Ye mut take hede for to deme right,
For it wer no reson my mastir shuld lese his sight
For his trew hert and his gentilnes."

Beryn," quod the blind, "tho I woll the relese My quarell and my cause, and fall fro my pleynt." "Thow mut nede," quod Geffrey, "for thow art ateynt,

So mut thow profir gage, and borowis fynd also,
For to make amendis, as othir have ydo.
Sir steward, do us law, sith we desire but right:
As we been pese marchandis us longith nat to fight,
But pleyn us to the law, yf so we be agrevid."
Anoon opon that Geffrey these wordis had ymevid
The blynd man fond borowis for all his maletalent,
And were yentrid in the court to byde the jugement;
For thoughe that he blynde were yit had he good
plente,

And more wold have wonne through his iniquite.
"Now herith, sirs," quod Geffrey: "thre pleyntifs
been assurid;

And as anenst the ferth this women hath arerid, That pleynith here on Beryn, and seyth she is his wyfe,

And that she hath many a dey led a peynous lyfe,
And much sorow endurid his child to sustene,
And al is soth and trew. Now rightfullich to deme
Whether of them both shall othir obey, [sey."
And folowe will and lustis, sir steward, ye mut
And therwith Geffrey lokid aside on this woman
How she chaungit colours, pale and eke wan.
"All for nought," quod Geflrey, " for ye mut with
us go,

And endure with your husbond both wele and woo:" And wold have take her by the hond, but she awey did breyde,

And with grete sighing these wordis she seyd;
That ageyns Beryn she wold plede no more,
But gagid with too borowis, as othir had do tofore,
The steward sat as still as who had shor his hede,
And specially the pleyntifs were in much drede:
Geffrey set his wordis in such maner wise [wise
That wele they wist they myght nat scape in no
Without loss of goodis for damage and for cost,
For such wer their lawis wher pleyntis wer ylost.
Geffrey had full perfeyte of their encombirment,
And eke he was in certen that the jugement
Shuld pas with his mastir; wherfore he anoon,
"Sovern sirs," he seyd, "yit must we ferthir goon,
And answere to this Machyn, that seith the knife
is his
[amys:
That found was on Beryn; ther'of he seith nat
And for more prefe be seith in this manere
That here stondith present the same cotelere
That the knyfe made, and the precious stonys thre
Within the haft been couchid, that in Crystyanite,
Thoughe men wold of purpose make serch and
seche,
[it liche;
Men shuld nat fynd in al thing a knyfe that were
And more opyn prefe than mann'ys own knowleche
Men of law ne clerkis con nat tell ne teche.
Now sith we be in this manere thus ferforth ago,
Then were spedfull for to know how Beryn cam
first to
[is his:
Have possessioune of the knyfe that Machyn seith
To yew unknowne I shall enfourm the trowith as
it is.

Now seven yere and passid, opon a Tuysday
In the Passioun-week, when men leven pley,
And use mote devocioune, fastyng, and preyer,
Then in othir tyme or seson of the yere,

And the clothis halid from the bed awey. [dey!'
Out, alas !' quod Beryn, that evir I saw this
They meyne herd the noise, how Beryn cried alas,
And cam into the chambir al that therein was;
But the dole, and the sorowe, and anguysh, that
was there

It vaylith nat at this tyme to declare it here;
But Beryn had most of all, have ye no doute:
And anoon they serchid the body al aboute,
And fond this same knyfe, the poynt right at his
Of Beryn's fadir whose teres gan outstert [hert
When he drawith out the knyfe of his fadir's wound;
Then standede I saw hym fall down to the ground
In sight of the most part that beth with hym now
here,"
[lere:
And they affermyd it for soth, as Geffrey did them
"And yit had I nevir suspecioun from that day tyll
[moweth

noweth

Who ded that cursed dede, tyll Machyn with his
Afore yew hath knowlechid that the knyfe is his;
So mut he nedis answer for his deth ywis."
When Machyn had yherd all Geffrey'is tale
He rose of bench sodenly with colour wan and pale.
And seyd onto Beryn, "Sir, ageyn the

I woll plete no more, for it were gret pete
To combir yew with actions that beth of nobill
kynde."

