The General Prologue
Folio 7r
13 of 18 folios
That weren of lawe / expert and curious
580
Of whiche / þer weren a duszeyne in that hous
Worthy to been Stywardes / of rente and lond
Of any lord / that is in Engelond
To maken hym lyue / by his propre good
In honor dettelees / but if he were wood
585
Or lyue as scarsly / as hym list desire
And able / for to helpen al a shire
In any caas / þt myghte falle or happe
And yet this manciple / sette hir aller cappe
The Reue was / a sclendre colerik man
590
His berd was shaue / as ny as euer he kan
His heer was by his erys / ful round yshorn
His tope was dokked / lyk a preest biforn
Ful longe were his legges / and ful lene
Ylyk a staf / ther was no calf ysene
595
Wel koude he kepe a gerner / and a bynne
Ther was noon Auditour / koude of hym wynne
Wel wiste he / by the droghte / and by the reyn
The yeldynge / of his seed / and of his greyn
His lordes sheepe / his neet his dayerye
600
His swyn / his hors / his stoor / and his pultrye
Was hoolly / in this Reues gouernyng /
And by his couenant yaf the rekenyng
Syn that his lord / was twenty yeer of age
Ther koude no man / brynge hym in Arrerage
605
Ther nas baillif ne hierde / nor oother hyne
That he knew his sleighte and his couyne
They were adrad of hym / as of the deeth
His wonyng was ful faire vp on an heeth
With grene trees / shadwed was his place
610
He koude bettre than his lord purchace
Ful riche he was astored pryuely
His lord / wel koude he plesen subtilly
To yeue and lene hym / of his owene good
And haue a thank / and yet a gowne and hood
615
In youthe he hadde lerned a good myster
He was a wel good wrigħte a Carpenter
This Reue sat vp on a ful good stot
That was al pomely grey / and higħte Scot
A long surcote of pers / vpon he hade
620
And by his syde / he baar a rusty blade
Of Northfolk was this Reue / of which I telle
Biside a toun / men clepen Baldeswelle
Tukked he was / as is a frere aboute
And euere he rood / the hyndreste of oure route
625
A Somonour was ther wt vs in that place
That hadde / a fyr reed Cherubynnes face