The Knight's Tale
Folio 27r
5 of 35 folios
The Sowe Freetyng the child / rigħt in the Cradel
The koke I skaldede / for al his longe ladel
Nouȝt was for ȝeten / by þe infortune of Marte
The Cartere ouer ryden / with his carte
1165
Vnder the whele / ful lowe he lay a doun
There were also / of Martes deuysioū
The Barbour / and the Bocher / and the Smytħ
That forgeth sharpe swerdes / on the Stytħ
¶ And al a boue
/ depeynted in a Tour
There is a cross in dry point in the left margin.ODR
1170
Saugħ I conquest / sittyng in gret honour
With the sharp swerde / ouer his hede
Hangyng / by a sotel twyned threde
Depeynted was the slauȝter / of Iulius
Of gret Nero / and of Anthonius
1175
Alle be þat thilke tyme / they were vnborñ
Ȝet was here detħ / depeynted þere biforñ
By manassyng of Mars / rigħt be figure
So was it shewed / in that portrature
As is depeynted / in the Sertres a boue
1180
Who shal be slayn / or elles ded for loue
Suffiseth on ensaumple / in stories olde
I may nat rekken hem alle / thougħ I wolde
¶ The statute of Mars / vp on a carte stode
Armed and loked grym / as he were wode
1185
And ouer his hed / þere shynen two figures
Of stories / þat ben cleped / in sciptures
That on Puella / that other Rubeus
This god of armes / was a rayed thus
A wolf þere stode / biforn hī at his fete
1190
With eyen rede / and of a man he ete
With sotil pencelles / was depeynted þis storie
In redoutyng of Mars / & of his glorie
¶ Now to the Temple / of Diane the chaste
As shortly as I can / I wyl me haste
1195
To tellen ȝow / of the discipsioū
Depeynted by the walles / vp and doun
Of huntyng / and of shamefast chastite
There saugħ I / how wooful Calistope
Whan þat Diane / a greued was with hire
1200
Was turned fro a wōman / to a Beere
And after was she mad
/ þe lode sterre
¶ Vrsa maior
Thus was it peynted / I can sey ȝow no ferre
Hire sone is eke / a sterre as men may se
There saugh I Dane / turned to a tre
1205
I mene nat / the goddes Diane