The Prologue:

A thousand tymes have I herd men telle
That ther ys joy in hevene and peyne in helle,
And I acorde wel that it ys so;
But, natheles, yet wot I wel also
That ther is noon dwellyng in this contree,
That eyther hath in hevene or helle ybe,
Ne may of hit noon other weyes witen,
But as he hath hers seyn, or founde it writen;
For by assay ther may no man it preve.
But God forbede but men shulde leve
Wel more thing then man han seen with ye!
Men shal not wenen every thing a lye
But yt himself yt seeth, or elles dooth;
For, God wot, thing is never the lasse sooth,
Thogh every wight ne may it nat ysee.
Bernard the monk ne saugh nat all, pardee!
(LGW, Vv.1-16)

The Legend of Cleopatra:

After the deth of Tholome the kyng,
That al Egipt hadde in his governing,
Regned the queene Cleopatras;
Tyl on a tyme befel there swich a cas,
That out of Rome was sent a senatour,
For to conqueren regnes and honour
Unto the toun of Rome, as was usaunce,
To han the world at hire obeysaunce,
And soth to seyne, Antonius was his name.
So fil it, as Fortune hym oughte a shame,
Whan he was fallen in prosperite,
Rebel unto the toun of Rome was he.
And over al this, the suster of Cesar,
He lafte hire falsly, or that she was war,
And wolde algates han another wyf;
For which he tok with Rome and Cesar stryf.
(LGW, Vv. 580-595)

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