The Physician's Tale
Folio 194r
6 of 8 folios
Ne here a word / moore of Virginius
But yaf his Iuggement and seyde thus /
¶ I deme anon / this cherl / his seruant haue
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Thou shalt no lenger / in thyn hous hir saue
Go bryng hir forth / and put hir in oure warde
The cherl shal han his thral / this I awarde
¶ And whan / this worthy knyght Virginius
Thurgh sentence / of this Iustice Apius
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Moste by force / his deere doghter yeuen
Vn to the Iuge / in lecherie to lyuen
He goth hym hom / and sette hym in his halle
And leet anoon / his deere doghter calle
And with a face deed / as asshen colde
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Vp on hir humble face / he gan biholde
With fadres pitee / stikyng thurgh his herte
Al wolde he / from his purpos nat conuerte
¶ Doghter quod he / Virginia by thy name
Ther been two weyes / outher deeth / or shame
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That thow most suffre / allas þt I was bore
For neuere / thow deseruedest wherfore
To dyen / with a swerd / or with a knyf
O deere doghter / endere of my lyf
Which I haue fostred vp / with swich plesance
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That thow were neuere / out of my remembrance
O doghter / which that art my laste wo
And in my lyf my laste ioye also
O gemme of chastitee / in pacience
Tak thow thy deeth / for this is my sentence
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For loue / and nat for hate / thow most be deed
My pitous hand / moot smyten of thyn heed
Allas / þt euere Apius thee say
Thus hath he falsly / Iugged thee to day
And tolde hir al the cas / as ye bifore
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Han herd / nat nedeth for to telle it moore
¶ O mercy deere fader / quod this mayde
And with that word / she bothe hir armes layde
Aboute his nekke / as she was wont to do
The teeris borste / out of hir eyen two
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And seyde / goode fader / shal I dye
Is ther no grace / is ther no remedye