The Monk's Tale
Folio 173r
9 of 19 folios
Why she conquered / and what title therto
325
And after of hir meschief and hir wo
How þt she was / biseged and ytake
Lat hym / vn to my maister Petrak go
That writ ynougħ of this I vndertake
Whan Onedake was deed / she myghtily
330
The regnes heeld / and wt hir propre hond
Agayn hir foos / she faugħt so cruelly
That ther nas kyng ne prynce / in al that lond
That he nas glad / if he that grace fond
That she ne wolde / vp on his lond werreye
335
With hir / they made alliance by bond
To been in pees / and lete hir ride & pleye
The Emperour of Rome Claudius
Ne hym bifore / the Romayn Galien
Ne dorste neuere / been so corageus
340
Ne noon Ermyn / ne noon Egipcien
Ne Surrien / ne noon Arabyen
With Inne the feeldes / that dorste wt hir figħte
Lest that she wolde / hem wt hir handes slen
Or with hir meignee / putten hem to fligħte
345
In kynges habit / wente hir sones two
As heires / of hir fadres regnes alle
And Hermanno / and Thymalao
Hir names were / as Persiens hem calle
But ay Fortune / hath in hir hony galle
350
This myghty queene / may no while endure
Fortune / out of hir regne made hir falle
To wrecchednesse / and to mysauenture
Aurelian / whan that the gouernaunce
Of Rome / cam in to hise handes tweye
355
He shoope / vp on this queene to doon vengeaūce
And with hise legions / he took his weye
Toward Cenobie / and shortly for to seye
He made hir flee / and atte laste hir hente
And fettred hir / and eek hir children tweye
360
And wan the land / and hoom to Rome he wente
Amonges othere thynges / that he wan
Hir Chaar þt was wt gold wrogħt and perree
This grete Romayn / this Aurelian
Hath wt hym lad / for that men sholde it see
365
Biforn his triumphe / walketh shee
With gilte cheynes / on hir nekke hangynge