The Squire's Tale
Folio 119v
1 of 16 folios
Whicħ that she hatħ / I wys I were to nyce
And cause why / it shulde reported be
And tolde to hire / of some of this meyne
Of whom it nedetħ nat / for to declare
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Syn wōmen connen oute / sucħ chaffare
And eke my wyt / suffisetħ nat ther to
To tellen al / wherfore my tale is do
Squyere come ner / if it ȝoure wylle be
And seye som what of loue / for certes ȝe
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Konen ther oon / as meche as any man
Nay sire qd he / but swicħ thyng as I can
Witħ hertly wylle / for I wil nougħt rebelle
A geyn ȝoure lust / a tale wol I ȝow telle
Haue me excused / if I speke amys
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My wyl is good / and lo my tale is this
At Sarray / in the lond of Tartarye
There dwelled a kyng / that werred Russye
Thorugħ whicħ there deyed / many a dougħty man
This noble kyng was cleped / Cambyuscan
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Whicħ in his tyme / was of so gret renoun
That there was nowher / in no regiou
So excellent a lord / of al thyng
Hī lakked no thyng / that longetħ to a kyng
As of the secte / of whicħ that he was born
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He kept his lay / to whicħ that he was sworñ
And ther to he was hardy / wys and riche
And pitous and Iust / alwey I liche
Sootħ of his word / benygne and honrable
Ad of his corage / alwey sad and stable
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Ȝong fressħ and strong / in armes desirous
As any bacheler / of al his hous
A faire persone he was / and fortunat
And kept alwey so wel / Real estat
That there nas no wher / sucħ an other man
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¶ This noble kyng / this Tartre Cambiuscan
Hadde two Sones / on Elfeta his wyf
Of whicħ the eldest higħt / Algarsyf
That other Sone / was called Camballo
A dougħter hadde / this worthy kyng also