The Knight's Tale
Folio 26v
18 of 58 folios
Ther Venus / hath hir pincipal dwellynge
1080
Was shewed on the wal / in purtreyynge
With al the gardyn / and the lustynesse
Nat was foryeten / the porter ydelnesse
Ne Narcisus the faire / of yoore agon
Ne yet the folie / of kyng Salomon
1085
Ne yet the grete strengthe of Ercules
Thenchantementz / of Medea and Circes
Ne of Turnus / with the hardy fiers corage
The ryche Cresus / caytif in seruage
¶ Thus may ye seen / þt wisdom ne richesse
1090
Beautee / ne sleighte / strengthe hardynesse
Ne may with venus / maken champartie
For as hir lust the world than may she gye
Lo al this folk so caught were in hir laas
Til they for wo / ful ofte seyde allas
1095
Suffiseth heere ensamples / oon or two
And though / I koude rekne a thousand mo
¶ The statue of Venus / glorious for to seead vid
Was naked / fletyng in the large See .i. mar
And fro the nauele doun / al couered was
1100
With wawes grene / and brighte as any glas
A Citole in hir right hand / hadde she
And on hir heed / ful semely for to se
A rose gerland / fressh / and wel smellynge
Aboue hir heed / hir dowues flikerynge
1105
Biforn hir stood / hir sone Cupido
Vp on his shuldres / wynges hadde he two
And blynd he was / as it is ofte seen
A bowe he bar / and Arwes brighte and keene
¶ Why sholde I nat as wel / eek telle yow al
1110
The purtreyture / þt was vp on the wal
With Inne the temple / of myghty Mars the rede
Al peynted was the wal / in lengthe and brede
Lyk to the eestres / of the grisly place
That highte the grete temple / of Mars in Trace
1115
In thilke colde / frosty Regiou
Ther as Mars / hath his souereyn mansiou
¶ First on the wal / was peynted a Forest
In which ther dwelleth / neither man ne best