The Monk's Tale
Folio 228v
4 of 21 folios
And made him as here fool biforn hem play
And þis was in a temple of gret array
85
But atte last he made a foul affray
For he two pilers schook and made hem falle
And doun fel temple and al and þer it lay
And slough himsilf and eek his fomen alle
This is to sayn þe princes euer ichon
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And eek þre þousand bodies were þer slayn
With fallyng of þe grete temple of stoon
Of Sampson wil I no more sayn
Be war by þese ensamples olde and playn
That no man telle his counseil to his wyf
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Of such þing as he wold haue secre fayn
If þat it touche his lymes or his lif
Of Ercules þe souereyn conqueror
Singing his werkes laude and heigh renou~
For in his tyme of strength he bar þe flour
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He slough and rafte þe skyn fro þe leoun
He of Centaures layde þe bost a doun
He arpies slougħ þe cruel briddes felle
The gold appul he raft fro þe dragoun
He drof out cerbures þe fend of helle
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He slougħ þe cruel tyrant bupherus
And made his hors to frete him fleisch and boon
He slough þe verray serpent venencus
Of Adiloyus tuo hornes he raft oon
He slough Catus in a cave of stoon
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He slough þe geaunt Adeus þe stronge
He slough þe grisly leoun and þat anoon
And bar þe heed vpon his necke longe
Was neuer wight siþþen þe world bigan
That slough so many monstres as dede he
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Thurgh out þe wide world his name ran
What for his strengþe and for his bounte
And euery roialme went he for to se
He was so strong þer migħt no man him lette
At boþe þe worldes endes as saith trophe
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In stede of boundes he a piler sette A lemmā