The Nun's Priest's Tale
Folio 369r
9 of 14 folios
For al so sekyr as Inprincipio
345
Mulier est homins confusio
Madame the sentence of this latȳ is
Woman is manys Ioye & al his blys
For whan I fele a nyght ȝore softe syde
Al be it that I may \nat/ on ȝow ryde
350
For that oure perche is mad so narw allas
I am so ful of Ioye & of solas
That I defye bothe sweuene & drem
And with tht word he fley doū frō the beem
For it was day & ek hise hennys alle
355
And with a chuk he gan hē for to calle
For he hadde foūdȳ a corn lay in the ȝerd
Royal he was he nas no moore a feryd
He feterede pertelote twenty tyme
And trad as ofte er it was pryme
360
He lokyth as it weere a grym lyon
And on hise tois he romyth vp & doun
Hȳ deyuyth nat to sette hise feet to groūde
He chukkith whan he hath a corn I founde
And to to hȳ rennȳ thāne hise wyuys alle
365
Thus royal as a prynce is in an halle
Leue I this chaūtecleer in his pasture
And aftyr wele I telle his auenture
¶ Whan that the monythe / in which that the world be gā
That highe March / whā god ferst makede man
370
Was cōpleet & passede weere also
Syn March bygan .30. dayis & two
By fel that chaūtecleer in al his pryde
Hise seuene wyuys walkȳge hȳ by syde
Caste vp hire eyen to the bryghte sūne
375
That in the signe of taurus hadde I roūne
Twenty degreis & on & sūwhat moore
And knew by kynde & by noon othir lore
That It was pryme & krew with bysful steuene
The sūne on heye xx is clombyn vp on heuene
380
.40. degreis & on & moore I wis
Madame pertelote mȳ wordelis blys