The Wife of Bath's Tale
Folio 222v
1 of 11 folios
IN olde dayis of kyng Arthour
Of whiche þt brytons spekyn gret honour
Al was this lond ful fyld of fayrye
The elf quene wyth hire cūpanye
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Dauncede ful ofte in manye a grene mede
This was the olde opynyoū as I rede
I speke of manye hunderede ȝeris a go
But now can no man se eluys mo
For now the charite & þe prayeris
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Of lymytouris & of oþere holy frerys
That serchyn euery lond & euery strem
As thikke as motys in þe sone bem
Blessen halles chaūbery kichenys bourys
Ceteis borwys castelis hyghe tourys
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Thropes bernys / Schipnes dayryis
That makyth that þere ben no fayryis
For þere as wont \was/ for to walke an elf
There walkyth now þe lymytor hȳ self
In vndirmelys & in morwenȳgis
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And seyth hyse matynys & hyse holye thyngis
As he goth in hyse lymytacioū
Wemen mowe go sauely vp & doū
In euery bussch & vndyr euery tree
There is nower non Incubus but he
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And he wele don hȳ non dishonour
And so be fel þt this kyng Arth\o/ur
Hadde in his hous a ryche bacheler
That on a day cam rydȳge frō reuer
And happede a lone as sche was born
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He saw a mayde cam rydȳge hȳ by forn
Of whiche maydyn a non maugry hire hed
By veray forse by rafte \he/ hire maydynhed
Fxx which apprecioū xxx was swych clamour
And swych pursut xxxxxxx to kyng arthour
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That dampnede xxxxxxx was the knyȝt for to be ded
By cours of lawe xxxx & schulde a lost hyse heed
Perauēture swich xxx was the statute þo
But that þe queen & oþere ladyis moo