Introduction to the Man of Law's Tale
Folio 54v
2 of 3 folios
For swicħ lawe as a man ȝeuetħ / a noþer wygħt
He shulde hī selue vsen it / be rigħt
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Thus wyl oure text / but natheles certeyn
I can rigħt now / no thrifty tale seyn
But Chaucer / thougħ he can but lewedly
On meetris / and on rymyng craftily
Hatħ seid hem / in swicħ englissħ as he can
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Of olde tyme / as knowetħ many a man
And if he haue nouȝt seid hē / leue brother
In o boke / he hath seid hē / in a nother
For he hath told of louyers / vp and downe
Moo than Ouyde made of / mencione
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In hise epistles / that ben ful olde
What shulde I telle hē / syn they ben tolde
In ȝouthe he made / of Ceys and Alcione
And sithen hatħ he spoken / of euerychone
Theise noble wyues / and theise louyers eke
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Who so þat wyl / his large volume seke
Cleped the Seyntes legende / of cupide
There may he sen / the large woundes wyde
Of lucresse / and of babilan Tesbe
The swerd of Dido / for the fals Eue
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The tree of phillis / for hir demophon
The pleynte of Diane / and of hermyoū
Of Adriane / and Isiphilee
The baraigne Isle / stondynge in the see
The dreynte leandre / for his erro
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The teeres of Eleyne / and eke the woo
Of Brixseide / and of the ladomya
The cruelte / of the Quene Medea
Thy litel children hangynge / by the hals
For thy Ioson that was of loue so fals
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O Permystre / Penolape Alceste
Ȝoure wyfhode / ȝe comende with the beste
But certeynly / no word wrytetħ he
Of thilke wykked ensaumple / of Canacee
That loued hire owen brother / synfully
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Of swiche cursed stories / I seye fy
Or ellis of Tiro Appollonius
How þt the cursed kyng / Antiochus
Biraft hire dougħter / of hire maydenhede
That is so horrible a tale / for to rede
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Whan he hire threwe / vp on the paument