The Lay of Marie and Vignettes in Verse Part 13

A little maiden child ich found In hollow ash thin out And a pel her about; A ring of gold also was there; How it came thither I wot ne'er."

The abbesse was a-wondered of this thing.

"Go," she said, "on _hying_[55]

And fetch it hither, I pray thee; It is welcome to G.o.d and me.

Ich will it helpen as I can, And segge it to my kinswoman."

The porter anon it gan forth bring, With the pel, and with the ring.

The abbesse let clepe a priest anon, And let it christen in function.

And for it was in an ash y-found, She cleped it _Frain_ in that stound.

The name[56] of the ash is a frain, After the language of Bretayn; _Forthy_[57] Le Frain men clepeth this lay, More than ash, in each country.

This Frain thriv'd from year to year; The abbess niece men ween'd it were.

The abbess her gan teach, and _beld._[58]

By that she was twelve winter eld, In all England there was none A fairer maiden than she was one.

And when she couthe ought of _manhede,_[59]

She bade the abbesse her _wisse_[60] and rede, Which were her kin, one or other, Father or mother, sister or brother.

The abbesse her in council took, To tellen her she nought forsook, How she was founden in all thing; And took her the cloth and the ring, And bade her keep it in that stede; And, therwhiles she lived, so she did.

Then was there, in that c.u.n.tre, A rich knight of land and fee, Proud, and young, and jollif, And had not yet y-wedded wife.

He was stout, of great renown, And was y-cleped Sir Guroun.

He heard praise that maiden free, And said, he would her see.

He dight him in the way anon, And jolliflich thither is gone, And bode his man segge, verament, He should toward a tournament.

The abbesse, and the nonnes all, Fair him grette in the guest-hall; And damsel Frain, so fair of mouth, Grette him fair, as she well couth.

And swithe well he gan devise, Her semblant, and her gentrise, Her lovesome eyen, her _rode_[61] so bright.

And commenced to love her anon-right; And thought how he might take on, To have her for his lemon [Errata: leman].

He thought, "Gificcome her to More than ich have y-do, The abbesse will _souchy_[62] guile, And _wide_[63] her away in a little while."

He compa.s.sed another _suchesoun;_[64]

To be brother of that religion.

"Madam," he said to the abbesse, _"I-lovi_[65] well, in all goodness, Ich will give one and other Londes and rentes, to become your brother,[66]

That ye shall ever fare the _bet_[67]

When I come to have recet."[68]

At few wordes they ben _at one._ He graithes him[69], and forth is gone.

Oft he com, by day and night, To speak with that maiden bright; So that, with his fair _behest_,[70]

And with his glosing, at lest She granted him to don his will, When he will, loud and still.

"Leman," he said, "thou must let be The abbesse _thy neice_,[71] and go with me; For ich am riche, of swich powere, Ye finde bet than thou hast here."

The maiden grant, and to him trist, And stole away, that no man wist; With her took she no thing But her pel and her ring.

When the abbess gan aspy That she was with the knight _owy_,[72]

She made mourning in her thought, And her _bement_,[73] and gained nought.

So long she was in his castel, That all his meynie loved her well.

To rich and poor she gan her 'dress, That all her loved more and less; And thus she led with him her life, Right as she had been his wedded wife.

His knightes com, and to him speke, And holy church commandeth eke, Some lordis daughter for to take, And his leman all forsake.

And said, him were well more fair In wedlock to get him an heir, Than lead his life with swiche one, Of whose kin he knew none.

And said, "Here besides, is a knight That hath a daughter fair and bright, That shall bear his heritage, Taketh her in marriage!"

Loth him was for that deed to do, Oc, at last, he granted therto.

The _forward_[74] was y-marked aright, And were at one, and troth plight.

Allas! that he no had y-wit, Ere the forward were y-suit!

That she, and his leman also, Sistren were, and twinnes two!

Of o father begeten they were, Of o mother born _y-fere_:[75]

That _hi_[76] so were ne wist none, Forsooth, I say, but G.o.d alone.

The new bride was graithed with oil, And brought home to the lord is host, Her father come with her also, The levedi her mother, and other mo.

The bishop of the lond, withouten fail, Come to do the spousail.

The young rival of Le Frain was distinguished like her sister, by a sylvan appellation; her name was _Le Codre_ (Corylus, the Hazel), and the knight's tenants had sagaciously drawn a most favourable prognostic of his future happiness, from the superiority of nuts to vile ash-keys; but neither he nor any of his household were disposed to augur favourably of a marriage which tended to deprive them of the amiable orphan. The feast was magnificent, but dull; and never were apparent rejoicings more completely marred by a general feeling of constraint and formality. Le Frain alone, concealing the grief which preyed on her heart, was all zeal and activity; and, by her unceasing attentions, conciliated the pity and esteem of the bride, and even of her mother, who had hitherto felt the utmost anxiety to procure her dismissal. At the conclusion of the banquet she employed herself in the decoration of the bridal chamber, and having observed that the covering of the bed was not sufficiently costly, spread over it the magnificent mantle she had received from the abbess, and had hitherto preserved with the utmost solicitude. She had scarcely left the room when the bride entered it accompanied by her mother, who casting her eyes on this splendid mantle, surveyed it with feelings of the most poignant remorse, and immediately recognized the testimony of her crime. She questioned the chamberlains, who were unable to explain the appearance of an ornament they had never before beheld; she then interrogated Le Frain, and, at the end of a short examination, fell into a swoon, exclaiming, "Fair child, thou art my daughter!" Her husband was then summoned, and she confessed to him with tears, and every expression of penitence, the sinful act she had committed, and the providential discovery of her daughter by means of the mantle and the ring, both of which were presents from himself. The knight embraced his child with the utmost tenderness, and prevailed on the bishop to dissolve the just solemnized marriage, and unite their son-in-law to the original object of his affections. The other sister was shortly after bestowed on a neighbouring lord, and the adventures of Le Frain and Le Codre were formed into a Lay, which received its name from the former.

FOOTNOTES:

[33] Jests.

[34] Perhaps a mistake in the MS. for ge, i.e. go.

[35] Gossip, G.o.dfather.

[36] Health, safety.

[37] Yesterday.

[38] Full of frowardness, each mis-saying or reviling.

[39] Each an end, i.e. in every quarter.

[40] A rich mantle, lined with fur.

[41] Constantinople.

[42] Plaited, twisted.

[43] With.

[44] Goeth.

[45] Longer.

[46] Prayers.

[47] Receive.

[48] Fur.

[49] Folded.

[50] Place.

[51] She had milk, and was able to suckle it.

[52] Certainly, I plight; I promise you.

[53] Lap.

[54] Hour.

[55] In haste.