The Merchant's Tale
Folio 114r
24 of 26 folios
Dame quod this Pluto / be no lenger wrootħ
I yeue it vp / but sith I swoor myn ooth
That I wolde / graunten hym his sighte ageyn
1070
My word shal stonde / I warne yow certeyn
I am a kyng it sit me nogħt to lye
¶ And I quod she / a Queene of Fairye
Hir answere shal she haue I vndertake
Lat vs namoore wordes heer of make
1075
For sothe / I wol no lenger yow contrarie
¶ Now lat vs / turne agayn to Ianuarie
That in the gardyn / with his faire May
Syngeth ful murier / than the Papeiay
Yow loue I best and shal and oother noon
1080
So longe / aboute the Aleyes is he goon
Til he was come / agayns thilke pyrie
Wher as this Damyan / sitteth ful myrie
Anheigħ / among the fressħe leues grene
¶ This fressħe May / that is so brigħt and sheene
1085
Gan for to syke / and seyde / allas my syde
Now sir quod she / for augħt þt may bityde
I moste han / of the peres that I see
Or I moot dye / so soore longeth me
To eten / of the smale peres grene
1090
Help for hir loue / þt is of heuene queene
I telle yow wel / a wōman in my plit
May han to fruyt so greet an Appetit
That she may dyen / but she of it haue
¶ Allas quod he / þt I ne had heer a knaue
1095
That koude clymbe / allas allas quod he
That I am blynd / ye sir nofors quod she
¶ But wolde ye vouche sauf for goddes sake
The pyrie / inwith youre Armes for to take
For wel I woot that ye mystruste me
1100
Thanne sholde I clymbe / wel ynogħ quod she
So I my foot myghte sette vp on youre bak /
¶ Certes quod he / ther on shal be no lak
Migħte I yow helpen / wt myn herte blood
He stoupeth doun / and on his bak she stood
1105
And caugħte hir by a twiste / and vp she gootħ
Ladyes / I prey yow / þt ye be nat wrootħ
I kan nat glose / I am a rude man
And sodeynly / anon this Damyan
Gan pullen vp the smok / and In he throng
1110
¶ And whan þt Pluto / saugħ this grete wrong
To Ianuarie / he gaf agayn his sigħte
And made hym se / as wel as euere he mygħte
And whan þt he / hadde caugħt his sigħte agayn
Ne was ther neuere / man of thyng so fayn