The Clerk's Tale
Folio 90r
6 of 29 folios
NOgħt fer / fro thilke paleys honurable
Ther as this Markys / shoope his mariage
There stood a throope / of site delitable
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In which / that poure folk / of that village
Hadden hir beestes / and hir herbergage
And of hir labour / tooke hir sustenance
After that the erthe / yaf hem habundance
Amonges thise poure folk / ther dwelte a man
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Which þt was holden / pourest of hem alle
But hye god / som tyme senden kan
His grace / in to a litel oxes Stalle
Ianicula / men of that throope hym calle
A dogħter hadde he / fair ynogħ to sigħte
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And Grisildis / this yonge mayden higħte
But for to speke / of vertuous boūtee
Thanne was she / oon the faireste vnder sonne
For poureliche / yfostred vp was she
No likerous lust / was thurgħ hir herte yronne
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Wel ofter / of the welle / than of the tonne
She drank and for she wolde vertu plese
She knew wel labour but noon ydel ese
But thogh this mayde / tendre were of age
Yet in the brest of hir virginitee
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Ther was enclosed / rype and sad corage
And in greet reuerence / and charitee
Hir olde poure fader fostred shee
A fewe sheepe / spynnynge on feeld she kepte
She wolde nogħt been ydel til she slepte
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And whan she homward cam / she wolde brynge
Wortes / or othere herbes / tymes ofte
The whiche she shredde / and seeth for hir lyuynge
And made hir bed / ful harde and no thyng softe
And ay she kepte / hir fadres lyf on lofte
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With euerich obeisaunce and diligence
That child may doon / to fadres reuerence
¶ Vp on Grisilde / this poure creature
Ful ofte sithe / this Markys caste his eye
As he / on huntyng rood perauenture
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And whan þt it fil / þt he mygħte hir espye
He nogħt / with wantowne lookyng of folye
Hise eyen caste on hir / but in sad wyse
Vpon hir chiere / he gan hym ofte auyse