The Nun's Priest's Tale
Folio 182r
7 of 14 folios
285
And therfore / faire Pertelote so deere
By swiche ensamples olde / yet maistow leere
That no man / sholde been to recchelees
Of dremes / for I seye thee doutelees
That many a dreem / ful soore is for to drede
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LO / in the lyf of Seint kenelm / I rede
That was kenulphus sone / the noble kyng
Of Mertenrike / how kenelm mette a thyng
Alite er he was mordred / on a day
His mordre / in his Auysioū he say
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His Norice / hym expowned euery deel
His sweuene / and bad hym for to kepe hym weel
For traisoū / but he nas but .vij. yeer oold
And therfore / litel tale hath he toold
Of any dreem / so hooly is his herte
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By god / I hadde leuere / than my sherte
That ye hadde rad his legende / as haue .I.
Dame Pertelote / I sey yow trewely
Macrobeus / that writ the Avisioū
In Affrike / of the worthy Cipioū
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Affermeth dremes / and seith þt they been
Warnynge of thynges / þt men after seen
¶ And forther moore / I pray yow looketh wel
In the olde testament of Daniel
If he / heeld dremes any vanitee
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¶ Reed eek of Iosepħ / and ther shul ye see
Wher dremes be somtyme / I sey nat alle
Warnynge / of thynges / þt shul after falle
¶ Looke of Egipte / the kyng Daun Pharao
His Baker / and his Butiller also
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Wher they ne felte noon effect in dremes
Who so wol seken Actes / of sondry Remes
May rede of dremes / many a wonder thyng
¶ Lo Cresus / which þt was of Lyde kyng
Mette he nat that he sat vp on a tree
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Which signified / he sholde an hanged bee
¶ Lo heere Adromacha / Ectores wyf
That day / that Ector / sholde lese his lyf
She dremed / on the same nygħt biforn
How þt the lyf of Ector / sholde be lorn
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If thilke day / he wente in to bataille
She warned hym / but it mygħte nat auaille
He wente / for to fighte natheles
But he was slayn anon of Achilles
But thilke is al to longe for to telle
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And eek it is ny day / I may nat dwelle
Shortly I seye / as for conclusioū
That I shal han / of this Avisioū