The Physician's Tale
Folio 140v
5 of 7 folios
But knowen for historial thyng / notable
The sentence of it / sotħ is out of doute
This fals Iuge / gotħ now fast a boute
To hasten his delyt / al that he may
160
And so byfel / sone after on a day
This fals Iuge / as telletħ vs the storie
As he was wont / sat in his Consistorie
And ȝaf his domes / vp on sondry cas
This fals Cherl cam fortħ / a ful gret pas
165
And seide lord / if that it be ȝoure wille
As dotħ me rigħt / vp on this pitous bille
In whicħ I pleyne / vp on Virginius
And if that he wol seyn / it is nat thus
I wol it preeue / and fynde good wytnesse
170
That sootħ is / that my bille / wol expresse
¶ This Iuge answered of this / in his absence
I may nat ȝeue / diffynytif sentence
Lat do hī calle / and I wol gladly heere
Thow shalt haue al rigħt / and no wrong here
175
¶ Virginius cam to wyte / the Iuges wille
And rigħt a non was red / this cursed bille
The sentence of it / was as ȝe shuln heere
¶ To ȝowȝow my lord Sire Apius / so dere
Shewet
ħ ȝoure pore
seruaunt
/ deereClaudius
deereClaudius
180
How that a knygħt / called Virginius
Ageyns the lawe / a geyn al equytee
Holdetħ expres / a geyn the wyl of me
My seruaūt / whicħ that is my thral by rigħt
Whicħ fro myn hous / was stolen vp on a nygħt
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Whil that she was ful ȝong / this wyl I preeue
By witnesse lord / so that it nat ȝow greue
She nys his dougħter nat / what so he seye
Wherfore to ȝow my lord / the Iuge / I preye
Ȝelde me my thral / if that it be ȝoure wille
190
Lo this was al / the sentence / of his bille
Virginius gan / vp on the thral biholde
But hastily / er he his tale tolde
And wolde haue preued it / as shulde a knygħt
And eke by wytnessynge / of many a wygħt
195
That al was fals / that seide his aduersarie
This cursed Iuge / wolde no thyng tarie
Ne heere a word more / of virginius
But ȝaf his Iugement / and seide thus
I deme a noon this cherl / his seruaūt haue
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Thow shalt no lengere / in thyn hous hir saue