in al thynges served hym as is the maner of friendis bi viii daies,
and shewid hym al his manoirs and other juels and necessaries[1] to
hym bilongyng whiche that he had in his house. At the viii daies
end he of Baldach sekeled.[2] That gretely greved the lord of the
hous, [whiche] cald vnto hym al the lechis of egipt, as they come to
his house to see his friende. The lechis felt his puls eft and eft,
also bihield his vryne, and non infirmyte in hym thei knew. Therfor
thei knewen [it] to be a passioun of love. This knowen, the
lord of the house asked hym and bisought hym if ther were any
womman in his hous that he loved. To that the sikeman saide:
"Shewe me al the wymmen of thyn house, if that haply amonges
theym I may see hir that I love, and I shal tel the." Whiche so herd,
[he] shewid hym syngeressis and dauncers, of the whiche non of
hem hym pleased. After that he shewed al his owne doughters;
thiese also as tho other he refused and non Reward of hem tooke.
The lord forsoth of the house had a nobil damysel and maiden
whiche long[3] tyme he had norisshid and cherissed to that entent
with hymsilf to have maried (f. 120). Whiche whan he had shewid
hym, the sike man forsoth bihied and saide: "Of this and in this is
my lif and deth." Whiche whan the lord of the house herd [he]
yaf to hym that noble faire maide vnto wif with al tho thynges
whiche was with hyr to bi taken, vp suche condicioun that he shuld
wed hir vnto wif. These thynges complete, [he] toke his wif and
tho thynges whiche he tok with his wif, and his neede and busynes
don repaired ageyn home in to his cuntrey.
Forsoth it happed after that this Egipcien in many maners lost
al his goodis and was made a veray needy poore man [and] thought
in hymsilf that he shuld go to his friend whiche he had at Baldach,
as that he myght have mercy and pite vpon hym. Therfor naked
and hungry in the tempest and silence of the nyght he cam to
Baldach. Shame forsoth so withstoode hym that he went nat to the
house of his friende lest haply unknowen at suche tyme he were
forbode the house. Therfor he entrid in suche a temple where he
benyghted. But in lase while than he wold ther abide[4] [he] mette
ther two men of the Citee nyhs to the temple, of whiche that oon
slowgh that other and p[r]ivily fled. Many of the Citizeyns for the
- ↑ Lat. (I, 4, l. 15) has simply: ostendit ei omnes manerias cantus quas habebat in domo sua.
- ↑ For this sentence the Lat. has Finitis octo diebus infirmatus est.
- ↑ Two or three letters crossed out in Ms.
- ↑ Translator has rendered Latin entirely wrong (I, 5, l. 9), Sed cum ibi anxius multa secum diu volveret.
