The Tale of Sir Thopas
Folio 152v
3 of 4 folios
Yet listeth / lordes / to my tale
Murier than the Nightyngale
How sir Thopas / with sydes smale
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Prikyng ouer hyƚƚ and dale
¶ His myrie men / comanded he
To make hym / bothe game and glee
For nedes / moste he figħte
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With a geaunt with heuedes three
For paramour / and Iolitee
Of oon that shoon ful brighte
¶ Do come he seyde / my Mynstrales
And geestours / for to tellen tales
Of Romances / that been Roiales
Of Popes / and of Cardinales
¶ They fette hym first sweete wyn
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And Mede eek in a Mazelyn
And Gyngebreed / þt was ful fyn
And lycorys and eek Comyn
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¶ He dide / next his white leere
Of clooth of lake / fyn and cleere
A breech / and eek a sherte
And next his sherte an Aketoū
And ouer that an haubergeoū
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For percynge of his herte
¶ And ouer that / a fyn hawberk
Was al ywrogħt of Iewes werk
Ful strong it was of plate
And ouer that his cote Armour
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As whit as is / a lilye flour
¶ His sheeld / was al / of gold so reed
And ther Inne / was a bores heed
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And there he swoor / on Ale and breed
How þt the geaunt shal be deed
¶ Hise Iambeux were of quyrboilly
His swerdes shethe of yuory
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His helm of latoū brigħt
His sadel was of Rewel boon
His brydel / as the sonne shoon
¶ His spere it was / of fyn Ciprees
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That bodeth werre / and no thyng pees
The heed / ful sharpe ygrounde
¶ His steede was / al dappuƚƚ gray
It gooth an Ambil in the way
¶ Loo lordes myne / here is a fit
If ye wol any moore of it
To telle it / wol I fonde
NOw holde your mouth par charitee
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Bothe knygħt and lady free
And herkneth to my spelle
¶ Of batailles / and of Chiualry
And of ladyes / loue drury
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¶ Men speken of Romances of prys
Of Hornchild / and of Ypotys
¶ Of ser lybeux and pleyn damor
But ser Thopas / he bereth the flor
¶ His goode Steede / al he bistrood
And forth vpon his wey he rood
As sparcle / out of the bronde