The Monk's Tale
Folio 97v
18 of 20 folios
Xxanne he escaped was / he kan nat stente
650
For to bigynne / a newe werre agayn
He wende wel / for þt Fortune hym sente
Swich hape / that he escaped thurgh the rayn
That of his foos / he myghte nat be slayn
And eek a sweuene / vp on a nyght he mette
655
Of which / he was so proud / and eek so fayn
That in vengeance / he al his herte sette
¶ Vp on a tree he was / as þt hym thoughte
Ther Iuppiter hym wessħ / bothe bak and syde
And Phebus eek / a fair towaille hym broughte
660
To drye hym with / and therfore wax his pryde
And to his doghter / that stood hym bisyde
Which that he knew / in heigh sentence habounde
He bad hir telle hym / what it signyfide
And she his dreem / bigan right thus expounde
665
¶ The tree quod she / the galwes is to mene
And Iuppiter / bitokneth snow and reyn
And Phebus / with his towaille so clene
Tho been / the sonnes stremes for to seyn
Thow shalt an hanged be / fader certeyn
670
Reyn shal thee wasshe / and sonne shal thee drye
Thus warned hym / ful plat and ful pleyn
His doghter / which þt called was Phanye
¶ An hanged was Cresus / the proude kyng
His Roial trone / myghte hym nat auaille
675
Tragedies noon oother maner thyng
Ne kan in syngyng crye ne biwaille
But þt Fortune / alwey wole assaille
With vnwar strook / the regnes þt been proude
For whan men trusteth hire / thanne wol she faille
680
And couere hir brighte face / with a clowde
O noble / o worthy Petro / glorie of Spayne
Whom Fortune heeld / so heighe in magestee
Wel oghten men / thy pitous deeth complayne
Out of thy land / thy brother made thee flee
685
And after / at a sege / by subtiltee
Thow were bitraysed / and lad vn to his tente
Wher as he / with his owene hand slow thee
Succedynge / in thy regne and in thy rente