The Franklin's Tale
Folio 131v
17 of 20 folios
Is ther ogħt elles Dorigen / but this ;
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¶ Nay nay quod she / god helpe me so as wys
This is to muche / and it were goddes wille
¶ Ye wyf quod he / lat slepen that is stille
It may be wel / perauenture yet to day
Ye shul your trouthe holden by my fay
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For god so wisly / haue mercy vp on me
I hadde wel leuere / ystiked for to be
For verray loue / which that I to yow haue
But if ye sholde / your trouthe kepe & saue
Trouthe / is the hyeste thyng þt man may kepe
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But wt that word / he brast anon to wepe
And seyde / I yow forbede / vp peyne deeth
That neuere / whil thee lasteth lyf ne breetħ
To no wigħt telle thou of this auenture
As I may best I wol my wo endure
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Ne make / no contenance of heuynesse
That folk / of yow / may demen harm or gesse
¶ And forth / he cleped / a squier and a mayde
Gooth forth anon / with Dorigen he sayde
And bryngeth hir / to swich a place anon
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They take hir leue / and on hir wey they gon
But they ne wiste / why she thider wente
He nolde / no wigħt tellen his entente
¶ Parauenture / an heepe of yow ywis
Wol holden hym / a lewed man in this
That he wol putte / his wyf in Iupartie
Herkneth the tale / er ye vp on hir crie
She may haue bettre Fortune / than yow semeth
And whan þt ye han herd the tale / demeth
This squier which þt highte Aurelius
On Dorigen / that was so amorus
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Of auenture / happed hir to meete
Amydde the toun / rigħt in the quykkest strete
As she was bown / to goon the wey forth rigħt
Toward the gardyn / ther as she had higħt
And he was / to the gardynward also
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For wel he spyed / whan she wolde go
Out of hir hous / to any maner place
But thus they mette / of auenture or grace
And he saleweth hir / with glad entente
And asked of hir / whiderward she wente
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¶ And she answerde / half as she were mad
Vn to the gardyn / as myn housbonde bad
My trouthe for to holde / allas / allas
¶ Aurelius / gan wondren on this cas
And in his herte / hadde greet cōpassioū
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Of hir / and of hir lamentacioū