The Canterbury Tales; The Phisiciens Tale Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis

Rhyme Scheme: A B B CCCCD DACCC EEAAF FAAGG CCCCA AC HH AAEEE CAAAC FFCAC CEIFF CCCCC CHCCC AAHHC CCCCC DDCCC CAACC JJAAF FAAFF CCCIC CKKHH AACCC CAACC AAFFG GFFCC FF AAA AAA F AAAAC AFFFF AACCA ACCCC GGCCG GAAEE GGCCG GCCC CCG G GGGCC EGEED DHH G E

PartA
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THE PHISICIENS TALEB
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Heere folweth the Phisiciens taleB
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Ther was as telleth Titus LiviusC
A knyght that called was VirginiusC
Fulfild of honour and of worthynesseC
And strong of freendes and of greet richesseC
This knyght a doghter hadde by his wyfD
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No children hadde he mo in al his lyfD
Fair was this mayde in excellent beauteeA
Aboven every wight that man may seeC
For Nature hath with sovereyn diligenceC
Yformed hir in so greet excellenceC
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As though she wolde seyn 'Lo I NatureE
Thus kan I forme and peynte a creatureE
Whan that me list who kan me countrefeteA
Pigmalion noght though he ay forge and beteA
Or grave or peynte for I dar wel seynF
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Apelles Zanzis sholde werche in veynF
Outher to grave or peynte or forge or beteA
If they presumed me to countrefeteA
For He that is the former principalG
Hath maked me his vicaire generalG
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To forme and peynten erthely creaturisC
Right as me list and ech thyng in my cure isC
Under the Moone that may wane and waxeC
And for my werk right nothyng wol I axeC
My lord and I been ful of oon accordA
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I made hir to the worship of my lordA
So do I alle myne othere creaturesC
What colour that they han or what figures '-
Thus semeth me that Nature wolde seyeH
This mayde of age twelf yeer was and tweyeH
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Is which that Nature hadde swich delitA
For right as she kan peynte a lilie whitA
And reed a rose right with swich peyntureE
She peynted hath this noble creatureE
Er she were born upon hir lymes freE
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Where as by right swiche colours sholde beC
And Phebus dyed hath hir treses greteA
Lyk to the stremes of his burned heeteA
And if that excellent was hir beauteeA
A thousand foold moore vertuous was sheC
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In hire ne lakked no condiciounF
That is to preyse as by discreciounF
As wel in goost as body chast was sheC
For which she floured in virginiteeA
With alle humylitee and abstinenceC
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With alle attemperaunce and pacienceC
With mesure eek of beryng and arrayE
Discreet she was in answeryng alwayI
Though she were wise Pallas dar I seynF
Hir facound eek ful wommanly and pleynF
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No countrefeted termes hadde sheC
To seme wys but after hir degreeC
She spak and alle hir wordes moore and lesseC
Sownynge in vertu and in gentillesseC
Shamefast she was in maydens shamefastnesseC
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Constant in herte and evere in bisynesseC
To dryve hir out of ydel slogardyeH
Bacus hadde of hire mouth right no maistrieC
For wyn and youthe dooth Venus encresseC
As man in fyr wol casten oille or greesseC
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And of hir owene vertu unconstreynedA
She hath ful ofte tyme syk hir feynedA
For that she wolde fleen the compaignyeH
Wher likly was to treten of folyeH
As is at feestes revels and at dauncesC
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That been occasions of daliauncesC
Swich thynges maken children for to beC
To soone rype and boold as men may seC
Which is ful perilous and hath been yooreC
For al to soone may they lerne looreC
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Of booldnesse whan she woxen is a wyfD
And ye maistresses in youre olde lyfD
That lordes doghtres han in governaunceC
Ne taketh of my wordes no displesaunceC
Thenketh that ye been set in governyngesC
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Of lordes doghtres oonly for two thyngesC
Outher for ye han kept youre honesteeA
Or elles ye han falle in freleteeA
And knowen wel ynough the olde daunceC
And han forsaken fully swich meschaunceC
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For everemo therfore for Cristes sakeJ
To teche hem vertu looke that ye ne slakeJ
A theef of venysoun that hath forlaftA
His likerousnesse and al his olde craftA
Kan kepe a forest best of any manF
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Now kepeth wel for if ye wole ye kanF
Looke wel that ye unto no vice assenteA
Lest ye be dampned for your wikke ententeA
For who so dooth a traitour is certeynF
And taketh kepe of that that I shal seynF
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Of alle tresons sovereyn pestilenceC
Is whan a wight bitrayseth innocenceC
