The Knight's Tale
Folio 32r
16 of 35 folios
The fallyng of the Toures / and of the walles
Vp on the Mynour / or the Carpentere
I slow Sampsoū / shakyng the pylere
And myne ben / the maladyes colde
1610
The derk tresoū / and the castes olde
My lokyng is / the fader / of pestilence
Now wepe nomore / I shal don diligence
That Palamon / þt is thyn owen knygħt
Shal haue his lady / as þu hast hī higħt
1615
This Mars / shal helpe his knygħt ȝet / natheles
Be twix ȝow / there mot / be som tyme pees
Al be ȝeȝe nat / of oo compleccioū
That causeth al day / swicħ deuysioū
I am thyn al redy / at thy wylle
1620
Wepe now nomore / I wol thy lust fulfille
¶ Now wol I stynt / of the goddes a boue
Of Mars and of venus / goddesse of loue
And tellen ȝow / as pleynly as I can
The grete effect / for which þt I bygan
1625
Gret was the fest / at Athenes that day
And eke the lusty sesoū / of that May
Made euery wygħt / to ben in swicħ plesance
That al that Monday / Iusten they and daunce
And spenden it / in venus hey seruyse
1630
And by the cause / that they shulden ryse
Erly for to sen / the grete sigħt
Vn to here reest / went they at nygħt
And on þe morwe / whan the day gan spryng
Of hors and harneys / noyse and clat eryng
1635
There was / in hostryes al a boute
And to the Paleys / rod þere many a route
Of lordes / vp on stedes and palfreyes
¶ There maist þu sen / deuysyng of harneys
So vnkouth / and so riche / and wrouȝt so wele
1640
Of goldsmythrie / of browdyng and of stele
The sheldes brigħt / testres and trappures
Gold hewen helmes / hauberkes Cotearmres
Lordes in parementis / or here courseres
Knygħtes of retenue / and eke squyeres
1645
Naylyng the speres / and helmes bokelyng
Gynggynge of sheldes / wt layneres lassyng
There as nede is / they were no thyng Idel
The fomy steedes / on the goldene brydel
Gnawyng / and faste the armures also
1650
With fyle and hamer / prykyng to and fro