Torrent of Portyngale Part 26

The carefull lady was full blith, 1855 Vp to lond she went swith, As fast as euer she myght.

Tho the day be-gan~ to spryng, Foules a-Rose and mery gan syng Delicious notys on~ hight. 1860 To a mowntayn went that lady ffree: [1961]

Sone was she warr~ of a Cite With towrus ffeyre and bryght.

There fore, i-wys, she was full fayn~, She sett her down~, as I herd sayn~, 1865 Her two children~ ffor to dight.

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[Sidenote: and finds an Arbour there. A Griffin carries off one of her boys.

She puts the other down,]

Vppon~ the low the lady ffound An Erber wrought w{i}t{h} mann{us} hond, With herbis, that were good.

A Grype was in~ the mowntayn~ wonne, 1870 A way he bare her yong son~ [1971]

Ou{er} a water fflood, Over in to a wyldernes, There seynt Antony ermet w{e}s, There as his chapell stode. 1875 The other child down~ gan~ she ly, And on the ffoule did shoute & crye, f. 107a.

That she was nere hond wood.

[Linenotes: 1874. _was_ MS.

1876. _ly_] _lay_ MS.]

[Headnote: A LEOPARD CARRIES OFF DESONELL'S 2ND BOY.]

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[Sidenote: and sorrows.]

Vp she rose ageyn~ the rough~, With sorofull hert and care Inough~, 1880 Carefull of blood and bone . . . . . . . [1981]

She sye, it myght no better be, She knelid down~ vppon~ her kne, And thankid G.o.d and seynt Iohn~.

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[Sidenote: A leopard takes her other boy away.]

There come a libard vppon~ his pray, 1885 And her other child bare away, She thankid G.o.d there And his moder Mary bryght.

This lady is lefte alone ryght: The sorow she made there . . . . . 1890

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[Sidenote: The King of Jerusalem sees the leopard and child.]

That she myght no further ffare: [1991]

'Of one poynt,' {she sayd}, 'is my care, As I do now vnderstond, So my children~ crystenyd were, Though they be with beest{es} there, 1895 Theyre liffe is in G.o.dd{us} hond.'

The kyng of Ierusalem~ had bene At his brothers weddyng, I wene, That was lord of all that lond.

As he com homward on his way, 1900 He saw where the liberd lay [2001]

With a child pleyand.

[Linenote: 1892. _she s._] om. MS.]

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[Sidenote: Each child has one of Torrent's rings. The King's men kill the Leopard,]

Torrent had yeve {her} ring{es} two, And euery child had one of tho, Hym~ with all to saue. 1905 The kyng said: 'Be Mary myld, Yonder is a liberd w{i}t{h} a child, A mayden~ or a knave.'

Tho men~ of armes theder went, f. 107b.

Anon~ they had theyre hors spent, 1910 Her guttys oute she Rave. [2011]

For no stroke wold she stynt; Till they her slew w{i}t{h} speris dynt, The child myght they not haue.

[Linenote: 1903. _her_] _his lady_ MS.]

[Headnote: HE (LEOBERTUS) IS ADOPTED BY THE KING OF JERUSALEM.]

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[Sidenote: and take the Child to the King, who christens him 'Leobertus,']

Vp they toke the child y{i}ng 1915 And brought it be-ffore the kyng And vndid the swathing band, As his moder be-ffore had done, A gold ryng they ffound sone, Was closud in his hond. 1920 Tho said the kyng of Ierusalem~: [2021]

'This child is come of gentill teme, Where euer this beest hym~ ffond.

The boke of Rome berith wytnes, The kyng hym~ namyd Leobertus, 1925 That was hent in hethyn~ lond.

[Linenotes: 1915. _yong_ MS.

1923. _ffound_ MS.]

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[Sidenote: and takes him to Jerusalem.]

Two squiers to the town~ gan~ flyng, And a noryse to the child did bryng, Hym~ to kepe ffrome gr{e}me.

He led it in~ to his own~ lond 1930 And told the quene, how he it ffond [2031]

By a water streme.

Whan~ the lady saw the ryng, She said, with-oute lettyng: 'This child is com~ of gentill teme: 1935 Thou hast none heyre, thy lond to take, For I{es}u love thou {sh}oldist hym~ make Prynce of Ierusalem~.'

[Linenotes: 1929. _grame_ MS.

1937. _woldist_ MS.]

[Headnote: ST. ANTONY GETS THE FIRST BOY FROM THE GRIFFIN.]

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[Sidenote: St. Anthony sees the Griffin and Desonell's first boy, whom the bird lays at his feet.]

Now, in boke as we rede, As seynt Antony aboute yede, 1940 Byddyng his orysoun~, [2041]

Of the gripe he had a sight, f. 108a.

How she flew in a fflight, To her birdus was she boun~.

Be-twene her clawes she bare a child: 1945 He prayed to G.o.d and Mary myld, On lyve to send it down~.

That man was well with G.o.d all-my?t~, At his fote gan~ she light, That foule of gret renown~. 1950

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[Sidenote: St. Antony takes the boy to his Father, the King of Greece.]

Vp he toke the child th{e}re, [2051]