The General Prologue
Folio 9v
18 of 18 folios
¶ In heigħ and lougħ / and thus by oon assent
We been acorded / to his Iuggement
And ther vp on / the wyn was fet anon
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We dronken / and to reste wente echon
With outen / any lenger taryynge
Amorwe / whan þt day / gan for to sprynge
Vp roos oure hoost and was oure aller cok
And gadrede vs togidre / alle in a flok
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And forth we riden / a litel moore than paas
Vn to the wateryng of Seint Thomas
And there oure hoost bigan his hors areste
And seyde lordynges / herkneth if yow leste
¶ Ye woot youre foreward / and it yow recorde
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If euensong / and morwesong accorde
Lat se now / who shal telle the firste tale
As euere mote I drynke / wyn or Ale
Who so be / rebel to my Iuggement
Shal paye / for al þt by the wey is spent
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Now drawetħ cut er þt we ferrer twynne
He / which þt hath the shorteste shal bigynne
Sire knygħt quod he / my mayster and my lord
Now draweth cut / for that is myn accord
Cometh neer quod he / my lady Prioresse
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And ye sir clerk / lat be youre shamefastnesse
Ne studieth nogħt / ley hond to euery man
Anon to drawen / euery wigħt bigan
And shortly / for to tellen as it was
Were it by auenture / or sort or cas
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The sothe is this / the cut fil to the knygħt
Of which / ful blithe and glad was euery wygħt
A telle he moste his tale / as was resoū
By foreward / and by composicioū
As ye han herd / what nedeth wordes mo
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An whan this goode man / saugh þt it was so
As he / that wys was and obedient
To kepe his foreward / by his free assent
He seyde / syn I shal bigynne the game
What wel come be the cut / a goddes name
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Now lat vs ryde / and herkneth what I seye
And wt that word / we ryden forth oure weye
And he bigan / with rigħt a myrie cheere
His tale anon / and seyde in this manere