| | Send me nomore in to hethenesse | |
| 1015 | But thankith my lord here of his kyndenesse | |
| | Who can the piteous ioye telle all | |
| | Betwix hem thre sithenes they be thus met | |
| | But of my tale make an ende I shal | |
| | The day goth faste I may no lenger lette | |
| 1020 | Thise glad folk to dyner be y sette | |
| | In ioye and blisse at mete I lete hem duelle | |
| | A thousand fold more than y can telle | |
| | This child Maurice was sith Emperour | |
| | I maad be the Pope and liuyd cristynly | |
| 1025 | To cristis chirche dede he gret honour | |
| | But I lete al thyse storyes passe by | |
| | Of Custaunce is my tale specially | |
| | In olde Romaynes gestes men may wel fynde | |
| | Mauricius lyf I bere it not in mynde | |
| 1030 | Than kyng alla whan he his tyme say | |
| | With Custaunce his holy wyf so swete | |
| | To engelond ben they come the righte way | |
| | Where as they liuen in ioye and in quyete | |
| | But lityl whyle it lasted I you behete | |
| 1035 | Ioye of this worlde but a tyme it wol abyde | |
| | Fro day to nyght it chaungith as the tyde | |
| | Who liueth euer in suche delite a day | |
| | That ne meued is eyther in conscience | |
| | Or ire or talent or sum kynnys affray | |
| 1040 | Enuye or pryde or passioun or offence | |
| | I ne sey but for the ende of this sentence | |
| | That lityl whyle in ioye or plesaunce | |
