The nurse in middest of their fight
Laid downe the child upon the ground;
She ran away out of their sight,
And never after that was found:
Then did the Dutchesse make great mone65
With her good husband all alone.
The theeves had there their horses kilde,
And all their money quite had tooke;
The pretty babie, almost spild,
Was by their nurse likewise forsooke,70
And they farre from their friends did stand,
All succourlesse in a strange land.
The skies likewise began to scowle;
It hayld and raind in pittious sort;
The way was long and wonderous foule;75
Then may I now full well report
Their griefe and sorrow was not small,
When this unhappy chaunce did fall.
Sometime the Dutchesse bore the child,
As wet as ever she could be,80
And when the lady kind and mild
Was wearie, then the child bore hee;
And thus they one another easde,
And with their fortunes were well pleasde.
And after many wearied steppes,85
All wet-shod both in durt and myre,
After much griefe, their hearts yet leapes,
(For labour doth some rest require);
A towne before them they did see,
But lodgd therein they could not bee.90
From house to house they both did goe,
Seeking where they that night might lie,
But want of money was their woe,
And still the babe with cold did crie;
With capp and knee they courtsey make,95
But none on them would pittie take.
Loe here a princesse of great blood
Did pray a peasant for reliefe,
With tears bedewed as she stood!
Yet few or none regardes her griefe;100
Her speech they could not understand,
But gave her a pennie in her hand.
When all in vaine the paines was spent,
And that they could not house-roome get,
Into a church-porch then they went,105
To stand out of the raine and wet:
Then said the Dutchesse to her deare,
"O that we had some fier heere!"