The Cook's Prologue
Folio 52v
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That doun he gotħ / and cried harrow I dye
Theise Clerkes / bete hym wele / and lete hī lye
And ordeyned hem / and toke here hors a non
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And eke here mele / and on here weye they gon
And at the Mille / ȝet they toke here cake
Of half a busshel flour / ful wel I bake
¶ Thus is the proud Millere / wel I bete
And hatħ I lost / the gryndyng of the whete
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And paid for s s þe sopere / euerydele
Of Aleyn and of Ioħn / þt beten hī wele
His wyf is swyued / and his dougħter als
Lo / swicħ it is / a Millere to be fals
And þerfore / this prouerbe / is seid ful sotħ
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Hym thar nat wene wel / that euele dotħ
A gylour / shal hī self / begyled by
And god þat sitteth heye / in mageste
Saue al this companye / grete and smale
Thus haue I quyt the Millere / in my tale
¶ Thus endetħ the Reues Tale / & bigynnetħ the prologe of the Cook
THe Cok of Londoū / while the Reve spak
For ioye hī þougħt / he clawed hī on the bak
A ha qd he / for cristes passioū
This Millere hadde / a sharp conclusioū
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Vp on this argument / of herberwegage
Wel seide Salamon / in his langage
Ne bryng nat euery man / in to thyn hous
For herberweyng by nygħt / is perlyous
Wel ougħt a man / avysed for to be
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Whom that he brougħt / in to his preuyte
I preye to god / so ȝeue me sorwe and care
If euere sithe / I higħt hogge of ware
Herde I a Millere / betir sette a werke
He hadde a iape of malice / in the derke
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But god forbede / that we stynten here
And therfore / if ȝe wouchensaf to here
A tale of me / that am a pore man
I wol ȝow telle / as wel as euere I can
A litel iape / that fel in oure Citee
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¶ Oure host answered / and seide / I gaunte it the
Now telle on Roger / and loke þt it be good
For many a paste / hast thow laten blod
And many a Iakke of Dover / hast thow sold
That hath ben twyes hot / & twyes cold