The General Prologue
Folio 136r
9 of 20 folios
Therto he coude endite & make a thyng
Ther coude no man pynche at hese writyng
And euery statut coude he pleyn be rote
330
He rod but homely in a medely cote
Gyrt with a seynt of sylk wt barrys smale
Of hese aray telle I no lengere tale
// ¶ A frañkeleyn was in hese cūpanye
Whit was hese berd as is þe daysie
335
Of cōplexioū he was sanguyn
Wel louede be þõ morwe a soppe in wyn
To leuyn in delit was euere hese wone
For he was epicurƫ owene sone
Tha held opynyoū þt pleyn delyt
340
Was uery felicite parfyt
An housholdere & þt a gret was he
Seynt Ielion he was in that cuntre
Hese bred hese ale was alwey aftyr on
A betere enuynede man was nower non
345
W oute bake mete was neuere his hous
Of fysch & flesch & þt so plenteyuoĆ«
It snowede in his mouth of me\te/ & drynk
Of alle deynteis that men coude þynk
Aftyr þõ sundery sesenys of the ȝer
350
So chaūgede he hese mete & hese soper
Ful manye a fat perterych hadde he ī mewe
And many a brē / & manye a luce ī stewe
Wo was hese cook / but ȝif hese sauce were
Poynaunt & redy al hese geere
355
His table dormaunt in hese halle alwey
Stod redy keuered / al the longe day
At sessioūnys þere was he lord & syre
Ful ofte tyme he was knght of the schyre
An Anlas & a gipser al of sylk
360
Heng at hese gyrdil whit as morwȳ mylk
A schirreue hadde he ben & countour
Was xx nower swich a vauasour