The Squire's Tale
Folio 156r
16 of 17 folios
And ȝeuen him my trewe hert as fre
As he swor he yaf his herte to me /
535
Anon þis Tigre ful of doublenesse
Fil on his knees with so gret deuoutenesse
Wiþ high reuerence and as by his chere /
So lyk a gentil louer of manere
So rauysched as it semede for Ioye
540
That neuer Iason ne Parys of Troye
Iason certes ne noon oþer man
Siþ lameth was þat alþer first bygan
To louen two as writen folk biforn
Ne neuer siþ þe firste man was born
545
Ne couþe man by twenty þousand part
Contrefete þe sophemes of his art
Ne were worþy to vnbokel his galoche
Ther doublenes of feynyng schold approche
Ne so couthe þankyn a knight as he did me
550
His maner was an heuen for to see
To eny wōman were sche neuer so wys
So peynteth he and kembeth poynt deuys
As wel his wordes as his continaunce
And I so loued him for his obeisaunce
555
And for þe trouþe I demed in his herte
That if so were þat eny þing him smerte
And were it neuer so litel and I it wist
Me þougħt I felte deth at myn hert twist
And schortly so ferforth þis þing went
560
That my wil was his willes instrumēt
This is to say my wiƚƚ obeied his wiƚƚ
In aƚƚ þing as fer as resoū fiƚƚ
Kepyng þe boūdes of my worschip euer
Ne neuer had I þing so leef ne leuer
565
As him god woot ne neuer schal nomo /
This laste lenger þan a ȝeer or two
That I supposed of him nought but good
But fynally atte laste þus it stood
That fortune wolde þat he moste twynne
570
Out of þe place which þat I was Inne /