The Franklin's Tale
Folio 130v
15 of 20 folios
665
And in hir fadres blood / they made Hem daunce
Vpon the pauement god yeue hem myschaunce
For whicħ / thise woful maydens ful of drede
Rather / than they wolde lese hir maydenhede
They piuely / been stirt in to a welle
670
And dreynte hem seluen / as the bookes telle
They of Mecene / leete enquere and seke
Of lacedomye / fifty maydens eke
On whiche / they wolden doon hir lecherye
But was ther noon / of al that compaignye
675
That she nas slayn / and wt a good entente
Chees / rather for to dye than assente
To been opperssed / of hir maydenhede
Why sholde I thanne / to dye been in drede
Lo eek / the tiraunt Aristoclides
680
That loued a mayden / heet Stymphalides
Whan that hir fader / slayn was on a nygħt
Vn to Dianes temple / goth she rigħt
And hente the ymage / in hir handes two
Fro which ymage / wolde she neuere go
685
No wigħt / ne mygħte hir handes of it arace
Til she was slayn / right in the selue place
¶ Now sith þt maydens / hadden swich despit
To been defouled / with mannes foul delit
Wel ogħte a wyf / rather hir seluen slee
690
Than be defouled / as it thynketh me
What shal I seyn / of hasdrubales wyf
That at Cartage / birafte hir self hir lyf
For whan she saugħ / that Romayns wan the toun
She took hir children alle / and skipte adoun
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In to the fyr / and chees rather to dye
Than any Romayn / dide hir vileynye
Hath nat lucresse / yslayn hir self allas
At Rome / whan she opperssed was
Of Tarquyn / for hir thoughte it was a shame
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To lyuen / whan she had lost hir name
The seuene maydens / of Melesie also
Han slayn hem self / for drede and wo
Rather than folk of Gawle / hem sholde oppersse
Mo than a thousand stories / as I gesse
705
Koude I now telle / as touchynge this mateere
Whan habradate was slayn / his wyf so deere
Hir seluen slow / and leet hir blood to glyde
In habradates woundes depe and wyde
And seyde my body / at the leeste way
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Ther shal no wigħt / defoulen if I may
¶ What sholde I / mo ensamples heer of sayn
Sith that so manye / han hem seluen slayn