The Squire's Tale
Folio 123r
15 of 16 folios
And deyntes moo than ben / in my knowyng
At after soper / gotħ this noble kyng
295
To sen this hors / of Bras / witħ al a route
Of ladyes / and of lordes / hi a boute
¶ Swicħ wondryng was there / on this hors of Bras
That syn the gret asassege / of Troie was
There as men wondred / on an hors also
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Ne was there swicħ a wondryng / as was tho
But fynaly / the kyng axed the knygħt
The vertu of this courser / and the mygħt
And preyed hī to telle / his gouernaunce
This hors a non / gan for to trippe & daunce
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Whan that the knygħt / leid hand vp on his reyne
And seide Sire / there nys nomore to seyne
But whan ȝow list / to riden any where
Ȝe moten trille a pyn / stant in his Ere
Whicħ I shal tellen ȝow / betwixe vs two
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Ȝe moten nempne hi / to what place also
Or to what contre / that ȝow list to ryde
And whan ȝe come there / as ȝow list abide
Bid hī decende / and trille an other pyn
For þere Inne litħ the effect / of al the gyn
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And he wol doun decende / & don ȝoure wille
And in that place / he wol abyden stille
Thougħ al the world / the contrarie had swore
He shal nat thens be drawe / ne be bore
Or if ȝow list / to bidde hī / thens gon
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Trille this pyn / & he wol vanysshe a non
Out of the sigħt / of euery manere wygħt
And come a geyn / be it day or nygħt
Whan that ȝow list / to clepen hī ageyn
In swicħ a gyse / as I shal to ȝow seyn
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Betwixen ȝow & me / & that ful sone
Ryde whan ȝow list / there is nomore to done
¶ Enformed whan the kyng was / of this knygħt
And hatħ conceyued / in his wyt a rigħt
The manere & the fourme / of al this thyng
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Ful glad and blithe / this noble lusty kyng
Repairetħ to his reuel / as byforn
The brydel is / in to the Tour I borñ
And kept a mong his Iueles / lief & deere
The hors vanysshed / I not in whicħ manere
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Out of here sigħt / ȝe gete nomore for me
But thus I leete / in lust and Iolitee
This Cambyuscan / his lordes festeiynge