Was ffoule and owgely on to se.
And hir vysage eke also
Was departyd euene a two;
Line 19480
The to party was amyable,
And to byholdë délytable,
Bothe off porte and off manere,
Glad and lawynge off hir chere;
Line 19484
¶ The tother syde, hydous and old,
Whiche was ryuelyd many ffold;
And on hir schuldres rownd and square,
A crokyd staffe in sothe sche bare.
Line 19488
And whanne I gan al this aduerte,
Dyscomffórtyd in myn herte [[Illustration.]]
THanne was I, greetly agaste [[I was, and gretly gan gaste St.]] ; [Tib folio 59b]
And my burdoun I heelde ryghte ffaste,
Line 19492
And dyde also greetly my peyne
To grype it with myne handës tweyne;
And seyde, (off sodeyne moscyoun,)
"Bordoun," quod I, "bordoun, bordoun!
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But thow me helpë [[helpe now St.]] in this caas,
I may [[may well St.]] wepe and seyne 'allas,'
My peynës ben so scharpe and kene.
And but thow helpë to sustene
Line 19500
Myne nownpowere and inpotence, [[impotence St.]]
That I may stonden at dyffence
Vp-on my ffeet, and that anoon,
ffare-wel! my Ioye is alle agoon!"
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¶ But tho, thorough helpe off my bordoun,
I roos vp as a champyoun.
But whanne this lady dyde espye
That I was vp, sche gan to hye
Line 19508
ffor to haue putte [[taput St.]] me doun ageyn;
And I trowe ryght wel certeyn,
That, but I haddë spoken ffayre,
And off my porte be debonayre,
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I hadde ben to [[to St., fful Tib.]] ffeble off myght,
Vp-on my ffeet to stonde [[tastand St.]] vp ryght.
BVt I abrayde, and bade in deede [Tib folio 60a]
that sche scholdë taken heede
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