"Graunt mercy! sir," quod Geffrey; "but yit ye shull fynde

Borowis or ye pas, amendis for to make
For our undewe vexacioune, and gage also us take
In sign of submyssioune for your injury,
As law woll and reson, for we woll uttirly
Procede tyll we have jugement finall;
And ther'for, sir steward, what that evir fall
Delay us no longer but gyve us jugement,
For tristith ye noon othir but we be fullich bent
To Isope for to wend, and in his high presence
Reherce al our plees, and have his sentence;
Then shull ye make fynys, and highlich be agrevid."
And as sone as the steward herd thes wordis mevid,
"Reson, ryght, and law," seyd the steward tho,
"Ye mut nedis have wher I woll or no;
And to preve my full wyll, or we ferther goon,"
Quicklich he commaundit, and sparid nevir oon,
24 burgeysis in law best ylerid,
[swerid,
Rehersyng them the plees, and how Geffrey an
And on lyf and lym, and forfetur of good, [hood,
And as they wold nat lese the ball within their
To draw a-part togidir, and by their all assent
Spare no man on lyve to gyve true jugement.
And when these 24 burgeysis had yherd
The charge of the steward, right sore they wer
To lese ther own lyvis but they demed trowith;
And eke of their neybours they had grete rowith,
For they perseyvid clerelich in the plee through-
[no dout,
Their frendis had the wors side, ther'of they had

out

[aferd

"And yf we deme trewly they woll be sore anoyid, Yit it is betir then we be shamyd and distroyid." And anoon they were accordit, and seyd with Beryn, And demed every pleyntif to make a grete fyne With Beryn, and hym submyt hoolich to his grace Body, good, and catell, for wrong and their tresSo ferforth, tyll at last it was so bout ybore [pase; That Beryn had the doubill good that he had tofore,

And wyth joy and myrth, with all his company, He droughe hym to his shippis ward wyth song and melody.

swer.

The steward and the burgeyse from the court bent
Into their own placis, and evir as they went
They talkid of the Romeyns, how sotill they wer
To aray hym like a fole that for them shuld an-
[to curs?
"What vylith it," quod Hanybald, "to angir or
And yit I am in certen I shall fare the wers
All the dayis of my lyfe for this day'is pleding,
And so shal al the remnaunt; and their hondis
wryng,
[Machyn,
Both Syrophanes, and the blynd, the woman, and
And be bet avisid er they eftsonys pleyne,
And al othir personys wythyn this cete
Mell the les wyth Romeyns whils they here be;
For such anothir fole was nevir yit yborn,
For he did naught ellis but evir with us scorn
Tyll he had us caught even by the shyn
With his sotill wittis in our own grene."
Now woll I retourn to Beryn ageyn,
That of his grete lukir in hert was right feyne.
And so was all his meyne, as them ought wele,
That they were so delyverid from turment like to
Hell,

And graciusly relevid out of ther grete myschef,
And yset above in comfort and bouchef. [denied
"Now in soth," quod Beryn," it may nat be
N'ad Geffrey and his witt be we had be destroyid:
Ithanked be Almyghty God omnipotent
That for our consolacioune Geffrey to us sent!
And in protest opynly, here among yew alle,
Half my good, whils that I lyve, whatevir me befall,
I grauut it here to Geffrey, to gyve or to sell,
And nevir to part from me, yf it wer his wyl,
And fare as well as I a morrow and eke on eve,
And nevir for a man on lyve his company for to
leve."

"Graunt mercy! sir," quod Geffrey, "yewr profir is feir and grete,

naunt.

But I desire no more but as ye me behete,
To bryng me at Room, for this is covenaunte."
"It shall be do," quod Beryn, and all the rem-
[wele do."
"Deperdeux!" quod Geffrey, "ther'of we shull
He rayid hym othirwise; and without wordis mo
They went to the dyner the hole company,
With pipis and with trompis, and othir melody:
And in the myddis of their mete gentil women fyve,
Maidens fresh atirid as myght be on lyve,
Com from the duke Isope, lord of that rigioune,
Everich wyth a present, and that of grete renown:
The first bare a cup of gold, and of asure fyne,
So corouse and so nobill that I can nat devyne;
The second brought a swerd yshethid, wyth seyntur
Ifretid all with perelis orient and pure;
The third had a mantell of lusty fresh colour,
The uttir part of purpill, yfurrid with pelour;
The ferth a cloth of gold, a worthy and a riche,
That nevir man tofere saw cloith it liche;

The fift bare a palme that stode tofore the deyse
In tokyn and sign of trowith and pese,
For that was the custome through all the contray;
The message was the levir and more plesant to
pay.

