The Tale of Sir Thopas
Folio 214r
2 of 4 folios
¶ Ful many mayde / bright in bour
They moorne for hym / paramour
Whan hem / were bet to slepx
But he was chaast and no lechour
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And swete / as is the brambel flour
That bereth the rede hepe
¶ And so it fel / vp on a day
For sothe / as I yow telle may
Sire Thopas / wolde out ryde
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He warth vp on / his Steede gray
And in his hand / a launcegay
A long Swerd / by his syde
¶ He priketh thurgh / a fair Forest
Ther Inne / is many a wilde best
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Ye bothe / bukke and hare
And as he priketh / North & Est
I telle it yow / hym hadde almest
¶ There spryngen herbes / grene & smale
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The Licorys / and Cetewale
And notemuge / to putte in Ale
Wheither it be / moyste / or stale
Or / for to leye in cofre
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¶ The bryddes synge / it is no nay
The Sparhauk and the Popyniay
That ioye / it was to here
The Thurstelcok made eek his lay
The wodedowue / vp on the spray
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She sang ful loude & clere
¶ Sire Thopas fil / in loue longynge
Al whan he herde / the thrustel synge
And pryked / as he were wood
His fayre Steede / in his pikynge
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So swatte / þt men myghte hym wrynge
Hys sydes / were al blood
¶ Sire Thopas eek / so wery was
For prikyng on the softe gras
So fiers / was his corage
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That doun he leyde hym / in the plas
To make his Steede / som solas
And yaf hym / good forage
¶ O Seinte Marie / benedicite
What eyleth / this loue at me
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To bynde me / so soore
Me dremed / al this nyght pardee
An Elf queene / shal my lemman be
And slepe / vnder my gore
¶ An Elf queene / wol I haue ywys
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For in this world / no womman is
Alle othere wommen / I forsake
And to an Elf queene / I me take
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By dale / and eek by downe
¶ In to his Sadel / he clamb anoon
And priketh ouer / style and stoon
An Elf queene / for tespye
Til he so longe / hath riden & goon
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That he foond / in a pryuee woon