The Man of Law's Tale
Folio 66r
1 of 27 folios
The \litil/ children hongeinge be þe hals
For þi Iason þat was of loue fals
75
Of Ypmstra Penelope Alceste
Ȝoure wifehode he cōmondeþ wiþ þe beste
Bot certeynly no worde writeþ he
Of þilke wilke ensample of Canace
Þat loued hir owen broþer sinfully
80
Of suche cursed stories .I. saie fye
Or elles of Tiro Appolonius
How þat þe cursed kinge Anthiochus
Beraft his douhter of hir maydenhede
That is so orrible a tale for to rede
85
Whan he hire þrowe þoruhe þe pament
And þer for he of ful a visement
Nolde nouer write in none of his sermones
Of whiche vnkinde abhominaciones
Ne .I. ne wil none reherce if þat .I. maie
90
Bot of my tale . howe schal .I. done þis daie
Me were loþe be likned douteles
To muses þat men clepen pieriedes
Methamorphoseos woote what .I. mene
Bot natheles .I. recche nouȝt a bene
95
Þow he .I. come after him wiþ halve bake
.I. speke in prose & lat him rimes make
And wiþ þat worde he wiþ a sobre chere
Be gan his tale as ȝe schal after here .
Hic incipit fabula legis peritis
O hateful harme condicione of pouert
W þurst . wt colde . wt hungre so confounded
To asken helpe þu schameþ in þine hert
If þu \now/ axe wt nede þou art so wounded
5
Þat verrei nede vnwrappeþ al þi wound hid
Maugreue þin hede þu most for indigence
Or steele or begge or borwe þi despense
Þou blamest crist & seist ful bittirly .
He mys departeþ richesse temperal
10
Þi neiheburghe þu witest sinfully
And seiste þou haste to litel & he haþ al
Perfey seys þou sumtyme he reken schal
Whan þat his taile schal berne in þe glede
For he nouȝt helpeþ nedeful inhere nede
15
Herken what is þe meneynge of þe wise