The Nun's Priest's Tale
Folio 105v
13 of 16 folios
Xxn in myn hous yben / to my gret ese
And certes sire / ful fayn wolde I yow plese
¶ But for men speke of syngynge / I wol seye
480
So mote I browke wel / myne eyen tweye
Saue ye / I herde neuere man so synge
As dide youre fader / in the morwenynge
Certes / it was of herte / al that he song
And for to make his voys / the moore strong
485
He wolde so peyne hym / þt wt bothe hise eyen
He moste wynke / so loude he wolde cryen
And stonden on his typton / ther with al
And strecche forth his nekke / long and smal
And eek / he was of swich discrecioū
490
That ther nas no man / in no Regioū
That hym in song / or wisdom myghte passe
I haue wel rad / in daun Burneƚƚ the Asse
Among hise vers / how þt ther was a cok
For a preestes sone / yaf hym a knok
495
Vp on his leg whil he was yong and nyce
He made hym / for to lese his benefice
But certeyn / ther nys no comparisoū
Bitwix the wisdom / and discrecioū
Of youre fader and of his subtiltee
500
Now syngeth sire / for seynte charitee
Lat se / konne ye youre fader countrefete
¶ This Chauntecler / hise wynges gan to bete
As man þt koude / his trayson nat espie
So was he rauysshed / with his flaterie
505
¶ Allas ye lordes / many a fals flatour
Is in youre court and many a losengeour
That plesen yow wel moore / by my feyth
Than he / þt soothfastnesse vn to yow seith
Redeth Ecclesiaste / of flaterye
510
Beth war ye lordes / of hir trecherye
¶ This Chauntecler / stood hye vp on his toos
Strecchynge his nekke / and heeld hise eyen cloos
And gan to crowe / lowde for the nones
And daun Russeƚƚ the fox / stirte vp atones
515
And by the gargat hente Chauntecler
And on his bak / toward the wode hym beer