Introduction to the Man of Law's Tale
Folio 49v
2 of 3 folios
For swich lawe / as a man yeueth another wigħt
He sholde hym seluen / vsen it by rigħt
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Thus wole oure text but nathelees certeyn
I kan rigħt now / no thrifty tale seyn
That Chaucer / thogh he kan but lewedly
On metres / and on rymyng craftily
Hath seyd hem / in swich englissħ / as he kan
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Of olde tyme / as knoweth many a man
And if he haue noght seyd hem leue brother
In o book / he hath seyd hem in another
For he hath toold / of loueris vp and doun /
Mo than Ouide made of mencioun
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In hise epistles that been ful olde
What sholde I telle hem / syn they ben tolde
¶ In youthe / he made / of Ceys and Alcione
And sitthe / hath he spoken of euerichone
Thise noble wyues / and thise loueris eke
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Who so that wole / his large volume seke
Cleped / the Seintes legende of Cupide
Ther may he seen / the large woundes wyde
Of Lucresse / and of Babilan Tesbee
The swerd of Dido / for the false Enee
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The tree of Phillis / for hir Demophon
The pleinte of Diane / and of Hermyon
Of Adriane / and of Isiphilee
The bareyne yle / stondynge in the See
The dreynte Leandre / for his Erro
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The teeris of Eleyne / and the wo
Of Brixseyde / and the Ladomya
The crueltee / of the queene Medea
Thy litel children / hangynge by the hals
For thy Iason / that was in loue so fals
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O Ypermystra / Penolopee / Alceste
Youre wifhede / he comendeth with the beste
¶ But certeinly / no word ne writeth he
Of thilke wikke ensample of Canacee
That loued / hir owene brother synfully
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Of swiche cursed stories / I sey fy
Or ellis / of Tyro Appollonius
How that the cursed kyng / Antiochus
Birafte his doghter / of hir maydenhede
That is / so horrible a tale for to rede
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Whan he hir threw / vp on the pauement
And therfore he / of ful auysement
Nolde neuere write / in none of his sermons
Of swiche / vnkynde abhomynacions
Ne I wol noon reherce / if that I may
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¶ But of my tale / how shal I doon this day