[ [[MS cut away.]] Here bigynneth] þe goode wyues tale of bathe [on lf 101, bk]
IN olde dayes of þe king arthour
[O]f which þat britons speken gret honour
[A]l was þis land fulfild of fayerie
[T]he elfe queen with hire ioly compaignie
Line 860
[D]aunced wiþouten in many a greene meede
[T]his was þe olde opynion as I rede
[I speke of many] hundred ȝeer ago
[But] now can noman see non elues moo
Line 864
[For] þe grete charite and þe preyeres
[Of] lymytoures and oþre pouere freeres
[T]hat serchen euery land and euery streem
[A]s þikke as motes in þe sonne beem
Line 868
Blissynge halles chambres boures
[C]itees burghes castels hihe toures
[T]hropes bernes schipenes dayeries
This makeþ þat þer ben no fayeries
Line 872
ffor þer as wont to walke was an elf
Ther walkeþ now þe lymytour himself
In vndermeles and in morwenynges
And seiþ his matyns and his holy þinges
Line 876
As he goþ in his lymytacioun
Wommen may go now saufly vp and doun
In euery busch or vnder euery tree
þer is non oþer Incubus but he
Line 880
And he wol do hem but dishonour
And so felle it / þat þis king arthour
hadde in his hous a lusty bacheler
þat on a day cam rydyng fro ryuer
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