The Clerk's Tale
Folio 258r
28 of 30 folios
O tendere o ȝonge o deere childere mynne
Ȝoure woful modyr / wende stedefastly
1095
That crewel houndis / or sū foul vermyn
Haddyn etyn ȝow / but god of his mercy
And ȝoure benȳgne fadyr tendyrly
Hath don ȝow kept & in that same stoūde
Al sodeynly sche swapte a doū to groūde
1100
And in hire swough so sadly holdyth sche
Hyre chȳlderyn two / whan sche gan hē tenbrace
That with gret sleyȝte / & gret difficultee
The chyldere from hire arm / they gūne a race
O manye a ter / on manye a pitous face
1105
Doun ran of hem that stodyn hire besyde
Vnnethe a boutyn hire myȝte they not a byde
Walter hire gladith / & hire sorwe slakyth
Sche rysith vp abaschid from hire traūce
And euery wiȝt hire Ioye & feste makyth
1110
Til sche hath cauȝt a geyn hire cuntenaūce
Walter hire doth so feythful plesaūce
That it was deynte for to sen the cheere
By twixe hē two now the ben met in feere
These ladyis whā that they here tyme sey
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Han takyn hire & in to chābere goon
And strippe hire out of hire rude a ray
And in a cloth of gold that bryȝte schoon
With a coroū of manye a ryche stoon
Vp on hire heed they in to halle hire brouȝte
1120
And þere sche was honourede as hyre ouȝte
Thus hath this pitous day a blysful ende
For euery man & woman doth his myȝt
This day in myrthe & reuel to dispende
Tyl on the walkyn schon the sterrys lyȝt
1125
For more solēpne in euery manys syȝt
This feste was & grettere of costage
Than was the reuel of hyre maryage