| | For on a friday shortly slayn was he | |
| | Thanne wolde I shewe you how that I coude pleyn | |
| | For chauntecleer and for his peyn | |
| 535 | Certis suche crye ne lamentacion | |
| | Nas of ladies maad whenne Ilion was wonne | |
| | And pirrus with his bright swerd | |
| | When he hent kyng Pryam be the berd | |
| | And slow hym as saith Eneydos | |
| 540 | As maden alle the hennys in the cloos | |
| | Whenne that they hadde of chauntecler the sight | |
| | But souerenly dame Pertelot gan to shright | |
| | Ful lowder than did hasdrubalis wif | |
| | Whenne that her husbond had lost his lif | |
| 545 | And that the romayns had brent Cartage | |
| | She was so ful of turment and of rage | |
| | That wilfully in to the fire she stert | |
| | And brende her self with a stedfast hert | |
| | O woful hennys so that cryden ye | |
| 550 | As whenne that Nero brent the cyte | |
| | Of Rome criden the Senatouris wyuys | |
| | For that her husbondis sholde lese her liuys | |
| | Withoutyn gilt Nero hath hem sleyn | |
| | Now wol I turne to my tale agayn | |
| 555 | This sely widow and hir deughtris two | |
| | Herden the hennys crye and make woo | |
| | And out at the dore stert they anone | |
| | And saw the fox toward the wode goon | |
| | And baar vp on his bak the cok awey | |
| 560 | And criden out and harow and welawey | |
