The Knight's Tale
Folio 39v
55 of 58 folios
Vnwist of hym / what was the cause and why
But in his blake clothes / sorwefully
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He cam at his comandement / in hye
Tho sente Theseus / for Emelye
¶ Whan they were set and hust was al the place
And Theseus / abiden hath a space
Er any word / x cam from his wise brest /
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His eyen sette he x / ther as was his lest
And with a sad xx visage / he siked stille
And after that right thus he seyde his wille
¶ The firste moeuere / of the cause aboue
Whan he first made / the faire cheyne of loue
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Greet was theffect and heigh was his entente
Wel wiste he why / and what ther of he mente
For with that faire cheyne of loue he boond
The fyr the Eyr / the water / and the loond
In certeyn boundes / þt they may nat flee
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That same Prince / and that moeuere quod he
Hath stabliced / in this wrecched world adoun
Certeine dayes / and duracioun
To al / that is engendred / in this place
Ouer the which day / they may nat pace
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Al mowe they yet / tho dayes abregge
Ther nedeth / noon auctoritee to allegge
For it is proued / by experience
But þt me list declaren my sentence
Thanne may men wel / by this ordre discerne
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That thilke moeuere / stable is and eterne
Wel may men knowe / but it be a fool
That euery part. is diryued from his hool
For nature / hath nat taken his bigynnyng
Of no partie / or of cantel of a thyng
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But of a thyng. that parfit is and stable
Descendynge so / til it be corrumpable
And ther fore / for his wise purueiaunce
He hath / so wel biset his ordinaunce
That specis of thynges / and progressions
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Shullen enduren / by successions
And noght eterne / with outen any lye
This maistow vnderstonde / and seen at Iye