And with him gret strengthe with-owten Mis;
And Oriable thi Cite they han take,

8

And Abowtes In-virown thei don wrake,

and wasted it up That so the Contre distroied is be him

to Castle Vala

he'll be crowned Tyl he were Crowned king In sarras,”Whiche that was the Chef Cite

King in Sarras.

'MS Reg. xiv E 3 reads 'a. xxx. mille homes a pie.' [MS Add. chiualers, et a . hommes a pie': 90,000 in all.]

CH. XII.] EVALACH SUMMONS HIS VASSALS TO DRIVE OUT THOLOMES. 103

And that to the prikke Of deth he schold be browht;'

And this Euere was In Eualache thowht;

But for þat he was A man Of so gret prowesse,

He made non semblaunt Of non distresse,

36

but makes no sign of distress.

But Azens herte he made good Chere,

[S]eenge Alle tho that there were,

40

[A]nd swor Anon be his Creaunce,

'That what so him Euere happede be chaunce,

He swears he'll
turn Tholomes
[leaf 197, col. 2]

out,

3if At that sege he myhte him fynde,

He wold don him Remeve be som kynde.'

Anon his sonde he dide to sende

Ouer Al tho, Into Euerich ende,

44

and then sends to all his vassals

To Alle tho that Of him took Ony fe,

'Anon with him that thei scholden be,

48

And On the Morwe to ben Gadering

to meet him

at Castle Tarabel,

Atte Castel Of Tarabe1 with-owten Taryenge,'

And ho that Azens his Comandementis were,
What so he be that it doth there,

His lordschepe from him wil he take,
And but Ryht A povre Man him Make.'

And On the Morwe the king gan to remeve,
And Iosephes to him Cam to taken his leve;
"Sire kyng, hennes thou gynnest to Go,

60

under pain of losing his land.

As Evalach is going to march, 64 Josephes tells him

But thow ne wost what forto do;

For thou ne Art seker to Comen Agein,

But there forto dyen In Certein.

68

'MS Reg. 'tarabiel'; Add. 'carabel' (leaf 12, col. 3 at

foot).

he doesn't know what the end will be.

104 JOSEPHES TELLS EVALACH HE WAS A SHOEMAKER'S SON, [CH. XII.

he was born in France,

shoemaker's son.

For Conceil may pere non heled be
From him that Sit In Maieste.
Thow were born In fravnce lond,

As the holi gost me doth vndirstond,

In A Old Cite Of fraunce, As I wene,
at Meaux, a poor That Miaux is Called there bedene ;
And there thow were A pore Mannes sone,
That to Maken schon was thanne his wone;
And this Owghtest thow to knowen ful wel,
For thow it hast Sein this Everydel.
For whanne Augustus Cesar Emperour was
Of Rome xxxij 3er; In that plas

For when Augustus was emperor,

and Christ was

born,

He wende king Of Alle kinges haue ben;
And so it him thowhte that it was sen;
But Crist of Marie was born

In his tyme, that I Rehersed beforn,
That tho king Of Alle kynges was

he feared he should lose his empire.

80

84

88

92

CH. XII AND CHOSEN BY LOT IN FRANCE TO BE SENT TO ROME.

Thorwgh Owt Al that Contre
Anon his Messengeres sente he,
'That Euery man & womman Also
To him A peny scholde zelden tho,
As In Manere Of A knowelechinge,
As In weye Of Soiettis to here kynge.
And, bencheson1 that Fraunce was thanne
Of Anothir Maner kende Of Manne,
To hem he sente In this Manere

105

[If 197, bk, col. 1]

So he ordered all folk to pay him a

108 penny as tribute.

112

But of France he required

As, Sire, I the schal now tellen here:

An hundred knyhtes be trews Aftir he sente,

And Aftir An hundred knyhtes dowghtren presente,
That Maidenis scholde ben Everichon,-

100 knights, and 100 knights' daughters, vir

gins,

117

And thus his Messages Gonne forth to gon,

And An hundred knave children Al In fere,

and 100 boys not over five years

Not passeng the Age thanne of fyve zere,
But Rathere lasse thanne Ony More;

120 old.

That time this was his Comaundement thore.

French city

And whanne these tydinges weren Comen Into fraunce, Then in every Mochel they Merveilled thanne Of this Chaunce; 124

And thanne Chosen they In Euery Cite
Be lot, As that time here hap myhte be.

lots were cast;

So thanne it happed, As I telle now the,
That Owt Of Miaux that Cite,

That tweyne Maydenes Chosen weren for sothe,
And that An Erlis dowghtren weren thei bothe
Hos Name was Erl Of Siuayn,

128 and out of Meaux

That lord of Miaux was, & Of the Contre Certain. 132
And whanne the lot on hem pus gan falle,
Thanne mosten thei forth nedis with Alle;
And vppon the,2 tho, fyl the tother lot,
Where pou myhtest ben Excused not,
For thow were At the Age Of fyve zer,

And Also these Maidenis bothe briht & Cler;

'be encheson,' by occasion, because.

thee' is often written 'the.'

were chosen two maidens, the Earl of Sivayn's daughters,

and you, Evalach,

136

See 1. 114, 140, 149, 157, &c.

106

and all three of

you were sent to Rome.

JOSEPHES TELLS EVALACH HIS PAST LIFE.

That so wit these Maydenes forth were pou led,
As to-fore I haue here now to the Seid.
And whanne that to Rome 3e weren I-Come,

[CH. XII.

140

You were very beautiful.

At 20, both

maidens died.

Then Tiberius

The peple Abowtes 30w Cam On A throme,
And 30w gonnen faste to beholde :

3e hadden tho Of Bewte so Manifolde.
And whanne thow were comen to twenty1 3ere,

Thanne bothe Maidenes deyden Ryht there;
For the ton ne lyved After the tothir
But thre Monthes, It was non Othir.

144

148

sent you to Earl Felis of Syria,

Thanne Aftyr, the took Tiberius Sesar,
That Aftir Augustus was emperour thar,
And the hadde tho Ryht In gret Cherte,
And to An Erl the sente for thi bewte-
Erl Felys he hyghte Of Svlie,-
To him were thow lad In hie:

152

Tholomes of

Babilon,

That Of babiloyne thilke time king was,

[If 197, bk, col. 2] And werre he held Azens Olifernus;

164

For Olifernus king was riht tho with-outen d[owte]
There As now thow Art Of Al the Contre Abowte. 168
And Anon As thow to him were gon,

There A knyht he made the Anon;

who knighted you,

And so moche love thanne he Caste to the,
That Amonge Al his Ost he 3af the powste;

172

'MS Reg., '.xx.'; MS Add. '.xii.'

2 MS Reg. 'tholome cerastre'; MS Add. 'tholomes ce iastre.'