The Knight's Tale
Folio 160v
32 of 60 folios
Here eyȝyn caste sche / ful lowe adoun
Ther pluto hath / here derke regioū
1225
A woman trauaylynge / hadde sche be forn
But for here child / so longe was on born
Ful pitusly lucyane gan sche calle
And seyde help for þu mayst best of alle
Wel coude he peynte lyfly that it wrouȝte
1230
With manye a floreyn / heye it was bouȝte
Now ben these lystis / made & thesyus
That at hese grete cost arayed þus
The tēple & the theatre euerydel
Whan it was don / it likede hȳ wondyr wel
1235
But stynte I wele of Thesyus a lyte
And speke of Palamoū & Arcite
The day a prochith of here returnynge
That eueryche schulde an hunderit knyȝtis brȳge
The batayle to darrayn as I ȝou tolde
1240
And to atenys here couenaūt for to holde
Hath euereryche of hem brouȝt an hunderit knyȝtes
Wel armede for to werre at alle ryȝtis
And sekyrly þere trowede manye a man
That neuere sithe that the world be gan
1245
As for to spe of knyght hod of here hond
As fer as god hath makyd se & sond
Nas of so fewe so noble a cūpany
For euery wyȝt that louede chyualry
And wolde hese þank han a passaunt name
1250
Hath preyed that he myȝte ben of that game
And wel was hym that þerto schosyn was
For ȝif there fel to morwe swich a cas
Ȝe knowe wel th euery lusty knyȝt
Tht louyth paramoris & hath hese myȝt
1255
Were it in yngelond or ellys where
They wolden here thankys willȳ to be there
To fyghtȳ for a lady benedicite
It were a lusty syȝte for to se