That she the Constable, ere that it were eve,
Converted, and on Christ made him believe.
This Constable was not lord of the place
Of which I speak, there as he Constance fand,1584
But kept it strongly many a winter space,
Under Allá, king of Northumberland,
That was full wise, and worthy of his hand
Against the Scotës, as men may well hear;
But turn I will again to my mattére.
Satan, that ever us waiteth to beguile,
Saw of Constance all her perfectioún,
And cast1585 anon how he might quite her while;1586
And made a young knight, that dwelt in that town,
Love her so hot of foul affectioún,
That verily him thought that he should spill1587
But1588 he of her might onës have his will.
He wooed her, but it availed nought;
She wouldë do no sinnë by no way:
And for despite, he compassed his thought
To makë her a shameful death to dey;1589
He waiteth when the Constable is away,
And privily upon a night he crept
In Hermegilda’s chamber while she slept.
Weary, forwaked1590 in her orisons,
Sleepeth Constance, and Hermegild also.
This knight, through Satanas’ temptatións,
All softëtly is to the bed y-go,1591
And cut the throat of Hermegild in two,
And laid the bloody knife by Dame Constance,
And went his way, there God give him mischance.
Soon after came the Constable home again,
And eke Allá that king was of that land,
And saw his wife dispiteously1592 slain,
For which full oft he wept and wrung his hand;
And in the bed the bloody knife he fand
By Dame Constance: Alas! what might she say?
For very woe her wit was all away.
To King Allá was told all this mischance,
And eke the time, and where, and in what wise,
That in a ship was founden this Constance,
As here before ye have me heard devise:1593
The kingë’s heart for pity gan agrise,1594
When he saw so benign a creature
Fall in disease1595 and in misáventure.
For as the lamb toward his death is brought,
So stood this innocent before the king:
This falsë knight, that had this treason wrought,
Bore her in hand1596 that she had done this thing:
But natheless there was great murmuring
Among the people, that say they cannot guess
That she had done so great a wickedness.
For they had seen her ever virtuoús,
And loving Hermegild right as her life:
Of this bare witness each one in that house,
Save he that Hermegild slew with his knife:
This gentle king had caught a great motife1597
Of this witness, and thought he would inquere
Deeper into this case, the truth to lear.1598
Alas! Constance, thou has no champión,
Nor fightë canst thou not, so well-away!
But he that starf1599 for our redemptión,
And bound Satán, and yet li’th where he lay,1600
So be thy strongë champion this day:
For, but Christ upon thee mirácle kithe,1601
Withoutë guilt thou shalt be slain as swithe.1602
She set her down on knees, and thus she said;
“Immortal God, that savedest Susanne
From falsë blame; and thou merciful maid,
Mary I mean, the daughter to Saint Anne,
Before whose child the angels sing Osanne,1603
If I be guiltless of this felony,1604
My succour be, or ellës shall I die.”
Have ye not seen sometime a palë face
(Among a press) of him that hath been lad1605
Toward his death, where he getteth no grace,
And such a colour in his face hath had,
Men mightë know him that was so bestad1606
Amongës all the faces in that rout?
So stood Constance, and looked her about.
O queenës living in prosperity,
Duchesses, and ye ladies every one,
Havë some ruth1607 on her adversity!
An emperor’s daughtér, she stood alone;
She had no wight to whom to make her moan.
O blood royál, that standest in this drede,1608
Far be thy friendës in thy greatë need!
This king Allá had such compassióun,
As gentle heart is full filled of pitý,
That from his eyen ran the water down
“Now hastily do fetch a book,” quoth he;
“And if this knight will swearë, how that she
This woman slew, yet will we us advise1609
Whom that we will that shall be our justíce.”1610
A Briton book, written with Evangiles,1611
Was fetched, and on this book he swore anon
She guilty was; and, in the meanëwhiles,
An hand him smote upon the neckë bone,
That down he fell at once right as a stone:
And both his eyen burst out of his face
In sight of ev’rybody in that place.
A voice was heard, in general audience,
That said; “Thou hast deslander’d guiltëless
The daughter of holy Church in high presence;
Thus hast thou done, and yet hold I my peace?”1612
Of this marvel aghast was all the press,
As mazed folk they stood every one
For dread of wreakë,1613 save Constance alone.
Great was the dread and eke the repentánce
Of them that haddë wrong suspición
Upon this sely1614 innocent Constance;
And for this miracle, in conclusión,
And by Constance’s mediatión,
The king, and many another in that place,
Converted was, thanked be Christë’s grace!
This falsë knight was slain for his untruth
By judgëment of Alla hastily;
And yet Constance had of his death great ruth;1615
And after this Jesus of his mercý
Made Alla weddë full solemnëly
This holy woman, that is so bright and sheen,
And thus hath Christ y-made Constance a queen.
But who was woeful, if I shall not lie,
Of this wedding but Donegild, and no mo’,
The kingë’s mother, full of tyranny?
Her thought her cursed heart would burst in two;
She would not that her son had donë so;
Her thought it a despite that he should take
So strange a creature unto his make.1616
Me list not of the chaff nor of the stre1617
Make so long a tale, as of the corn.
What should I tellen of the royalty
Of this marriáge, or which course goes beforn,
Who bloweth in a trump or in an horn?
The fruit of every tale is for to say;
They