The cup was uncoverid, the swerd was out ybrayid,
The mantell was unfold, the cloth along ylayid;
They knelid adown echone right tofore Beryn;
The first did the message, that taught was wel and
fyne:
[riall,
"Isope," she seyd, "sir Beryn, that is our lord
And gretith yew, and sendith yew these presentis
all,
[naunce,
And joy hath of yewr wisdom and of yewr gover-
And preyd you to com and have with hym ple-
[there,
To morowe, and se his palayse, and to sport you
Yee and all your company," Beryn made noon
[dis;

saunce

answere,

But sat styll, and beheld the women and the son-
And aftirward avisely the swerd first he hondis
And commaundit therewith all the wymmen wassh
and sit,
[wit
And pryvelich chargit officers that with al their
To serve them of the best, and make them hertly
chere

Ressevyng al the presentis in worshipful manere.
I cannat wele express the joy that they had, [glad
But I suppose tofore that day that they wer nat so
That they wer so ascapid fortune and myschefe,
And thankid God above that all thing doith relefe;
For Aftir mysty cloudis ther comith a clere sonne,
So aftir hale comyth bote, whoso byde conne.
The joy and nobley that they had whils they wer
at mete,

It vaylith nat at this tyme ther'of long to trete:
But Geffrey sat with Beryn, as he had servid wele;
Their hedis they leyd togidir, and begon to tell
In what maner the wymen shuld be answered.
Geffrey evir avisid Beryn ther of he leryd,
And of othir thinges how he hym shuld govern;
Beryn saverid wele theron, and fast be gan to lern.
When al wer up the wymmen came to take their
leve;
[releve,

Beryn, as sat hym wele of blode, them toward gan
And prey'd them hertly "hym to recommend
Unto the worthy lordship of Isope, that you send
To me that am unworthy, save of his grete nobley,
And thank hym of his gyftis as ye can best, and sey
To morow I woll be redy his hest to fulfill,
With this I have save condit I may com hym tyll,
For me and al my feleship saff to com and go,
Trusting in his discrecioune that thoughe I ax so
He wol nat be displesid: for in my contray
It hath evir be the custom, and is unto this day,
That yf a lord riall desirith for to see
Eny maner persone that is of las degre, [honde
Er he approch his presence he woll have in his
A saff condit enselid, or els som otbir bonde,
That he may com and pas without disturbance;
Throughout all our marchis it is the observaunce."
Thes wymmen toke their leve without wordis mo,
Repeyring onto Isope, and all as it was do
They rehersid redely, and faylid nevir a word,
To Isope with his baronage thier he sat at his borde,
Talkyng fast of Romayns, and of their high pru-
dence,

That in so many daungers made so wise defence.
But as sone as Isope had pleynlich yherd
Of Beryn's governaunce, that first sesid the swerd

Afore al othir presentis, he demed in hys minde
That Beryn was ycom of som nobill kynde.
The nyght was past; the morowe cam; Isope had
nat forgete;

He chargit barons twelf with Beryn for to mete
To cond hym saff and his meyne; and al perfour-
myd was.
[solas,
Thre dayis ther they sportid hym in myrth and
That throughe the wise instructioune of Geffrey
nyght and dey

Beryn plesid Isope with wordis al to pay,
And had hym so in port and in governaunce
Of all honeste myrthis and witty daliaunce,
That Isope cast his chere to Beryn so groundly,
That at last there was no man with Isope so
pryvy,

Resorting to his shippis, comyng to and fro,
Thoroughe the wit of Geffrey, that eche day it fil so
That Isope coude no wher chere when Beryn was
absent;

So Beryn must nedis eche day be aftir sent:

And chefe he was of counsell within the first yere,
Thoroughe the wit of Geffrey, that eche dey did
hym lere.
[wyfe
This Isope had a doughtir betwene hym and his
That was as feir a creature as myght bere lyfe,
Wyse, and eke bountevouse, and benying with all,
That heir shuld be aftir his dey of his lordshippis
alle;

So, shortly to conclude, the mariage was made
Betwene hir and Beryn, many a man to glade,
Saff the burgeysis of the town, of falshede that
were rote:

But they wer evir hold so low ondir fote
That they might nat regne, but at last fawe
To leve their condicioune and their fals lawe.
Beryn and Geffrey made them so tame
That they amendit eche dey, and gat a betir name.
Thus Geffrey made Beryn his enemyes to ovircom,
And brought hym to worship thoroughe his wysdom
Now God us graunt grace to fynd such a frende
When we have nede! and thus I make an ende.