The Monk's Tale
Folio 246v
2 of 23 folios
And to be brent men to þe fuyre him ladde
645
But such a reyn doun fro þe walken schadde
Þat slougħ þe fuyr and made him to askape
But to be war ȝet no gace he hadde
Til fortune on þe galwes made him gape
¶ Whan he askaped was he can not stynte
650
For to begynne a newe reyne aȝein
He wende wel for þat fortune him sente
Such happe þat he escaped þurgh þe rayn
That of his foos he mighte not be slayn
And swich a swefne vppan a night he mette
655
Of which he was so proud and eek so fayn
That in vengaunce he aƚƚ his herte sette
¶ Vpon a tree he was as þat him þougħte
There Iubit er him wisshe boþe halse and syde
And Phebus eek a fair towayle him broughte
660
To druye him wiþ and þerfore wax his pryde
And to his doughter þat stood him besyde
Which þat he knew in heigh sentence abounde
He bad hire telle him what it signefyed
And sche his dreemes bygan rigħt þus expounde
665
¶ The tree quod sche þe galwes is to mene
And Iubiter bitokneþ snow and rayn
And Phebus wiþ his towayle so clene
Tho be þe sonne stremes for to sayn
Thou schalt an honged be fader certayn
670
Reyn schal þe waissche and sonne schal þe druye
Þus warned him ful platte and ful playn
His doughter þat called was Phanye /
¶ An honged was Cresus þe proude king
His roial trone might him nougħt auayle
675
Tegedie is non oþer maner þing
Ne can synnynge crye ne bywayle
But þat fortune alway wol assayle /
Wiþ vnwar strook þe regnes that ben proude
For whan men trusteþ hire þan wol sche fayle /