The Man of Law's Tale
Folio 62v
4 of 21 folios
And euericħ man hatetħ / hire companye
¶ Woo was this kyng / whan he this ƚre had sayn
660
But to no wygħt he tolde / hise sorwes soore
But of his owen hond / he wroot a gayn
Welcome the sonde of Crist / for euere more
To me that am now / lerned in his loore
Lord welcome be thy lust / and thy plesaunce
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My lust I putte / al in thyn ordinaunce
¶ Kepetħ this child / al be it foul or feyre
And eke my wyf / vn to myn hoom comynge
Crist whan hī list / may sende me an Eyr
Moore agreable / than this / to my likynge
670
This ƚre he seeletħ / pryuely wepynge
Whicħ to the messanger / was take soone
And fortħ he gotħ / there is nomore to done
¶ O Messanger fulfilled
/ of drunkenesse
¶ Quid turpius ebrioso, cui fetor
in ore . tremor in corpore qui
promit stulta. prodit occulta. cui
mens alienatur. facie transformatur
nullum enim latet secretum, vbi reg
nat ebrietas;
Stronge is thy breetħ / thy lymes faltren ay
675
And thow bywreyest / alle secrenesse
Thy mynde is lorñ / þu ianglest as a Iay
Thy face is turned / in a newe aray
There dronkenesse regnetħ / in any route
There is no counseil hid / wt outen doute
680
¶ O Donegild / I ne haue / noon englissħ digne
Vn to thy malice / and thy tyrannye
And þerfore to the fend / I the resigne
Lat hym endyten / of thy traytorie
Fy mannyssħ fy / o nay be god I lye
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Fy feendly spirit / for I dar wel telle
Thougħ þu heere walk / thy spirit is in helle
¶ This messanger cometħ / fro the kyng a gayn
And at the kynges modres court / he ligħt
And she was of this messanger / ful fayn
690
And pleesed hī / in al that euere she mygħt
He drank / and wel his girdel vnderpigħt
He slepetħ and he fnortetħ / in his gyse
Al nygħt to the Sonne gan aryse
¶ Eft weere hise ƚres / stolen euerychone
695
And countrefeted ƚres / in this wyse
The kyng comaundetħ / his Constable a noon
Vp peyne of hangynge / and on hey Iuyse
That he ne shulde suffren / in no wyse
Custance witħ Inne his regne / for to abide
700
Three dayes / and o quarter of a tyde
¶ But in the Same shipe / as he hire fonde
Hire and hire ȝong sone / and al hire gere