The Physician's Tale
Folio 193r
4 of 8 folios
The doctor / maketh this discripcioun
This mayde / vp on a day / wente in the toun
Toward a temple / with hir moder deere
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As is / of yonge maydens the manere
¶ Now was ther thanne / a Iustice in that toun
That gouernour was / of that Regioun
And so bifel / this Iuge hise eyen caste
Vp on this mayde / auysynge hym ful faste
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As she cam forby / ther as this Iuge stood
Anoon his herte chaunged / and his mood
So was he caught with beautee of this mayde
And to hym self / ful pryuely he sayde
This mayde shal by myn / for any man
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Anon the feend / in to his herte ran
And taughte hym sodeynly / þt he by slyghte
This mayden / to his purpos wynne myghte
For certes / by no force / ne by no meede
Hym thoughte / he was nat able for to speede
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For she was strong of freendes / and eek she
Confermed was / in swich souerayn boūtee
That wel he wiste / he myghte hir neuere wynne
As for to make hir / with hir body synne
For which / by greet deliberacioun
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He sente after a cherl / was in the town
Which þt he knew / for subtil and for bold
This Iuge vn to this cherl / his tale hath told
In secree wise / and made hym to ensure
He sholde telle it to no creature
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And if he dide / he sholde lese his heed
Whan þt assented was / this cursed reed
Glad was this Iuge / and maked hym gret cheere
And yaf hym yiftes / perciouse and deere
¶ Whan shapen was / al hir conspiracie
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Fro point to point how þt his lecherie
ífourned sholde been / ful subtilly
As ye shul heere it after openly
¶ Hom goth the cherl / that highte Claudius
This false Iuge / that highte Apius
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So was his name / for this is no fable
But knowen / for historial thyng notable