Therto she koude / so wel pley

Whan that hir lyst / that I dar sey
That she was lyke / to torche bryght

That euery mañ / may take of lyght

964

Ynogh / and hyt hathe / neuer the lesse
Of maner / and of comlynesse

Had amonge / ten thousande be
She wolde haue be / at the lest
A chefe meroure / of al the fest
Thogh they had stonde / in a Rowe
To mennys Eyen / koude haue knowe
For wher so men had / pleyed or wakyd
Me thoght' the felyssħyppe / as naked

Withouten hir / that sawgħ I oones

As a corowne withoute stones
Trewly she was / to myñ Eye
The soleyne Fenix / of Arabye
For ther levytħ / nevir but ooñ

Ne swich as she / ne knowe I nooñ
To speke of godenesse / trewly she
Had as moche/debonairyete
As euer had Hester / in the bible
And more yif more / were possyble
And sothe to seyn/therwyth-alle
She had a wytte / so generalle

So hoole enclyned / to alle goode

That al hir wytte was set / by the Rode
With-oute malyce / vpoñ gladnesse
And ther-to I sawgħ / neuer yet a lesse
Harmeful than she was in doynge

972

976

980

984

988

992

[leaf 148]

What harme was / or elles she
Had koude1 no good / so thenketħ me
And trewly / for to speke of trouthe
But she had hadde / hyt hadde be routhe
Therof she had / so moche hyr dele
And I dar seyn/ and swere hyt wele
That trouthe hym-selfe / ouer al and alle
Had chose hys maner / principalle
In hir that was / his restynge place
Ther-to she hadde / the moste grace
To haue stedefaste / perseueraunce
And Esy atempry / gouernaunce
That euer I knewe / or wyste yitte
So pure suffraunt / was hir wytte
And reson) gladly/she vnderstoode
Hyt folowed wel/ she koude goode
She vsed gladly / to do wel

These were hir maners / euerydel
Therwith she loved / so wel ryghť
She wronge do wolde / to no wygħt
No wyght' myght doo / hir noo shame
She loved so wel / hir ovne name

[1or konde]

1000

1004

1008

1012

1016

She ne vsed / no suche knakkes smale
But wherfore / that y tel my tale
Ryght on thys same / as I haue seyde
Was hooly al my love leyde
For certes she was / that swete wife1
My suffisaunce / my luste my lyfe1
Myñ happe myñ hele / and al my blysse
My worldys welfare and my goddesse
And I hooly hires / and euerydel

1036

[leaf 143, back]

[1? wise, lyse, with a late cross for f]

By oure lord2/ quod I/ y trowe yow wel Hardely your love / was wel besette

1040

[2 lord later]

Of al day after / til hyt were eve

Me thoght' no-thyng / myghte me greve
Were my sorwes / neuer so smerte

And yet she sytte / so myñ herte

That by my trouthe/ y nolde noght'

[leaf 144, back]

1108

Yee/he seyde / thow nost what thou menyst

I haue lost more than thou wenyst

What losse ys that /quod I thoo