Lat euery felawe / telle his tale aboute
And lat se now / who shal the soper wynne
And ther I lefte / I wol ayeyn bigynne
Line 892
This duc / of whom I make mencioun [¶ Narratio]
Whan he was come / almoost vn to the toun
In al his wele / and in his mooste pride
He was war / as he caste his eye aside
Line 896
Where that ther kneled in the weye
A compaignye of ladyes / tweye and tweye
Ech after oother / clad in clothes blake [folio 14b]
But swich a cry / and swich a wo they make
Line 900
That in this world / nys creature lyuynge
That herde / swich another waymentynge
And of this cry / they nolde neuere stenten
Til they / the reynes of his brydel henten
Line 904
¶ What folk been ye / that at myn hom comynge
Perturben so my feste / with criynge
Quod Theseus / haue ye so greet enuye
Of myn honour / þat thus compleyne and crye
Line 908
Or who hath yow / mysboden or offended
And telleth me / if it may been amended
And why / þat ye been / clothed thus in blak
¶ The eldeste lady of hem alle spak
Line 912
Whan she hadde swowned / with a deedly cheere
That it was routhe / for to seen and heere
And seyde lord / to whom ffortune hath yeuen
Victorie / and as a Conqueror to lyuen
Line 916
Nat greueth vs / youre glorie and youre honour
But we / biseken mercy and socour
Haue mercy on oure wo / and oure distresse
Som drope of pitee / thurgh thy gentillesse
Line 920
Vp on vs wrecched wommen / lat thou falle
ffor certes lord / ther is noon of vs alle
That she ne hath been / a duchesse / or a queene
Now be we caytyues / as it is wel seene
Line 924
Thanked be ffortune / and hire false wheel
