The Franklin's Tale
Folio 129r
18 of 18 folios
She seide Sire / Sithe of ȝoure gentillesse
Ȝe profre me / to haue so large a reyne
Ne wolde neuere god / bytwixte vs tweyne
As in my gilt / were either werre or strif
50
Sire / I wil be ȝoure humble / trewe wyf
Haue here my trouthe / til that myn herte breste
Thus ben they bothe / in quiete and in reste
¶ For oo thyng sires / safly dar I seye
That frendes / euericħ other / mot obeye
55
If they wiln longe / holden compaignye
Loue wol nat be constreyned / by maistrye
Whan maistrie cometħ / god of loue a noon
Betetħ hise wynges / and fare wel he is gon
Loue is a thyng / as any spirit free
60
Wōmen of kynde / desiren libertee
And nat to be constreyned / as a thral
And so doon men / If I sootħ seyn / shal
Loke who that most / is pacient in loue
He is at his auauntage / al a boue
65
Pacience / is an heigħ vertu / certeyn
For it venquysshetħ / alle theise clerkes seyn
Thynges / that rigour shulde neuere ateyne
For euery word / men moun nat chide or pleyne
Lernetħ to suffre / or elles so mot I gon
70
Ȝe shuln it lerne / wheiþer so ȝe wol or noon
For in this world certeyn / there no wygħt is
That he ne dotħ or seitħ / somtyme amys
Ire / sykenesse / or constellacioū
Wyn / woo / or chaungyng of complexiou
75
Causetħ ful ofte / to don a mys or spekyn
On euery wrong / a man may nat be wrekyn
After the tyme / must be temperaunce
To euery wygħt / that can on gouernaunce
And therfore hatħ / this wys worthy knygħt
80
To lyue in ease / suffraunce hire behigħt
And she to hī / ful wysly gan to swere
That neuere shulde there be / defaute in hire
¶ Heere moun men sen / an humble wys accord
Thus hatħ she take hire seruaūt / & hire lord
85
Seruaunt in loue / and lord in mariage
Thanne was he / bothe in lordshipe / & seruage
Seruage nay / but in lordshipe a boue
Sithe he hatħ bothe / his lady and his loue