The Tale of Sir Thopas
Folio 152r
2 of 4 folios
¶ He priketh / thurgħ a fair forest
Ther Inne / is many a wilde best
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Ye bothe bukke and hare
And as he priketh / North & Est
I telle it yow / hym hadde almest
¶ Ther spryngen herbes / grete & smale
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The lycorys / and Cetewale
And Notemuge / to putte in Ale
Wheither it be moyste / or stale
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¶ The briddes synge / it is no nay
The sparhauk and the papeiay
That ioye it was to heere
The thrustelcok / made eek hir lay
The wodedowue / vp on a spray
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She sang ful loude & cleere
¶ Sir Thopas fil in loue longynge
Al whan he herde / the thrustel synge
And pryked / as he were wood
His faire steede / in his prikynge
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So swatte / þt men myghte hī wrynge
His sydes / were al blood
¶ Sir Thopas eek / so wery was
For prikyng on the softe gras
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That doun he leyde hī in that plas
To make his steede som solas
¶ O seinte Marie benedicite
What eyleth / this loue at me
Me dremed / al this nygħt pardee
An elf queene / shal my lēman be
¶ An Elf queene / wol I loue ywis
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For in this world / no wōman is
¶ Alle othere wōmen / I forsake
And to an Elf queene I me take
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By dale & eek by downe
¶ In to his Sadel / he clamb anon
And priketh ouer stile and stoon
Til he so longe / hadde riden and goon
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That he foond / in a pryue woon
For in that contree was ther noon ;
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¶ Til þt ther cam a greet geaunt
His name was / sir Olifaunt
He seyde child / by Termagaunt /
But if thou prike / out of myn haunt
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Anon I sle thy steede
¶ Heere is / the queene of Fairye
With harpe / and pipe and symphonye
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¶ The child seyde / also moote I thee
Tomorwe / wol I meete wt thee
¶ And yet I hope / par ma fay
That thou shalt wt this launcegay
Thyn hauberk / shal I percen if I may
Er it be fully pryme of day
For heere thow shalt be slawe
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¶ Sir Thopas / drow abak ful faste
This geant at hym stones caste
¶ But faire escapeth sir Thopas
And al it was thurgħ goddes gras
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And thurgħ his fair berynge