The Physician's Tale
Folio 146v
5 of 8 folios
145
And yif he dide he shold lese his heed
And whan he assented was to this cursed reed
Glad was this Iuge and maked him grete chere
And yaf him yeftes percious and dere
¶ Whan shapen was al this conspiracie
150
Fro point to poynt how that this lecherie
Parformed shold be ful sotelly
As ye shol here it after openly
Hoom goth this Clerk that hight claudius
This fals Iuge that hight Apius
155
So was his name for this is no fable
But knowen for historial thing notable
The sentence of it soth is out of dout
This fals Iuge goth now fast about
To hasten his delit al that he may
160
And so bifel soone aftyr on a day
This fals Iuge as telleth vs the storye
As he was wonte sat in his Consistorie
And yaf his domes vpon sondrye cas
This fals Clerk comth forth a ful gret pas
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And seide lord yif that it be your wille
As doth me ryght vpon this pitous bille
In which I pleyn vpon viginius
And yif that he wol seyn it is nat thus
I wol it preue and fynde good witnesse
170
That soth is that my bille wol expersse
¶ The Iuge answerd of this in his absence
I may nat yeue a diffinitif sentence
Lat doon him calle and I wol gladly here
Thow shalt han right and no wronge as now here
175
¶ Virginius cam to wit the Iuge wille
And right anon was red this cursed bille
The sentence of it was as ye shul here
¶ To yow my lord sir apius so dere
Shewith your poore seruant Claudius
180
How that a knyght called viginius
Ageyn the lawe ageyn al equyte
Haldeth expresse ageyn the wille of me