The Clerk's Tale
Folio 89r
4 of 29 folios
120
And thogħ youre grene youthe / floure as yit
In crepeth age alwey / as stille as stoon
And deeth manaceth / euery age and smyt
In ech estaat for ther escapetħ noon
And also certein / as we knowe echoon
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That we shul deye / as vncerteyn / we alle ;
Been of that day / whan deeth shal on vs falle
Accepteth thanne of vs / the trewe entente
That neuere yet refuseden thyn heeste
And we wol lord / if that ye wole assente
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Chese yow a wyf / in short tyme atte leeste
Born of the gentilleste / and of the meeste
Of al this land / so that it ogħte seme
Honour to god and yow / as we kan deeme
Deliuere vs / out of al this bisy drede
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And taak a wyf for hye goddes sake
For if it so bifelle / as god forbede
That thurgħ your deeth / your lyne sholde slake
And that a straunge Successour sholde take
Youre heritage / o wo were vs alyue
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Wherfore / we pray yow hastily to wyue
¶ Hir meeke preyere / and hir pitous cheere
Made the Markys herte / han pitee
Ye wol quod he / myn owene peple deere
To that I neuere erst thoughte / streyne me
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I me reioysed / of my liberte
That seelde tyme / is founde in mariage
Ther I was free / I moot been in seruage
But nathelees / I se youre trewe entente
And truste vpon your wit / and haue doon ay
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Wherfore / of my free wyl / I wole assente
To wedde me / as soone as euere I may
But ther as ye / han profred me this day
To chese me a wyf / I yow relesse
That choys / and prey of that profre cesse
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For god it woot that children ofte been
Vnlyk hir worthy eldres hem bifore
Boūtee comth al of god / nat of the streen
Of which / they been engendred and ybore
I truste in goddes bontee / and therfore ;
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My mariage / and myn estaat and reste
I hym bitake / he may doon as hym leste