The Franklin's Tale
Folio 164v
23 of 24 folios
xxx thonke hym / of his grete curteisye
xy trouthe wol I kepe / I nel nat lye
855
¶ With herte soor / he gooth vn to his cofre
And broghte gold / vn to this Philosophre
The value / of fyue hundred pound I gesse
And hym bisecheth / of his gentillesse
To graunten hym dayes / of the remenant
860
And seyde Maister / I dar wel make auant
I fayled neuere / of my trouthe as yit
For sikerly / my dette shal be quyt
Towardes yow / how euere þt I fare
To goon abegged / in my kirtel bare
865
But wolde ye vouche sauf vp on seuretee
Two yeer or thre / for to respiten me
Thanne were I wel / for ellis moot I selle
Myn heritage / ther is namoore to telle
¶ This Philosophre / sobrely answerde
870
And seyde thus / whan he thise wordes herde
Haue I nat holden couenant vn to thee
¶ Yis certes / wel and trewely quod he
¶ Hastow nat had / thy lady as thee liketh
¶ No no quod he / and sorwefully he siketh
875
¶ What was the cause / tel me if thow kan
¶ Aurelius / his tale anon bigan
And tolde hym al / as ye han herd bifore
It nedeth nat to yow reherce it moore
¶ He seyde / Arueragus / of gentillesse
880
Hadde leuere dye / in sorwe and in distresse
Than þt his wyf were of hir trouthe fals
The sorwe of Dorigen / he tolde hym als
How looth hir was / to ben a wikked wyf
And þt she leuere had lost that day hir lyf
885
And þt hir trouthe / she swoor thurgh Innocence
She neuere erst hadde herd speke of apparence
That made me han of hir / so greet pitee
And right as frely / as he sente hir me
As frely sente I hire / to hym agayn
890
This al and som / ther is namoore to sayn
¶ This Philosophre answerde / leeue brother
Euerich of yow / dide gentilly til oother