The Franklin's Tale
Folio 289r
4 of 21 folios
Thāne semythit ȝe hadde a gret chiertee
Toward mankynde but how thāne may it be
175
That ȝe sweche meenys make it to distroyen
Whiche menys doon no good but euere a noyen
I wotwel clerkys wele seye as hē leste
By argumentis that al is for the beste
Thow I ne can the causis not I knowe
180
But that god / that made wynd to blowe
As keepe myn lord / this mȳ cōclusioū
To clerkis leete I al discripcioū
But wolde god that alle these rokkis blake
Were sunkyn in to helle for his sake
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These rokkis sleen myn herte for the fere
Thus seyde sche wt manye a pitous teere
Hire fryndys saw that it was no disport
To romyn by the se but disconfort
And schopyn for to pleyen sūwher ellis
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They leddyn hire by reueris & by wellis
And ek in othere placis delectables
Thy daūtedȳ the pleyedȳ at ches & tablys
So on a day ryȝt in the morwetide
Vn tyl a gardyn that was ther byside
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In whiche they haddyn mad here ordenaūce
Of vitaylis & of othere puruyaūce
They goon & pleye hē al the longe day
And this was on the sexte morwe of may
Whiche may hadde peyntid wit\h/ hise softe schourys
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This gardyn ful of leuys & of flouris
And craft of manyshand so curiously
A rayed hadde this gardyn trewely
That neuere was thate gardy of swich a prys
But it hadde been the verray paradys
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The odour of flourys & the frosche syght
Wolde han maad ony herte for to lyȝt
That euere was born but ȝif to gret seknesse
Or to greet sorwe hadde it in distresse
So ful it was of beute with plesaūce
210
At aftyr dyner gūne thei to daūce