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Largesse hadde on a robe fresshe
Of riche purpur Sarsinesshe.
Wel fourmed was hir face and clere,
And opened had she hir colere; 1190
For she right there hadde in present
Unto a lady maad present
Of a gold broche, ful wel wrought.
And certes, it missat hir nought;
For through hir smokke, wrought with silk, 1195
The flesh was seen, as whyt as milk.
Largesse, that worthy was and wys,
Held by the honde a knight of prys,
Was sib to Arthour of Bretaigne.
And that was he that bar the enseigne 1200
Of worship, and the gonfanoun.
And yit he is of swich renoun,
That men of him seye faire thinges
Bifore barouns, erles, and kinges.
This knight was comen al newely 1205
Fro tourneyinge faste by;

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Cum la pierre de l'aiment
Trait a soi le fer soutilment,
Ainsinc atrait les cuers des gens
Li ors qu'en donne et li argens.
Largece ot robe toute fresche
D'une porpre Sarrazinesche; 1170
S'ot le vis bel et bien forme;
Mes el ot son col defferme,
Qu'el avoit iluec en present
A une dame fet present,
N'avoit gueres, de son fermal,
Et ce ne li seoit pas mal,
Que sa chevecaille iert overte,
Et sa gorge si descoverte,
Que parmi outre la chemise
Li blanchoioit sa char alise. 1180
Largece la vaillant, la sage,
Tint ung chevalier du linage
Au bon roy Artus de Bretaigne;
Ce fu cil qui porta l'enseigne
De Valor et le gonfanon.
Encor est-il de tel renom,
Que l'en conte de li les contes
Et devant rois et devant contes.
Cil chevalier novelement
Fu venus d'ung tornoiement, 1190

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Ther hadde he doon gret chivalrye
Through his vertu and his maistrye;
And for the love of his lemman
[Had] cast doun many a doughty man. 1210
And next him daunced dame FRAUNCHYSE,
Arrayed in ful noble gyse. FRAUNCHYSE.
She was not broun ne dun of hewe,
But whyt as snowe y-fallen newe.
Hir nose was wrought at poynt devys, 1215
For it was gentil and tretys;
With eyen gladde, and browes bente;
Hir heer doun to hir heles wente.
And she was simple as dowve on tree,
Ful debonaire of herte was she. 1220
She durste never seyn ne do
But that [thing] that hir longed to.
And if a man were in distresse,
And for hir love in hevinesse,
Hir herte wolde have ful greet pitee, 1225
She was so amiable and free.
For were a man for hir bistad,
She wolde ben right sore adrad
That she dide over greet outrage,
But she him holpe his harm to aswage; 1230

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Ou il ot faite por s'amie
Mainte jouste et mainte envaie,
Et percie maint escu boucle,
Maint hiaume i avoit dessercle,
Et maint chevalier abatu,
Et pris par force et par vertu.
Apres tous ceus se tint Franchise,
Qui ne fu ne brune ne bise,
Ains ere blanche comme nois;
Et si n'ot pas nes d'Orlenois, 1200
Aincois l'avoit lonc et traitis,
Iex vairs rians, sorcis votis:
S'ot les chevous et blons, et lons,
Et fu simple comme uns coulons.
Le cuer ot dous et debonnaire:
Ele n'osast dire ne faire
A nuli riens qu'el ne deust;
Et s'ele ung homme cogneust
Qui fust destrois por s'amitie,
Tantost eust de li pitie, 1210
Qu'ele ot le cuer si piteable,
Et si dous et si amiable,
Que se nus por li mal traisist,
S'el ne li aidast, el crainsist
Qu'el feist trop grant vilonnie.
Vestue ot une sorquanie,

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Hir thoughte it elles a vilanye.
And she hadde on a sukkenye,
That not of hempen herdes was;
So fair was noon in alle Arras.
Lord, it was rideled fetysly! 1235
Ther nas nat oo poynt, trewely,
That it nas in his right assyse.
Ful wel y-clothed was Fraunchyse;
For ther is no cloth sitteth bet
On damiselle, than doth roket. 1240
A womman wel more fetys is
In roket than in cote, y-wis.
The whyte roket, rideled faire,
Bitokened, that ful debonaire
And swete was she that it bere. 1245
By hir daunced a bachelere;
I can not telle you what he highte,
But fair he was, and of good highte,
Al hadde he be, I sey no more,
The lordes sone of Windesore. 1250
And next that daunced CURTESYE, CURTESYE.
That preised was of lowe and hye,
For neither proud ne fool was she.