The Squire's Tale
Folio 131r
5 of 18 folios
Stroke hym in the wounde / and it wol close
This is a verray sooth / with outen glose
It failleth nat / whiles it is in youre hold
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And whan this knyght hath thus his tale ytold
He rideth out of halle / and doun he lighte
¶ His Steede which þt shoon / as sonne brighte
Stant in the Court stille as any stoon
This knyght is to his chambre lad anon
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And is vnarmed / and to mete yset
The persentz / been ful realliche yfet
This is to seyn / the swerd and the Mirour
And born anon / in to the heighe tour
With certein Officers / ordeyned ther fore
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And vn to Canacee / the ryng is bore
Solempnely / ther she sit at the table
But sikerly / with outen any fable
The hors of bras / þt may nat been remewed
It stant as it were / to the ground yglewed
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Ther may no man / out of the place it dryue
For noon engyn / of wyndas or polyue
And cause why / for they kan nat the craft
And ther fore / in the place / they han it laft
Til þt the knyght hath taught hem the manere
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To voyden hym / as ye shal after heere
¶ Greet was the prees / that swarmeth to and fro
To gauren on this hors / that stondeth so
For it so heigh was / and so brood and long
So wel proporcioned / for to ben strong
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Right as it were / a Steede of lumbardye
Ther with so horsly / and so quyk of eye
As it a gentil Poyleys courser weere
For certes / fro his tayl / vn to his eere
Nature / ne art ne koude hym nat amende
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In no degree / as al the peple wende
¶ But euere moore / hir mooste wonder was
How þt it koude goon / and was of bras
It was a Fairye / as the peple semed
Dyuerse folk dyuersely han demed
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As many heuedes / as many wittes ther been
They murmured / as dooth a swarm of been