The Nun's Priest's Tale
Folio 183r
9 of 14 folios
Herkneth thise blisful briddes / how they synge
And se / the fressħe floures / how they sprynge
Ful is myn herte / of reuel and solas
But sodeynly / hym fil a sorweful cas
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For euere / the latter ende of ioye is wo
God woot þt worldly ioye / is soone ago
And if a Rethor / koude faire endite
He in a Cronycle / saufly mygħte it write
As for a souereyn notabilitee
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Now euery wys man / lat hym herkne me
This storie / is also trewe / I vndertake
As is the book / of Launcelot de Lake
That wōmen holde / in ful greet reuerence
Now wol I / come / agayn to my sentence
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A Colfox / ful of sly Iniquitee
That in the groue / hadde woned yeres three
By heigħ ymaginacioū / forn cast
The same nygħt / thurgħ out the hegges brast
In to the yerd / ther Chauntecleer the faire
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Was wont and eek hise wyues to repaire
And in a bed of wortes / stille he lay
Til it was passed / vndren of the day
Waitynge his tyme / on Chauntecleer to falle
As gladly / doon thise homycides alle
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That in await liggen / to mordre men
O false mordrour / lurkynge in thy den
O newe Scariot newe Genylou
False dissymulour o greek Synou
That broghtest Troye / al outrely to sorwe
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O Chauntecleer acursed be that morwe
That thou in to that yerd / flaugħ fro the bemes
Thou were / ful wel ywarned by thy dremes
That thilke day / was perilous to thee
But what þt god forwoot moot nedes bee
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After the opinioū / of certein clerkis
Witnesse on hym / that any parfit clerk is
That in scole / is greet altercacioū
In this mateere / and greet disputisoū
And hath been / of an hundred thousand men
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But I ne kan nat bulte it to the bren
As kan the hooly doctour Augustyn
Or Boece / or the Bissħope Bradwardyn /
Wheither / that goddes / worthy forwityng
Streyneth me / nedefully to doon a thyng
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Nedely / clepe I / symple necessitee
Or elles / if free choys be graunted me
To do that same thyng. or do it nogħt
Thougħ god forwoot it / er þt it was wrogħt