The General Prologue
Folio 3r
5 of 18 folios
I seigh his sleues / ypurfiled at the hond
With grys / and that the fyneste of a lond
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And for to festne his hood vnder his chyn
He hadde of gold / ywrogħt a ful curious pyn
A loue knotte / in the gretter ende ther was
His heed was balled / þt shoon as any glas
And eek his face / as it hadde been enoynt /
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He was a lord ful fat / and in good poynt
Hise eyen stepe / and rollynge in his heed
That stemed / as a forneys of a leed
His bootes souple / his hors in greet estaat
Now certeinly / he was a fair prelaat
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He nas nat pale / as a forpyned goost /
A fat swan loued he best of any roost
His palfrey / was as broun as is a berye
A Frere ther was / a wantowne & a merye
A lymytour / a ful solempne man
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In alle the ordres foure / is noon þt kan
So muchel of daliaunce / and fair langage
He hadde maad / ful many a mariage
Of yonge wōmen / at his owene cost
Vn to his ordre / he was a noble post
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And wel biloued / and famulier was he
With frankeleyns / euer al in his contree
And with worthy wōmen of the toun
For he hadde power of confessioun
As seyde hym self / moore than a Curat
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For of his ordre / he was licenciat
Ful swetely / herde he confessioū
And plesaunt was his Absolucioū
He was an esy man / to yeue penaunce
Ther as he wiste / to haue a good pitaunce
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For vn to a poure ordre / for to yiue
Is signe / þt a man is wel yshryue
For if he yaf / he dorste make auaunt
He wiste / that a man was repentaunt
For many a man / so hard is of his herte
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He may nat wepe / al thogh hym soore smerte
Therfore in stede of wepynge and preyeres
Men moote yeue siluer / to the poure freres
His typet was ay farsed ful of knyues
And pynnes / for to yeuen yonge wyues
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And certeinly / he hadde a murye note
Wel koude he synge / and pleyen on a rote
Of yeddynges / he baar outrely the pris
His nekke / whit was / as the flour delys
Ther to / he strong was as a Champiou
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He knew the Tauernes wel in al the toun