The Franklin's Tale
Folio 132v
19 of 20 folios
And shamen / al my kynrede in this place
850
But I of hym / may gete bettre grace
But nathelees / I wole of hym assaye
At certeyn dayes / yeer by yeer to paye
And thanke hym / of his grete curteisye
My trouthe wol I kepe / I wol nat lye
855
¶ With herte soor / he gooth vn to his cofre
And brogħte gold / vn to this Philosophre
The value / of fyue hundred pound I gesse
And hym bisecheth of his gentillesse
To graunte hym dayes of the remenaūt
860
And seyde maister / I dar wel make auaūt
I failled neuere / of my trouthe as yit
For sikerly / my dette shal be quyt
Towardes yow / how euere that I fare
To goon a begged / in my kirtel bare
865
But wolde ye vouche sauf / vp on seuretee
Two yeer or thre / for to respiten me
Thanne were I wel / for elles moot I selle
Myn heritage / ther is namoore to telle
THis Philosophre / sobrely answerde
870
And seyde thus / whan he thise wordes herde
Haue I nat holden couenant vn to thee ;
¶ Yes certes / wel and trewely quod he
¶ Hastow nat had / thy lady / as thee liketh ;
¶ No no quod he / and sorwefully he siketh
875
¶ What was the cause / tel me if thou kan ;
¶ Aurelius / his tale anon bigan
And tolde hym al / as he han herd bifoore
It nedeth nat to yow reherce it moore
¶ He seide / Arueragus of gentillesse
880
Hadde leuere dye / in sorwe / and in distresse
Than þt his wyf / were of hir trouthe fals
The sorwe of Dorigen / he tolde hym als
How looth hir was / to been a wikked wyf
And þt she leuere had lost that day hir lyf
885
And þt hir trouthe / she swoor thurgħ Innocence
She neuere erst hadde herd speke of Apparence
That made me han of hir so greet pitee
And rigħt as frely / as he sente hir me
As frely / sente I hir to hym ageyn
890
This al and som / ther is namoore to seyn
¶ This Philosophre answerde / leeue brother
Euerich of yow / dide gentilly til oother
Thou art a Squier / and he is a knygħt
But god forbede / for his blisful mygħt
895
But if a clerk / koude doon a gentil dede
As wel as any of yow / it is no drede