The Man of Law's Tale
Folio 59r
21 of 21 folios
They han hire sette / and bidden hire lerne saile
Out of Surrie / ageynward to Itaile
¶ A certeyn tresore / that she thidder ladde
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And sothe to seyn / vitaille gret plentee
They han hire ȝeuen / & clothes eke she hadde
And forth she seiletħ / in the salt See
O my Custaunce / ful of benignytee
O Emperoures / ȝonge dougħter deere
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He þt is lord ouer fortune / be thy steere
¶ She blissed hire / and witħ ful pitous vois
Vn to the Croos of cist / thus seide she
O cleer / o welful auter / holy croys
Reed of the lambes blood / ful of pitee
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That wesshe the world / fro þe olde iniquite
Me fro the fende / and fro his clawes kepe
That day þat I shal drenchen / in the depe
¶ Victorious tree / proteccione of trewe
That oonly worthy were / for to bere
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The kyng of heuene / with hise woundes newe
The whit lamb þt hurt was / witħ a spere
Flemer of feendes / out of hī and heere
On whiche thy lymes / feithfully extenden
Me kepe / and ȝeue me mygħt / my lif to amenden
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¶ Ȝeres and dayes / fleetith this creature
Thurgħ out the see / of Grece / vn to the strayte
Of Marrok / as it was hire auenture
O many sory meel / now may she bayte
Aftir hire detħ / ful often may she wayte
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Er that the wylde wawes / wyln hire dryue
Vn to the place / there she shal arryue
¶ Men mygħt asken / why she was nouȝt slayne
Eke atte feest / whoo mygħt hire body saue
And I answere / to that demaunde a gayne
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Who saued Danyel / in the horrible caue
There euery wygħt saw he / maister and knaue
Was witħ the leoū / freet / er he a sterte
No wygħt but god / that he bar in his herte
¶ God list to shewe / his wonderful myracle
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In hire / for we shulde / seen his mygħty werkes
Crist whicħ þat is / to euery harm triacle
By certeyn menes oft / as knowen clerkes
Dotħ thyng for certeyn ende / that ful derk is
To mānes wyt / that for oure ignoraunce
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Ne konne nougħt knowe / his prudent purueaunce
¶ Now sithe she was nougħt / at the feest I slawe