The Merchant's Tale
Folio 115v
13 of 27 folios
835
But euere lyue as a wydewe / in clothes blake
Shuxx as the Turtyl / that lost hatħ hire make
But at the last / after a monetħ or twey
His sorwe gan to a swage / sotħ to sey
For whan he wyst / it mygħt noon other be
840
He paciently took / his aduersitee
Saue out of doute / he may nat forgoū
That he nas ielous / euere more in on
Whicħ ielousie / it was so outrageous
That neither in halle / ne in non oþer hous
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Ne in non other place / neuere the moo
He nolde suffre hire / for to ryde ne goo
But if he had hond / on hire alwey
For whicħ ful ofte / wepetħ fressħ May
That louetħ Damyan / so benygnely
850
That she mot either deyen / sodeynly
Or ellis she mot han hī / as hire list
She waytetħ whāne / hire hert wold brest
¶ Vp on that other syde / Damyan
By comen is / the sorwefullest man
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That euere was / for neither nygħt ne day
Ne mygħt he speke / a word / to fressħ May
As to his purpos / of no swicħ matere
But if that Ianuarie / must it heere
That had an hand / vp on hire / euere moo
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But natheles / be wrytyng to and froo
And pryue signes / wyst he what she ment
And she knew eke / the fyn of his entent
¶ O Ianuarie / what mygħt it the a vaille
Thougħ þu mygħt seen / as fer as shippes seylle
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For as good is blynd / disceyued be
As ben disceyued / whan a man may se
Lo Argus / whicħ that had / an hondred eyen
For al that euere he coude / poure or pryen
Ȝet was he blynd / as god wot so ben moo
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That wenen wysely / that it be nat so
Passe ouer / is an ease / I sey nomore
This fressħ May / that I spak of bifore
In warme wex / hatħ enprented the cliket
That Ianuarie bar / of the smal wyket
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By whicħ / in to his gardeyn / oft he went
And Damyan that knew / al hire entent
The cliket countrefetet / preuyly
There is nomore to seye
/ but
preuylyhastily
preuylyhastily
Som wonder by this cliket / shal betide