The General Prologue
Folio 2v
4 of 18 folios
145
Kaugħt in a trappe / if it were deed or bledde
Of smale houndes / hadde she þt she fedde
With rosted flessħ / or Milk / and wastel breed
But soore wepte she / if any of hem were deed
Or if men smoot it with a yerde smerte
150
And al was conscience and tendre herte
Ful semyly / hir wympul pynched was
Hir nose tretys / hir eyen greye as glas
Hir mouth ful smal / and ther to softe & reed
But sikerly / she hadde a fair forheed
155
It was almoost . a spanne brood I trowe
For hardily / she was nat vndergrowe
Ful fetys was hir cloke / as I was war
Of smal coral / aboute hir Arm she bar
A peire of bedes / gauded al with grene
160
And ther on / heng a brooch of gold ful sheene
On which / ther was first write a crowned .A.
And after / Amor vincit omnia ~
Another Nonne / wt hir hadde she
That was hir Chapeleyne and preestes thre
165
A Monk ther was / a fair for the maistrie
An outrider / that louede venerie
A manly man / to been an Abbot able
Ful many a deyntee hors / hadde he in stable
And whan he rood / men myghte his brydel heere
170
Gynglen / in a whistlynge wynd als cleere
And eek as loude / as dooth þe Chapel belle
Ther as this lord / was keper of the Celle
The reule of Seint Maure / or of Seint Beneit
By cause that it was old / and som del streit
175
This ilke Monk / leet olde thynges pace
And heeld / after the newe world the space
He yaf nat of that text a pulled hen
That seith / that hunters beth nat hooly men
Ne that a Monk / whan he is recchelees
180
Is likned / til a fissħ / þt is waterlees
This is to seyn / a Monk out of his Cloystre
But thilke text / heeld he nat worth an Oystre
And I seyde / his opiniou was good
What sholde he studie / & make hym seluen wood
185
Vp on a book / in Cloystre alwey to poure
Or swynken wt his handes and laboure
As Austyn bit / how shal the world be serued
Lat Austyn / haue his owene swynk to hym reserued
Therfore / he was a prikasour arigħt
190
Grehoundes he hadde / as swift as fowel in fligħt
Of pikyng / and of huntyng for the hare
Was al his lust for no cost wolde he spare