The Clerk's Tale
Folio 182v
19 of 35 folios
xhan it was two yeer old / and fro the brest
Departed of his Norice / on a day
This Markys / caughte yet another lest
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To tempte his wyf / yet ofter / if he may
O nedelees / was she tempted in assay
But wedded men / ne knowe no mesure
Whan þt they fynde / a pacient creature
¶ Wyf quod this Markys / ye han herd er this
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My peple / sikly berth this mariage
And namely / sith my sone yborn is
Now is it worse / than euere in al oure age
The murmur sleeth myn herte / and my corage
For to myne erys / comth the voys so smerte
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That it wel neigh / destroyed hath myn herte
¶ Now sey they thus / whan Walter is agon
Thanne shal / the blood of Ianycle succede
And been oure lord / for oother haue we noon
Swiche wordes / seith my peple out of drede
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Wel oghte I / of swich murmur taken hede
For certeinly / I drede swich sentence
Though they nat pleyn / speke in myn audience
¶ I wolde lyue in pees / if þt I myghte
Wherfore / I am disposed outrely
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As I his suster / serued by nyghte
Right so thenke I / to serue hym piuely
This warne I yow / þt ye nat sodeynly
Out of your self / for no wo sholde outraye
Beth pacient and ther of I yow praye
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¶ I haue quod she seyd thus / and euere shal
I wol no thyng ne nyl no thyng certeyn
But as yow list noght greueth me at al
Thogh that my doghter / and my sone be sleyn
At youre comandement this is to seyn
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I haue nat had no part of children tweyne
But first siknesse / and after wo and peyne