The Monk's Tale
Folio 181r
15 of 18 folios
And to oure heigħe goddes / thanke we
200
Of honour þt oure eldres / witħ vs laft
¶ His wyf / his lordes / & hise concubynes
Ay dronken / while here appetites laste
Out of þeise noble vesseles / sondry wynes
And oon a wal / this kyng his eyen caste
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And sey an hand / armlees / þt wroot ful faste
For fere of whicħ / he quoke & siked sore
This hand þt Balthasar / so sore a gaste
Wroot / mane techel phares / & nomore
¶ In al þt lond / Magicien was noon
210
That coude expoune / what þis lbr;re mente
But Danyel / expouned it a noon
And seide kyng / god to thy fader sente
Glorie & honour / regne / tresor / Rente
And he was proud / & nothyng god ne dradde
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And þerfore / god / gret wreche vp oon hī sente
And hī bireft / the regne that he hadde
¶ He was out cast / of mānes compaignye
Witħ Asses / was his xx habitacioū
And ete hey as a beest / in wete & drye
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Til þt he knew by gace / & by resoū
That god of heuene / hatħ domynacoū
Ouer euery regne / and euery creature
And þāne had god / of hī compassioū
And hī restored his regne / & his figure
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¶ Eke þu þt art his sone / art proud also
And knowest alle þeise thynges / verrely
And art rebel to god / and art his foo
Thow drank eke of hise vessels / boldely
Thy wyf eke / and þine wenches synfully
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Dronke of the same vesselles / sondry wynes
And heriest false goddes / cursedly
Therfore to the / I shapen / ful gret peyne is
¶ This hand was sent fro god / þt oon the wal
Wroot / Mane thechel phares / truste me
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Thy regne is don / þu weyest nougħt at al
Dyuyded is thy regne / and it shal be
To Medes and to Perses / I ȝeuen qd he
And thilke same nygħt this kyng was slawe
And Darius occupietħ / his degree
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Thougħ he þer to had / neiþer rigħt ne lawe
¶ Lordynges ensample / her by moun ȝe take
How þt in lordshipe / is no sykernesse