The Physician's Tale Folio 139v 3 of 7 folios
Whicħ is ful per ilous / and hatħ be ȝoore
70
For al to sone / moun they lerne loore
Of boldnesse / whan she woxen is a wyf
That lordes dougħ tres / han in gouer naunce
Ne taketħ of my wordes / no displesaunce
75
Thenketħ that ȝe ben set / in gouernynges
Of lordes dougħ tres / oonly for two thynges
Outher for ȝe han kept / ȝoure honeste
Or elles ȝe han falle / in freelete
80
And han forsaken fully / swicħ meschaunce
For euer e moo / therfore for cristes sake
To teche hem vertu / loke that ȝe ne slake
His likerousnesse / and al his olde craft
85
Kan kepe a forest / best of any man
Now kepetħ wel / for if ȝe wole ȝe kan
Loke wel that ȝe / vn to no vice assente
Leest ȝe be dampned / for ȝowre wykke entente
For who so dotħ / a traytour is certeyn
90
And taketħ kepe / of that that I shal seyn
Of alle tresoū / souer ayn pestilence
Is whan a wygħ t bitraisetħ / Innocence
Ȝe fadres and ȝe modres / eke also
Thougħ ȝe han children / be it on or moo
95
Ȝoure is the charge / of al hirr ueaū ce
Whil that they ben / vnder ȝoure gouer naunce
Betħ war / if be ensaumple of ȝoure lyuynge
Or by ȝoure necligence / in chastisynge
That they per isshe / for I dar wel seye
100
If that they doon / ȝe shul it deere a beye
Vnder a Shepherde / soft and necligent
The wolf / hatħ many a sheep and lamb to rent
Suffisetħ on ensample / now as heere
For I moot turne a geyn / to my matere
105
So kept hir
For in hirħ ten rede
As in a book / euer y good word / or dede
That longetħ to a mayden / vertuous
110
She was so prudent / and so bountevous
For whicħ the fame out spronger y syde