The Knight's Tale
Folio 11r
3 of 48 folios
But maketh houndes / ete hem in despit
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And with that word / wt outen moore respit
They fillen gruf and criden pitously
Haue on vs wrecched wōmen / som mercy
And lat oure sorwe / synken in thyn herte
¶ This gentil duc doun from his courser sterte
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With herte pitous / whan he herde hem speke
Hym thougħte / þt his herte wolde breke
Whan he saugħ hem / so pitous and so maat
That whilom weren / of so greet estaat
And in his Armes / he hem alle vp hente
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And hem conforteth / in ful good entente
And swoor his ooth / as he was trewe knygħt
He wolde doon / so ferforthly his mygħt
Vp on the tiraunt Creon / hem to wreke
That al the peple of Grece / sholde speke
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How Creon / was of Theseus yserued
As he þt hadde / his deeth ful wel deserued
And rigħt anoon / wt outen moore abood
His Baner he desplayetħ and forth rood
To Thebesward / and al his hoost biside
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No neer Atthenes / wolde he go ne ride
Ne take his ese / fully half a day
But onward on his wey / that nygħt he lay
And sente anon / ypolita the queene
And Emelye / hir yonge suster sheene
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Vn to the toun of Atthenes to dwelle
And forth he rit ther is namoore to telle
The rede Statue of Mars / wt spere and targe
So shyneth / in his white baner large
That alle the feeldes / glyteren vp and doun
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And by his Baner / born is his penoun
Of gold ful riche / in which ther was ybete
The Mynotaur which þt he slougħ in Crete
¶ Thus rit this duc thus rit this Conquerour
And in his hoost of Chiualrie the flour
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Til þt he cam to Thebes and aligħte
Faire in a feeld / ther as he thoughte figħte
But shortly / for to speken of this thyng
With Creon / which þt was of Thebes kyng
He faugħt and slough hym manly as a knygħt
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In pleyn bataille / and putte the folk to flygħt
And by assaut he wan the Citee after
And rente adoun / bothe waƚƚ and sparre & rafter
And to the ladyes / he restored agayn
The bones / of hir housbondes that weren slayn
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To doon obsequies / as was tho the gyse
But it were al to longe / for to deuyse