The Friar's Tale
Folio 77v
3 of 9 folios
He was / if I shal yeuen hym his laude
A theef / and eek / a Somnour / and a baude
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He hadde eek wenches / at his retenue
That wheither / þt sir Rob~t or sir Huwe
Or Iakke / or Rauf / or who so þt it were
That lay by hem / they tolde it in his ere
¶ Thus was the wenche and he / of oon assent
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And he wolde fecche / a feyned mandement
And somne hem to Chapitre / bothe two
And pile the man / and lete the wenche go
¶ Thanne wolde he seye / freend I shal for thy sake
Do striken hir / out of oure lettres blake
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Thee thar namoore / as in this cas tauaille
I am thy freend / ther I thee may auaille
Certeyn / he knew of bribryes mo
Than possible is / to telle in yeres two
For in this world / nys dogge for the bowe
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That kan an hurt deer / from an hool knowe
Bet than this Somnour / knew a sly lecchour
Or an Auowtier / or a paramour
And for that was / the fruyt of al his rente
Therfore on it he sette al his entente
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¶ And so bifel / that ones on a day
This Somnor / euere waityng on his pray
For to somne an old wydwe a Ribibe
Feynynge a cause / for he wolde brybe
Happed / that he saugh bifore hym ryde
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A gay yeman / vnder a Forest syde
A bowe he bar / and arwes brighte and kene
He hadde vp on / a courtepy of grene
An hat vp on his heed / with frenges blake
¶ Sir quod this Somnor / hayl and wel atake
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¶ Wel come quod he / and euery good felawe
Wher rydestow / vnder this grene wode shawe ;
Seyde this yeman / wiltow fer to day ;
¶ This Somnor hym answerde / and seyde nay
Heere faste by quod he / is myn entente
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To ryden / for to reysen vp a rente
That longeth / to my lordes duetee
¶ Artow thanne a bailly ; ye quod he ;
He dorste nat for verray filthe and shame
Seye þt he was a somonor / for the name
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¶ Depardieux quod this yeman / deere broother
Thou art a bailly / and I amanother
I am vnknowen / as in this contree
Of thyn aqueyntance / I wolde praye thee
And eek of bretherhede / if þt yow leste
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I haue gold / and siluer in my cheste