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e chylde Alexe;
Sone hit throofe, and wele hit wex.
Whan hit was vij yere olde and more,
hys freendys sett hym wnto lore; 46
he was sone Full goode of wytt,
And wnderstode the holy wryte;
he loued god in all his thought, 49
And of thys worllde gaffe he nought;
he sawe thys worllde was butt gylle,
for hit showld laste but a whyle;
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52
neuerthe les whan he was elde,
lone and felde For to wellde,
hys fader puruyde hym a wyffe, 55
Wit whome he soulde led hys lyffe;
A mayden there was fayre and Fre,
Com of ? e rycheste of that cette. [folio 146a]
In holy chyrche vppon a daye 59
They were spousyde in goddys laue;
Atte here spousyng I wott there stode
Beshoppys felle and prestes goode;
Sythen theye made a mangery
With all the beste of here aleye;
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64
All that comyn thyder ? at daye
theye were seruyd welle to paye,
Com ? ey erley, com the late,
theye wer neuer wernyd ? e yate; 68
there was nowder man nor knaue,
Byt mete and drynke he myght haue.
Euery man had there plente
Of claret wyne and pymente; 72
There was many a riche wyne,
In sylluer and in golde fyne;
Many a coppe and many a pece,
with wyne wernage & eke of grece;
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And many A noder ryche vessell
with wyne of gascoyne and of rochell.
whan euyne com ? at elke a gest
was gone to bed to take hys rest, 80
Eufemyan callyd hys sone Anone,
And bad hym ? at he shoulde gone
In to hys chaumbur to hys fere,
And cowmfort her in hys manere.
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84
Alex was to hym obedyent, [folio 146b]
and ded his faders comawndement;
In to a chaumbur he com full ryght,
And redy there he founde hys bryght,
And toke here in his armys twoo,
And downe they layde bothe twoo;
'dame,' he sayde, 'nou it ys soo,
Of Flessche ar wee allso.
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92
Noue may we be gladde of ? is lyffe,
For thowe art bothe moder and wyffe;
For allwaye rede ? at hit so be, 95
For nowe muste me wende frome the.
Whylys I was yong I made a vowe,
That I wyll Fullfell hyt nowe,
For to wende a pylgremage,
Noue woll I doo ? at vyage,
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100
And ? ou schalt lewe here at home,
agayne as goddys wyll I come. '
he yaffe her a gyrdell and a ryng,
all for a tokyng at ? eyre departyng;
And Forthe he went that elke nyght.
To ? e sse he come full ryght;
The shipe was redy, and ouer went,
wynde att wyll god hym sent.
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108
whan he come Into a Fer contre,
he come into a ryche cytte,
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110
[folio 147a] Knowyn he wollde in no wyse be
Of no man ? at shoullde hym see.
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112
In that cyte was an Image,
That was lyke goddes wysage, 114
Many a pylgryme had hit sought,
For hit was neuer with honde wrought.
Alex herd ther of than t[e]lle,
Than thought he there to duell.
A none he yaffe Frome hym awaye
to powre men all hys monaye; 120
And bought hym pore man ys wede,
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That none of theyme shoullde thak hede,
And axed his met eorly and late,
With poremen att the mynster yate.
All the mete ? at he myght gete,
Bot euery day a melys mete 126
To pore men gaffe A noone ryght,
he lefft hym sylffe none ouer nyght.
there dwellyd he xvij yere, 129
And lede his lyffe in thys manere;
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his Fader and hys modyr bothe,
Than he was to theyme Fvll lothe;
his fadyr made gret dole and sorowe,
Bothe on euen and on morowe. 134
'Alas!