The Franklin's Tale
Folio 126r
6 of 20 folios
But neuere / dorste he tellen hir his greuaūce
With outen coppe / he drank al his penaūce
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He was despeyred / no thyng dorste he seye
Saue in his songes / somwhat wolde he wreye
His wo / as in a general compleynyng
He seyde he louede / and was biloued no thyng
Of swich matere / made he manye layes
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Songes / compleintes / roundels / virelayes
How that / he dorste nat his sorwe telle
But langwissħetħ / as a furye dooth in helle
And dye he moste he seyde / as dide Ekko
For Narcisus / that dorste nat telle hir wo
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In oother manere / than ye heere me seye
Ne dorste he nat. to hir his wo biwreye
Saue that perauenture / som tyme at daunces
Ther yong folk / kepen hir obseruaunces
It may wel be / he looked on hir face
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In swich a wise / as man þt asketh grace
But no thyng wiste she / of his entente
Nathelees / it happed er they thennes wente
By cause / that he was hir Neighebour
And was a man / of worshipe and honour
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And hadde yknowen hym / of tyme yoore
They fille in speche / and fortħ moore and moore
Vn to this purpos / drougħ Aurelius
And whan he saugħ his tyme / he seyde thus
¶ Madame quod he / by god þt this world made
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So that I wiste / it myghte your herte glade
I wolde that day / that youre Arueragus
Wente ouer the see / that I Aurelius
Hadde went ther neuere I sholde haue come agayn
For wel I woot my seruyce is in vayn
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My gerdou is / but brestyng of myn herte
Madame / reweth vpon my peynes smerte
For with a word / ye may me sleen or saue
Heere at your feet / god wolde þt I were graue
I ne haue as now / no leyser moore to seye
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Haue mercy sweete / or ye wol do me deye
¶ She gan to looke / vp on Aurelius
Is this your wyl quod she / and sey ye thus ;
Neuere erst quod she / ne wiste I what ye mente
But now Aurelie / I knowe youre entente
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By thilke god / that yaf me soule and lyf
Ne shal I neuere / been vntrewe wyf
In word ne werk as fer as I haue wit /
I wol been his / to whom þt I am knyt
Taak this for fynal answer / as of me
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But after that in pley thus seyde she