life,
Elda forth with the bisshop eke.
And he with power go to feke
Ayein the Scottes for to fonde

The werre, whiche he toke on honde.

The time set of kinde is come,
This lady hath her chambre nome
And of a fone bore fulle,
Wherof that she was joiefull,
She was delivered fauf and fone.
The bishop, as it was to done,
Yaf him baptifme and Moris calleth.
And therupon as it befalleth
With letters writen of recorde
They send unto her lege lorde
That kepers weren of the quene.
And he, that shulde go betwene,
The meffanger to Knaresburgh,
Which town he fhulde paffe thurgh,
Ridende cam the first daie

The kinges moder there lay,
Whofe right name was Domilde,
Whiche after all the cause spilde.
For he, which thonk deserve wolde,
Unto this lady goth and tolde
Of his meffage al how it ferde.
And the with feigned joie it herde
And yaf him yeftes largely,

But in the night al prively

She toke the letters, whiche he had,
Fro point to point and overrad

As fhe, that was through. out untrewe,
And let do writen other newe

In stede of hem, and thus they speke.
Our lege lord, we the beseke,

Qualiter regina Conftancia infantem mafculum, quem in baptifmo Mauricium vocant, rege absente enixa eft, fed invida mater regis Domilda fuper ifto facto condolens mendacibus regi certificavit, quod uxor fua demoniaci et non humani generis quoddam monftruofum fantafma loco geniture adortum produxit, huiufmodique detractoribus adverfus Conftanciam

in tanto procuravit, quod ipfa in navem, qua prius venerat, iterum ad exilium una cum fuo partu remiffa defolabatur.

Prima littera in commendacionem

Conftancie ab epifcopo regi miffa per Domildam in contrarium falfata.

That thou with us ne be nought wroth,
Though we fuch thing, as is the loth,
Upon our trouthe certifie.

Thy wife, whiche is of fairie,
Of fuche a child delivered is
Fro kinde, which stant all amis.
But for it shulde nought be saie
We have it kept out of the waie
For drede of pure worldes shame,
A pouer childe, and in the name
Of thilke, whiche is fo mifbore,
We toke and therto we be swore,
That none but only you and we
Shall knowen of this privete.
Morice it hat, and thus men wene,

That it was bore of the

quene
And of thine owne bodie gete.

But this thing may nought be foryete,
That thou ne fende us worde anone,
What is thy wille therupon.

This letter, as thou haft herd devife,
Was counterfet in fuche a wife,
That no man shulde it apperceive.
And she, which thought to deceive,
It laith, where the that other toke.
This meffanger, whan he awoke,
And wift nothinge how it was,
Arofe and rode the great pas
And toke his letter to the kinge.
And whan he figh this wonder thinge,