The General Prologue
Folio 11r
18 of 21 folios
How þat we beeren vs þat ilke nigħt
Whan we were in þat Osterie alight
And after wol I telle of oure viage
And aƚƚ þe remenant of our pilgrimage
725
But ferst I pray ȝow of your curtesie
The ȝe ne rette it nought my vilenye
Though þat I pleinly speke in þis matere
To telle ȝow here wordes and here cheere
Ne þough I speke here wordes propurly
730
For þis ȝe knowen as wel as I
Who so schal telle a tale after a man
He mot reherse as neyh as euer he can
Euerich a word if it be in his charge
Al speke he neuer so rudely and large
735
Or elles he moot telle his tale vntrewe
Or feyne þinges or fynde wordes newe
He may nought spare al þough he were his broþer
He moot als wel seie o word as anoþer
Crist spak himself ful brode in holy writte
740
And wel ȝe wot no vilenye is itte
Ek Plato seith who so can him rede
The wordes mot be cosyn to þe dede
Also I preyȝe ȝow forȝiue it me
Al haue I not set folk in here degre
745
Heer in þis tale as þat þei scholden stonde
My witt is schort ȝe may wel vnderstonde
Gret cheere maad our ost vs euerychon
And to þe souper sette he vs anon
He serued vs with vitailles atte beste
750
Strong was þe wyn and wel drynken vs leste
A semly man our hoste he was with alle
For to ben a marchaƚƚ in an haƚƚ
A large man he was with eyȝen stepe
A fairer burgeys is þer non in Chepe
755
Bold of his speche and wys and wel y taugħt
And of manhode him lakkede right naught