For we reneied Mahound our creance?
But, Lordes, wol ye maken affurance,
As I shal fay, affenting to my lore?

And I fhal make us fauf for evermore.

They fworen and affented every man

4760

To live with hire and die, and by hire ftond; 4765
And everich on, in the best wife he can,
To strengthen hire fhal all his frendes fond.
And he hath this emprife ytaken in hond
Which ye full heren that I fhal devife,
And to hem all fhe spake right in this wife.
We fhul firft feine us Criftendom to take;

Cold water fhal not greve us but a lite;
And I fhal fwiche a feste and revel make
That, as I trow, I shal the Soudan quite:
For tho his wif be criftened never fo white
She shal have nede to wash away the rede
Though fhe a font of water with hire lede.

O Soudanneffe, rote of iniquitee,
Virago thou Semyramee the fecond,
O ferpent under femininitee,

Like to the ferpent depe in helle ybound,
O feined woman! all that may confound
Vertue and innocence, thurgh thy malice
Is bred in thee, as neft of every vice.

O Sathan envious! fin thilke day

That thou were chafed from our heritage,
Wel knoweft thou to woman the olde way:

4770

4775

4780

4785

Thou madeft Eva bring us in fervage,

Thou wolt fordon this Cristen mariage:

Thin inftrument fo (wala wa the while!)

4790

Makest thou of women whan thou wolt begile.

This Soudanneffe, whom I thus blame and warrie,

Let prively hire confeil gon hir way:

What fhuld I in this Tale longer tarie?

She rideth to the Soudan on a day,

And fayd him that she wold reneie hire lay,
And Cristendom of preites hondes fong,
Repenting hire fhe Hethen was fo long;

Befeching him to don hire that honour
That the might han the Cristen folk to feft;
To plefen hem I wol do my labour.
The Soudan faith, I wol don at your heft,
And kneling thanked hire of that request;
So glad he was ne n'iste not what to say,
She kist hire fone, and home she goth hire

Arrived ben these Cristen folk to lond

way.

In Surrie, with a gret folempne route,
And haftily this Soudan fent his fond
First to his mother and all the regne aboute,

And fayd his wif was comen out of doute,

4795

48c0

4806

4810

And praide hem for to riden again the quene,
The honour of his regne to fuftene.

Gret was the preffe, and riche was th' array
Of Surriens and Romanes met in fere.
The mother of the Soudan riche and gay

Volume II.

U

4815

Received hire with all fo glad a chere

As any mother might hire doughter dere;
And to the nexte citee ther befide

A fofte pas folempnely they ride.

Nought trow I the triumph of Julius,
Of which that Lucan maketh swiche a bost,
Was realler or more curious

Than was th' assemblee of this blisful hoft ;
Butte this fcorpion, this wicked goft,
The Soudanneffe, for all hire flattering
Caft under this ful mortally to fting.

The Soudan cometh himself fone after this

So really, that wonder is to tell,

And welcometh hire with alle joye and blis.

4820

4825

And thus in mirth and joye I let hem dwell; 4830

The fruit of this matere is that I tell.

Whan time came, men thought it for the best

'That revel flint, and men go to hir rest.

The time come is this olde Sondanneffe
Ordeined hath the fefte of which I tolde,
And to the fefte Criften folk hem dreffe
In general, ya, bothe yonge and olde.
Ther may men feft and realtee beholde,
And deintees mo than I can you devife;
But all to dere they bought it or they rise.
O foden wo, that ever art fucceffour

4835

4840

To wordly blis! fpreint is with bitterneffe

V. 4841. O foden wo] I thall tranfcribe the following paffage from the margin of mf. C. 1, though I know not from what

or it is borrowed, as it confirms the readings adopted in

Th' ende of the joye of our worldly labour:
Wo occupieth the fyn of our gladnesse.
Herken this confeil for thy fikerneffe,

4845

Upon thy glade day have in thy minde

The unware wo of harm that cometh behinde.
For fhortly for to tellen at a word,

The Soudan and the Criften everich on
Ben all to-hewe and stiked at the bord
But it were only Dame Custance alone.
This olde Soudanneffe, this curfed crone,
Hath with hire frendes don this curfed dede,
For fhe hirefelf wold all the contree lede.

Ne ther was Surrien non that was converted,
That of the confeil of the Soudan wot,

That he n'as all to-hewe er he afterted;

4850

4856

And Cuftance han they taken anon fote-hot,
And in a fhip all ftereles (God wot)

They han hire fet, and bidden hire lerne fayle 4860 Out of Surrie againward to Itaille.

the text; "Semper mundanæ lætitiæ triftitia repentina fuc"cedit. Mundana igitur felicitas multis amaritudinibus eft re"fperfa. Extrema gaudii luctus occupat. Audi ergo falubre ❝ confilium ; in die bonorum ne immemor fis malorum." The editt. read, O foudan wo,

c.

.4858. fote-bot] Haftily, with all expedition. See Gower, Conf. Amant. fol. 816;

And forth with all anon fote bote

He flale the cowe

See alfo R. R. 3827, "Haut le pied," In French, has the same fignification. Cotgrave, in v. ; so that I thould fufpe&t hot, in our phrafe, to be a corruption of haut.

A certain trefor that the thither ladde,

And foth to fayn vitaille gret plentee,

They han hire yeven, and clothes eke fhe hadde,
And forth the fayleth in the falte fee.

O my Cuftance! ful of benignitee,
O Emperoures yonge doughter dere!

4865

He that is Lord of fortune be thy ftere.

She bleffeth hire, and with ful pitous vois

Unto the crois of Crift thus fayde fhe:

4870

O clere, o weleful auter, holy crois!
Red of the Lambes blood ful of pitee,
That wefh the world fro the old iniquitee,
Me fro the fende and fro his clawes kepe

That day that I shal drenchen in the depe.
Victorious tree, protection of trewe,

4875

That only worthy were for to bere

The King of heven with his woundes newe,
The white Lamb, that hurt was with a spere;
Flemer of fendes out of him and here

On which thy limmes faithfully extenden,

4880

Me kepe, and yeve me might my lif to amenden.
Yeres and dayes fleet this creature
Thurghout the fee of Grece, unto the Straite
Of Maroc, as it was hire aventure:

On many a fory mele now may she baite;
After hire deth ful often may fhe waite,
Or that the wilde waves wol hire drive
Unto the place ther as she shal arive.

4885