So ner the point ſocht thei have the thing, [Sidenote: They found the matter heavy for the king, and doubted if they should tell him so.] Thei fond It wond{er} hewy to the king, Of wich thing thei waryng in to were To ſhew the king, for dreid of his danger. 444 Of ane accorde thei planly haue p{ro}ponit No worde to ſhow, and ſo thei them diſponit. [Sidenote: Being sent for,] The day is cu{m}yng, and he haith fore them ſent, Beſichyne them to ſhewing ther entent. 448 [Sidenote: they all spake, “Sir, we can find no evidence.”] Than ſpak they all, and that of an accorde; “Shir, of this thing we can no thing Recorde, For we can noght fynd in til our ſciens Tweching this mater ony ewydens.” 452 [Sidenote: “Ere we part,” quoth the king, “ye shall witness something.”] “Now,” q{uo}d the king, “and be the glorius lorde, Or we depart ye ſhall ſum thing recorde; So pas yhe not, nor ſo It ſall not bee.” “Than,” q{uo}d the clerk{is}, “grant ws dais three.” 456 [Sidenote: He grants them three days more.] The wich he grantid them, and but delay, [Fol. 7.] The term paſſith, no thing wold the ſay, Wharof the king ſtondith heuy cherith, And to the clerk{is} his viſag ſo apperith, 460 That all thei dred them of the king{is} myght. [Sidenote: They pray for a further delay of three days.] Than ſaith o clerk, “s{ir}, as the thrid nyght Ye dremyt, ſo [now] giffis ws delay The thrid tyme, and to the thrid day.” 464 By whilk tyme thei fundyng haith the ende Of this mater, als far as ſhal depend To ther ſciens; yit can thei not awyß To ſchewing to the king be ony wyß. 468 [Sidenote: They still refuse to declare their thought.] The day is cum, the king haith them beſocht, But one no wyß thei wald declar ther thoght; Than was he wroth in to his ſelf and noyt, [Sidenote: The king vows to destroy them;] And maid his wow that thei ſhal[T11] ben diſtroyt. 472 His baronis he co{m}mandit to gar tak Fyve of them one to the fir-ſtak, And vther fyue be to the gibbot tone; And the furth w{i}t{h} the king{is} charg ar gone. 476 [Sidenote: but secretly charges his knights not to harm them.] He bad them in to ſecret wyß that thei Shud do no harm, but only them aßey. The clark{is}, dredful of the king{is} Ire, And ſaw the p{er}ell of deth and of the fyre, 480 Fyve, as thei can, has grantit to record; That vther herde and ben of ther accorde; And al thei ben yled one to the king, [Sidenote: They yield at last, and say,] And ſhew hyme thus as tueching of this thing. 484 [Footnote T11: MS. “ſhat.”] [Headnote: INTERPRETATION OF THE DREAMS.]