The General Prologue
Folio 3v
6 of 18 folios
And euerich Hostiler / and Tappestere
Bet than a lazar or a beggestere
For vn to swich a worthy man as he
Acorded nat as by his facultee
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To haue with sike lazars Aqueyntaūce
It is nat honeste / it may nat auaūce
For to deelen / with no swich poraille
But al wt riche / and selleres of vitaille
And ouer al / ther as profit sholde arise
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Curteis he was / and lowely of seruyse
Ther nas no man / nowher so vertuous
He was / the beste begger in his hous
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For thogħ a wydwe / hadde nogħt a sho
So plesaunt was his In pincipio
Yet wolde he haue / a ferthyng er he wente
His purchas / was wel bettre than his rente
And rage he koude / as it were rigħt a whelpe
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In louedayes / ther koude he muchel helpe
For ther he was nat lyk a Cloystrer
With a thredbare cope / as is a poure scoler
But he was lyk / a maister / or a pope
Of double worstede / was his semycope
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That rounded as a belle / out of the presse
Somwhat he lipsed / for his wantownesse
To make his englissħ / sweete vp on his tonge
And in his harpyng. whan þt he hadde songe
Hise eyen twynkled in his heed arygħt
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As doon the sterres / in the frosty nygħt
This worthy lymytour / was cleped huberd
A Marchant was ther / wt a forked berd
In Motlee / and hye on horse he sat
Vp on his heed a Flaundryssħ Beuere hat
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His bootes clasped / faire and fetisly
Hise resons he spak / ful solempnely
Sownynge alwey thencrees of his wynnyng
He wolde the see were kept for any thyng
Bitwixe Middelburgħ and Orewelle
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Wel koude he in eschaunge sheeldes selle
This worthy man / ful wel his wit bisette
Ther wiste no wigħt / þt he was in dette
So estatly / was he of his gouernaunce
With his bargaynes / and wt his cheuyssaunce
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For sothe / he was a worthy man with alle
But sooth to seyn / I noot how men hym calle
A Clerk ther was / of Oxenford also
That vn to logyk/ hadde longe ygo
And leene was his hors as is a rake
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And he nas nat rigħt fat I vndertake