The Franklin's Tale
Folio 124v
3 of 20 folios
His lady certes / and his wyf also
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The which / þt lawe of loue acordeth to
And whan he was / in this prosperitee
Hoom wt his wyf / he gooth to his contree
Nat fer fro Pedmark / ther his dwellyng was
Where as he lyueth / in blisse and in solas
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¶ Who koude telle / but he hadde wedded be
The ioye / the ese / and the prosperitee
That is / bitwixe an housbonde / and his wyf
A yeer and moore / lasted this blisful lyf
Til þt the knygħt of which I speke of thus
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That of kayrrud / was cleped Arueragus
Shoope hym to goon / and dwelle a yeer or tweyne
In Engelond / that cleped was eek Briteyne
To seke in Armes / worshipe and honour
For al his lust he sette in swich labour
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And dwelled there two yeer / the book seith thus
¶ Now wol I stynten / of this Arueragus
And speken I wole / of Dorigene his wyf
That loueth hir housbonde / as hir hertes lyf
For his Absence / wepeth she and siketh
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As doon thise noble wyues / whan hem liketh
She moorneth / waketh / wayleth / fasteth / pleyneth
Desir of his persence / hir so destreyneth
That al this wyde world / she sette at nogħt
Hir freendes / whiche þt knewe hir heuy thogħt
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Conforten hir / in al þt euer they may
They perchen hir / they telle hir nygħt and day
That causelees / she sleeth hir self allas
And euery confort possible in this cas
They doon to hir / with al hir bisynesse
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Al / for to make hir / leue hir heuynesse
¶ By proces / as ye knowen euerichoon
Men may so longe / grauen in a stoon
Til som figure / ther Inne empernted be
So longe han they conforted hir / til she
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Receyued hath / by hope and by resoū
The emperntyng of hir consolacioū
Thurgh which / hir grete sorwe gan aswage
She may nat alwey / duren in swich rage
¶ And eek Arueragus / in al this care
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Hath sent hir lettres hoom / of his welfare
And þt he wol come hastily agayn
Or elles hadde this sorwe / hir herte slayn
¶ Hir freendes sawe / hir sorwe gan to slake
And preyde hir on knees / for goddes sake
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To come / and romen hir in compaignye
Awey to dryue / hir derke fantasye