The Friar's Tale
Folio 78v
5 of 9 folios
And heere I ryde / aboute my prchasyng
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To wite / wher men wolde me yeuen any thyng
My purchas / is theffect of al my rente
Looke / how thou rydest for the same entente
To wynne good / thou rekkest neuere how
Rigħt so fare I / for ryde I wolde rigħt now
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Vn to the worldes ende / for a preye
¶ A quod this Somonor / bñdicite what sey ye ;
I wende / ye were a yeman trewely
Ye han a mannes shape / as wel as I
Han ye figure thanne determinat
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In helle / ther ye been in youre estat ;
¶ Nay certeinly quod he / ther haue we noon
But whan vs liketh / we kan take vs oon
Or elles make yow seme / we been shape
Somtyme / lyk a man or lyk an Ape
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Or lyk an Angel / kan I ryde or go
It is no wonder thyng thogh it be so
A lowsy Iogelour / kan deceyue thee
And pardee / yet kan I moore craft than he
¶ Why quod this Somonour / ryde ye thanne or goon
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In sondry shape / and nat alwey in oon ;
¶ For we quod he / wol vs swiche formes make
As moost able is / oure preyes for to take
¶ What maketh yow / to han al this labour
¶ Ful many a cause / leeue Sir Somonour
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Seyde this feend / but alle thyng hath tyme
The day is short and it is passed pryme
And yet ne wan I no thyng in this day
I wol entende / to wynnen if I may
And nat entende / hir wittes to declare
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For brother myn / thy wit is al to bare
To vnderstonde / al thogh I tolde hem thee
But for thou axest why labouren we
For som tyme / we been goddes Instrumentz
And meenes / to doon hise comandementz
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Whan that hym list vp on his creatures
In diuers Art and in diuerse figures
With outen hym / we haue no mygħt certayn
If that hym list to stonden ther agayn
And som tyme / at oure prayere / han we leue
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Oonly the body / and nat the soule greue
Witnesse on Iob / whom that we diden wo
And somtyme / han we mygħt of bothe two
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 doon his soule vnreste
And nat his soule / and al is for the beste