And faide hem she wol bring him inne,
That she shal him to deth winne

All only of his owne graunt

Through ftrength of verray covenaunt
Withoute blame of any wight.
Anone she sende for this knight
And of her fone she alleide

The deth and thus to him she saide:
Florent, how fo ever thou be to wite
Of Branchus deth, men shal respite
As now to take vengement,
Be fo thou ftonde in jugement
Upon certein condicion,

That thou unto a question

Which I shall axe fhalt answere.
And over this thou fhalt eke swere,
That if thou of the fothe faile,
There shal non other thinge availe,
That thou ne shalt thy deth receive,
And for men shal the nought deceive
That thou therof might ben avised,
Thou shalt have day and time affised
And leve faufly for to wende,

Be fo that at thy daies ende
Thou come ayein with thin avise.
This knight, which worthy was and wise,
This lady praieth, that he may wit
And have it under feales writ,
What question it sholde be

For which he shall in that degre

Stonde of his life in jeopartie.
With that she feigneth compaignie
And faith: Florent, on love it hongeth
All that to min axinge longeth,
What all women most defire

This woll I axe, and in thempire
Where thou haft mofte knowleching
Take counseil of this axinge.
Florent this thing hath undertake,
The day was fet and time take,
Under his feale he wrote his othe
In fuch a wife, and forth he gothe
Home to his emes courte ayein,
To whom his aventure plein
He tolde, of that is him befalle.
And upon that they weren alle
The wifeft of the londe affent,
But netheles of one affent
They might nought accorde plat,
One faide this, an other that
After the difpofition

Of natural complexion

To fome woman it is plefaunce,
That to another is grevaunce.
But fuche a thinge in fpeciall
Whiche to hem alle in generall
Is moft plesaunt and most desired
Above all other and most conspired,
Suche o thing conne they nought finde
By constellation ne kinde.

And thus Florent withoute cure
Mot ftonde upon his aventure
And is al shape unto the lere,
And as in defaulte of his answere
This knight hath lever for to deie
Than breke his trouth and for to lie
In place where he was swore,
And shapeth him gone ayein therfore.
Whan time cam he toke his leve
That lenger wolde he nought beleve
And praieth his eme he be nought wroth,
For that is a point of his oth,

He faith, that no man shal him wreke,
Though afterward men here speke
That he peraventure deie.

And thus he went forth his weie
Alone as a knight aventurous
And in his thought was curious
To wit, what was beft to do.
And as he rode alone fo

And cam nigh there he wolde be,
In a foreft there under a tree

He figh where fat a creature,
A lothly womannissh figure,
That for to speke of flesshe and bone
So foule yet figh he never none.
This knight behelde her redily,
And as he wolde have passed by
She cleped him and bad abide.
And he his hors heved afide,

Tho torned and to her he rode
And there he hoved and abode
To wit what she wolde mene.
And she began him to bemene
And faid: Florent, by thy name
Thou haft on honde fuch a game
That but thou be the better avised
Thy deth is shapen and devised,
That al the world ne may the fave,
But if that thou my counfeil have.
Florent whan he this tale herde,
Unto this olde wight answerde
And of her counfeil he her praide.
And she ayein to him thus faide :
Florent, if I for the fo fhape,

That thou through me thy deth escape

And take worship of thy dede,

What shall I have to my mede?

What thing, quod he, that thou wolde axe.

I bid never a better taxe,

Quod fhe, but first, or thou be sped,
Thou shalt me leve fuche a wed,

That I woll have thy trouth on honde,
That thou shalt be min hufebonde.
Nay, faith Florent, that may nought be.
Ride thanne forth thy way, quod fhe,
And if thou go withoute rede,

Thou shalt be fekerlich dede.
Florent behight her good inough

Of londe, of rent, of parke, of plough,

But all that compteth fhe at nought.
Tho fell this knight in mochel thought,
Now goth he forth, now cometh ayein,
He wot nought what is beft to fain
And thought as he rode to and fro,
That chefe he mote one of the two
Or for to take her to his wife
Or elles for to lefe his life.
And than he cafte his avauntage,
That she was of so great an age
That she may live but a while,
And thought to put her in an ile,
Where that no man her shulde knowe
Til she with deth were overthrowe.
And thus this yonge lufty knight

Unto this olde lothly wight

Tho faid: if that none other chaunce

May make my deliveraunce

But only thilke fame speche

Which as thou faift thou fhalt me teche, Have here min honde, I fhal the wedde. And thus his trouth he leith to wedde. With that the frounceth up the browe: This covenaunt woll I allowe,

She faith, if any other thing

But that thou haste of my teching
Fro deth thy body may respite,
I woll the of thy trouth acquite
And elles by none other waie.
Now herken me what I fhall faie: