The Franklin's Tale
Folio 287v
2 of 21 folios
Loue is a thyng as ony spyryt free
60
Wemen of kynde desire libertee
And not to been constreynd as a thral
And so don men ȝif I soth seyn schal
Loke ho so most is pacient in loue
He is at his auaūtag al a boue
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Pacience is an high vertu certeyn
For it venquyschith as these clerkis seyn
Thyngis þt rygour schulde neuere atteyne
For euery word men may not chide or pleyne
Lernyth to suffere or ellis so mote I goon
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Ȝe schul it lerne wheþer ȝe wele or non
For in this world certeyn there no wyȝt is
That he ne doth or seyth sūtyme a mys
Ire seeknesse or cōstelacioū
Wyn wo or chaūgyng of cōplexioū
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Causeth oftyn to don a mys or spekyn
On euery wrong a man may not been wrekyn
Aftyr the tyme muste be thatēperaūce
To euery wyȝt that can on gouernaūce
And therfore hath this wyse worthi knyȝt
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To leue in ese sufferaūce to hire hyȝt
And sche to hȳ ful wisely gan to swere
That there schulde neuere been defaute in hire
Heere may men se an humble wys a cord
Thus hath sche take hire seruaūt & hire lord
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Seruaūt in loue & lord in maryage
Thāne was he bothe in lordschepe & seruage
Seruage nay but in lodschepe a boue
Sythe he hath bothe his lady & his loue
His lady certis & his wyf also
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To whiche the lawe of loue a cordyth þerto
And whan he was in this prosperitee
Hom with his wyf he goth to his cūtre
Nough fer fro pedmark þere his dwellȳge was
Where as he lyuyth in blysse & in solas
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Who coude telle but he hadde weddede bee
The Ioye / the ese / & the prosperite
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To comyn & romyn heere in cūpanye
A wey to dryue hire derke fantasye
And finally sche graūtede that requeste
For wel sche thouȝte it was for the beste
Now stood hire castel faste bythe see
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And oftȳ with hire frendis walkede sche
Hire to disporte on this banke an high
Where that sche manye aschip & barge seigh
Seylynge here cours / where as hē leste goo
But thāne was that a parcel of hire woo
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For to hire self ful ofte seyde sche
Is there no schip / of so manye as I se
Wilx bryngyn hō myn lord thāne were mȳ herte
Al warychid of hire bittere peynys smerte
A nothir tyme there wolde sche sitte & thynke
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And caste hire eyen / doū fro the brȳke
But whā sche say / the gresely rokis blake
For verray feer / so wolde hyre herte quake
That on hire feet / sche myȝte hire not sustene
Thanne wolde sche sitte / a doū vp on the grene
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And pitously / in to the se by holde
And seye ryȝt thus / wt sorweful sikys colde
Eterne god / that thor thȳ puruyaūce
Ledist the world / be Iuste gouernaūce
In ydil as men seyn / ȝe nothyng make
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But lord these grysely / feendly rokkis blake
That semyn rathere / a foul confusioū
Of werk thā ony fayr creacioū
Of which / a parfyt / wys god & stable
Why han ȝe wrouȝt this werk onresonable
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For bi this werk / South . North / West & Est
There is I fostered . no man / ne brid ne best
It doth no good / to myn wit but a noyith
Se ȝe nat lord how mankȳde it distroyeth
An hunderede thousent / bodyis of mankynde
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Han rolkis slayn / al ben they nat in mynde
Whiche mankynd is / so fayr a part of thȳ werk
That þu it madist lyk to thȳ owene merk