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Apollonius of Tyre
1041[Qualiter Appolino cum vxore sua impregnata a Pentapoli versus Tyrum nauigantibus, contigit vxorem, mortis articulo angustiatam, in naui filiam, que postea Thaisis vocabatur, parere.]
How, as Appolinus and his pregnant wife were sailing from Pentapolis to Tyre, it happened that the wife, caught in the moment of death, gave birth on the ship to a daughter, who was after called Thaisis.
1042 Bot nede he mot, that nede schal:
1043Appolinus his leve tok,
1044To god and al the lond betok
1045With al the poeple long and brod,
1046That he no lenger there abod.
1047The king and queene sorwe made,
1048Bot yit somdiel thei weren glade
1049Of such thing as thei herden tho:
1050And thus betwen the wel and wo
1051To schip he goth, his wif with childe,
1052The which was evere meke and mylde
1053And wolde noght departe him fro,
1054Such love was betwen hem tuo.
1055Lichorida for hire office
1056Was take, which was a Norrice,
1057To wende with this yonge wif,
1058To whom was schape a woful lif.
1059Withinne a time, as it betidde,
1060Whan thei were in the See amidde,
1061Out of the North they sihe a cloude;
1062The storm aros, the wyndes loude
1063Thei blewen many a dredful blast,
1064The welkne was al overcast,
1065The derke nyht the Sonne hath under,
1066Ther was a gret tempeste of thunder:
1067The Mone and ek the Sterres bothe
1068In blake cloudes thei hem clothe,
1069Wherof here brihte lok thei hyde.
1070This yonge ladi wepte and cride,
1071To whom no confort myhte availe;
1072Of childe sche began travaile,
1073Wher sche lay in a Caban clos:
1074Hire woful lord fro hire aros,
1075And that was longe er eny morwe,
1076So that in anguisse and in sorwe
1077Sche was delivered al be nyhte
1078And ded in every mannes syhte;
1079Bot natheles for al this wo
1080A maide child was bore tho.