The Franklin's Tale
Folio 129v
8 of 18 folios
His lady certes / and his wyf also
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To whicħ / that lawe of loue / accordetħ to
And whan he was / in this prosperitee
Hoom witħ his wyf / he gootħ to his contree
Nat fer fro Pedmarkes / there his dwellyng was
Where as he lyuetħ / in blisse and in solas
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¶ Who coude telle / but he had wedded be
The ioye / the ese / and the prosperitee
That is bytwixte / an husbonde / and his wyf
A ȝere and more / lastetħ this blisful lif
Til that the knygħt / of whicħ I speke of thus
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That of kairud / was cleped Arueregus
Shoope hī to gon / and dwelled a ȝere or tweyne
In Engelond / that cleped was eke Bretaigne
To seke in armes / worshipe and honour
For al his lust / he sette in swicħ labour
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And dwelled there / two ȝere / the book seitħ thus
¶ Now wol I stynten / of this Arueragus
And speken I wol / of Dorigen his wif
That louetħ hire husbonde / as hire hertes lyf
For his absence / wepetħ she and syketħ
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As doon theise noble wyues / whan hē liketħ
She mornetħ / waketħ / wayletħ / fastetħ / pleynetħ
Desire of his presence / hire so destreynetħ
That al this wyde world / she sette at nougħt
Hire frendes / whicħ that knewe / hire heuy thougħt
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Conforten hire / in al that euere they may
They prechen hire / they tellen hire / nygħt & day
That causelees / she sletħ hire self / allas
And euery confort / possible in this cas
They don to hire / witħ al here besynesse
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Al for to make hire leue / hire heuynesse
¶ By processe / as ȝe knowen euerychon
Men moun so longe / grauen in a ston
Til som figure / ther Inne empreynted be
So longe han they / conforted hire / til she
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Receyued hatħ / by hope and by resoū
The empryntynge / of hire consolaciou
Thurgħ whicħ / hire gret sorwe / gan a swage
She may nat alwey duren / in swicħ rage
¶ And eke Arueragus / in al this care
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Hatħ sent hire lettres hom / of his welfare
And that he wol come hastily / a geyn
Or elles had this sorwe / hire hert slayn
¶ Hire frendes saugħ / hire sorwe gan to slake