The Nun's Priest's Tale
Folio 223v
12 of 15 folios
475
Þan hadde Boys or any þat kan singe
Min lorde ȝoure fader god his soule blisse
And eke ȝoure moder of his gentillesse
Haue in myne house bien to ȝoure grete ese
And certes ser ful feine wold .I. ȝowe plese
480
Bot for men spekeþ of singenge
As dide ȝoure fader in þe morneinge
Certes it was of hert al þat he sange
485
And for to make his voice þe more strange
He wolde so peyne him þat wiþ boþ his yȝen
He nost wynke so loude he dide criene
And stond on his tiptos þere wiþ al
And strecche forþe his nekke longe & smal
490
And eke he was of suche discrecione
Þat þer was noman in no region
Þat him in sange or wisdome myht passe
.I. haue wele redde Dan Burnel þe asse
Amonge his vers þere was akok
495
For a perstes sonne ȝaue him a knoke
Upon his legges whan he was ȝonge & nyce
He maade him for to lese his benefice
Bot certeine þere is no cōperisoū
Be tuyx þe wisdome & discresioū
500
Of ȝoure fader & his subtilite
Nowe singeþ sire for seint charite
Lete se con ȝe ȝoure fader counterfet
This Chaunteclere his wynges gan to bete
As man þat couþe his treson nouht aspie
505
So was he Rauysched wiþ his flaterie
Alas ȝe lordes mony a fals flaterer
Is in ȝoure courte & mony a lo sengier
Þat plesen ȝowe more be my feiþe
Þan he þat soþefastnesse vnto ȝowe seiþ
510
Rededeþ Ecclesiastre of flatre
Be war ȝe lordes of her trecherie
This Chaunteclere stode hihe vpon his toos
Strecheinge his nekke & held his yen cloos
And gan to crowe loude for þe nones
515
And Dan Russeƚƚ stert vp al at ones
And by þe gorge hente chaunteclere
And on his bak towarde þe woode him bere