The Franklin's Tale
Folio 159r
12 of 24 folios
Seken / in euery halke / and euery herne
Particuler sciences / for to lerne
415
He hym remembred / þt vp on a day
At Orliens in Studie / a book he say
Of Magyk naturel / which his felawe
That was that tyme / a Bachiler of lawe
Al were he ther / to lerne another craft
420
Hadde piuely / vp on his desk ylaft
Which book spak muchel / of the operacioūs
Touchynge / the .xxviij. mansioūs
That longen to the Moone / and swich folye
As in oure dayes / is nat worth a flye
425
For holy chirches feith / in oure bileue
Ne suffreth / noon illusioū vs to greue
And whan this book was in his remembraūce
Anon for ioye / his herte gan to daūce
And to hym self / he seyde pryuely
430
My brother / shal be warisshed hastily
For I am siker / þt ther be sciences
By whiche / men make diuerse apparences
Swiche / as thise subtile / Tregettours pleye
For ofte at festes / haue I wel herd seye
435
That Tregettours / wt Inne an halle large
Haue maad come In / a water / and a barge
And in the halle / rowen vp and doun
Som tyme hath semed / come a grym leoun
And som tyme floures sprynge / as in a mede
440
Som tyme a vyne / and grapes white and rede
Som tyme a Castel / al of lym and stoon
And whan hem lyked / voyded it anoon
Thus semed it to euery mannes sighte
¶ Now thanne conclude I thus / þt if I myghte
445
At Orliens / som old felawe yfynde
That hadde / this Moones mansions in mynde
Or oother Magyk naturel aboue
He sholde wel / make my brother han his loue
For with an apparence / a clerk may make
450
To mannes sighte / þt alle the Rokkes blake
Of Britaigne / were yvoyded euerichon
And Shippes / by the brynke / comen and gon