The Monk's Tale
Folio 171v
6 of 19 folios
Gootħ bryngetħ fortħ / the vessels quod he
Whiche that my fader in his prosperitee
Out of the temple / of Ierusalem birafte
And to oure hye goddes / thanke we
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Of honor / that oure eldres wt vs lafte
His wyf hise lordes / and hise concubynes
Ay dronken / whil hir appetites laste
Out of thise noble vessels / sondry wynes
And on a wal / this kyng hise eyen caste
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And saugħ an hand armlees / þt wroot ful faste
For feere of which / he quook and siked soore
This hand / that Balthasar so soore agaste
Wroot Mane techel phares and namoore
In al that land / Magicien was noon
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That koude expounde / what this lettre mente
But Daniel / expowned it anoon
And seyde kyng god to thy fader sente
Glorie and honour / regne / tresour / rente
And he was proud / and no thyng god ne dradde
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And therfore / god greet wreche vp on hym sente
And hym birafte / the regne þt he hadde
He was out cast of mannes compaignye
With asses / was his habitacioū
And eet hey as a beest in weet and drye
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Til that he knew / by grace and by resoū
That god of heuene / hath domynacioū
Ouer euery regne / and euery creature
And thanne / hadde god of hym compassioū
And hym restored / his regne and his figure
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Eek / thou that art his sone / art proud also
And knowest / alle thise thynges verraily
And art rebel to god / and art his foo
Thou drank eek / of hise vessels boldely
Thy wyf eek and thy wenches synfully
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Dronke of the same vessels / sondry wynys
And heryest false goddes cursedly
Therfore to thee / yshapen ful greet pyne ys
This hand was sent from god / that on the wal
Wroot Mane techel phares / truste me
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Thy regne is doon / thou weyest / noght at al
Dyuyded is thy regne / and it shal be
To Medes and to Perses quod he
And thilke same nygħt / this kyng was slawe