The Knight's Tale
Folio 27r
17 of 58 folios
With knotty / knarry / bareyne trees olde
1120
Of stubbes sharpe / and hidouse to biholde
In which / ther ran a rombul / in a swougħ
As thogh a storm / sholde bresten euery bougħ
And downward on an hil / vnder a bente
Ther stood the temple / of Mars Armypotente
1125
Wroght al of burned steel / of which the entree
Was long and streyt and gastly for to see
And ther out cam a rage / and swich a veȝe.i. impetë
That it made / al the gate for to rese
The Northren light in at the dores shoon
1130
For wyndow on the wal / ne was ther noon
Thurgh which men myghten / any light discerne
The dore was al / of Athamant eterne
Yclenched / ouerthwart and endelong /
With Iren togh / and for to make it strong
1135
Euery piler / the temple to sustene
Was tonne greet of Iren bright and shene
¶ Ther say I first. the dirke ymagynynge
Of felonye / and al the compassynge
The cruel Ire / reed as any gleede
1140
The pike purs / and eek the pale drede
The smyler / with the knyf vnder the cloke
The shipne brennyng with the blake smoke
The tresou / of the mordryng in the bed
The open werre / with woundes al bibled
1145
Contek with blody knyf and sharpe manace
Al ful of chirkyng was that sory place
¶ The sleer of hym self / yet saugh I ther
His herte blood / hath bathed al his heer
The nayl ydryuen / in the shode a nyght
1150
The colde deeth / with mouth gapyng vp right
Amyddes of the temple / sat meschaunce
With disconfort and sory contenaunce
¶ Yet saugh I woodnesse / laughyng in his rage
Armed compleynt out hees / and fiers outrage
1155
The caroyne in the bussħ / with throte ycorue
A thousand slayn / and noght of qualm ystorue
The tiraunt with the praye / by force yraft
The town destroyed / ther was no thyng laft