The Physician's Tale
Folio 135r
5 of 7 folios
175
¶ Virginius / cam to wite the Iuges wille
And rigħt anon / was rad this cursed bille
The sentence of it / was as ye shul heere
¶ To yow my lord / sire Apius so deere
Sheweth youre poure seruant Claudius
180
How that a knygħt / called Virginius
Agayns the lawe / agayn al equitee
Holdeth expres // agayn the wyl of me
My seruant. which þt is my thral by rigħt
Which fro myn hous / was stole vp on a nygħt
185
Whil þt she was ful yong this wol I preeue
By witnesse lord / so þt it nat yow greeue
She nys his dogħter nat what so he seye
Wherfore / to yow / my lord the Iuge I preye
Yeld me my thral / if þt it be youre wille
190
Lo / this was / al the sentence of his bille
¶ Virginius / gan vpon the cherl biholde
But hastily / er he his tale tolde
And wolde haue preeued it as sholde a knygħt
And eek by xxxx witnessyng of many a wigħt
195
That it was fals / that seyde his Aduersarie
This cursed Iuge / wolde no thyng tarie
Ne heere a word moore of Virginius
But yaf his Iuggement and seyde thus
¶ I deeme anon / this cherl his seruant haue
200
Thou shalt no lenger / in thyn hous hir saue
Go bryng hir forth / and put hir in oure warde
The cherl shal haue his thral / this I awarde
¶ And whan this worthy knygħt Virginius
Thurgh sentence / of this Iustice Apius
205
Moste by force / his deere doghter yeuen
Vn to the Iuge / in lecherie to lyuen
He gooth hym hoom / and sette hī in his halle
And leet anon / his deere doghter calle
And with a face deed / as asshen colde
210
Vpon hir humble face / he gan biholde
With fadres pitee / stikynge thurgh his herte
Al wolde he / from his purpos nat conuerte
Doghter quod he / Virginia / by thy name
Ther been two weyes / outher deeth or shame
215
That thou most / suffre / allas þt I was bore
For neuere / thou deseruedest wherfore
To dyen / with a swerd / or with a knyf
O deere dogħter / ender of my lyf
Which I haue fostred vp / with swicħ plesaūce
220
That thou were neuere / out of my remembraūce
O doghter / which þt art my laste wo
And in my lyf my laste ioye also