The Friar's Tale
Folio 71r
6 of 11 folios
¶ Ful many a cause leue dere sompnour
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Seyde this fend but al thing hath tyme
The day is short and it is passed pryme
And yit ne wan I nothing in this day
I wil entende to wynnyng yif I may
And noght entende our wyttes to declare
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For brother myn thi witte is al to bare
To vnderstonde al though I tolde hem the
But for thow axest whi laboren we
For som tyme we ben goddes Instrumentz
And menes for to do his commaundementz
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Whan that him list vpon his creaturs
In diuerse art and in diuerse figurs
Wyth outen him we haue no myght certeyne
Yif that him list stonde ther agaynne
And som tyme at our preyere han we leue
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Oonly the body and noght the Soule to greue
Wytnesse on Iob whom that we diden wo
And som tyme han we myght on bothe two
This is to seyen of soule and body eke
And som tyme be we suffred for to seke
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Vpon a man and doon his soule vnrest
¶ Nat but his body and al is for the best
Whan he wythstondeth our temptacioun
It is cause of his saluacioun
Al be it that it was noght our entent
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He shold be sauf but that we wold him hent
And som tyme we ben seruantz vnto man
As to the archebisshop seint donstan
And to the apostles seruant eke was I
¶ Yit telle me quod the sompnour feythfully
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Make ye yow new bodyes thus alwey
Of elementz the feend answerd nay
Som tyme we feyne and som tyme we aryse
Wyth ded bodyes in ful sondry wise
And speke as renably and faire and wel