The General Prologue Folio 6r 1 of 9 folios
255
So plesant was his / In Principio
Principio : Probably beginning with a capital because P has a small vertical line across the loop.
Ȝet wold he haue / a ferthyng or he went
His po chas was wel betir / than his rent
And rage he coude / as it had be a whelp
260
In louedayes / there coude he meche help
For there he was / nat lyke a cloisterere
W a thredbare Cope / as is a pore scolere
But he was like a maister / or a Pope
Of double worstede / was his semy Cope
265
Rounde / as any belle / ouȝt of the presse
Som what he lisped / for his wantounesse
To make his englyssħ / swete on his tonge
And in his harpyng / whan that he songe
Hys eyen twynkeled / in his hede a rigħ t
270
As don the sterres / in a frosty nygħ t
This worthy lymytor / was cleped Huber
A Marcha unt þ ere was / wt a forked berd
A Marchaunt
In motlee / and heye on hors he satte
And on his heued / a flaundryssħ beu
275
His botes clasped / faire and fetisly
His resons he spak / ful solempnely
Sownyng alwey / the encres of his wynnyng
He wold þ e see were kepte / for any thyng
By twene midelburgħ and Orewelle
midelburgħ : m is not a capital letter.
280
Wel coude he / in eschaunges sheldes selle
This worthy man / ful wel / his wyt bysette
There wyst no wyght / that he was in dette
So stedefastly dede he / of his gouer nance
W his bargeyns / and wt his cheuysance
285
For sothe he was / a worthy man wt alle
But sothe to seyn / I ne wot how men hī calle
A Clerk ther was / of Oxenfor¶ A Clerk
That vnto logyk
And lene was his hors / as it were a rake
290
And he was nouȝt right fat / I vndertake
But loked holwe / and ther to soberly
Ful thredbare was his ouer est Courteby
For he had ȝet / geten hī no benefice
Ne was nouȝt wordly / to haue an Office
295
For hī was leuer / haue / at his beddis hede