The Clerk's Tale
Folio 88v
3 of 29 folios
¶ I blame hym thus / that he consideretħ nogħt
In tyme comynge / what hym mygħte bityde
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But in his lust persent was al his thogħt
As for to hauke and hunte / on euery syde
Wel ny / alle othere cures / leet he slyde
And eek he nolde / and that was worst of alle
Wedde no wyf / for nogħt þt may bifalle
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Oonly that point his peple bar so soore
That flokmeele on a day / they to hym wente
And oon of hem / that wisest was of loore
Or elles / that the lord / best wolde assente
That he sholde telle hym / what his peple mente
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Or elles / koude he shewe wel swich mateere
He to the Markys / seyde as ye shul heere
¶ O noble Markys / youre humanitee
Asseureth vs / to yeue vs hardinesse
As ofte / as tyme is of necessitee
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That we to yow / mowe telle oure heuynesse
Accepteth lord / now for your gentillesse
That id we with pitous herte / vn to yow pleyne
And lat youre eres / nat my voys desdeyne
Al haue I noght to doone / in this mateere
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Moore than another man / hath in this place
Yet for as muche / as ye my lord so deere
Han alwey / shewed me / fauour and grace
I dar the bettre / aske of yow a space
Of Audience / to shewen oure requeste
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And ye my lord / to doon rigħt as yow leste
For certes lord / so wel vs liketh yow
And al youre werk / and euere han doon / þt we ;
Ne koude nat vs self deuysen how ;
We mygħte lyuen / in moore felicitee
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Saue o thyng lord / if youre wille be
That for to been a wedded man yow leste
Thanne were youre peple / in souereyn hertes reste
Boweth youre nekke / vnder that blisful yok /
Of soueraynetee / nogħt of seruyse
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Which þt men clepeth / spousaille or wedlok
And thenketh lord / among youre thoghtes wyse
How þt oure dayes passe / in sondry wyse
For thogħ we slepe / or wake / or rome / or ryde
Ay fleeth the tyme / it nyl no man abyde