The Physician's Tale
Folio 133v
2 of 7 folios
Thus semeth me / that Nature wolde seye
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¶ This mayde / of Age .xij. yeer was and tweye
In which þt Nature / hadde swich delit
For rigħt as she kan peynte a lilie whit
And reed a Rose / rigħt wt swich peynture
She peynted hath this noble creature
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Er she were born / vp on hir lymes fre
Where as by rigħt / swiche colours sholde be
And Phebus dyed hath / hir treses grete
Lyk to the stremes / of his burned heete
And if þt excellent was hir beautee
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A thousand foold / moore vertuous was she
In hire / ne lakked no condicioū
That is to preyse / as by discrecioū
As wel in goost as body / chast was she
For which / she floured in virginitee
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With alle humylitee / and Abstinence
With alle attemperaunce and pacience
With mesure eek / of beryng and array
Discreet she was / in answeryng alway
Thougħ she were wise Pallas dar I seyn
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Hir facound eek / ful wōmanly a pleyn
No countrefeted termes / hadde she
To seme wys / but after hir degree
She spak and alle hir wordes moore & lesse
Sownynge in vertu / and in gentillesse
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Shamefast she was / maydens shamefastnesse
Constant in herte / and euere in bisynesse
To dryue hir / out of ydel slogardye
Bacus hadde of hir moutħ / rigħt no maistrie
For wyn and youthe / dooth Venus encresse
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As man in fyr / wol wasten oille or greesse
And of hir owene vertu / vnconstreyned
She hath ful ofte tyme / syk hir feyned
For that she wolde fleen the compaignye
Wher likly was / to treten of folye
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As is at feestes / reuels / and at daunces
That been / occasions of daliaunces
Swich thyng / maken children for to be
To soone rype and boold / as men may se
Which is ful perilous / and hath been yoore
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For al to soone / may they lerne loore
Of booldnesse / whan she woxen is a wyf
¶ And ye maistresses / in youre olde lyf
That lordes doghtres / han in gouernaūce
Ne taketh of my wordes no displesaūce
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Thenketh / that ye been set in gouernynges
Of lordes doghtres / oonly for two thynges