The Nun's Priest's Tale
Folio 370v
12 of 14 folios
But criede a noon kok kok. & vp he styrte
As man that was afrayed in his herte
460
For naturelly / a beste desirith fle
From his cōtrarye / ȝif he myghte it se
Thow he neuere erst hadde sey it with his Iye
¶ This chaūtecleer whā he gan hȳ espye
He wolde a fled but that the fox a noon
465
Seyde gentyl sire / allas whidyr wole ȝe goon
Be ȝe afrayed of me that am ȝoure freend
Now certys I were werse than a feend
Ȝyf I to ȝow harm or velenye
I am nat come ȝore conseyl for tespie
470
But trewely the cause of myn comynge
Was only for to herkene how that ȝe synge
For trewely ȝe han so merie a steuene
As ony aūgel hath that is in heuene
Therewith ȝe han In musik moore felyng
475
Than hadde . boece . or ony that can syng
Myn lord ȝore fadyr god his soule blys
And ek ȝore modyr of hire gentilles
Han in myn hous / I been to mȳ greete ese
But certys syre ful fayn wolde I ȝow pleese
480
¶ But for men sp\e/ke of syngyng I wil seye
So mote I broukȳ weel myn eyen tweye
Saue ȝow I herde neuere. man so sȳge
As dede ȝore fadyr in the morwenynge
Certis it was of herte al that he song
485
And for to make his voys the moore strong
He wolde peyne hȳ that with bothe hise eyen
He muste wynke so loude he muste cryen
And stondyn on his typton therewithal
And streche forth his nekke long & smal
490
And ek he was of swich discrecyoun
That there was no man in no regioū
That hȳ in song or wisdam m\y/ghte passe
I haue weel red in daun burnel the Asse
A mong hise vers how that ther was a kok
495
For a prestis sone ȝaf hȳ a knok .