The Squire's Tale
Folio 130v
4 of 18 folios
xxxxouten harm / til ye be ther yow leste
xxough þt ye slepen / on his bak / or reste
And turne agayn / with writhyng of a pyn
120
He þt it wroghte / koude many a gyn
He wayted / many a constellacioū
Er he hadde doon / this operacioū
And knew ful many a seel / and many a bond
¶ This Mirour eek / that I haue in myn hond
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Hath swich a myght þt men may in it see
Whan ther shal fallen / any aduersitee
Vn to youre regne / or to your sel also
And openly / who is youre freend / or fo
¶ And ouer al this / if any lady bright
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Hath set hir herte / on any maner wight
If he be fals / she shal his trayson see
His newe loue / and al his subtiltee
So openly / þt ther shal no thyng hyde
Wher fore / agayn this lusty someres tyde
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This Mirour and this ryng þt ye may see
He hath sent to my lady Canacee
Youre excellente doghter / þt is heere hic
¶ The vertu of the ryng if ye wol heere audire
Is this / þt if hir list it for to were
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Vp on hir thombe / or in hir purs it bere
Ther nys no fowel / þt fleeth vnder the heuene
That she ne shal wel / vnderstonde his steuene
And knowe his menyng openly and pleyn
And answere hym / in his langage ageyn
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And euery gras / þt groweth vp on roote
She shal eek knowe / and whom it wol doon boote
Al be his woundes / neuer so depe and wyde
¶ This naked swerd / þt hangeth by my syde
Swich vertu hath / þt what man so ye smyte
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Thurgh out his armure / it wol kerue and byte
Were it as thikke / as is a braunched ook
And what man / þt is wounded wt the strook
Shal neuere be hool / til þt yow lust of grace
To stroke hym with the platte / in thilke place
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Ther he is hurt this is as muche to seyn
Ye moote / with the platte swerd ageyn