Thei blewen many a dredful blast, The welkne was al overcast, The derke nyht the Sonne hath under, Ther was a gret tempeste of thunder: The Mone and ek the Sterres bothe In blake cloudes thei hem clothe, Wherof here brihte lok thei hyde.[1570] This yonge ladi wepte and cride, To whom no confort myhte availe; Of childe sche began travaile, 1050 Wher sche lay in a Caban clos: Hire woful lord fro hire aros, And that was longe er eny morwe, So that in anguisse and in sorwe Sche was delivered al be nyhte And ded in every mannes syhte;[1571] Bot natheles for al this wo A maide child was bore tho. [Sidenote: Qualiter Appolinus vxoris sue mortem planxit.] Appolinus whan he this knew, For sorwe a swoune he overthrew,[1572] 1060 That noman wiste in him no lif. And whanne he wok, he seide, ‘Ha, wif, [Sidenote: =P. iii. 311=] Mi lust, mi joie, my desir,[1573] Mi welthe and my recoverir, Why schal I live, and thou schalt dye? Ha, thou fortune, I thee deffie, Nou hast thou do to me thi werste. Ha, herte, why ne wolt thou berste, That forth with hire I myhte passe?[1574] Mi peines weren wel the lasse.’ 1070 In such wepinge and in such cry His dede wif, which lay him by, A thousend sithes he hire kiste; Was nevere man that sih ne wiste A sorwe unto his sorwe lich; For evere among upon the lich[1575] He fell swounende, as he that soghte His oghne deth, which he besoghte Unto the goddes alle above With many a pitous word of love; 1080 Bot suche wordes as tho were Yit herde nevere mannes Ere, Bot only thilke whiche he seide. The Maister Schipman cam and preide With othre suche as be therinne, And sein that he mai nothing winne Ayein the deth, bot thei him rede, He be wel war and tak hiede, The See be weie of his nature Receive mai no creature 1090 Withinne himself as forto holde, The which is ded: forthi thei wolde, [Sidenote: =P. iii. 312=] As thei conseilen al aboute, The dede body casten oute. For betre it is, thei seiden alle, That it of hire so befalle, Than if thei scholden alle spille. The king, which understod here wille[1576] [Sidenote: Qualiter suadentibus nautis corpus vxoris sue mortue in quadam Cista plumbo et ferro obtusa[1577] que circumligata Appolinus cum magno thesauro vna cum quadam littera sub eius capite scripta recludi et in mare[1578] proici fecit.] And knew here conseil that was trewe, Began ayein his sorwe newe 1100 With pitous herte, and thus to seie: ‘It is al reson that ye preie. I am,’ quod he, ‘bot on al one, So wolde I noght for mi persone Ther felle such adversite.