The Knight's Tale
Folio 20r
31 of 58 folios
565
For he was yong. and myghty for the nones
And ther to / he was strong and byg of bones
To doon / what any wight kan hym deuyse
A yeer / or two / he was in this seruyse
Page of the chambre / of Emelie the brighte
570
And Philostrate / he seyde þt he highte
¶ But half so wel biloued a man / as he
Ne was ther neuere in Court of his degree
He was so gentil / of condiciou
That thurgh out al the Court was his renou
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They seiden / þt it were a charitee
That Theseus / wolde enhauncen his degree
And putten hym / in worshipful seruyse
Ther as he myghte / his vertu excercise
And thus with Inne a while / his name is spronge
580
Bothe of his dedes / and his goode tonge
That Theseus / hath taken hym so ner
That of his chambre / he made hym a Squier
And gaf hym gold / to mayntene his degree
And eek men broghte hym / out of his contree
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Fro yeer to yeer / ful pryuely his rente
But honestly / and sleighly / he it spente
That no man wondred / how þt he it hadde
And thre yeer in this wise / his lyf he ladde
And bar hym so / in pees / and ek in werre
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Ther was no man / that Theseus hath derre
And in this blisse / lete I now Arcite
And speke I wole / of Palamon alite
¶ In derknesse / and horrible / and strong pisou
This seuen yeer / hath seten Palamou
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Forpyned / what for wo / and for distresse
Who feeleth / double soor / and heuynesse
But Palamon / that loue destreyneth so
That wood out of his wit he gooth for wo
And eek ther to / he is a prisoner
600
Perpetuelly / nat oonly for a yer
Who koude ryme / in englissh proprely
His martirdom / for sothe it am noght I
Ther fore I passe / as lightly / as I may
¶ It fil / þt / in that seuenthe yeer of May