The Knight's Tale
Folio 29v
12 of 58 folios
Vp on his hand / he bar for his deduyt
1320
An Egle tame / as any lilie whyt
An hundred lordes / hadde he with hym there
Al armed saue hir heddes / in al hir gere
Ful richely / in alle manere thynges
For trusteth wel / þt dukes / Erles / kynges
1325
Were gadred / in this noble compaignye
For loue / and for encrees of chiualrye
Aboute this kyng ther ran on euery part
Ful many a tame leou and leopart
¶ And in this wise / thise lordes alle and some
1330
Been on the Sonday / to the Citee come
Aboute pryme / and in the town alight
¶ This Theseus / this duc this worthy knyght
Whan he hadde broght hem / in to his Citee
And Inned hem / euerich at his degree
1335
He festeth hem / and dooth so gret labour
To esen hem / and doon hem al honour
That yet men wenen / þt no mannes wit
Of noon estaat ne koude amenden it /
¶ The Mynstralcye / the seruyce / at the feeste
1340
The grete yiftes / to the meeste and leeste
The ryche array / of Theseus Paleys
Ne who sat first or last vp on the deys
What ladyes fairest been / and best daunsynge
Or which of hem / kan daunse best and synge
1345
Ne who moost feelyngly / speketh of loue
What haukes sitten / on the perche aboue
What houndes lyggen / on the floor adown
Of al this / make I now no mencioun
But al theffect that thynketh me the beste
1350
Now comth the point and herkneth if yow leste
¶ The Sonday nyght er day bigan to sprynge
Whan Palamon / the larke herde synge
Al thogh it nere nat day / by houres two
Yet soong the larke / and Palamon right tho
1355
With holy herte / and with an heigh corage
He roos / to wenden on his pilgrymage
Vn to the blisful / Scitherea benygne
I mene Venus / honurable and digne