6

THE LORD IS DROPPED THROUGH A TRAPDOOR,

Sche toke yt feyre and welle;
Sche seyd, "in to the chambyr wytt we,
Ther no man schatt vs see;

No lenger wylt we spare."

Vp the steyer they gan1 hye:

The stepes were made so queyntly

That farther myght he nott fare.
The lord stumbyllyd as he went in hast,
He fett doune in to bat chaste

Forty fote and somedele more.

The lord began to crye;
The wyfe seyd to hym in hye,

"Syr, what do ye there?"
"Dame, I can nott seye howe
That I am come hydder nowe
To thys hows þat ys so newe;
I am so depe in thys sure flore
That I ne can come owte att no dore;
Good dame, on me bou rewe!"
"Nay," sche seyd, "so mut y the,
Tytt myne husbond come and se,
I schrewe hym þat yt bought."
The lord arose and lokyd abowte
If he myght eny where gete owte,
Butt yt holpe hym ryght nogħt,
The wallys were so thycke wythyn,
That he no where myght owte wynne
But helpe to hym were brought ;
And euer the lord made euytt chere,
And seyd, "dame, pou schalt by thys dere."
Sche seyd that sche ne rought;
Sche seyd "I recke nere

Whyle I am here and pou art there,

I schrewe herre bat be doth drede."
The lord was sone owte of her bought,
The wyfe went in to her lofte,

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Wyth a grete hete:

Sche brought the lyne and hempe on her backe, the flax and hemp, "Syr lord," sche seyd, "haue pou þat,

And lerne for to swete."

Ther sche toke hym a bonde
For to occupy hys honde,

And bade hym fast on to bete.
He leyd yt downe on the stone,
And leyd on strockes wett good wone,
And sparyd nott on to leyne.
Whan þat he hadde wrought a thraue,
Mete and drynke he gan to craue,

And would haue hadde yt fayne;
"That I hadde somewhat for to ete
Now after my gret swete;

Me thynketh yt were rygħt,
For I haue labouryd nyght and daye
The for to plese, dame, I saye,

And therto putt my myght."

and says, "Work away."

[1? MS. this.] He does,

lays on well,

and then asks for his food,

for he's toiled night and day.

The Steward asks the wright after his Lord,

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then notices the garland,

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and asks who

gave it him.

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"Sir, it will tell me whether my wife goes bad."

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"I'll prove that this very night," says the steward,

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The wyfe seyd "so mutt I haue hele,
And yf þi worke be wrought wele

Thou schalt haue to dyne."
Mete and drynke sche hym bare,
Wyth a thrafe of flex mare

Of futt long boundyn lyne.
So feyre the wyfe the lord gan praye
That he schuld be werkyng aye,

And nought þat he schuld blynne;
The lord was fayne to werke tho,
Butt hys men knewe nott of hys woo
Nor of per lordes pyne.

The stuard to be wryght gan saye,
"Sawe pou owte of my lord to-daye,
Whether that he ys wende?”
The wryght answerde and seyd "naye;
I sawe hym nott syth yesterdaye;

I trowe bat he be schent."

The stuard stode be wryght by,
And of hys garlond hadde ferly

What þat yt be-mente.
The stuard seyd, "so god me saue,
Of thy garlond wondyr I haue,

And who yt hath the sent."
"Syr," he seyd, "be the same hatte
I can knowe yf my wyfe be badde

To me by eny other man);

If my floures ouber fade or falle,
Then doth my wyfe me wrong wyth-alle,
As many a woman can)."

The stuard pought "by godes mygħt,
That schatt I preue thys same nygħt
Whether pou blys or banne,"
And in to hys chambyr he gan gone,
And toke tresure futt good wone,

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AND THINKS HE HAS SUCCEEDED SO WELL.

And forth he spedde hem than).

Butt he ne stynt att no stone

Tytt he vn-to be wryghtes hows come
That ylke same nygħt.

He mett the wyfe amydde the gate,
Abowte be necke he gan her take,
And seyd "my dere wyght,

Alt the good bat ys myne
I wytt the geue to be thyne

To lye by the att nyght."

Sche seyd, "syr, lett be thy fare,

My husbond wolle wete wyth-owtyn) mare

And I hym dyd that vnrygħt;

I would nott he myght yt wete

For att the good that I myght gete,

So Ihesus1 mutt me spede

For, and eny man lay me by,

My husbond would yt wete truly,

It ys wythowtyn eny drede."

The stuard seyd "for hym þat ys wrought,
There-of, dame, drede the nogħt

Wyth me to do that dede;
Haue here of me xx marke

Of gold and syluer styf and starke,
Thys tresoure schatt be thy mede."
"Syr, and I graunt þat to you,
Lett no man wete butt we two nowe."
He seyd, "nay, wythowtyn drede."
The stuard bought, 'sykerly
Women beth both queynte & slye.'
The mony he gan her bede;
He bought wele to haue be spedde,
And of his erand he was onredde
Or he were fro hem) I-gone.
Vp the sterys sche hym leyde

to the wright's house,

takes her round

the neck,

and offers her all

[leaf 182]

he has, to lie by her that night.

She refuses,

as her husband would be sure to

know of it.

The steward

urges her again,

and offers her 20 marks.

She says, "Then don't tell any one,"

takes his money,

9 10

THE STEWARD IS SHOT THROUGH THE TRAPDOOR,

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Tytt he saw the wryghtes bedde:

Of tresoure bought he none;
He went and stumblyd att a stone;

In to be seller he fylle sone,

Downe to the bare flore.

The lord seyd "what deuytt art pon?
And pou hadest falle on me nowe,

Thowe hadest hurt me futt sore."

The stuard stert and staryd abowte
If he myght ower gete owte

Att hole lesse or mare.

The lord seyd, "welcome, and sytt be tyme,
For pou schalt helpe to dyght thys lyne

For att thy fers[e] fare."

The stuard lokyd on the knygħt,

He seyd, "syr, for godes myght,

My lord, what do you here?"

He seyd "felowe, wyth-owtyn oth,

For o erand we come bothe,

The sothe wolle I nott lete."

Tho cam the wyfe them vn-to,
And seyd, "syres, what do you to,
Wyft ye nott lerne to swete?”

Than seyd be lord her vn-to,
'Dame, your lyne ys I-doo,

Nowe would I fayne ete :
And I have made yt att I-lyke,
Futt clere, and no þing thycke,

Me thynketh yt gret payne."
The stuard seyd "wyth-owtyn dowte,
And euer I may wynne owte,

I wytt breke her brayne."

"Felowe, lett be, and sey nott so,
For bou schalt worke or euer pou goo,
Thy wordes pou torne agayne,
Fayne pou schalt be so to doo,
And thy good wylle put perto ;