The Knight's Tale
Folio 34r
3 of 58 folios
¶ The lord hath / of his heighe discreciou
1680
Considred / þt it were destrucciou
To gentil blood / to fighten in the gyse
Of mortal bataille / now in this emprise
Wher fore / to shapen / þt they shal noght dye
He wole / his firste purpos modifie
1685
¶ No man ther fore / vp on peyne / of los of lyf
No manere shot ne polax / ne short knyf
In to the lystes sende / or thider brynge
Ne short swerd for to stoke / with point bitynge
No man ne drawe / ne bere it by his syde
1690
Ne no man / shal vn to his felawe ryde
But o cours / with a sharp ygrounde spere
Foyne if hym list on foote / hym self to were
And he þt is at meschief / shal be take
And noght slayn / but be broght vn to the stake
1695
That shal been ordeyned / on eyther syde
But thider he shal bi force / and ther abyde
And if so falle / the Chiefteyn be take
On outher syde / or ellis sleen his make
No lenger / shal the tourneying laste
1700
God spede yow / go forth and ley on faste
With long swerd / and wt mace / fighteth your fille
Go now youre wey / this is the lordes wille
¶ The voys of peple / touched the heuene
So loude cryde they / with loude steuene
1705
God saue swich a lord / that is so good
He wilneth / no destrucciou of blood
¶ Vp goon the trompes / and the melodye
And to the lystes / ryt the compaignye
By ordinance / thurgh out the Citee large
1710
Hanged with clooth of gold / and noght wt sarge
¶ Ful lyk a lord / this noble duc gan ryde
Thise two Thebans / vp on eyther syde
And after rood the queene / and Emelye
And after that another compaignye
1715
Of oon and oother / after hir degree
And thus they passen / thurgh out the Citee
And to the lystes / coome they bityme
It nas nat of the day / yet fully pryme