The Knight's Tale
Folio 27v
16 of 58 folios
¶ Yet saugh I brent. the shippes hoppesteres
1160
The hunte strangled / with the wilde beres
The Sowe freten the child / right in the Cradel
The Cook yscalded / for al his longe ladel
¶ Naught was forgeten / by the Infortune of Marte
The Carter / ouer ryden / with his Carte
1165
Vnder the wheel / ful lowe he lay adown
Ther were also / of Martes deuysioun
The Barbor / and the Bochier and the Smyth
That forgeth sharpe swerdes / on his styth
¶ And al aboue / depeynted in a tour
1170
Saugh I Conquest sittyng in greet honor
With the sharpe swerd / ouer his heed
Hangynge / by a subtil twynes threed
¶ Depeynted was / the slaghtre of Iulius
Of grete Nero / and of Anthonius
1175
Al be / þt thilke tyme / they were vnborn
Yet was hir deeth / depeynted ther biforn
By manacynge of Mars / right by figure
So was it shewed / in that purtreyture
As is depeynted / in the Sertres aboue
1180
Who shal be slayn / or ellis deed for loue
Suffiseth oon ensample / in stories olde
I may nat rekne hem alle / thogh I wolde
¶ The Statue of Mars / vp on a Carte stood
Armed / and loked grym / as he were wood
1185
And ouer his heed / ther shynen two figures
Of sterres / þt been clepyd in Scriptures
That oon Puella / that oother Rubeus
This god of armes / was arrayed thus
A wolf ther stood / bifore hym at his feet
1190
With eyen rede / and of a man he eet
With subtil pencel / was depeynted this storie
In redoutynge of Mars / and of his glorie
¶ Now to the temple / of Diane the chaste
As shortly as I kan / I wol me haste
1195
To telle yow / al the discripsioun
Depeynted been the walles / vp and doun
Of huntyng and of shamefast chastitee
Ther saw I. / how woful Calistopee