But nathelees she taketh in good entente
The wyl of Crist, and knelynge on the stronde,
She seyde, "Lord, ay welcome be thy sonde!
He that me kepte fro the false blame
While I was on the lond amonges yow,
He kan me kepe from harm and eek fro shame
In salte see, althogh I se noght how."
– Geoffrey Chaucer
The Canterbury Tales, The Man of Law’s Tale. As she prepares to sail away from Northumberland with her son, Constance kneels on the strand and prays. She surrenders to the will of Christ, saying that he has kept her from being falsely blamed, and he can keep her from harm and shame on the seas.