The Petworth ms. of Chaucer's Canterbury tales. Ed. by Frederick J. Furnivall.

[Cresus.]

This riche Cresus whilom kyng of lyde O which Cresus Cyquus sore hym dradde Ȝit was he kauȝt amonges al his pride And to be brent men to þe fure hym ladde Line 3920 But suche a Reyne doune fro þe walken shadde þat sclouȝe þe fuyre and made hym to eskape But to be war ȝit no grace he hadde Til fortune on þe galous made hym gape Line 3924

Whan he askaped was he can not stent ffor to bygynne a newe reyne aȝeine He wende wele for þat fortune hym sente Suche happe þat he askaped þorȝe þe reyne Line 3928 Þat of his foos he myȝt not be sclayn And Suche a sweuen vpon a nyȝt he mette Of which he was so proude and so fayn That in vengeance he al his hert sette Line 3932

Vpon a tree he was as hym þouȝt Ther Iubiter hym wassh boþ hals and Side And Phebus eke a faire towale hym brouȝt To drye hym wiþ an þerfore wex his pride Line 3936 And to his douȝtere þat stood hym beside Which þat he knewe in his sentence habounde He bad hure telle hym what it signyfied And she his dremes byganne riȝt þus expounde Line 3940

[6-text p 280] Line 3940

The tree quod she þe galous is to mene And Iubiter bitokeneþ snowe and reyne And Phebus wiþ his towale so clene. Thoo bene the sone stremes forto sayn [folio 258a] Line 3944 Thow shalt an honged be fadere certayn Rayn shal þe wassh and sonne shal þe drye Thus warned she hym ful plat and ful playn His douȝter [which] þat called was Phanye Line 3948

An honged was Cresus þe proude kinge His Roial trone myȝt hym not availe Tregedie is noon oþer maner þinge Ne can in synnynge cry ne bywaile Line 3952 But þat fortune alway wil assaile wiþ vnware stroke þe regnes þat bene proude ffor whan men trusten hir þan wil she faile And keuere her briȝt face wiþ a clowde Line 3956