No More Learning

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[folio 148b] 'Take,' sche sayde, 'my seruante swythe,
he hathe me seruyd all hys lyeffe;
Full offte he wolle to me lowthe,
hit is no ryght ? at he is withowte. '
'lady,' he sayde, 'I knowe hym nought,
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Nor I wott neuer where he schull be sought. ' 198
She sayde, 'he sitte? e eorly and late
Withowtyn att the mynster yate. '
Anon he owte of his slepe brayde,
And thought what ? e Image sayde.
And forthe went the sextayne, 203
And fownde alexknelyng In ? e Rayne.
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Fayne was he that he hym founde,
A-non he toke hym vpe be ? e hande.
'A-ryse,' he sayde, 'my leve and dere,
hit ys no ryght ? at thowe sitt here.
Com,' he sayde, 'my lady bade,
And there of mayst ? ou be glade.
'
All that hard this tydynges, 211
Theye worshippyd Iesu, hewyn kyng.
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Whan Alex sawe hit schulde be ryffe,
hys penance and hys holy lyffe, 214
here kepte he to haue mede,
In this worllde for his goode deede;
Bytt stylly he yeede a waye [folio 149a]
In to a-nodr dyuers contre. 218
To ? e se he cam in ? at entente,
In to spreusse he wollde haue wente;
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byt there com A storme of wynde & rayne,*. [[MS. raynde]] 221
And droffe ? e shipe home a gayne,
That In a lytyll stonde they come
Ryght to ? e cyte of rome. 224
Alex sayde ? an with sympyll cher,
'Alas! ' he sayde, 'wat do we here?
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Myght hitt haue bene affter me,
here wollde I nought haue I-bee;
Butt gode wollde hit myght befall
I myght be in my fadris haull, 230
So that I myght vnknowen be
of hym and of his meyny. '
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Forthe he vent vpe be a strete,
many a man there gan mete; 234
But there was no man ? at hym knwe,
So was he lene and blake of hewe.
There come his fader hyme agayne,
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With mayny a knyght and many a swane, 238
Than com with hym on ylke a syde;
Alex stode stelle theyme to a-byde.