The Squire's Tale
Folio 123v
16 of 16 folios
Til wel neygħ / the day bygan to Spinge
The norice of digestioū / the sleepe
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Gan on hem wynke / & bad hem taken kepe
That mechel drynk & labour / wyl haue rest
And witħ a galpyng moutħ / hem alle he kest
And seide that it was tyme / to lye a doun
For blod was / in his dominaciou
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Cherishetħ blood / natures frend qd he
They thanked hī galpyng / by two by three
And euery wygħt / gan drawe hī to his rest
As sleep hem bad / they toke it for the best
Here dremes shuln nat now / ben tolde for me
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Ful were here hedes / of fumositee
That causetħ dreem / of whicħ there is no charge
They slepe / til that it was / prime large
The moste parte / but it were Canacee
She was ful mesurable / as wōmen be
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For of hire fader / had she taken leue
To gon to rest / sone after it was eue
Hire list nat appalled / for to be
Ne on the morwe / vnfestliche for to se
And slept hire first sleepe / & thanne a woke
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For swicħ a ioie / she in hire hert toke
Bothe of hire queynt Ryng / & hire Mirour
That twenty tyme / she chaunged hire colour
And in hire sleepe / rigħt for inpressiou
Of hire Mirour / she had a visiou
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Wherfore / er that the sonne / gan vp glyde
She cleped vp on hire Maistres / hire beside
And seide / that hire list for to ryse
Theise olde wōmen / that ben gladly wyse
As is hire Maistresse / answered a non
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And seide Madame / whider wolde ȝe gon
Thus erly / for the folk ben alle in rest
I wil qd she arrisen / for me lest
No lengere for to slepe / and walke a boute
Hire Maistresse clepeth wōmen / a gret route
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And vp they risen / wel an ten or twelue
Vp risetħ fressħ Canacee / hire selue
As rody and brigħt / as dotħ the ȝonge Sonne
That in the Ram / is foure degrees vp ronne
Non heighere was he / whan she redy was
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And fortħ she walketħ / esily a paas
Arrayed after the lusty seson / swote
Ligħtly for to pleye / & walke on foote