The Franklin's Tale
Folio 293r
12 of 21 folios
Hom to his hous & maade hē wel ateese
Hem lakkede no vitayle that myghte hē pleese
So weel arayede hous as there was oon
480
Aurelyus in his lyf saw neuere noon
He shewede hȳ er he wente to soper
Forestis / Parkis ful of wylde deer
There saugh he hertis wt here hornys hye
The gretteste that euere were seyn wt Iye
485
He saw of hē an hūderede weere slayn wt hoūdis
And some wt arwis bledde of bittere wōdys
He say whā woyded were the wylde deer
The facoūneris vp on a fayr reuer
That with here haukys hā the heyroū slayn
490
Tho saugh he knyȝtis slayn in a playn
And aftyr this he dede hȳ swich plesaūce
That he hȳ schewede his lady onadance
On whiche hȳ selue daūsede as hȳ thouȝte
And whāne this Maystyr that this Magik wrouȝt
495
Saw it was tyme he clapte hise handis two
And farweel al oure reuel was a go
And remoūnede they neuere out of the hous
Whil they seye al the syght meruelious
But in hise stodie there as hise bokys be
500
They seetyn stille & no whit but they thre
To hȳ his maystir callede his squyer
And seyde thus is redy oure soper
Almost an hour it is I vndyrtake
Sythe I ȝow bad oure soper for to make
505
Whā that these worthi men wētyn wt me
In to myne stodye there as mȳne bokis be
Syre quod this squyer whā that it lykyth ȝow
It is al redy thow ȝe wele rygh now
Go wo thāne suppe as for the beste
510
These amerouse folk sūtyme mote han reste
At aftyr soper felle they in tretee
What sūme schulde this maysteris gerdoū bee
To remeuȳ alle the rokkis of bretayne
And ek frō Geroūde to the mount of Sayne