The Merchant's Tale
Folio 121v
28 of 29 folios
And sodeynly anon this damyan
Gan pulle vp the smok and In he thronge
1110
¶ And whan that pluto saugh this grete wronge
To Ianuarye agayn he yaf his sight
And made him se as wel as euer he myght
And whan that he had caught his sight agayn
Ne was ther neuer man of sight so fayn
1115
But on his wif his thoght was euer mo
Vnto the tre he caste his eyen two
And saugh that damyan his wif had dressed
In swich maner it may nat ben expressed
But yif y wolde speken vncurteysly
1120
And vp he yaf aroryng and a crye
As doth the modre whan the child shal dye
Out helpe allas harrow he gan to crye
O stroong lady stoor what doost thow
¶ And she answerde syr what eilleth yow
1125
Haue pacience and resoun in your mynde
I haue yow holpen in bothe in your eyen blynde
Vp perile of my soule I shal nat lyen
As me was taught to heele wyth your eyen
Was no thing bette to make yow to se
1130
Than strogle wyth a man vpon a tree
God woot I did it in ful good entente
¶ Strogle quod he algate in it wente
God yeue yow bothe on shames deth to dyen
He swyued the I saugh it wyth myn eyen
1135
And elles be I hanged bi the hals
¶ Thanne is quod she \this/ medicine al fals
For certeynly if that ye myght se
Ye wolde not seyn thise . wordes . vnto me
Ye han som glymsyng and no parfite syght
1140
¶ I so quod he al so wel as euer I myght
Thonked be god wyth bothe myn eyen two
And bi my trouth me thought he did the so
Ye maze maze good syr quod she
This thank haue I for I made yow to se
1145
Allas quod she that euer I was so kynde
Now dame quod he lat passe al out of mynde