The General Prologue
Folio 2r
3 of 18 folios
So hoote he louede / that by nyghtertale
He slepte namoore than dooth a nygħtyngale
Curteis he was / lowely / and seruysable
100
And carf / biforn his fader at the table
A yeman hadde he / and seruantz namo
At that tyme / for hym liste ride so
And he was clad / in cote & hood of grene
A sheef of pecok arwes / brigħt and kene
105
Vnder his belt he bar ful thriftily
Wel koude he / dresse his takel yemanly
Hise arwes drouped noght with fetheres lowe
And in his hand / he baar a mygħty bowe
A not heed hadde he / with a broun visage
110
Of wodecraft / wel koude he al the vsage
Vp on his arm / he baar a gay bracer
And by his syde / a swerd / and a bokeler
And on that oother syde / a gay daggere
Harneised wel / and sharpe as point of spere
115
A Cristophere on his brest of siluer sheene
An horn he bar / the bawdryk was of grene
A Forster was he / soothly as I gesse
Ther was also / a Nonne a Prioresse
That of hir smylyng / was ful symple & coy
120
Hir gretteste ooth / was but by seint Loy
And she was cleped / madame Eglentyne
Ful weel she soong the seruice dyuyne
Entuned in hir nose / ful semeely
And frenssħ / she spak / ful faire and fetisly
125
After the Scole / of Stratford atte Bowe
For frenssħ of Parys / was to hir vnknowe
At mete / wel ytaugħt was she with alle
She leet no morsel / from hir lippes falle
Ne wette hir fyngres / in hir sauce depe
130
Wel koude she carie a morsel / and wel kepe
That no drope / ne fille vpon hir brist
In curteisie was set ful muchel hir list /
Hir ouer lippe / wyped she so clene
That in hir coppe / ther was no ferthyng sene
135
Of grece / whan she dronken hadde hir draughte
Ful semely / after hir mete she raughte
And sikerly / she was of greet desport
And ful plesaunt and amyable of port
And peyned hir to countrefete cheere
140
Of Court and to been estatlich of manere
And to ben holden digne of reuerence
But for to speken of hir conscience
She was so charitable and so pitous
She wolde wepe / if that she saugh a Mous