The Corpus ms (Corpus Christi coll., Oxford) of Chaucer's Canterbury tales. Ed. by Frederick J. Furnivall.

[Cresus.]

¶ This riche Cresus whilom king of lyde [Cresus.] Of whiche Cresus Cyquus sore him dradde Ȝet was he caught amyddes alle his pryde Line 3919 And to be brent men to þe fuyre him ladde [folio 246b] But such a reyn doun fro þe walken schadde þat slough þe fuyr and made him to askape But to be war ȝet no grace he hadde Til fortune on þe galwes made him gape Line 3924

¶ Whan he askaped was he can not stynte ffor to begynne a newe reyne aȝein he wende wel for þat fortune him sente Such happe þat he escaped þurgh þe rayn Line 3928 That of his foos he mighte not be slayn And swich a swefne vppan a night he mette Of which he was so proud and eek so fayn That in vengaunce he alle his herte sette Line 3932

¶ Vpon a tree he was as þat him þoughte There Iubiter him wisshe boþe halse and syde And Phebus eek a fair towayle him broughte To druye him wiþ and þerfore wax his pryde Line 3936 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 right þus expounde Line 3940

[6-text p 280] Line 3940

¶ 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 Line 3944 Thou schalt an honged be fader certayn Reyn schal þe waissche and sonne schal þe druye þus warned him ful platte and ful playn His doughter þat called was Phanye / Line 3948

¶ An honged was Cresus þe proude king His roial trone might him nought auayle Tegedie is non oþer maner þing Ne can synnynge crye ne by-wayle Line 3952 But þat fortune alway wol assayle / Wiþ vnwar strook þe regnes that ben proude ffor whan men trusteþ hire þan wol sche fayle And couere hire brighte face wiþ a cloude [folio 247a] Line 3956

¶ Explicit/