The Knight's Tale
Folio 26r
3 of 35 folios
Lust and array / and alle the circumstaunces
1075
Of loue / which þt I rekened / and reken shalle
Be ordre weren peynted / on the walle
And moo than I can make of / mencioū
For sothly / al the Mount of Sytheroū
There venus hath / hire pincipal dwellyng
1080
Was shewed on the wal / in portraiyng
With al the gardeyn / and the lustynesse
Nat was for ȝeten / the porter Idelnesse
Ne Narsisus / the faire / of ȝore a gon
Ne ȝet the folie / of kyng Salamon
1085
Ne ȝet the gret strengthe / of Hercules
The enchauntement / of Medea and Circes
Ne of Turnus / wt the hardy fiers corage
The riche Cresus / kaytif in seruage
¶ Thus may ȝe sen / þt wysdom ne richesse
1090
Beaute ne sleigħt / strengthe hardynesse
Ne may with venus / maken champartye
For as hire lust / þe world þāne may she gye
Loo alle þeise folk / so caugħt were in hire laas
Til they for woo / ful often seid allas
1095
¶ Suffisith here / ensamples on or two
And ȝet I koude reken / a / Mƚ / mo
The statute of venus / glorious for to se
Was naked / fletyng in the large see
And fro the nauyl doun / al couered was
1100
With waughes grene / & brigħt as eny glas
A Citole / in hire rigħt hand / had she
And on hire hede / ful semely for to se
A Rose garlond / fressħ & wel smellyng
A bouen hire hede / hire dowes flekeryng
1105
Biforñ hire stod / hire sone Cupido
Vp on hise shuldres / wynges had he two
And blynd he was / as it is oft sene
A bowe he bar / and arwes brigħt & kene
¶ Why shuld I nat eke / as wel telle ȝow aƚƚ
1110
The portrature / þt was vp on the waƚƚ
W Inne the temple / of mygħty Mars the rede
Al peynted was the wal / in lengthe & brede
Lyke to the Estres / of the grisly place
That higħt the gret temple / of Mars in Trace
1115
In thilk colde frosty
/ regio
ū There is a cross in dry point in the bottom left margin.ODR