The Clerk's Tale
Folio 94v
6 of 27 folios
185
And seide / he dide al this / at here request
And they witħ humble entent / ful buxumly
Knelyng vp oon here knees / ful reuerently
Hym thanken alle / and thus they han an ende
Of here entent / and hom a geyn they wende
190
¶ And heere vp on / he vn to hise officers
Comaundetħ / for the feest to purueye
And to his pryue knygħtis / and Squyers
Swicħ charge ȝaf / as hī list on hē leye
And they / to his comaundement / obeye
195
And ecħ of hem dootħ / al his diligence
To don vn to the feest / reuerence
Nougħt fer / fro thilke paleys / honurable
Where as the Markys / shope his mariage
There stod a Thrope / of sygħt delitable
200
In whicħ / that poore folk / of that village
Hadden here beestes / and here herbergage
And of here labour / token here sustenaunce
After that the erthe / ȝaf hē habundaunce
¶ A monges theise poore folk / there dwelt a man
205
Whicħ that was holden / poorest of hem alle
But heye god / somtyme senden can
His grace / in to a litel Oxes stalle
Ianycola / men of that Thrope hī calle
A dougħter had he / fair I now to sigħt
210
And Grysildes / this ȝonge mayden higħt
¶ But for to speke / of vertuous beaute
Than was she oon / of the fayrest vnder Sonne
Ful poorely / I fostred vp / was she
No lykerous lust / was in hire hert I ronne
215
Wel oftere of the welle / than of the Tonne
She dranke / and for she wolde vertu plese
She knew wel labour / but noon Idel eese
¶ But thougħ this Mayde / tendre were of age
Ȝet in the breest / of hire virgynytee
220
There was enclosed / ripe and sad corage
And in gret reuerence / and charitee
Hire olde poore fader / fostred she
A fewe shepe / spynnyng on the feld / she kepte
She wolde nougħt ben Idel / til she slepte
225
¶ And whan she homward cam / she wolde brynge
Wortes / or other Erbes / tymes ofte
The whicħ she shredde / and setħ for here lyuynge
And mad hire bed ful hard / and no thyng softe
And ay she kepte / hire fadres lyf on lofte
230
Witħ euery obeisaunce / and diligence
That child may don / to fadres reuerence