From Geoffrey Chaucer's "The Canterbury Tales", The Man of Law's Tale, lines 344-357

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From The Man of Law's Tale, lines 323-343:
The sultan's mother repudiates her son's conversion

From The Canterbury Tales:
The Man of Law's Tale
lines 344-357: The sultan's mother initiates a conspiracy

	They sworen and assenten every man
345	To lyve with hir, and dye, and by hir stonde,
	And everich in the beste wise he kan
	To strengthen hir shal alle hise frendes fonde,
	And she hath this emprise ytake on honde,
	Which ye shal heren, that I shal devyse.
350	And to hem alle she spak right in this wyse:

	They swore and they assented, every man,
345	To live by her and die, and by her stand;
	And each of them, in what best wise he can,
	Shall gather friends and followers into band;
	And she shall take the enterprise in hand,
	The form of which I soon will you apprise,
350	And to them all she spoke, then, in this wise.

"We shul first feyne us cristendom to take, -

Coold water shal nat greve us but a lite-

And I shal swich a feeste and revel make,

That, as I trowe, I shal the Sowdan quite;

355 For thogh his wyf be cristned never so white,

She shal have nede to wasshe awey the rede,

Thogh she a font-ful water with hir lede!"

"We will first feign the Christian faith to take;

Cold water will not harm us from the rite;

And I will such a feast and revel make

As will, I trust, to lull be requisite.

355 For though his wife be christened ever so white,

She shall have need to wash away the red,

Though a full font of water be there sped."

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From The Man of Law's Tale, lines 358-371:
A comparison between the sultan's mother, the snake in hell and Satan