The Physician's Tale
Folio 192r
2 of 8 folios
And Phebus / dyed hath hir tresses grete
Lyk to the stremys / of his burned hete
And if þt excellent was hir beautee
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A thousand fold / moore vertuous was she
In hire / ne lakked no condicioū
That is to preyse / as by discrecioū
As wel in goost as body / chaast was she
For which / she floured in virginitee
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With aƚƚ humilitee and abstinence
With aƚƚ atemperance / and pacience
With mesure eek / of beryng and array
Discreet she was / in answeryng alway
Thogh she were wise Pallas / dar I seyn
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Hir facound eek / ful wommanly and pleyn
No countrefeted termes / hadde she
To seme wys / but after hir degree
She spak / and alle hir wordes / moore and lesse
Sownynge in vertu / and in gentilesse
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Shamefast she was / in maydens shamefastnesse
Constant in herte / and euere in bisynesse
To dryue hir out of ydel slogardye
Bacus hadde of hir mouth / right no maistrye
For wyn and youthe / dooth Venus encreesse
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As men in fyr / wol casten oille / or gresse
And of hir owene vertu / vnconstreyned
She hath ful ofte tyme / syk hir feyned
For þt she wolde / fleen the compaignye
Where likly was / to treten of folye
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As is at festes / reuels / and at daunces
That been occasions / of daliaunces
Swich thyng maken children for to be
To soone rype / and boold / as men may se
Which is ful perilous / and hath be yoore
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For al to soone / may they lerne loore
Of boldnesse / whan she woxex is a wyf
¶ And ye Maistresses / in youre olde lyf
That lordes doghtres / han in gouernance
Ne taketh of my wordes / no displesance
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Thenketh / þt ye been set in gouernynges
Of lordes doghtres / oonly for two thynges