The Clerk's Tale
Folio 104v
26 of 27 folios
And ȝoure benigne fader / tenderly
Hatħ don ȝow kepe / and in that same stounde
Al sodeynly / she fel a doun to grounde
1100
¶ And in hire swougħ / so sadly holdetħ she
Hire children two / whan she gan hē embrace
That witħ gret sleigħt / and gret difficulte
The children / from hire arm / they gonne race
O many a teere / many a pytous pace
1105
Doun ran of hem / that stoden hire beside
Vnethe a boute hire / mygħt they a byde
¶ Walter hire gladetħ / and hire sorwe slaketħ
She rysetħ vp / a basshed / from hire traunce
And euery wygħt / hire ioye / and feste maketħ
1110
Til she hatħ caugħt / a geyn / hire countenaunce
Walter hire dotħ / so feithful plesaunce
That it was deynte / for to se the chere
Bytwen hē two / syn they ben met in fere
¶ Theise ladyes / whan that they / here tyme sey
1115
Han taken hire / and in to chaumbre gon
And stripen hire / out of hire rude aray
And in a clotħ of gold / that brigħt shoñ
Witħ a Corone / of many a riche ston
Vp on hire hede / they in to halle hire brougħt
1120
And there she was honoured / as hire ougħt
¶ Thus hatħ this pytous day / a blisful ende
For euery man & wōman / dotħ his mygħt
This day / in myrthe and reuel / to spende
Til on the walkene / shon the sterres ligħt
1125
For more solempne / in euery mānes sigħt
This feste was / and grettere of costage
Than was the reuel / of hire mariage
¶ Ful many a ȝere / in heigħ prosperitee
Lyuen theise two / in concord and in reest
1130
And richely his dougħter / maryed he
Vn to a lord / oon of the worthiest
Of al Itayle / and thanne in pees and rest
His wyues fader / in his court he kepetħ
Til that the soule / out of his body crepetħ
1135
¶ His sone succeditħ / in his heritage
In reste and pees / after his faderes day
And fortunat was eke / in mariage
Al put he nat his wyf / in gret assay
This world is nat so strong / it is no nay
1140
As it hatħ ben / in olde tymes ȝore
And herkenetħ / what this Auctor / seitħ therfore