Thus day by day this child begun to cry, Till in his father’s barme 4227 adown he lay, And saidë, “Farewell, father, I must die;” And kiss’d his father, and died the samë day. And when the woeful father did it sey, 4228 For woe his armës two he gan to bite, And said, “Alas! Fortúne, and well-away! To thy false wheel my woe all may I wite.” 4229

His children ween’d 4230 that it for hunger was That he his armës gnaw’d, and not for woe, And saidë, “Father, do not so, alas! But rather eat the flesh upon us two. Our flesh thou gave us, our flesh take us fro’, And eat enough;” right thus they to him said. And after that, within a day or two, They laid them in his lap adown, and died.