The Friar's Tale
Folio 83v
5 of 9 folios
Why qd this Sompnour / ride ȝe than or gon
170
In sondry shape / and nat alwey in oon
For we qd he / wyln vs swicħ formes make
As most able is / oure preyes for to take
What maketħ ȝow / to han al this labour
Ful many a cause / leue sire Sompnour
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Seide this fende / but al thyng hatħ tyme
The day is short / and it is passed pryme
And ȝet ne wan I / no thyng in this day
I wol entende / to wynnyng if I may
And nat entende / oure wyttes to declare
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For brother myn / thy wyt is al to bare
To vnderstonde / al thougħ I told hē thee
But for thow axest / why laboren we
For somtyme we ben / goddis Instrumentis
And meenes to do / his comaundementis
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Whan that hī list / vp on his creaturis
In diuerse actes / and in dyuers fyguris
Witħ outen hī / we han no mygħt certayne
If that hī list / to stonden there a gayne
And somtyme at oure preyer / han we leue
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Oonly the body / and nat the soule greue
Wytnesse on Iob / whom that we dedyn woo
And somtyme han we mygħt / of bothe twoo
This is to seyn / of soule and body eke
And somtyme be we / suffred for to seke
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Vp on a man / and do his soule vnrest
And nat his body / and al is for the best
Whan he witħstondetħ / oure temptacioū
It is the cause of his / saluacioū
Al be it / that it was / nat oure entente
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He shulde be saf / but that we wold hī hente
And somtyme be we / seruant vn to man
As to the Erchebusshope / Seynt Dunstan
And to the Apostles / seruaūt eke was I
¶ Ȝet telle me qd the Sompnour feitħfully
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Make ȝe ȝow newe bodyes / thus alwey
Of Elementis / the fend answered nay
Sumtyme we feyne / and sumtyme we aryse
Witħ dede bodyes / in ful sondry wyse
And speke as renably / and faire and wel
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As to Phitonissa / dide Samuel
And ȝet wyl some men seyn / it was nat he
I do no force / of ȝoure dyuynyte
But of o thyng I warne the / I wol nat Iape
Thow wolt algates wete / how we be shape
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Thow shalt here afterward / my brother deere