The Ellesmere ms of Chaucer's Canterbury tales / edited by Frederick J. Furnivall.

                                
                                     [6-text p 501] 
                                  
                                  He for his lady wroghte / er she were wonne
                                
                                  ffor she was / oon the faireste vnder sonne
                                
                                  And eek therto / comen of so heigh kynrede
                                
                                  That wel vnnethes / dorste this knyght for drede
                                  Line 736 
                                
                                  Telle hire his wo / his peyne / and his distresse
                                
                                  But atte laste / she for his worthynesse
                                
                                  And namely / for his meke obeysance
                                
                                  Hath swich a pitee caught of his penance
                                  Line 740 
                                
                                  That pryuely / she fil of his accord
                                
                                  To take hym / for hir housbonde and hir lord
                                
                                  Of swich lordshipe / as men han ouer hir wyues
                                
                                  And for to lede / the moore in blisse hir lyues
                                  Line 744 
                                
                                  Of his free wyl / he swoor hire as a knyght
                                
                                  That neuere in al his lyf he day ne nyght
                                
                                  Ne sholde vp on hym / take no maistrie
                                
                                  Agayn hir wyl / ne kithe hire Ialousie
                                  Line 748 
                                
                                  But hire obeye / and folwe hir wyl in al [folio 128a] 
                                
                                  As any louere / to his lady shal
                                
                                  Saue / that the name of soueraynetee
                                
                                  That wolde he haue / for shame of his degree
                                  Line 752 
                                
                                  ¶ She thanked hym / and with ful greet humblesse
                                
                                  She seyde sire / sith of youre gentillesse
                                
                                  Ye profre me / to haue so large a reyne
                                
                                  Ne wolde neuere god / bitwixe vs tweyne
                                  Line 756 
                                
                                  As in my gilt were outher werre or stryf/
                                
                                  Sire / I wol be / youre humble trewe wyf
                                
                                  Haue heer my trouthe / til þat myn herte breste
                                
                                  Thus been they / bothe in quiete and in reste
                                  Line 760 
                                
                                  ¶ ffor o thyng sires / saufly dar I seye
                                
                                  That freendes / euerych oother moot obeye
                                
                                  If they wol longe / holden compaignye
                                
                                  Loue / wol nat been constreyned by maistrye
                                  Line 764 
                                
                                  Whan maistrie comth / the god of loue anon
                                
                                  Beteth hise wynges / and farewel he is gon
                                
                                  Loue is a thyng as any Spirit free
                                
                                  Wommen of kynde / desiren libertee

                                  Line 768

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Title: The Ellesmere ms of Chaucer's Canterbury tales / edited by Frederick J. Furnivall.
Author: Chaucer, Geoffrey, d. 1400.
Canvas: Page 336
Publication: London :: Published for the Chaucer Society by N. Trübner,; 1868-1879.

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Collection: Corpus of Middle English Prose and Verse
Link to this Item: https://name.umdl.umich.edu/agz8232.0001.001
Link to this scan: https://quod.lib.umich.edu/c/cme/agz8232.0001.001/366

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Full citation: "The Ellesmere ms of Chaucer's Canterbury tales / edited by Frederick J. Furnivall." In the digital collection Corpus of Middle English Prose and Verse. https://name.umdl.umich.edu/agz8232.0001.001. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed May 20, 2025.

The Ellesmere ms of Chaucer's Canterbury tales / edited by Frederick J. Furnivall.

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