The Physician's Tale
Folio 193v
5 of 8 folios
The sentence of it sooth is out of doute
This false Iuge / gooth now faste aboute
To hasten his delit al that he may
160
And so bifel / soone after on a day
This false Iuge / as telleth vs the storie
As he was wont sat in his Consistorie
And yaf his domes / vp on sondry cas
¶ This false cherl cam forth / a ful gret pas
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And seyde / lord if þt it be youre wille
As dooth me right vp on this pitous bille
In which / I pleyne vp on Virginius
And if þt he wol seyn / it is nat thus
I wol it preue / and fynde good witnesse
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That sooth is / that my bille wol expersse
¶ This Iuge answerde / of this in his absence
I may nat yeue / diffynytif sentence
Lat do hym calle / and I wol gladly heere audire
Thow shalt haue al right and no wrong heere hic
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¶ Virginius cam to wite / the Iuges wille
And right anon / was rad this cursed bille
The sentence of it was as ye shul heere
¶ To yow my lord / sire Apius so deere
Sheweth / youre poure seruant Claudius
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How þt a knyght called Virginius
Agayns the lawe / agayn al equitee
Holdeth expres / agayn the wyl of me
My seruant which þt is my thral by right
Which fro myn hous / was stole vp on a nyght
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Whil that she was ful yong this wol I preue
By witnesse lord / so þt it nat yow greue
She nys his doghter nat what so he seye
Wher to yow / my lord the Iuge I preye
Yeld me my thral / if þt it be youre wille
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Lo / this was al the sentence / of his bille
¶ Virginius / gan vp on the cherl biholde
But hastily / er he his tale tolde
And wolde haue proued it as sholde a knyght
And eek by witnessynge / of many a wight
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That it was fals / that seyde his Aduersarie
This cursed Iuge / wolde no thyng tarie