The Monk's Tale
Folio 98r
19 of 20 folios
¶ The feeld of snow / with thegle of blak ther Inne
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Caught with the lymrod / coloured as the glede
He brew this cursednesse / and al this synne
The wikked nest was werkere of this nede
Noght Charles Olyuer / þt took ay hede
Of trouthe and honour / but of Armorike
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Genylon Olyuer / corrupt for mede
Broghte this worthy kyng in swich a brike
O worthy Petro / kyng of Cipre also
That Alisaundre wan / by heigh maistrie
Ful many an hethen / wroghtestow ful wo
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Of which / thyne owene liges hadde envie
And for no thyng but for thy chiualrie
They in thy bed / han slayn thee by the morwe
Thus kan Fortune / hire wheel gouerne and gye
And out of ioye / brynge men to sorwe
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Of Melan / grete Barnabo Viscounte
God of delit and scourge of Lumbardye
Why sholde I noght thyn Infortune acounte
Sith in estat thow clombe were so hye
Thy brother sone / that was thy double allye
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For he thy Nevew was / and sone in lawe
With Inne his prisoū / made thee to dye
But why ne how / noot .I. that thow were slawe
Of the Erl Hugelyn of Pize / the langour
Ther may no tonge / tellen for pitee
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But litel out of Pize / stant a tour
In which tour / in prisoū put was he
And with hym been / hise litel children thre
The eldeste scarsly / fyue yeer was of age
Allas Fortune / it was greet crueltee
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Swiche briddes / for to putte in swich a cage
¶ Dampned was he / to dyen in that prisoū
For Roger / which þt bisshope was of Pize
Hadde on hym maad / a fals suggestioū
Thurgh which the peple / gan vp on hym rise
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And putten hym to prison / in swich wise
As ye han herd / and mete and drynke he hadde
So smal / that wel vnnethe it may suffise
And ther with al / it was ful poure and badde