The Knight's Tale
Folio 35r
1 of 58 folios
He thurgh the body is hurt and sithen ytake
1760
Maugree his heed / and broght vn to the stake
As forward was / right there he moste abyde
Another / lad is on that oother syde
¶ And som tyme / dooth hem Theseus to reste
Hem to refresshe / and drynken if hem leste
1765
Ful ofte a day / haue thise Thebans two
Togydre ymet and wroght his felawe wo
Vnhorsed hath ech oother / of hem tweye
Ther nas no tygre / in the vale of Galgopheye
Whan þt hir whelp is stole / whan it is lyte
1770
So cruel on the hunte / as is Arcite
For Ialous herte / vp on this Palamou
Ne in Belmarye / ther nys so fel leou
That hunted is / or for his hunger wood
Ne of his praye / desireth so the blood
1775
As Palamon / to sleen his foo Arcite
The Ialous strokes / on hir helmes byte
Out renneth blood / on bothe hir sydes rede
¶ Som tyme an ende ther is / of euery dede
For er the sonne / vn to the reste wente
1780
The stronge kyng Emetrius / gan hente
This Palamon / as he faught with Arcite
And made his swerd / depe in his flessħ to byte
And by the force of twenty / is he take
Vnyolden / and ydrawen to the stake
1785
And in the rescous / of this Palamou
The stronge kyng lygurge / is born adoun
And kyng Emetrius / for al his strengthe
Is born out of his Sadel / a swerdes lengthe
So hitte hym Palamon / er he were take
1790
But al for noght he was broght to the stake
His hardy herte / myghte hym helpe naught
He moste abyde / whan þt he was caught
By force / and eek by composiciou
¶ Who sorweth now / but woful Palamou
1795
That moot namoore / goon agayn to fighte
And whan þt Theseus / hadde seen this sighte
Vn to the folk / that foghten thus echon
He cryde / hoo namoore / for it is doon