The Shipman's Tale
Folio 208v
10 of 11 folios
By certeyn toknes / that I kan yow telle
360
Now by youre leue / I may no lenger dwelle
Oure Abbot wol out of this town anon
And in his compaignye / moot I gon
Greet wel oure dame / myn owene Nece swete
And fare wel deere cosyn / til we meete
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¶ This Marchant which þt was ful war and wys
Creanced hath / and payed eek in Parys
To certeyn lombardes / redy in hir hond
The somme of gold / and gat of hem his bond ¶ .i. obligacionem ~
And hoom he gooth / murye as a Papyniay
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For wel he knew / he stood in swich array
That nedes moste he wynne / in that viage
A thousand frankes / abouen al his costage
¶ His wyf ful redy / mette hym at the gate
As she was wont of old vsage algate
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And al that nyght in myrthe they bisette
For he was riche / and cleerly out of dette
¶ Whan it was day / this Marchant gan embrace
His wyf al newe / and kiste hir on hir face
And vp he goth / and maketh it ful tougħ
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Namoore quod she / by god ye haue ynougħ
And wantownely agayn / with hym she pleyde
Til at the laste / this Marchant seyde
¶ By god quod he / I am alitel wroth
With yow my wyf / al thogh it be me looth
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And woot ye why / by god as þt I gesse
That ye han maad / a manere strangenesse
Bitwixen me / and my cosyn Daun Ioħn
Ye sholde han warned me / er I had gon
That he yow hadde / a hundred frankes payed
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By redy tokne / and heeld hym yuele apayed
For that I to hym / spak of cheuyssance
Me semed so / as by his contexxxxx
But nathelees / by god oure heuene kyng
I thoghte nat to axe of hym no thyng
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I pray thee wyf ne do namoore so
Tel me alwey / er that I fro thee go
If any dettour / hath in myn absence
Ypayed thee / lest thurgh thy necligence I myghte hym axe ~