The Monk's Tale
Folio 171r
5 of 19 folios
The faireste children / of the blood Roial
Of Israel / he leet do gelde anoon
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And maked ech of hem / to been his thral
Amonges othere / Daniel was oon
That was the wiseste child of euerychon
For he / the dremes of the kyng expowned
Wher as in Chaldeye / clerk ne was ther noon
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That wiste / to what fyn / hise dremes sowned
This proude kyng leet maken a statue of gold
Sixty cubites long and seuene in brede
The which ymage / he bothe yonge and oold
Comanded to loute / and haue in drede
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Or in a Fourneys / ful of flambes rede
He shal be brent that wolde nogħt obeye
But neuere wolde assente / to that dede
Daniel / ne hise yonge felawes tweye
This kyng of kynges / proud was and elaat
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He wende / þt god that sit in magestee
Ne mygħte / hym nat bireue of his estaat
And sodeynly / he loste his dignytee
And lyk a beest / hym semed for to bee
And eet hey as an Oxe / and lay ther oute
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In reyn / with wilde beestes walked hee
Til certein tyme / was ycome aboute
And lik / an Egles fetheres / wax his heres
Hise nayles / lyk a briddes clawes weere
Til god relessed hym / a certeyn yeres
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And yaf hym wit / and thanne wt many a teere
He thanked god / and euere his lyf in feere
Was he / to doon amys / or moore trespace
And til that tyme / he leyd was on his beere
He knew / that god was / ful of mygħt & grace
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His sone / which that higħte Balthasar
That heeld the regne / after his fader day
He by his fader / koude nogħt be war
For proud he was / of herte and of array
And eek / an ydolastre / he was ay
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His hye estaat assured hym in pryde
But Fortune / caste hym doun / and ther he lay
And sodeynly / his regne gan diuide
A feeste he made / vn to hise lordes alle
Vp on a tyme / and bad hem blithe bee
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And thanne / hise Officers gan he calle