The General Prologue
Folio 6v
12 of 14 folios
A fairer burgeys is ther noon in cheepe.
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Boold of his speche and wys and wel ytaught
And \of/ manhood him lakked ryght naught
Eke ther to he was ryght a mury man
And aftyr soper pleyen he bygan
AnÑspake of murthe amonges other thinges
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Whan that we had made oure rekenynges.
And seyde thus now lordes trewly
Ye ben to me ryght wel come hertily
For by my trowthe yif that y shal not lye
I saw not this yere so murye a compaignye
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A tones in this herberwe as is now
Fayn wolde I doon yow murthe wist y how
And of a murthe y am ryght now by thought
To doon yow ese and it shal coste ȝow noght.
¶ Ye goon to Caunturbury ward god yow spede
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The blisful martyr quyte yow youre mede.
And wel I wot as ye goon by the weye
Ye shapen yow to talen and to pleye.
For trewly confort ne myrthe is noon
To ryde by the way dombe as stoon.
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And therfore wol y maken yow despoort
As y seyde erst and doon yow som comfort
And if yow liketh alle by on assent
For to stonden at my Iuggement
And for to werken as y shal yow seye
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To morwe whan ye ryden by the weye.
Now by my fader soule that is ded
But ye be mury y wol ȝeue yow myn hed
¶ Holde vp youre hondes wyth outen more speche
Oure counseil was not longe for to seche.
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Vs thought it was not worth to make it wys
And graunted him wyth oute more auys
And bad him seye his verdit os him lest
¶ Lordynges qd he now herkeneth for the best
But taketh it nat y pay yow in desdeyne
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This is the poynt to speke short and pleyn
That eche of yow to shorte wyth our weye
In this viage shal telle tales tweye
To caunturbury ward y mene it so
And homward he shal tellen other two.
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Of auentures that whilom haue by falle