The Franklin's Tale
Folio 294r
14 of 21 folios
This subtyl clerk swych routhe hadde of this man
That nygh & day he spedde hȳ as he kan
555
To waytyn a tyme of his cōclusioū
That is to seyne to makyn illusioū
By swich an apparens or iogilrye
I ne cā no termys of astrologie
That sche & euery wygh schulde wene & seye
560
That of Brytayne the rokkys were a weye
Or ellys they were sunkyn vndyr grounde
So at the laste he hath his tyme I foūde
To make hise I apis & hise wrechedenesse
Of swich a supersticious cursedenesse
565
Hise tablis tolletanes / forth he brouȝte
Ful weel correctid / ne there lakkede nough
Neythir his collect / ne his expans ȝeeris
Ne hise rotis ne hise othere geris
As been hise sentris & hise argumentis
570
And hise proporcioūnys conuenyentis
For hise equations / in euery thyng
And by his .8õ. speere / in his werkyng
He knew ful weel / hu fer Alnath was schoue
Fro the hed of thilke fixe aries a boue
575
That in the nynte speere considered is
Ful subtily he calkelid al this
Whan he hadde founde his fyrste mancioū
He knew the remenaūt / by proporcyoū
And knew tharysyng of the moone weel
580
And in whos face & terme euerideel
And knew ful weel the monys mācioū
A cordaū~t to his operacioun
And knew also hise othere obseruaūcis
For sweche illusioūnys & sweche myschaūcis
585
As hethene folk vsedyn / in thilke dayis
For which no lengere makyth he delayis
But thor his magik for a wyke or tweye
It semede þt alle the rokkys were a weye
Aurelyus which that ȝit despeyred is
590
Where he schal han his loue / or fare a mys