The Franklin's Tale
Folio 123v
1 of 20 folios
¶ The Prologe / of the Frankeleyns tale ~
THise olde gentil Britoūs / in hir dayes
Of diuerse auentures / maden layes
Rymeyed / in hir firste Briton tonge
Whiche layes / with hir Instrumentz they songe
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Or elles redden hem / for hir plesaūce
And oon of hem / haue I in remembraūce
Which I shal seyn / with good wyl as I kan
¶ But sires / by cause I am a burel man
At my bigynnyng first I yow biseche
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Haue me excused / of my rude speche
I lerned neuere Rethorik certeyn
Thyng þt I speke / it moot be bare and pleyn
I sleepe neuere / on the Mount of Pernaso
Ne lerned / Marcus Tullius Scithero
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Colours ne knowe I none with outen drede
But swiche colours / as growen in the Mede
Or elles swiche / as men dye or peynte
Colours of Rethoryk / been to queynte
My spirit feeleth nogħt of swich mateere
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But if yow list my tale shul ye heere
¶ Heere bigynneth / the Frankeleyns tale ~
IN Armorik that called is Britayne
Ther was a knyght / þt loued & dide his payne
To serue a lady / in his beste wise
And many a labour / many a greet emprise
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He for his lady wroghte / er she were wonne
For she was / oon the faireste vnder sonne
And eek therto / comen of so heigħ kynrede
That wel vnnethes / dorste this knygħt for drede
Telle hir his wo / his peyne / and his distresse
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But atte laste / she for his worthynesse
And namely / for his meke obeysaūce
Hath swich a pitee caught of his penaūce
That pryuely / she fil of his accord
To take hym / for hir housbonde and hir lord
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Of swich lordshipe / as men han ouer hir wyues
And for to lede / the moore in blisse hir lyues
Of his free wyl / he swoor hir as a knygħt
That neuere in al his lyf he day ne nygħt
Ne sholde vp on hym / take no maistrie
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Agayn hir wyl / ne kithe hir Ialousie