The Monk's Tale
Folio 180v
14 of 18 folios
155
And maked eche of hem / to ben his thral
A monges othere / Danyel was oon
That was the wysest child / of euerychon
For he the dremes / of the kyng expouned
Where as in Chadeie / clerk ne was þere noon
160
That wist to what fyn / hise dremes souned
¶ This proude kyng / let make a statue of gold
Sexti cubites long / & seuene in brede
To whicħ ymage / he bothe ȝong and old
Comaunded to loute / and haue in drede
165
Or in a furneys / ful of flaumbes rede
He shal be brent / þt wolde nougħt obeye
But neuere wolde assent / to that dede
¶ This kyng of kynges / proud was & elat
170
He wende that god / þt sit in mageste
Ne mygħt hī nat byreue / of his estat
But sodeynly / he loost his dignetee
And like a beest / hī semed for to be
And ete hey as an oxe / & lay there oute
175
In reyn wt wylde beestes / walked he
Til certeyne tyme / was I come a boute
¶ And like an Egles fetheres / wex his heres
His nayles lyke / a briddes clawes were
Til god relesed hī / a certeyne ȝeres
180
And ȝaf hī wyt / & thāne wt many a tere
He thanked god / & euere his lyf in fere
Was he / to don amys / or more trespace
And til þt tyme / he leyd was oon his bere
He knew þat god / was ful of mygħt & grace
185
¶ His sone / whicħ þt higħt / Balthasar
That helde the regne / after his fadres day
He by his fader / coude nougħt by war
For proud he was of herte / & of array
And eke an ydolastre / was he ay
190
His heigħ estat / assured hī in pride
But fortune kest hī doun / & þere he lay
And sodeynly his regne / gan dyuyde
¶ A feste he made / vn to his lordes alle
Vppon a tyme / & made hē blithe be
195
And thāne his officers / gan he calle
Goth bryngetħ fortħ / the vesseles qd he
Whicħ þt my fader / in his prosperitee
Out of the temple of Ierusalem / biraft
Danyel / ne his ȝonge felawes tweye