The Physician's Tale
Folio 141r
6 of 7 folios
Go brynge hire fortħ / and put hire in oure warde
The cherl shal han his thral / this I awarde
¶ And whan this wortħy knygħt / Virginius
Thurgħ sentence / of this Iustice Apius
205
Muste by force / his deere dougħter ȝiuen
Vn to the Iustice / in lecherye to lyuen
He gotħ hī hom / and sette hī in his halle
And leet a noon / his deere dougħter calle
And witħ a face deed / as asshen colde
210
Vp on hire humble face / he gan biholde
Witħ fadres pitee / stikynge thurgħ his herte
Al wolde he / from his purpos nat conuerte
¶ Dougħter qd he / Virginia by thy name
There ben two weyes / either detħ or shame
215
That thow must suffre / allas that I was bore
For neuere thow deseruedest / wherfore
To dyen witħ a swerd / or witħ a knyf
O deere dougħter / endere of my lyf
Whicħ I haue fostred vp / witħ swicħ plesaunce
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That thow were neuere / out of myn remembraunce
O dougħter / whicħ that art / my laste woo
And in my lif / my laste ioye also
O gemme of chastitee / in pacience
Take thow thy detħ / for this is my sentence
225
For loue / and nat for hate / thow must be ded
My pitous hand / moot smyten of thyn hed
Allas / that euere Apius the say
Thus hatħ he falsly / Iuged the to day
And told hire al the cas / as ȝe bifore
230
Han herd / nat nedetħ it / to telle it more
¶ O mercy deere fader / quod this mayde
And witħ that word / she bothe hir armes leyde
A boute his nekke / as she was wont to doo
The teeris borst out / of hire eigħen two
235
And seide / goode fader / shal I dye
Is there no grace / is Corrected from: <nothing> þereþere no remedye
¶ No certes / deere dougħter myn qd he
¶ Thanne ȝif me leiser / fader myn qd she
My detħ for to compleyne / a litel space
240
For pardee
/ Iepte
ȝaf his doug
ħter grace
¶ Judicum capitulo.xio. fuit illo tem-
pore Jepte Galaandes;
For to compleyne / er he hir slow / allas
And god it woot / no thyng was hir trespas
But for she ran / hir fader first to se
To welcome hī / witħ gret solempnytee