The Franklin's Tale
Folio 134r
16 of 18 folios
And whan this Maister / that this Magyk wrougħt
495
Saw it was tyme / he clapt hise handes two
And fare wel / al oure reuel was a goo
And remeeued they neuere / out of the hous
While they saugħ / al this sigħt merueillous
But in his studie / there as hise bookes bee
500
They seten stille / but no wygħt / but they three
To hī this maister called / his squyere
And seide hī thus / is redy oure soupere
Almost an houre it is / I vndertake
Sithe I ȝow bad / oure souper for to make
505
Whan that theise worthy men / wenten witħ me
In to my studie / there as my bookes be
¶ Sire qd this Squyere / whan that it lyketħ ȝow
It is al redy / thougħ ȝe wol rigħt now
Go we thanne Soupe / qd he / for the beste
510
Theise amerous folk / somtyme mot han here reste
¶ At after Souper / fel they in tretee
What sōme / shulde this maistres / gerdoun be
To remeeuen alle the Rokkes / of Brytaigne
And eke from gerounde / to the moutħ of Sayne
515
He mad it straunge / and swor so god hī saue
Lasse than a thouȝsand pound / he wolde nat haue
Ne gladly for that somme / he wolde nat gon
Aurelius / witħ blisful herte a noon
Answered thus / fy on a thousand pound
520
This wide world / whicħ that men seye is round
I wolde it ȝeue / if I were lord of it
This bargeyn is ful dreue / for we ben knyt
Ȝe shal be paid trewely / by my trouthe
But loketħ now / for no necligence / or slouthe
525
Ȝe tarie vs heere / no lengere than to morwe
Nay qd this Clerk / haue heere my feitħ to borwe
To bedde is gon Aurelius / whan hī leste
And wel ny al that nygħt / he had his reste
What for his labour / and his hope of blisse
530
His wooful herte / of penaunce had a lisse
¶ Vp on the morwe / whan that it was day
To Britaigne toke they / the rigħt way
Aurelius / and this Magicien byside
And ben descended / there they wolde a byde
535
And this was / as theise bookes me remembre
The colde frosty Sesoun / of Decembre
¶ Phebus wex old / and hewed like latoun