The General Prologue
Folio 6r
11 of 18 folios
That cristes gospel / trewely wolde preche
Hise parissħens / deuoutly wolde he teche
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Benygne he was / and wonder diligent
And in Aduersitee ful pacient
And swich / he was preued ofte sithes
Ful looth were hym / to cursen for hise tithes
But rather wolde he yeuen out of doute
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Vn to his poure parissħens aboute
Of his offryng and eek of his substaunce
He koude / in litel thyng haue suffisaunce
Wyd was his parissħe / and houses fer a sonder
But he ne lefte nat for reyn ne thonder
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In siknesse nor in meschief / to visite
The ferreste in his parisshe muche and lite
Vp on his feet and in his hand a staf
This noble ensample / to his sheepe he yaf
That firste he wroghte / and afterward that he taughte
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Out of the gospel / he tho wordes caughte
And this figure / he added eek ther to
That if gold ruste / what shal Iren do
For if a preest be foul / on whom we truste
No wonder is / a lewed man to ruste
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And shame it is / if a preest take keepe
A shiten shepherde / and a clene sheepe
Wel oghte a preest / ensample for to yeue
By his clennesse / how þt his sheepe sholde lyue
He sette nat his benefice to hyre
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And leet his sheepe / encombred in the Myre
And ran to londoū / vn to seint Poules
To seken hym a chauntrie for soules
Or with a bretherhed / to been withholde
But dwelleth at hoom and kepeth wel his folde
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So that the wolf / ne made it nat myscarie
He was a Shepherde / and noght a Mercenarie
And though he hooly were / and vertuous
He was nat to synful men despitous
Ne of his speche / daungerous ne digne
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But in his techyng discreet and benygne
To drawen folk to heuene by fairnesse
By good ensample / this was his bisynesse
But it were / any persone obstinat
What so he were / of heigh or lough estat
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Hym wolde he snybben sharply for the nonys
A bettre preest / I trowe / þt nowher noon ys
He waiteth / after no pompe and reuerence
Ne maked hym a spiced conscience
But cristes loore / and hise Apostles twelue
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He taughte / but first he folwed it hym selue