The Franklin's Tale
Folio 128v
11 of 20 folios
And he answerde hym / that they dede were
For which / he weep ful ofte many a teere
475
¶ Doun of his hors / Aurelius ligħte anon
And with this Magicien / forth is he gon
Hoom to his hous / and maden hem wel atese
Hem lakked no vitaille / þt mygħte hem plese
So wel arrayed hous / as ther was oon
480
Aurelius in his lyf / saugħ neuere noon
¶ He shewed hym / er he wente to sopeer
Forestes / Parkes / ful of wilde deer
Ther saugħ he hertes / wt hir hornes hye
The gretteste / that euere were seyn wt eye
485
He saugħ of hem / an hondred slayn with houndes
And sōme with Arwes blede / of bittre woundes
¶ He saugħ / whan voyded were thise wilde deer
Thise Fauconers / vpon a fair Ryuer
That wt hir haukes / han the herou slayn
490
¶ Tho saugħ he knygħtes / iustyng in a playn
And after this / he dide hym swich plesaunce
That he hym shewed / his lady on a daunce
On which hym self / he daunced / as hym thougħte
And whan this Maister / þt this Magyk wrougħte
495
Saugh it was tyme / he clapte hise handes two
And farewel / al oure reuel was ago
And yet remoeued they neuere / out of the hous
Whil they saugħ / al this sigħte merueillous
But in his studie / ther as hise bookes be
500
They seten stille / and no wigħt but they thre
¶ To hym / this Maister called his Squier
And seyde hym thus / is redy oure soper
Almoost an houre it is I vndertake
Sith I yow bad / oure soper for to make
505
Whan that thise worthy men / wenten wt me
In to my studie / ther as my bookes be
¶ Sire quod this Squier / whan it liketh yow
It is al redy / thougħ ye wol rigħt now
Gowe thanne soupe quod he / as for the beste
510
This amorous folk som tyme moote han hir reste
¶ At after soper / fille they in tretee
What sōme / sholde this Maistres gerdou be
To remoeuen / alle the Rokkes of Britayne
And eek from Gerounde / to the moutħ of Sayne
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¶ He made it straunge / and swoor / so god hym saue
Lasse than a thousand pound / he wolde nat haue
Ne gladly / for that sōme he wolde nat goon
¶ Aurelius / with blisful herte anoon
Answerde thus / fy on a thousand pound
520
This wyde world / which that men seye is round