The Clerk's Tale
Folio 93r
3 of 27 folios
Taketħ his first spryngynge / and his Corrected from: courssoursc sours
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That Estward ay / encresitħ in his cours
To Corrected from: EmeleEmelieEmelie ward / To Feraro and venyse
The whicħ a long thyng were / to deuyse
And trewely / as to my Iugement
Me thynketħ it a thyng . / impartinent
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Saue he wole conueyen / his matere
But this is the tale / whicħ þt ȝe mouñ heere
¶ Hic definit prologus / et incipit fabula Cƚici de Oxon ;
THere is rigħt at the west side / of Ytaille
Doun at the rote / of vesulus the colde
A lusty pleyn / habundaunt of vytaille
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Where many a Touñ & Tour / þu mayst byholde
That founded were / in tyme of fadres olde
And many a nother / delitable sygħt
And Saluces / this noble contree hygħt
¶ A Markys whylom / lord was of that londe
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As were his worthy elderes / hī byfore
And obeissaū t / ay redy to his honde
Were alle hise lieges / bothe lesse and more
Thus in delyt he lyuetħ / and hatħ doon ȝore
Byloued and dred / thurgħ fauour of fortune
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Bothe of his lordes / & of his Comune
¶ There witħ he was / to speken of lynage
The gentillest I borñ / of lumbardye
A fair persone and strong / and ȝong of age
And ful of honour / and curteysye
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Discret I now / his contree for to gye
Saue in sōme thynges / he was to blame
And Corrected from: WaxlterWalterwaxlter / was this ȝong lordes name
¶ I blame hī thus / that he considered nougħt
In tyme comyng / what mygħt hī betyde
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But on his lust present / was al his thougħt
As for to hauke and hunte / on euery syde
Wel ny / alle othere cures / leet he slide
And eke he nolde / and that was werst of alle
Wedde no wyf / for nougħt that mygħt byfalle
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¶ Only that poynt / his peeple bar so sore
That flokmele on a day / to hi they went
And oon of hem / that wysest was of lore
Or elles / that the lord best / wolde assent
That he shulde telle hī / what the peeple ment
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Or elles coude he shewe wel / swicħ mateer
He to the Markys seyde / as ȝe shuln heere