The Clerk's Tale
Folio 92r
1 of 27 folios
550
And brynge me þāneþāne twelue freres / wete ȝe why
For threttene / is a couent / as I gesse
Ȝoure confessoure heere / for his worthynesse
Shal parfourme vp / the noumbre ofthisof thisof/this Couent
Than shulñ they knele a doun / by oon assent
555
And to euery spokes ende / in this manere
Ful sadly leyn his nose / shal a frere
Ȝoure noble confessour / there god hī saue
Shal holde his nose vp rigħt / vnder the naue
Than shal this cherl / witħ bely stif and tougħt
560
As any tabour / hedir ben I brougħt
And sette hī on the whel / rigħt of this cart
Vp on the naue / and make hī late a fart
And ȝe shuln sen / vp periƚƚ of my lif
By preeue / whicħ that is / demonstratif
565
That equally / the sovne of it / wyl wende
Ad eke the stynk / vn to the spokes ende
Saue that this worthy man / ȝoure confessour
Bycause he is a man / of gret honour
Shal han the first fruyt / as resoū is
570
The noble vsage of freres / ȝet is this
The worthy men of hem / shuln first be serued
And certeynly / he hatħ it wel deserued
He hatħ to day taugħt vs / so mechil good
Witħ prechynge in the pulpyt / there he stod
575
That I may vouche saf / I seye for me
He had the first smel / of fartes three
And so wold al his Couent / hardily
He beretħ hī so fayre / and so holily
¶ The lord the lady / and eche man saue the frere
580
Seyden that Iankyn / spak in this matere
As wel as Euclide / or protholome
Towchynge the cherles / they seyden sotiltee
An AnxxxyAn heyAnywyt / made hī speke / as he spak
He nys no fool / ne noo demonyak
585
And Iankyn hatħ I wonne / a newe Govne
My Tale is doon / we ben almost at Tovne
¶ Hic finitr fabula Sūmonitoris / & incipit prologus cƚici de Oxon
/ ¶ & incipit prologus cƚici de Oxon