The Franklin's Tale
Folio 131v
4 of 18 folios
Heere at ȝoure feet / god wolde that I were graue
I ne haue as now / no leiser more to seye
270
Haue mercy swete / or ȝe wol do me deye
¶ She gan to loke vp / on Aurelius
Is this ȝoure wyl qd she / and seye ȝe thus
Neuere erst qd she / ne wist I what ȝe mente
But now Aurelie / I knowe ȝoure entente
275
By thilke god / that ȝaf me soule and lyf
Ne shal I neuere ben / an vntrewe wyf
In word ne werk / as fer as I haue wit
I wol ben his / to whom that I am knyt
Take this for fynal answere / as of me
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But after that in pley / thus seide she
¶ Aurelie qd she / by heigħ god a boue
Ȝet wolde I graunte ȝow / to ben ȝoure loue
Syn I ȝow se / so pitously compleigne
Loke what day / endelong Britaigne
285
Ȝe remoue alle the Rokkes / ston by ston
That they ne lette Shipe / ne bot to gon
I seye whan ȝe han mad / the coost so clene
Of Rokkes / that there nys no stoon I sene
Thāne wol I loue ȝow best / of any man
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Haue heere my trouthe / in al that euere I can
¶ Is there non other grace in ȝow / quod he
No by that lord quod she / that maked me
For wel I wot / that it shal neuere betide
Late swicħ folies / from ȝoure herte slide
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What deynte / shulde a man han / in his lyf
For to go loue / another mānes wyf
That hatħ hire body / whan so þt hī liketħ
Aurelius ful ofte / sore siketħ
¶ Woo was Aurelie / whan that he this herde
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And witħ a sorweful hert / he thus answerde
Madame qd he / this were an inpossible
Thanne moot I deye / of sodeyn detħ possible
And witħ that word / he turned hī a noon
Tho come hire othere frendes / many oon
305
And in the Aleyes / romeden vp and doun
And nothyng wisten / of this conclusiou
But sodeynly bygonne / reuel newe
Til that the brigħt Sonne / lost his hewe
For thorisonte hatħ reft / the Sonne his ligħt
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This as meche to seye / as it was nygħt
And hoom they gon / in Ioye and in Solas
Saue oonly / wrecched Aurelius / Allas