The Squire's Tale
Folio 120v
11 of 14 folios
¶ And after that she of hir swougħ gan breyde
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Rigħt in hir haukes ledene / thus she seyde
That pitee / renneth soone in gentil herte
Feelynge his similitude / in peynes smerte
Is preued alday / as men may see
As wel by werk as by Auctoritee
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For gentil herte / kitheth gentillesse
I se wel / ye han of my distresse
Compassiou / my faire Canacee
Of verray wommanly benignytee
That nature / in your pinciples hath yset
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But for noon hope / for to fare the bet
But for obeye / vn to your herte free
And for to maken othere / be war by me
As by the whelpe / chasted is the leou
Rigħt for that cause / and for that conclusiou
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Whil þt I haue / a leyser and a space
Myn harm / I wol confessen er I pace
¶ And euere / whil þt oon hir sorwe tolde
That oother weepe / as she to water wolde
Til that the Faucou / bad hir to be stille
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And wt a syk / rigħt thus she seyde hir wille
¶ That I was bred / allas that harde day
And fostred in a Roche / of Marbul gray
So tendrely / that no thyng eyled me
I nyste nat what was Aduersitee
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Til I koude flee ful hye / vnder the sky
Tho dwelte / a Tercelet me faste by
That semed welle / of alle gentillesse
Al were he / ful of tresou / and falsnesse
It was so wrapped / vnder humble cheere
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And vnder hewe of trouthe / in swich manere
Vnder plesance / and vnder bisy peyne
That I ne koude han wend / he koude feyne
So depe in greyn / he dyed his colours
Rigħt as a serpent hit hym vnder floures
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Til he may seen / his tyme / for to byte
Rigħt so this god of loue / this ypocryte
Dooth so hise cerymonyes and obeisaūces
And kepeth in semblaūt / alle hise obseruaūces
That sowneth / in to gentillesse of loue
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As in a toumbe / is al the faire aboue
And vnder is the corps / swich as ye woot
Swich was the ypocrite / bothe coold and hoot
And in this wise / he serued his entente
That saue the feend / noon wiste what he mente
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Til he so longe / hadde wopen and compleyned
And many a yeer his seruice to me feyned