The Merchant's Tale
Folio 109v
26 of 27 folios
And syn I ougħt / a vyse me rigħt wel
To whom I ȝoue / my good a wey fro me
Wel meche more I ougħt / a vysen me perde
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To whom I ȝeue my body / for alwey
I warne ȝow wele / it is no childes pley
To take a wyf / witħ outen a vysement
Men must enquere / this is myn assent
Wheiþer she be wys / and sobre / or dronkelewe
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Or proud / or ellis / other weyes a shrewe
A chidere / or a wastour of thy good
Or riche or poore / or ellis mannyssħ wood
Al be it so / that no man fynden shal
Noon in this world / that trottetħ hool in al
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Ne man ne best / swicħ as men coude deuyse
But natheles / it ougħt I now suffise
Witħ any wyf / if so were that she had
Moo goode thewes / than hire vices bad
And al this askitħ leyser / for to enquere
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For god it woot / I haue wept many a tere
Ful preuyly / syn that I hadde a wyf
Preyse who so wyl / a wedded mānys lyf
Certeyn I fynde in it / but cost and care
And obseruaunces / of alle blisses bare
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And ȝet god wot / myne neygħebores a boute
And namely of wōmen / many a route
Seyn / that I haue / the most stedefast wyf
And eke the mekest / on that beritħ lyf
But I wot best / where wryngetħ me my sho
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Ȝe moun for me / rigħt as ȝow liketħ do
Auysetħ ȝow / ȝe ben a man of age
How that ȝe entren / in to mariage
And namely / witħ a ȝong wyf and a fair
Be hī that made / water / Erthe / and Eyr
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The ȝongest man that is / in al this route
Is besy I now / to bryngen it a boute
To han his wyf a lone / trostetħ me
Ȝe shuln nat plese hire / fully ȝeres thre
This is to seyn / to don hire ful plesaunce
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A wyf asketħ / ful many an obseruaunce
I pray ȝow / that ȝe be nat / euele a paid
¶ Wel qd this Ianuarie / and hast þu seid
Straw for thy xxxxx Senek / and for thyne prouerbes
I counte it nat xxxxx a panyere ful of herbes
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Of scole termes xxxxx wysere men than thow
As þu hast xxxxx herd / assentyd rigħt now