[THE PROEM.]
Incipit prologus de le ffrankeleyne. [on leaf 141]
THis olde gentil bretons in hire daies
Of diuers auentures maden laies
Rimyden in hir first breton tonge
Whiche laies wiþ here instrumentes þei songe.
Line 712
Oþer elles redden hem for her plesance [folio 141b]
And one of hem haue .I. in rembrance
Whiche .I. schal seie wiþ as goode wil as .I. can
Bot sires be cause þat .I. am a burel man
Line 716
Att my ginnynge first .I. ȝoue beseche
Heueþ me excused of my roode speche
.I. lernd neuer retorik certeine
þinge þat .I. speke it most . be bare and pleine
Line 720
.I. slept neuer on þe mount of parnaso
Ne .y. neuere lerid Marcus . Tullius . ne Cithero
Colours of retorike ne knewe .I. none wiþ-outen drede
Bot suche colours as growen in þe mede
Line 724
Or elles suche as men dye or peinte
Colours of rethorik bene me to queynte
My sprite feleþ nouȝt of suche Matier
Bot if þou luste Mi tale schal .ȝe. [[nouht crosst out]] here.
Line 728
Explicit prologus
Incipit fabula.
[THE TALE.]
Ther was a knyht þat loued and dide his peyne
Line 730
In Armorik þat cleped is bretaigne
Line 729
To seruen a lady in his best wise
Line 731
And many a labour and mony a grete emprise
