The Monk's Tale
Folio 353r
3 of 22 folios
The ȝatis of the toū he hath vp plyȝt
And on his bak I karyede hē hath hee
Hye on an hil wheere as men myȝte hȳ se
O noble almyghty Sampson leue & deere
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Haddist thow nat told to women thȳ secre
In al this world ne hadde be thȳ peere
This Sampson neythir Sythir drank ne wyn
Nor on his heed cam rasor non ne scheere
By precept of the massangeer deuyn /
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For alle hise strenthis in hise heris weere
And fully twenty wȳtyr ȝeer be ȝeere
He hadde of Israel the gouernaūce
But soone schal he wepe ful manye a teere
For women schal hȳ brynge to myschaūce
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Vn to his leman Dalida he tolde
That in hise heris al hise strenthe lay
And falsely to hise fomen sche hȳ solde
And slepȳge vp in hire barm vp on a day
Sche maade to clippe or schere his heer a way
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And made his fomen his craft espyen
And whā that they hȳ fond in this aray
They boūdyn hȳ faste & puttyn out hise eyen
But er his heed / was clyppid or I schaue
Theere was no bo\nd/ / with whiche m\ē/~ mygh hȳ bȳde
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But now is he / in prisoū in a Caue
Wheere as they made / hȳ at the querne to grȳde
O noble Sampson / strōgeste of man kynde
O whilom Iuge / in glorye & in rychesse
Now mayst thow wepȳ / with thȳne eyen blȳde
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Sythe thow frō wele / art fallyn in wrechedenesse
The ende of this caytyf was \as/ I schal seye
Hise fomen made / a feste vp on a day
And made hȳ as a fool / by fore hem pleye
And this was in a tēple / of greet aray