The Knight's Tale
Folio 31r
39 of 54 folios
Fond in his olde experiens an arte
That ful sone haþe pleside euery parte
A soþe is seide Elde haþ grete auantage
1590
In Elde is boþe wisdome & vsage
Men maie þe olde att renne & nouht atrede
Saturne a none to stint strif & drede
Al be it þat it is aȝeines his kinde
Of Al þis stif he gan remedi finde
1595
Mi dere douhter venus qd Saturne
Mi course þat haþe so wide for to turne
Haþ more powere þan haþ any manne
Mine is þe drynchinge in þe see so wanne
Mine is þe pisone in þe derke cote
1600
Mine is þe strangle & hongeinge by þe þrote
The murmure & þe cheles rebellinge
The groneynge & þe piue enprisoneinge
.I. do vengeance & pleine correccione
Wil .I. dwelle in þe signe of þe leone
1605
Myne is þe ruyne of þe hihe halles
The fallynge of þe toures & of þe walles
Vpon þe minor & þe Carpenter
.I. slowhe Sampson schakinge þe piler
And myne bene þe Maladies colde
1610
The derke tresoures & þe Costes olde
My lokeynge is þe fader of pestelence
Nowe wepe nomore .I. schal do diligence
Þat palamon þat is þine owen knyht
Schal haue his lady as þou him hihte
1615
Mars schal helpe his knyht naþeles
Be twix ȝowe þere mot be sum time pes
Al be nouht boþe of on complexione
Þat causeþ aldaie suche diuisione
.I. am þin ayeƚƚ rede att þi wiƚƚ
1620
Wepe nowe no more þi lust .I. wil fulfiƚƚ
Nowe wiƚƚ .I. stente of þe goddes aboue
Of Mars & of venus goddes of loue
And teƚƚ ȝowe also pleinely as .I. can
Þe gret effecte of whiche þat .I. be gan
1625
¶ Grete was þe feste in Athenes þat daie
And eke þat lusti seson of þat maye
Maade euery knyht to bene in suche plesaūce
That al þat monday Iousten þei & daunce .