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 baptisme 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,
Whose right name was Domilde,
Whiche after all the cause spilde.
For he, which thonk deserve wolde,
Unto this lady goth and tolde
Of his message 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 she, that was through out untrewe,
And let do writen other newe
In stede of hem, and thus they fpeke.
Our lege lord, we the beseke,
Qualiter regina Conftancia infantem mafculum, quem in baptifmo Mauricium vocant, rege abfente 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 Constanciam 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 epif- That thou with us ne be nought wroth, copo regi miffa per Though we such thing, as is the loth, Upon our trouthe certifie.
Domildam in con
trarium falfata.
Thy wife, whiche is of fairie,
Of fuche a child delivered is
Fro kinde, which stant all amis.
But for it shulde nought be faie
We have it kept out of the waie
For drede of pure worldes fhame,
A pouer childe, and in the name
Of thilke, whiche is so misbore,
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 devise,
Was counterfet in fuche a wife,
That no man fhulde it apperceive.
And she, which thought to deceive,
It laith, where fhe that other toke.
This meffanger, whan he awoke,
And wist nothinge how it was,
Arofe and rode the great pas
And toke his letter to the kinge.
And whan he figh this wonder thinge,
He maketh the meffanger no chere,
But netheles in wife manere,
He wrote ayein and yaf him charge,
That they ne fuffre nought at large
His wife to go but kepe her still,
Till they have herd more of his will.
This messanger was yefteles,
But with his letter netheles
Or be him lefe or be him loth
In alle haste ayeine he goth
By Knaresburgh, and as he went,
Unto the moder his entent
Of that he fond toward the kinge
He tolde, and she upon this thinge
Saith, that he shulde abide all night
And made him feste and chere aright,
Feignend as though the couthe him thonke.
But he with strong wine which he dronke
Forth with the travaile of the day
Was drunke aflepe, and while he lay,
She hath his letters oversay
And formed in an other way,
There was a newe letter write,
Which faith: I do
That through the counfeil of you two
I ftonde in point to ben undo
As he, whiche is a king depofed,
For every man it hath supposed,
How that my wife Conftance is fay.
And if that I, they fain, delay
Secunda littera per
regem epifcopo remiffa a Domilda iterum falfata.
Is lore, and over this they telle,
Her child shal nought among hem dwell
To claimen any heritage.
So can I fe none avauntage,
But all is loft, if she abide.
Forthy to loke on every fide
Toward the mischefe as it is
I charge you and bidde this,
That ye the fame ship vittaile,
In which that she toke arrivaile,
Therin and putteth bothe two
Her felf forth with her childe alfo,
And fo forth brought into the depe
Betaketh her the fee to kepe.
Of foure daies time I fet,
ye this thing no lenger let,
So that your life be nought forfete.
And thus this letter counterfete
The meffanger, which was unware,
Upon the kinges halve bare
And where he fhulde it hath betake.
But whan that they have hede take
And rad, that writen is withinne,
So great a forwe they beginne,
As they her owne moder fighen
Brent in a fire before her eyen.
There was wepinge and there was wo,
But finally the thinge is do.
pon the fee they have her brought, ut she the cause wiste nought, nd thus upon the flood they wone his lady with her yonge fone.
nd than her hondes to the heven ne ftraught and with a milde fteven nelend upon her bare kne
ne faide: O high mageste, Which seest the point of every trouth, ake of thy wofull woman routh nd of this child, that I fhal kepe. nd with that word fhe gan to wepe wounend as dede, and there fhe lay. ut he, whiche alle thinges may, "onforteth her, and ate lafte he loketh and her eyen cafte pon her childe and fayde this: of me no maner charge it is Vhat forwe I fuffre, but of the Me thenketh it is great pite, For if I fterve thou shalt deie, o mote I nedes by that weie For moderhed and for tendereffe Vith all min hole befinesse Ordeigne me for thilke office
As fhe, which shall be thy norice.
Thus was she strengthed for to stonde.
And tho fhe toke her childe in honde
And yaf it fouke and ever amonge
and otherwhile songe
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