[Depiction of a man on horseback]
[Stylized W]
Whom as olde stories tellen us
ther was a duc pt highte Theseus
Of Atthenes he was lord and goùnour
and in his tyme such a conquerour
That gretter was ther noon under the sonne
fful many a riche contree hadde he wonne
What with his wysdom and his chivalrie
He conquered al the regne of ffemenye
That bhuom was ycfeped Scithia
and wedded the quenne ypolita
and bioghte bur hoom wt hym ui his contree
with mucher glorie and greet solemnitee
and eek hir faue sufter Emelye
and thus with victorie and with melodie
Lete I this noble duc Atthenes ryde
And al his hoost in armes hym bisyde
And certes, if it nere to long to heere
I wolde have toold yow fully the manere
How wonnen was the regne of ffemenye
By Theseus and by his chivalrye
And of the grete bataille for the nones
Bitwixen Atthenes and Amazones
And how asseged was Ypolita
The faire hardy queene of Scithia
And of the feste pt was at hir weddynge
And of the tempest at hir hoom-comynge
But al that thyng I moot as now forbere
I have God woot a large feeld to ere
And wayke been the oxen in my plough
The remenant of the tale is long ynough
I wol nat letten eek noon of this route
Cat enemy felarke telld his tale aboute
and cat de now who shal the soper wynne
And ther I lefte I wol ayeyn bigynne
[Stylized T]
This duc of whom I make mencioun
Whan he was come almoost un to the toun
In al his wele and in his mooste pride
He was war as he caste his eye aside
Where that ther kneled in the weye
A compaignye of ladyes tweye and tweye