[Headnote: EARL GODRICH TAKES POSSESSION.] +Þa{n}ne he hauede take{n} þis oth 260 Of erles, baru{n}s, lef and loth, Of knictes, cherles, fre and þewe, [Sidenote: Earl Godrich appoints justices, sheriffs, &c.] Justises dede he maken newe, Al engelond to faren þorw, 264 Fro douere i{n}to rokesborw. Schireues he sette, bedels, and g{re}yues, Grith-sergea{n}s, wit lo{n}ge gleyues, To yeme{n} wilde wodes and paþes 268 Fro wicke me{n}, that wolde don scaþes; And forto haue{n} alle at his cri, At his wille, at his merci; [Sidenote: [Fol. 205b, col. 1.]] Þat non durste be{n} him ageyn, 272 Erl ne baron, knict ne sweyn. [Sidenote: He grows very rich, and all England fears him.] Wislike for soth, was him wel Of folc, of wepne, of catel, Soþlike, in a lite þrawe 276 Al engelond of him stod [in] awe; Al engelond was of him adrad,[14] So his þe beste fro þe gad. [Footnote 14: MS. “adred,” altered to “adrad.”] [Sidenote: The maiden grows up very fair.] +Þe ki{n}ges douther bigan þriue, 280 And wex þe fayrest wma{n} on liue. Of alle þewes w[as] she wis, Þat gode weren, and of pris. [Sidenote: Her name is Goldborough.] Þe mayden Goldeboru was hoten; 284 For hire was mani a ter igroten. [Headnote: GODRICH PLOTS AGAINST HIS WARD.] +Quanne the Erl godrich him herde Of þat mayde{n}, hw we[l s]he ferde; Hw wis sho was, w chaste, hw fayr, 288 And þat sho was þe rithe eyr Of engelond, of al þe rike:-- [Sidenote: Godrich is vexed.] Þo bigan godrich to sike, And seyde, “weþer she sholde be 292 Quen and leuedi ouer me? Hweþer sho sholde al engelond, And me, and mine, haue{n} in hire hond? Daþeit hwo it hire thaue! 296 Shal sho it neu{er}e more haue. [Sidenote: “Shall I give England to a fool, a girl?] Sholde ic yeue a fol, a þerne, Engelond, þou sho it yerne? Daþeit hwo it hire yeue, 300 Euere more hwil i liue! Sho is waxen al to prud, For gode metes, and noble shrud, Þat hic haue youen hire to offte; 304 Hic haue yemed hire to softe. Shal it nouth ben als sho þenkes, ‘Hope maketh fol ma{n} ofte ble{n}kes.’ [Sidenote: My son shall have England.”] Ich haue a sone, a ful fayr knaue, 308 He shal e{n}gelond al haue. He shal [ben] ki{n}g, he shal ben sire, So brouke i eu{er}e mi blake swire!”