The Monk's Tale
Folio 170v
4 of 19 folios
He slow the grisly boor / and that anon
And bar the heuene / on his nekke longe
Was neuere wigħt sith that this world bigan
That slow so manye Monstres / as dide he
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Thurgħ out this wyde world / his name ran
What for his strengthe / and for his heigħ boūtee
And euery Reawme / wente he for to see
He was so stroong þt no man mygħte hym lette
At bothe the worldes endes / seith Trophee
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In stide of boundes / he a pileer sette
A lemman hadde / this noble Champioū
That higħte Dianira / fressħ as May
And as thise clerkes / maken mencioū
She hath hym sent. a sherte fressħ and gay
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Allas this sherte / allas and weylaway
Euenymed was / so subtilly with alle
That er þt he / had wered it half a day
It made his flessħ / al from hise bones falle
But nathelees / sōme clerkes hir excusen
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By oon þt higħte Nessus that it maked
Be as be may / I wol hir nogħt accusen
But on his bak / this sherte he wered al naked
Til þt his flessħ / was for the venym blaked
And whan he saugħ / noon oother remedye
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In hoote coles / he hath hym seluen raked
For wt no venym deigned hym to dye
Thus starf this worthy / myghty hercules
Lo / who may truste / on Fortune any throwe
For hym þt folweth / al this world of prees
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Er he be war / is ofte yleyd ful lowe
Ful wys is he / that kan hym seluen knowe
Beth war / for whan that Fortune list to glose
Thanne wayteth she / hir man to ouerthrowe
By swich a wey / as he wolde leest suppose
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The myghty trone / the precious tresor
The glorious ceptre / and Roial magestee
That hadde the kyng Nabugodonosor
With tonge / vnnethe may discryued bee
He twyes / wan Ierusalem the Citee
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The vessel of the temple / he wt hym ladde
At Babiloigne / was his souereyn see
In which his glorie / and his delit he hadde