O my Constance, full of benignity,
O emperorë’s youngë daughter dear,
He that is lord of fortune be thy steer!1539
She bless’d herself, and with full piteous voice
Unto the cross of Christ thus saidë she;
“O dear, O wealful1540 altar, holy cross,
Red of the Lambë’s blood, full of pity,
That wash’d the world from old iniquity,
Me from the fiend and from his clawës keep,
That day that I shall drenchen1541 in the deep.
“Victorious tree, protection of the true,
That only worthy werë for to bear
The King of Heaven, with his woundës new,
The whitë Lamb, that hurt was with a spear;
Flemer1542 of fiendës out of him and her
On which thy limbës faithfully extend,1543
Me keep, and give me might my life to mend.”
Yearës and days floated this creature
Throughout the sea of Greece, unto the strait
Of Maroc,1544 as it was her áventure:
On many a sorry meal now may she bait,
After her death full often may she wait,1545
Ere that the wildë wavës will her drive
Unto the place there as1546 she shall arrive.
Men mighten askë, why she was not slain?
Eke at the feast who might her body save?
And I answer to that demand again,
Who saved Daniel in the horrible cave,
Where every wight, save he, master or knave,1547
Was with the lion frett,1548 ere he astart?1549
No wight but God, that he bare in his heart.
God list1550 to shew his wonderful mirácle
In her, that we should see his mighty workës:
Christ, which that is to every harm triácle,1551
By certain meanës oft, as knowë clerkës,1552
Doth thing for certain endë, that full derk is
To mannë’s wit, that for our, ignorance
Ne cannot know his prudent purveyance.1553
Now since she was not at the feast y-slaw,1554
Who keptë her from drowning in the sea?
Who keptë Jonas in the fish’s maw,
Till he was spouted up at Nineveh?
Well may men know, it was no wight but he
That kept the Hebrew people from drowníng,
With dryë feet throughout the sea passing.
Who bade the fourë spirits of tempést,1555
That power have t’ annoyë land and sea,
Both north and south, and also west and east,
Annoyë neither sea, nor land, nor tree?
Soothly the cómmander of that was he
That from the tempest aye this woman kept,
As well when she awoke as when she slept.
Where might this woman meat and drinkë have?
Three year and more how lasted her vitaille?1556
Who fed the Egyptian Mary in the cave
Or in desért? no wight but Christ sans faille.1557
Five thousand folk it was as great marvaille
With loavës five and fishës two to feed:
God sent his foison1558 at her greatë need.
She drived forth into our oceán
Throughout our wildë sea, till at the last
Under an hold,1559 that nempnen1560 I not can,
Far in Northumberland, the wave her cast,
And in the sand her ship sticked so fast,
That thennës would it not in all a tide:1561
The will of Christ was that she should abide.
The Constable of the castle down did fare1562
To see this wreck, and all the ship he sought,1563
And found this weary woman full of care;
He found also the treasure that she brought:
In her languágë mercy she besought,
The life out of her body for to twin,1564
Her to deliver of woe that she was in.
A manner Latin corrupt1565 was her speech,
But algate1566 thereby was she understond.
The Constable, when him list no longer seech,1567
This woeful woman brought he to the lond.
She kneeled down, and thanked Goddë’s sond;1568
But what she was she would to no man say
For foul nor fair, although that she should dey.1569
She said, she was so mazed in the sea,
That she forgot her mindë, by her truth.
The Constable had of her so great pity
And eke his wifë, that they wept for ruth:1570
She was so diligent withoutë slouth
To serve and please every one in that place,
That all her lov’d, that looked in her face.
The Constable and Dame Hermegild his wife
Were Pagans, and that country every where;
But Hermegild lov’d Constance as her life;
And Constance had so long sojourned there
In orisons, with many a bitter tear,
Till Jesus had converted through His grace
Dame Hermegild, Constábless of that place.
In all that land no Christians durstë rout;1571
All Christian folk had fled from that countrý
Through Pagans, that conquered all about
The plages1572 of the North by land and sea.
To Wales had fled the Christianity
Of oldë Britons,1573 dwelling in this isle;
There was their refuge for the meanëwhile.
But yet n’ere1574 Christian Britons so exiled,
That there n’ere1575 some which in their privity
Honoured Christ, and heathen folk beguiled;
And nigh the castle such there dwelled three:
And one of them was blind, and might not see,
But1576 it were with thilk1577 eyen of his mind,
With which men mayë see when they be blind.
Bright was the sun, as in a summer’s day,
For which the Constable, and his wife also,
And Constance, have y-take the rightë way
Toward the sea, a furlong way or two,
To playen, and to roamë to and fro;
And in their walk this blindë man they met,
Crooked and old, with eyen fast y-shet.1578
“In the name of Christ,” criéd this blind Britón,
“Dame Hermegild, give me my sight again!”
This lady wax’d afrayed of that soun’,1579
Lest that her husband, shortly for to sayn,
Would her for Jesus Christë’s love have slain,
Till Constance made her hold, and bade her wirch1580
The will of Christ, as daughter of holy Church.
The Constable wax’d abashed1581 of that sight,
And saidë; “What amounteth all this fare?”1582
Constance answered; “Sir, it is Christ’s might,
That helpeth folk out of the fiendë’s snare:”
And
