The Physician's Tale Folio 140r 4 of 7 folios
Bothe of hir beaute / and hire bounte wyde
That thurgħ that lond / they preised hir
That loued vertu / saue Envye allone
115
That sory is / of oother mennes wele ¶ Augustinus
And glad is of his sorwe / and his vnhele
The doctor / makitħ this discripcioun
This mayde vp on a day / went in the toun
Toward a temple / witħ hir
120
As is of ȝonge maydens / the manere
That gouernour was / of that Regioun
And so bifel / this Iuge / his eyen caste
Vp on this mayde / auysynge hī ful faste
125
So was he caugħ t / witħ beaute of this mayde
And to hī self / ful pryuely he sayde
This mayde shal be myn / for any man
130
The mayden to his purpos / wynne mygħ te
For certes by no force / ne by no mede
Hī thougħ te he was nat able / for to spede
135
For she was strong
Confermed was / in swicħ souer ayn bounte
That wel he wiste / he mygħ t hir neuer e wynne
For whicħ / by greet deliberacioun
140
He sent after a cherl / was in the toun
Whicħ that he knew / for subtil and for bold
This Iuge vn to this cherl / his tale hatħ told
In secree wyse / and maad hī to ensure
He shulde telle it / to no creature
145
And if he dide / he shulde leese his hed
Whan that assented was / this cursed reed
Glad was this Iuge / and maked hī gret chere
150
Fro poynt to poynt / how that his lecherye
Parfourmed shulde ben / ful subtilly
As ȝe shuln heere it / after openly
This fals Iuge / that higħ t Apius
155
So was his name / for this is no fable