The Physician's Tale
Folio 133r
1 of 7 folios
¶ Sire I releesse thee / thy thousand pound
As thou rigħt now / were cropen out of the ground
Ne neuere er now / ne haddest knowen me
900
For sire / I wol nat taken a peny of thee
For al my craft ne noght for my trauaille
Thou hast ypayed wel / for my vitaille
It is ynogħ / and farewel haue good day
And took his hors / and forth he goth his way
905
Lordynges / this questiou thanne wolde I aske now
Which was the mooste fre as thynketh yow
Now telleth me / er that ye ferther wende
I kan namoore / my tale is at an ende
¶ Heere is ended the Frankeleyns tale
¶ Heere folweth / the Phisiciens tale
Ther was / as telleth Titus Liuius
A knygħt that was called Virginius
Fulfild / of honour / and of worthynesse
And strong of freendes / and of greet richesse
5
¶ This knygħt a dogħter hadde by his wyf /
No children hadde he mo in al his lyf
Fair was this mayde / in excellent beautee
Abouen euery wigħt that man may see
For Nature / hath with souereyn diligence
10
Yformed hir / in so greet excellence
As thougħ she wolde seyn / lo I Nature
Thus kan I forme / and peynte a creature
Whan that me list who kan me countrefete
Pigmalion nogħt / thougħ he ay forge and bete
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Or graue / or peynte / for I dar wel seyn
Apelles zanzis / sholde werche in veyn
Outher to graue / or peynte / or forge / or bete
If they persumed / me to countrefete
For he / that is the former pincipal
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Hath maked me / his vicaire general
To forme and peynten erthely creaturis
Rigħt as me list and ech thyng in my cure is
Vnder the Moone / þt may wane and waxe
And for my werk rigħt no thyng wol I axe
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My lord and I / been ful of oon accord
I made hir / to the worshipe of my lord
So do I / alle myne othere creatures
What colour that they han / or what figures