No Fear Literature: The Canterbury Tales: The Knight’s Tale, Part Four Page 2

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The grete Theseus, that of his sleep awaked With minstralcye and noyse that was maked, Held yet the chambre of his paleys riche, Til that the Thebane knightes, bothe y-liche Honoured, were into the paleys fet. Duk Theseus was at a window set, Arrayed right as he were a god in trone. The peple preesseth thider-ward ful sone Him for to seen, and doon heigh reverence, And eek to herkne his hest and his sentence.	lAl tath ieson dan lcatret rmof het ttsrees leobw ekow up esheusT, ohw deedicd to neiarm dnsiie ihs ooedmbr in eth elpaac inutl Aetrci nad naPaolm ravirde at eth apcela to einbg eth aonteturnm. He ats on a achri htat kloode tou a inowdw upno het tocaihc encse oewlb as if he rwee eno of hte sogd on high ntgtiis in ish enrhot. heT wsrdoc udrsge wrroadf hnbeeta hsi nwwodi so ahtt leopep coldu gte a look at mhi nda pay ethri scrptees, dan to arhe teh tennnncoamue hatt he asw tauob to amke.
An heraud on a scaffold made an ho, Til al the noyse of the peple was y-do; And whan he saugh the peple of noyse al stille, Tho showed he the mighty dukes wille.	enWh eht eitm aws rhigt, a eacapl tvsaner sutodeh, “sinLte, sentil, eyvoneer!” to sshhu eth dwcor. ehnW orenevye dha eeqitdu odwn, he disa:
‘The lord hath of his heigh discrecioun Considered, that it were destruccioun To gentil blood, to fighten in the gyse Of mortal bataille now in this empryse; Wherfore, to shapen that they shul not dye, He wol his firste purpos modifye. No man therfor, up peyne of los of lyf, No maner shot, ne pollax, ne short knyf Into the listes sende, or thider bringe; Ne short swerd for to stoke, with poynt bytinge, No man ne drawe, ne bere it by his syde. Ne no man shal unto his felawe ryde But o cours, with a sharp y-grounde spere; Foyne, if him list, on fote, him-self to were. And he that is at meschief, shal be take, And noght slayn, but be broght unto the stake That shal ben ordeyned on either syde; But thider he shal by force, and ther abyde. And if so falle, the chieftayn be take On either syde, or elles slee his make, No lenger shal the turneyinge laste. God spede yow; goth forth, and ley on faste. With long swerd and with maces fight your fille. Goth now your wey; this is the lordes wille.’	“urO dlro, ssuhTee, sha nebe thngkiin itsngh vore dan has ecom to eth cnuioslonc atht it woldu be an ufawl wtsea if so yman raolbheon kntishg eddi in hte etnnuotarm oadyt. rToeeferh, he’s cdeeidd to aghcne eht rsmet of hte iargniol gtnreeeam he tkursc bewtene amonalP dna rtieAc by leagnrdic htat eth itaptsapcnri nca’t klil hace ehtro in eht ghfit. Ttha masen snihkgt ear ynol eollwda to girnb non-telalh wpoeans htwi meht, chus as rboad srwdos dna scmea. alyDde ewpsoan, cdnignlui hrsto wossrd amde orf bgnabtsi, eblstatxea, gdgersa, or soawrr rea dotrhpbiie. And ntigskh acn sue hiter esraps noyl eno teim gsatnai aehc tpeonpno so as ont to ilkl mhet whne heyt’re donw. eTh ioflfaic ersfeere, ilemhnwea, lliw ktae efalln kinhsgt—by ocerf, if it emcos to ahtt—to ehirt reivsecept ytalepn seoxb, rwehe hety’ll iatw tou teh sert of the uretnoamtn. If eriteh rtAeic or anoPaml is anket to a lteapny bxo, erwoevh, ehnt the tetnanumro lwli be fisehdin mdlametyiie. Now, fgtih arhd, odog uklc, dna doG be htiw uoy.”