The Monk's Tale
Folio 177v
18 of 19 folios
Sith in estaat thow cloumbe were so hye
Thy brother sone / that was thy double allye
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For he thy Nevew was / and sone in lawe
With Inne his prisoū / made thee to dye
But why ne how / noot I þt thou were slawe
OF the Erl Hugelyn of Pyze / the langour
Ther may no tonge / telle for pitee
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But litel out of Pize / stant a tour
In which tour in prisoū put was he
And with hym / been hise litel children thre
The eldeste / scarsly / fyf yeer was of age
Allas Fortune / it was greet crueltee
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Swiche briddes / for to putte / in swich a Cage
Dampned was he / to dyen in that prisoū
For Roger which þt Bissħope was of Pize
Hadde on hym maad / a fals suggestioū
Thurgħ which / the peple / gan vpon hym rise
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And putten hym to prisoū / in swich wise
As ye han herd / and mete / and drynke he hadde
So smal / that vnnethe it may suffise
And therwith al / it was ful poure and badde
And on a day / bifil / þt in that hour
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Whan þt his mete / wont was to be brogħt
The Gayler shette the dores of the tour
He herde it wel / but he spak rigħt nogħt
And in his herte / anon ther fil a thogħt
That they for hunger wolde doon hym dyen
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Allas quod he / allas that I was wrogħt
Ther with / the teeris fillen from hise eyen
His yonge sone / that thre yeer was of age
Vn to hym seyde / fader / fader why do ye wepe
Whanne wol the Gayler bryngen oure potage
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Is ther no morsel breed / that ye do kepe
I am so hungry / that I may nat slepe
Now wolde god / that I mygħte slepen euere
Thanne sholde nat hunger in my wombe crepe
Ther is no thyng but breed / that me were leuere
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Thus day by day / this child bigan to crye
Til in his fadres barm / adoun it lay
And seyde / fare wel fader I moot dye
And kiste his fader and dyde the same day
And whan the woful fader deed it say
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For wo / hise Armes two / he gan to byte