The General Prologue
Folio 6v
12 of 23 folios
He knew þe cause of euery maladye
Were it of cold or hete or moyst or drye
And where þei engendrid and of what humour
He was a verrey parfiȝt practisour
425
The cause I knowe and of his harm þe roote
Anon he ȝaf þe syke man his boote
Ful redy hadde he his apotecaries
To sende him dragges and his letuaries
For eche of hem made oþur to wynne
430
Here frendschipe nas not newe to begynne
Wel knew he þe olde Esculapius
And deiscorides . and eeke Rufus
Old ypocras . haly and Galien
Serapyon . Razis and Anycen
435
Auerrois damascen and Constantyn
Bernad and Gatisdeū and Gilbertyn
Of his diete mesurable was he
For it was of no superfluite
But of gret norisching and digestible
440
His studie was but litel on þe bible
In sangwyn and in pers he clad was al
Lyned with taffata and with Sendal
And ȝit he was but esy in dispence
He kepte þat he wan in pestilence /
445
For gold in phisik is acordial
Ther fore he louede gold in special
A Good wif was þer of byside bathe
But sche was somdel deef and þat was skaþe
Of Cloth makyng sche hadde such an haunt
450
Sche passed hem of ypris and of Gaunt
In al þe parisshe wyf ne was ther noon
That to þe offryng byforn hire schulde goon
And if þer dide certeyn so wroth was sche
That sche was þanne out of alle charite
455
Hire keuerchefs weren ful fyne of grounde
I durste swere þey weyrede ten pounde
That on a sonday were vpon hire heed
Hire hosen were of fyn scarlett reed