The Canon's Yeoman's Prologue
Folio 193v
4 of 5 folios
So faren we / if I shal seye the sothe
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¶ Now quod oure hoost / . lat me telle to the
Why artow / so discoloured of thy face ;
¶ Peter quod he / god yeue it harde grace
I am so vsed / in the fyr to blowe
That it hath chaunged my colour I trowe
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I am nat wont in no Mirour to prie
But swynke soore / and lerne multiplie
We blondren euere / and pouren in the fir
And for al that we faille of oure desir
For euere we lakke / of oure conclusioū
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To muchel folk / we doon illusioū
And borwe gold / be it a pound or two
Or ten / or twelue / or manye sōmes mo
And make hem / wenen at the leeste weye
That of a pound / we koude make tweye
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Yet is it fals / but ay we han good hope
It for to doon / and after it we grope
But that Science / is so fer vs biforn
We mowen nat al thougħ we hadden sworn
It ouertake / it slit awey so faste
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It wole / vs maken beggers atte laste
¶ Whil this yeman / was thus in his talkyng
This Chanoū drougħ hym neer & herde al thyng
Which this yeman spak / for suspecioū
Of mēnes speche / euere hadde this Chanoū
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For Catoū seith / that he that gilty is
Demeth alle thyng. be spoke of hym ywis
That was the cause / he gan so ny / hym drawe
To his yeman / to herknen al his sawe
And thus he seyde / vn to his yeman tho
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Hoold thou thy pees / and spek no wordes mo
For if thou do / thou shalt it deere abye
Thou sclaundrest me / heere in this compaignye
And eek discouerest that thou sholdest hyde
¶ Ye quod oure hoost / telle on what so bityde
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Of al his thretyng rekke nat a myte
¶ In feith quod he / namoore I do but byte
¶ And whan this Chanou / saugħ it wolde nat bee
But his yeman / wolde telle his pryuetee
He fledde awey / for verray sorwe and shame
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¶ A quod the yeman / heere shal arise game
Al that I kan / anon now wol I telle
Syn he is goon / the foule feend hym quelle
For neuere heer wol I with hym meete
For peny ne for pound I yow biheete
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He that me broghte first vn to that game
Er that he dye / sorwe haue he and shame