The Squire's Tale
Folio 155v
15 of 17 folios
495
Til I couþe flee ful heigh vnder þe sky
Tho dwelled a tercelet me faste by
That semed weƚƚ of aƚƚ gentillesse
Al were he ful of tresoū and falsnesse
It was I wrapped vnder humble cheere
500
And vnder heewe of trouþe in such manere
Vnder plesaunce and vnder besy peyne
That no wight wende þat he couþe feyne
So deep in greyn he deyed his colours
Right as a serpent hut him vnder floures
505
Til he may see his tyme for to byte
Right so þis god of loue / þis ypocrite
Doþ so his serymonys and his obseruaunce /
Vnder subtil colour and aqueyntaunce
That sowneth vnto gentilesse of loue
510
As in a thombe is al þe faire aboue
And vnder is þe corps which þat ȝe wot
Such as was þis Ipocite boþe cold and hot
And in this wise he serued his entent
That sauf þe feend noon wiste what he ment
515
Til he so long had weped and compleyned
And many a ȝeer his seruice to me feyned
Til þat myn hert to pitous and to nyce
Al Innocent of his crouned malice
For fered of his deth as þoughte me
520
Vpon his othes and his sewerte
Graunted him loue vpon þis condiciou~
That euermo myn honour and my renoun
Were saued boþe pryuy and apert
This is to sayn þat after his desert
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I ȝaf him al myn hert and al my þought
God woot and he þat oþer weye nougħt
And took his hert in chaunge of myn for ay
But soþ is sayd go siþens many a day
A trew wight and a theef þenkeþ nouȝt oon
530
And when he saugh þe þyng so fer I goon
That I gaunted him fully my loue /
In such a wyse as I haue sayd aboue /