The Knight's Tale
Folio 14v
42 of 58 folios
125
Til þt he cam to Thebes / and alighte
Faire in a feeld / ther as he thoghte fighte
¶ But shortly / for to speken of this thyng
With Creou / which þt was of Thebes kyng
He faught and slow hym manly / as a knygħt
130
In pleyn bataille / and putte the folk to flyght
And by assaut he wan the Citee after
And rente adoun / bothe wal / and sparre / and rafter
And to the ladyes / he restored agayn
The bones / of hir freendes / þt were slayn
135
To doon obsequies / as was tho the gyse
But it weere al to long for to deuyse
The grete clamour / and the waymentynge
That the ladyes made / at the brennynge
Of the bodies / and the grete honour
140
That Theseus / the noble Conquerour
Dooth to the ladys / whan they from hym wente
But shortly / for to telle is myn entente
¶ Whan þt this worthy duc this Theseus
Hath Creou slayn / and wonne Thebes thus
145
Stille in that feeld / he took al nyght his reste
And dide with al the ~ xxx contree / as hym leste
¶ To ransake in the taas ~ / x of bodies dede
Hem for to strepe / of harneys / and of wede
The pilours / diden bisynesse / and cure
150
After the bataille / and disconfiture
And so bifel / in the taas they founde
Thurgh girt with many a greuous blody wownde
Two yonge knyghtes / liggynge by and by
Bothe in oon armes / wroght ful richely
155
Of whiche two / Arcita highte that oon
And that oother knyght highte Palamon
Nat fully quyk / ne fully deed they weere
But by hir Cote armures / and by hir geere
The heraudes / knewe hem best in special
160
As they þt weren / of the blood roial
Of Thebes / and of sustren two yborn
Out of the taas / the pilours han hem torn
And han hem caryed / softe vn to the tente
Of Theseus / and he ful soone hem sente