The Squire's Tale
Folio 117r
4 of 14 folios
Is this / that if hir lust it for to were
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Vp on hir thombe / or in hir purs it bere
Ther is no fowel / þt fleeth vnder the heuene
That she / ne shal / wel vnderstonde his steuene
And knowe his menyng openly and pleyn
And answere hym / in his langage ageyn
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And euery gras / that groweth vpon roote
She shal eek knowe / and whom it wol do boote
Al be hise woundes / neuer so depe and wyde
¶ This naked swerd / þt hangeth by my syde
Swich vertu hath / þt what man so ye smyte
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Thurgħ out his Armre / it wole hym kerue and byte
Were it as thikke / as is a branched ook
And what man / that is wounded wt a strook
Shal neuer be hool / til þt yow list of grace
To stroke hym wt the plat in that place
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Ther he is hurt / this is as muche to seyn
Ye moote / with the plat swerd ageyn
Strike hym in the wounde / and it wol close
This is a verray sooth / with outen glose
It failleth nat whils it is in youre hoold
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¶ And whan this knygħt hath thus his tale toold
He rideth out of halle / and doun he ligħte
His steede / which þt shoon / as sonne brigħte
Stant in the court stille as any stoon
This knygħt is to his chambre lad anoon
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And is vnarmed / and vn to mete yset
¶ The persentes / been / ful roially yfet
This is to seyn / the swerd and the Mirour
And born anon / in to the heigħe Tour
With certeine officers / ordeyned therfore
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And vn to Canacee / this ryng was bore
Solempnely / ther she sit / at the table
But sikerly / with outen any fable
The hors of bras / þt may nat be remewed
It stant as it were / to the ground yglewed
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Ther may no man / out of the place it dryue
For noon engyn / of wyndas ne polyue
And cause why ; / for they kan nat the craft
And therfore / in the place / they han it laft
Til þt the knygħt hath taugħt hem the manere
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To voyden hym / as ye shal after heere
Greet was the prees / þt swarmeth to and fro
To gauren on this hors / that stondeth so
For it so heigħ was / and so brood and long
So wel proporcioned / for to been strong
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Rigħt as it were / a Steede of Lumbardye
Ther with so horsly / and so quyk of eye