The Merchant's Tale
Folio 111v
4 of 27 folios
And mad al seker I now / witħ holynes
465
THus ben they wedded / with solempnyte
And at the fest sittetħ / he and she
Witħ othere worthy folk / vp oon the deys
Al ful of ioye and blisse / is the paleys
And ful of Instrumentez / and of vetaille
470
The most deynteuoƫ / of al Ytaille
Byforñ hem were there / Instrumentes of swicħ soun
That Orpheus / nor Thebes Amphioun
Ne maden neuere / swicħ a melody
At euery cours / than cam loude Mynstralsy
475
That neuere tromped / Ioab / for to here
Ne he Theodomas / half so clere
At Thebes / whan the Citee was in doute
Bacus / the wyn / hem shynketħ al a boute
And venus laugħetħ / vp oon euery wygħt
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For Ianuarie / was bycome hire knygħt
And wolde bothe assayen / his corage
In liberte / and eke in mariage
And witħ hire fyrbrond / in hire hand a boute
Dauncetħ byforñ the Bryde / and al the route
485
And certeynly / I dar wel seyn this
That Ymeneus / whicħ god of weddyng is
Saw neuere his lyf / so merye a wedded man
Holde þu thy pees / thow Poete Marcian
That wrytest vs / that ilke weddyng mery
490
Of hire Philosophie / and hym Marcury
And of the songes / that the Muses song
To smal is bothe thy penne / and eke thy tong
For to discryuen / of this mariage
Whan tendre ȝouthe / hatħ wedded stoupyng age
495
There is swicħ myrthe / that it may nat be wretyn
Assayetħ it ȝoure self / than may ȝe wetyn
If that I lye / or noon / in this matere
Mayus that syt / witħ so benigne a chere
Hire to byholde / it semed feyrie
500
Quene Ester / loked neuere witħ swicħ an eye
On assure / so meke a loke hatħ she
I may ȝow nat deuyse / al hire beaute
But thus meche / of hire beaute / tellen I may
That she was lyke / the brigħt morwe of May
505
Fulfilled of al beaute / and plesaunce
This Ianuarie / is rauysshed / in a traunce
At euery tyme / he loked oon hire face
But in his hert / he gan hire to manace
That he that nygħt / in armes wolde hire streyne