The Parson's Prologue
Folio 228v
2 of 3 folios
For trewly me thinketh bi thi cheere
Thow sholdest knyt vp wel a gret matere
Telle vs a fable anon for Cokkes bones
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¶ This person answerd al atones
Thow getest fable non ytold for me
For poul that writeth vn to thymothe
Repreuen hem that weyuen sothfastnesse
And tellen fables and swich wrecchednesse
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Whi shold I sowen draf out of my feste
Whan I may sowen whete if that me leste
For which I sey that yif thow list to here
Moralite and vertuous matere
And thanne that ye wol yeue me audience
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I wol ful fayn at cristes Reuerence
Do yow plesaunce leueful as I can
But trusteth I am a southeren man
¶ I kan not geste / rom / ram . ruf bi lettre
Ne god woot ryme holde y but litel better
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And therfore yif thow leste I wol nat glose /
I wol yow telle a mery tale in prose
To knyt vp al this feste and make an ende
And Iħu for his grace wit me sende
To shew yow the wey in this viage
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Of thilke parfit gloriouse pilgrymage
That hight Ierusalem celestial
And yif ye vouche sauf anon I shal
Bygynne vpon my tale for which I prey
Telle your auys I can no better sey
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¶ But nathales this meditacioun
I put it ay vnder correccioun
Of clerkes for I am nat textuel
I. take but the sentence trusteth wel
Therfore I make protestacioun
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That I wol stonde to correccioun
¶ Vpon this word we han assented soone
For as it semed it was for to done
To ende in som vertuous sentence
And for to yeue him space and audience