the king and all the land became converted to the Christian faith.

This king also had a mother, named Donegilde, an old heatheness, no
less cruel than the mother of the Soldan. She hated Constance because
she had been made queen though for fear of her son's wrath she dared
not molest her.

After his honeymoon, King Alla went northward to do battle with the
Scots, who were his foemen, leaving his wife in charge of a bishop and
the good governor, the husband of the murdered Hennegilde. While he
was absent heaven sent Constance a beautiful little son, whom she named
Maurice.

As soon as the babe was born, the governor sent a messenger to the king
with a letter telling him of his good fortune. Now it happened this
messenger was a courtier, who wished to keep on good terms with all the
royal family. So, as soon as he got the letter, he went to Donegilde,
the king's mother, and asked her if she had any message to send her son.

Donegilde was very courteous and begged him to wait till next morning,
while she got her message ready. She plied the man with wine and
strong liquor till evening, when he slept so fast that nothing could
wake him. While he was asleep she opened his letters and read all that
the governor had written. Then this wicked old woman wrote to Alla
that his wife Constance was a witch who had bewitched him and all his
people, but now her true character became plain, and she had given
birth to a horrible, fiend-like creature, who, she said, was his son.
This she put in place of the governor's letter, and dispatched the
messenger at dawn.