The Monk's Tale
Folio 90v
4 of 20 folios
xhis is to seyn / the Prynces euerychon
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And eek thre thousand bodies / were ther slayn
With fallyng of the grete temple of stoon
Of Sampson / now wol I namoore sayn
Beth war by this ensample / old and playn
That no men telle hir conseil / til hir wyues
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Of swich thyng as they wolde han secree fayn
If þt it touche / hir lymes / or hir lyues
Of Hercules / the souereyn conquerour
Syngen hise werkes / laude and heigh renoun
For in his tyme / of strengthe he was the flour
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He slow / and rafte the skyn fro the leoun
He of Centauros / leyde the boost adown
He arpies slow / the cruel briddes felle
He golden Apples / rafte of the dragoun
He drow out Cerberus / the hound of helle
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¶ He slow the cruel tyrant Busirus
And made his hors / to frete hym flessh and bon
He slow the firy serpent venymus
Of Achilois two hornes / he brak oon
And he slow Cakus / in a Caue of stoon
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He slow the geant. Antheƫ the stronge
He slow the grisly boor / and that anon
And bar the heuene / on his nekke longe
¶ Was neuere wight sith þt this world bigan
That slew so manye monstres / as dide he
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Thurgh out this wide world / his name ran
What for his strengthe / and for his heigh boūtee
And euery Reawme / wente he for to se
He was so strong þt no man myghte hym lette
At bothe the worldes endes / seith Trophee
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In stede of boundes / he a piler sette
¶ A lemman / hadde this noble champioū
That highte Dianra / fressh as May
And as thise clerkes / maken menciou
She hath hym sent a sherte / fressh and gay
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Allas this sherte / allas and weylaway
Enuenymed was / so subtilly with alle
That er þt he / hadde wered it half a day
It made his flessh / al from hise bones falle