The Summoner's Tale
Folio 88r
9 of 13 folios
Spak witħ hī / in the Mounte of Synay
180
Witħ empty wombe / of fastynge many a day
Receyued he the lawe / that was wryten
Witħ goddes fynger / and Ely wel ȝe wyten
In Monte Oreb / or he had any speche
Witħ heye god / that is oure lyues leche
185
He fasted longe / and was in contemplaunce
Aron that had / the temple in gouernaunce
And eke the othere prestis / euerychone
In to the temple / whan they shuld gone
To preyen for the peeple / and do seruyse
190
They nolde drynken / in no maner wyse
No drynk / whicħ that mygħt hē dronken make
But there in abstinence / preye and wake
Leest that they dedyn take hede / what I seye
But they be sobre / that for the peeple preye
195
War that / I sey nomore / for it suffisetħ
Oure lord iħu / as holy wryt deuysetħ
Ȝaf vs ensaumple / of fastynge and preyeres
Therfore we mendynauntz / we sely freres
Ben wedded to pouert / and to contynence
200
To charite humblesse / and Abstinence
To persecucione / for rigħtwysnesse
To wepynge / misericorde / and clennesse
And therfore moun ȝe se / that oure preyeres
I speke of vs / we mendynauntz / we freres
205
Ben to the heye god / more acceptable
Than ȝoures / witħ ȝoure feestes / at the table
Fro Paradys first / if I shal nat lye
Was man out chased / for his glotonye
And chast was man / in paradys certeyne
210
But herkene now Thomas / that I shal seyne
I haue no text of it / as I suppose
But I shal fynde / in a maner glose
That specially / oure swete lord Iħc
Spak this by freres / whan he seide thus
215
Blissed be they / that poere in spirit bene
And so fortħ / al the gospel / may ȝe sene
Wheither it be lykere / oure professione
Or heres / that swymmen / in possessione
Fy on here pompe / and on here glotonye ;
220
And of here lewednesse / I hem diffye
Me thynketħ they ben lyke / to Iouynyan
Fat as a whale / and walken as a Swan
Al vynolent / as a botel in the spence
Here preyere is / ful greet reuerence