The Franklin's Tale Folio 133r 1 of 18 folios
But in his herte / ay was the arwe kene
405
And wel ȝe knowe / that of a sursanure
But men mygħ t touche the arwe / or come ther by
His brother weepe / and wailed preuyly
Til at the laste / hī fel in remembraunce
410
That whiles he was / at Orleens in fraunce
As ȝonge clerkes / that ben likerous
To reden artes / that ben curious
Seken in euer y halke / and euer y herne
Particulere sciences / for to lerne
415
He hī remembred / that vp on a day
At Orliens / in studie / a book he say
Of magyk naturel / whicħ his felawe
That was that tyme / a bacheler of lawe
Al were he there / to lerne a nother craft
420
Hadde preuely / vp on his deske I laft
Whicħ book spak muchel / of the oper aciouns
Touchyng
That longetħ to the Mone / and swicħ folie
As in oure dayes / Corrected from: a<nothing> a is nat wortħ a flie
425
For holichirche feitħ / in oure byleue
Ne suffretħ noon illusioū / vs to greue
And whan this book / was in his remembraunce
And to hi
430
My brother shal be warisshed / hastily
For I am syker / that there be sciences
By whicħ men make / dyuerse apparences
Swicħ as theise subtile tregetoures / pleye
For ofte atte festes / haue I wel herd seye
435
That Tregetours / witħ Inne an halle large
Han made come in / a water and a barge
And in the halle / rowen vp and doun
Some tyme hatħ semed come / a grym leoun
And somtyme floures spi nge / as in a Mede
440
Somtyme a vyne and grapes / white & reede
Somtyme a Castel / al of lyme and ston
And whan hī lyked / voided it a noon
Thus semed it / to euer y mā nes sigħ t
Now thā ne conclude I thus / that if I mygħ t
445
At Orliens / som olde felawe I fynde
That hadde this mones mansiouns / in mynde
Or other magyk / naturel a boue
He shulde wel make my brother / haue his loue
For witħ an apparence / a Clerk may make