The General Prologue
Folio 8r
5 of 9 folios
Wherþer it were cold / hote / moist / or drye
And wher of it engendered / and of what humor
He was a verray parfyt practisour
425
The cause he knew / and of his harm the rote
A non he ȝaf / the syke man his bote
Ful redy had he / alle hise appoticaries
To sende hī dragges / and his lettuaries
For eche of hē / mad other for to wynne
430
Her Frenshipe / was nat newe / to bygynne
Wel knew he / the old Esculapiūs .
And deiscorides / and eke Rusus
Olde ypocras / and Galyen
Serapyoū / Razis / and Auyȝen
435
Auuerrois / Dasmacien / and Costantyn
Bernard / Gatisdeñ / and Gilbertyn
Of his diete / mesurable was he
For he was / of no superfluite
But of gret norisshyng / and digestible
440
His stody was but litel / in the bible
In Sangweyn / and in pers / clad wt alle
Lyned wt taffata / and sendalle
And ȝet he was but esy / of dispence
For he kept þt he wan / in the pestilence
445
For gold in phisyk / is accordiaƚƚ
Therfore he loued gold / in speciaƚƚ
A good wyf þere was / of beside bathe
But she was somdel def / & þt was skathe
Of cloth makyng / she had swich an haunt
450
That she passed hem / of ypris & of gaunt
In aƚƚ the peryssħ / wyf was there non
That to offryng / a forñ hire shuld gon
And if there dide / serteyn so wroth was she
That she was oute / of al charite
455
Hire kerches / were of fyn ground
I durst swere / they weyed doun a pound
That on the Sonday / were vp on hire hede
Hire hosen were / of fyn skarlet rede
Ful streite teyed / and shoon moist & newe
460
Bold was hire face / and feir and rede of hewe
She was a worthy wōman / al hire lyue
Housbondes at þe chirche dore / had she had fyue
W outen other companye / in hire ȝouthe
But ther of nedeth nat / to speke of nouthe