The Squire's Tale
Folio 116v
3 of 14 folios
He with a manly voys / seith his message
After the forme / vsed in his langage
With outen vice / of silable / or of lettre
And for his tale / sholde seme the bettre
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Accordant to hise wordes / was his cheere
As techeth Art of speche / hem þt it leere
Al be / that I kan nat sowne his stile
Ne kan nat clymben / ouer so heigħ a Style
Yet seye I this / as to cōmune entente
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Thus muche amounteth / al þt euere he mente
If it so be / þt I haue it in mynde
¶ He seyde / the kyng of Arabe and of Inde
My lige lord / on this solempne day
Saleweth yow / as he best kan and may
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And sendeth yow / in honour of your feeste
By me / that am al redy at your heeste
This steede of bras / that esily and weel
Kan in the space / of o day natureel
This is to seyn / in foure and twenty houres
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Wher so yow lyst in droghte or elles shoures
Beren youre body / in to euery place
To which youre herte / wilneth for to pace
With outen wem of yow / thurgħ foul or fair
Or if yow lyst to fleen / as hye in the Air
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As dooth an Egle / whan þt hym list to soore
This same Steede / shal bere yow euere moore
With outen harm / til ye be ther yow leste
Thougħ that ye slepen / on his bak or reste
And turne ayeyn / with writhyng of a pyn
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He þt it wroghte / koude ful many a gyn
He wayted / many a constellaciou
Er he / had doon / this operaciou
And knew ful many a seel / and many a bond
¶ This Mirour eek / þt I haue in myn hond
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Hath swich a mygħt / þt men may in it see
Whan ther shal fallen / any Aduersitee
Vn to your regne / or to your self also
And openly / who is your freend or foo
¶ And ouer al this / if any lady brigħt
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Hath set hir herte / in any maner wigħt
If he be fals / she shal his tresoū see
His newe loue / and al his subtiltee
So openly / þt ther shal no thyng hyde
Wherfore / ageyn this lusty Someres tyde
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This Mirour and this ryng þt ye may see
He hath sent vn to my lady Canacee
Your excellente doghter that is heere hic
¶ The vertu of the ryng if ye wol heere audire