The General Prologue
Folio 6v
12 of 18 folios
With hym ther was a Plowman was his brother
That hadde ylad of dong ful many a fother
A trewe swynker / and a good was he
Lyuynge in pees / and parfit charitee
535
God loued he best / with al his hoole herte
At alle tymes / thogh he gamed or smerte
And thanne his neighebore / rigħt as hym selue
He wolde thressħe / and therto dyke and delue
For cristes sake / for euery poure wigħt
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W outen hire / if it lay in his mygħt
Hise tithes / payde he ful faire and wel
Bothe of his propre swynk and his catel
In a Tabard he rood / vpon a Mere
Ther was also / a Reue and a Millere
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A Somnour / and a Pardoner also
A Maunciple / and my self ther were namo
The Miller was a stout carl for the nones
Ful byg he was / of brawn / and eek of bones
That proued wel / for oueral ther he cam
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At wrastlynge / he wolde haue alwey the Ram
He was short sholdred / brood / a thikke knarre
Ther was no dore / þt he ne wolde heue of harre
Or breke it at a rennyng with his heed
His berd / as any sowe / or fox was reed
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And ther to brood / as though it were a spade
Vp on the cope / rigħt of his nose he hade
A werte / and ther on stood a toft of herys
Reed / as the brustles / of a sowes erys
Hise nosethirles / blake were and wyde
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A swerd and a bokeler / bar he by his syde
His mouth as greet was / as a greet forneys
He was a Iangler / and a goliardeys
And that was moost of synne and harlotries
Wel koude he stelen corn / and tollen thries
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And yet he hadde / a thombe of gold pardee
A whit cote / and a blew hood wered he
A baggepipe / wel koude he blowe and sowne
And ther with al / he broghte vs out of towne
A gentil Maunciple / was ther of a temple
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Of which Achatours / myghte take exemple
For to be wise / in byynge of vitaille
For wheither that he payde / or took by taille
Algate / he wayted so / in his Achaat
That he was ay biforn / and in good staat
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Now is nat that of god a ful fair grace
That swich a lewed mannes wit shal pace
The wisdom / of an heepe of lerned men
Of maistres hadde he / mo than thries ten