The Clerk's Tale
Folio 97v
21 of 29 folios
¶ And she answerde agayn in pacience
My lord quod she / I woot and wiste alway
815
How þt / bitwixen youre magnificence
And my pouerte / no wigħt kan ne may
Maken comparisou / it is no nay
I ne heeld me neuere digne in no manere
To be your wyf / no ; ne your Chambrere
820
And in this hous / ther ye me lady maade
The heighe god / take I for my witnesse
And also wysly / he my soule glaade
I neuere / heeld me lady / ne maistresse
But humble seruant to your worthynesse
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And euere shal / whil þt my lyf may dure
Abouen / euery worldly creature
That ye so longe / of youre benignitee
Han holden me / in honour and nobleye
Wher as I was / nogħt worthy bee
830
That thonke I god / and yow / . to whom I preye
Foryelde it yow / ther is namoore to seye
Vn to my fader / gladly wol I wende
And with hym dwelle / vn to my lyues ende
Ther I was fostred / of a child ful smal
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Til I be deed / my lyf ther wol I lede
A wydwe clene / in body / herte and al
For sith I yaf / to yow my maydenhede
And am youre trewe wyf / it is no drede
God shilde / swich a lordes wyf to take
840
Another man / to housbonde / or to make
And of youre newe wyf / god of his grace
So graunte yow wele and prosperitee
For I wol gladly / yelden hir my place
In which that I was blisful wont to bee
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For sith it liketh yow / my lord quod shee
That whilom weren / al myn hertes reste
That I shal goon / I wol goon whan yow leste
But ther as ye me profre / swich dowaire
As I first brogħte / it is wel in my mynde
850
It were my wrecched clothes no thyng faire
The whiche to me / were hard now for to fynde
O goode god / how gentil and how kynde
Ye semed / by youre speche / and youre visage
The day / that maked was oure mariage