Ye fadres and ye moodres eek alsoC
Though ye han children be it oon or twoI
Youre is the charge of al hir surveiaunceC
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Whil that they been under youre governaunceC
Beth war if by ensample of youre lyvyngeK
Or by youre necligence in chastisyngeK
That they perisse for I dar wel seyeH
If that they doon ye shul it deere abeyeH
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Under a shepherde softe and necligentA
The wolf hath many a sheep and lamb to rentA
Suffyseth oon ensample now as hereC
For I moot turne agayn to my mateereC
This mayde of which I wol this tale expresseC
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So kepte hirself hir neded no maistresseC
For in hir lyvyng maydens myghten redeA
As in a book every good word or dedeA
That longeth to a mayden vertuousC
She was so prudent and so bountevousC
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For which the fame out sprong on every sydeA
Bothe of hir beautee and hir bountee wydeA
That thurgh that land they preised hire echoneF
That loved vertu save encye alloneF
That sory is of oother mennes weleG
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And glad is of his sorwe and his unheeleG
The doctour maketh this descripciounF
This mayde upon a day wente in the tounF
Toward a temple with hir mooder deereC
As is of yonge maydens the namereC
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Now was ther thanne a justice in that tounF
That governour was of that regiounF
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And so bifel this juge hise eyen casteA
Upon this mayde avysynge hym ful fasteA
As she cam forby ther as this juge stoodA
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Anon his herte chaunged and his moodA
So was he caught with beautee of this maydeA
And to hymself ful pryvely he saydeA
'This mayde shal be myn for any man '-
Anon the feend into his herte ranF
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And taughte hym sodeynly that he by slyghteA
The mayden to his purpos wynne myghteA
For certes by no force ne by no meedeA
Hym thoughte he was nat able for to speedeA
For she was strong of freends and eek sheC
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Confermed was in swich soverayn bounteeA
That wel he wiste he myghte hir nevere wynneF
As for to maken hir with hir body synneF
For which by greet deliberaciounF
He sente after a cherl was in the tounF
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Which that he knew for subtil and for booldA
This Juge unto this cherl his tale hath tooldA
In secree wise and made hym to ensureC
He sholde telle it to no creatureC
And if he dide he sholde lese his heedA
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Whan that assented was this cursed reedA
Glad was this juge and maked him greet cheereC
And yaf hym yiftes preciouse and deereC
Whan shapen was al hir conspiracieC
Fro point to point how that his lecherieC
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Parfourned sholde been ful subtillyG
As ye shul heere it after openlyG
Hoom gooth the cherl that highte ClaudiusC
This false juge that highte ApiusC
So was his name for this is no fableG
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But knowen for historial thyng notableG
The sentence of it sooth is out of douteA
This false juge gooth now faste abouteA
To hasten his delit al that he mayE
And so bifel soone after on a dayE
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This false juge as telleth us the storieG
As he was wont sat in his consistorieG
And yaf his doomes upon sondry casC
This false cherl cam forth a ful greet pasC
And seyde 'Lord if that it be youre willeG
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As dooth me right upon this pitous billeG
In which I pleyne upon VirginiusC
And if that he wol seyn it is nat thusC
I wol it preeve and fynde good witnesseC
That sooth is that my bille wol expresse '-
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The juge answerde 'Of this in his absenceC
I may nat yeve diffynytyve sentenceC
Lat do hym calle and I wol gladly heereG
Thou shalt have al right and no wrong heere '-
Virginius cam to wite the juges willeG
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And right anon was rad this cursed billeG
The sentence of it was as ye shul heereG
'To yow my lord Sire Apius so deereG
Sheweth youre povre servant ClaudiusC
How that a knyght called VirginiusC
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Agayns the lawe agayn al equiteeE
Holdeth expres agayn the wyl of meG
My servant which that is my thral by rightE
Which fro myn hous was stole upon a nyghtE
Whil that she was ful yong this wol I preeveD
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By witnesse lord so that it nat yow greeveD
She nys his doghter nat what so he seyeH
Wherfore to yow my lord the Juge I preyeH
Yeld me my thral if that it be youre wille '-
Lo this was al the sentence of his billeG
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Virginius gan upon the cherl biholdeE
But h-

Geoffrey Chaucer



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