The Franklin's Tale
Folio 124r
2 of 20 folios
But hir obeye / and folwe hir wyl in al
As any louere / to his lady shal
Saue / that the name of soueraynetee
That wolde he haue / for shame of his degree
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¶ She thanked hym / and with ful greet humblesse
She seyde sire / sith of youre gentillesse
Ye profre me / to haue so large a reyne
Ne wolde neuere god / bitwixe vs tweyne
As in my gilt were outher werre or stryf /
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Sir / I wol be / your humble trewe wyf
Haue heer my trouthe / til þt myn herte breste
Thus been they / bothe in quiete and in reste
¶ For o thyng sires / saufly dar I seye
That freendes / euerych oother moot obeye
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If they wol longe / holden compaignye
Loue / wol nat been constreyned by maistrye
Whan maistrie comth / the god of loue anon
Beteth hise wynges / and farewel he is gon
Loue is a thyng as any spirit free
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Wōmen of kynde / desiren libertee
And nat to been constreyned as a thral
And so doon men / if I sooth seyen shal
Looke / who þt is moost pacient in loue
He is / at his auantate al aboue
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Pacience / is an heigh vertu certeyn
For it venquysseth / as thise clerkes seyn
Thynges / þt rigour / sholde neuere atteyne
For euery word / men may nat chide or pleyne
Lerneth to suffre / or elles so moot I goon
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Ye shul it lerne / wher so ye wole or noon
For in this world certein / ther no wigħt is
That he ne dooth or seith / som tyme amys
Ire / siknesse / or constellacioū
Wyn / wo / or chaungynge of complexioū
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Causeth ful ofte / to doon amys or speken
On euery wrong / a man may nat be wreken
After the tyme / moste be temperaūce
To euery wigħt þt kan on gouernaūce
And therfore / hath this wise worthy knygħt
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To lyue in ese / suffrance hir bihigħt
And she to hym / ful wisly gan to swere
That neuere / sholde ther be defaute in here
¶ Heere may men seen / an humble wys accord
Thus hath she take / hir seruant / and hir lord
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Seruant in loue / and lord in mariage
Thanne was he / bothe in lordshipe and seruage
Seruage ; nay / but in lordshipe aboue
Sith he hath / bothe his lady and his loue