I wolde preie of you a thing: Let me go with you to the king, And ye schull make him understonde How ye, my wittes forto fonde, Have leid your ansuere upon me; And telleth him, in such degre 3200 Upon my word ye wole abide To lif or deth, what so betide. For yit par chaunce I may pourchace With som good word the kinges grace, Your lif and ek your good to save; For ofte schal a womman have Thing which a man mai noght areche.” The fader herde his dowhter speche, And thoghte ther was resoun inne, And sih his oghne lif to winne 3210 He cowthe don himself no cure; So betre him thoghte in aventure To put his lif and al his good, Than in the maner as it stod His lif in certein forto lese. And thus thenkende he gan to chese To do the conseil of this Maide, And tok the pourpos which sche saide. The dai was come and forth thei gon, Unto the Court thei come anon, 3220 Wher as the king in juggement Was set and hath this knyht assent. Arraied in hire beste wise This Maiden with hire wordes wise Hire fader ladde be the hond Into the place, wher he fond The king with othre whiche he wolde, And to the king knelende he tolde As he enformed was tofore, And preith the king that he therfore 3230 His dowhtres wordes wolde take, And seith that he wol undertake Upon hire wordes forto stonde. Tho was ther gret merveile on honde, That he, which was so wys a knyht, His lif upon so yong a wyht Besette wolde in jeupartie, And manye it hielden for folie: Bot ate laste natheles The king comandeth ben in pes, 3240 And to this Maide he caste his chiere, And seide he wolde hire tale hiere, He bad hire speke, and sche began: “Mi liege lord, so as I can,” Quod sche, “the pointz of whiche I herde, Thei schul of reson ben ansuerde. The ferste I understonde is this, What thing of al the world it is, Which men most helpe and hath lest nede. Mi liege lord, this wolde I rede: 3250 The Erthe it is, which everemo With mannes labour is bego; Als wel in wynter as in Maii The mannes hond doth what he mai To helpe it forth and make it riche, And forthi men it delve and dyche And eren it with strengthe of plowh, Wher it hath of himself ynowh, So that his nede is ate leste. For every man and bridd and beste, 3260 And flour and gras and rote and rinde, And every thing be weie of kynde Schal sterve, and Erthe it schal become; As it was out of Erthe nome, It schal to therthe torne ayein: And thus I mai be resoun sein That Erthe is the most nedeles, And most men helpe it natheles. So that, my lord, touchende of this I have ansuerd hou that it is. 3270