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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.
'Syr,' he sayde, 'for goddes sake
Wyll yee thys porman In thake?
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for his lowe ? at dyed on Roode, [folio 149b]
Gywe me clethe and manys foode;
and for his lowe ? at went for the,
God sende ? e grace hym for to see. '
This ryche man with stode ? an, 247
And callyd one of his owne men,
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And gaffe hym mete an dr[i]nk bothe,
And with pore men hym to clothe.
There dwellyd alex wythem alle,
Sewentene yere in his Faders hall;
There was no man, hye ne llawe,
yongne owlde, ? at hym myght knowe;
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his owne men for rebaundrye 255
dyd hym manye a welonye.
They hylde water wppon hys hede,
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And gaff hym ? at was in the dyche levyd;
But euer he hylde hym stylle, 259
And Alle he suffyrde with goode wyll.
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A-gayne xvij wyntersende,
Whane he schowlde owte of ?