The Knight's Tale
Folio 28v
8 of 35 folios
1295
An C / lordes / had he in his route
Armed ful wele / wt wertes sterne & stoute
¶ With Arcita / in stories as men fynde
The grete Emytrius / the kyng of Inde
Vp on a steede Bay / trapped in stel
1300
Couered with a cloth of gold / dyapred wel
Cam ridyng lyke the god / of armes Mars
His Cotearmre / was of cloth of Tars
Couched with perles / white rounde & grete
His sadel was of brent gold / newe I bete
1305
A mantelet / vp on his shulder hangyng
Bret ful of Rubies / rede as fir sparkelyng
His crispe heer / lyke rynges was I ronne
And that was ȝelwe / and glet ered as the sōne
His nose was hey / his eyen brigħt Citryñ
1310
His lippes rounde / his colour was sangwyñ
A fewe fraknes / in his face I spreynt
Be twixen ȝelwe / and somdel blak I meynt
And as a lyoū / he his lokyng caste
Of xxv i ȝere / his age I caste
1315
His berd was wel bygōne / for to spinge
His throte was as a trompe / thonderynge
Vp on his hede / he wered a loirrer grene
Fressħ and lusty / for to sene
Vp on his hand he bar / for his deduyt
1320
An Egle tame / as ony lilly whyt
An C / lordes / had he with hī there
Alle armed saue here hedes / in al here gere
Ful richely / in alle manere thynges
For trosteth wele / that Dukes Erles kynges
1325
Were gadred / in this noble companye
For loue & for encres / of chyualrye
A boute this kyng / þere ran on euery part
Ful many a tame lyoū / and leopart
¶ And in this wyse / þeise lordes alle and some
1330
Ben on the Sonday / to the Cite come
A boute prime / and in the Toun a ligħt
This Theseus þis Duke / this worthy knygħt
Whan he had brouȝt hē / in to his Citee
And Inned euerych of hē / at his degree
1335
He festeth hem / and doth so gret labour
To esen hem / and don hem aƚƚ honour
That ȝet men wenen / þt no mānys wytte
Of none a state / ne coude amenden ytte
¶ The mynstralsie / the seruyce at the feest