The Knight's Tale
Folio 28r
7 of 35 folios
1250
Hath preyed þt he mygħt / ben of that game
And wel was hī / that ther to chosen was
For if there fel / to morwen swich a kaas
Ȝe knowen wele / that euery lusty knygħxknygħtknygħ
That louetħ paramours / and hath his mygħt
1255
Were it in Engelond / or elles where
They wolde here thankes / wyllen to be there
To figħten for a lady / benedicite
It were a lusty sigħt / for to se
¶ And rigħt so ferden they / with Palamon
1260
With hī there went / knygħtes many on
Some wold ben armed / in haberioun
And in a breestplate / and a ligħt Iepoun
And some wold haue / a peyre plates large
And some wold haue / a spruce sheld & targe
1265
And some wold ben armed / on hise legges wele
And haue an Ax / & some a mace of stele
There nys no newe gyse / þt it nas old
Armed were they / as I haue ȝow told
Euerych after / hise opynioū
1270
¶ There maist þu se / comyng wt Palamoū
Lygurge hī self / the grete kyng of Trace
Blak was his berd / and manly was his face
The sercles of hise eyen / in his hede
They gloweden / betwix ȝelwe & rede
1275
And like a griffoū / loked he a boute
With kempe heeres / on hise browes stoute
Hys lymes grete / hise braunes hard & strong
His shuldres brode / his armes grete & long
And as the gyse was / in his contre
1280
Ful heye / vp on a chayer of gold / stod he
With foure white Boles / in the trays
In stede of Cotearmure / ouer his harneys
With nayles ȝelwe / and brigħt as eny gold
He had a beres skyn / cole blak for old
1285
His long her / was kembed behynde his bak
As ony rauenes fether / it shone for blak
A wrethe of gold / arme gret / of huge weygħt
Vp on his hede / and ful of stones brygħt
Of fyne Rubies / and Diamauntes
1290
A bouten his chaier / there went white alauntes
Twenty and mo / as grete as ony stere
To honten at the lyoū / or the deere
And folwed hī / with mosellis faste I bounde
Colered of gold / and torettes fyled rounde