The Manciple's Tale
Folio 203v
2 of 6 folios
He was ther witħ / fulfild of gentillesse
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Of honour and of parfit worthynesse
¶ This Phebus / that was / flour of Bachilrie
As wel / in fredom / as in Chiualrie
For his desport. in signe eek of victorie
Of Phitoū / so as telleth vs the storie
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Was wont to beren in his hand a bowe
¶ Now hadde this Phebus / in his hous a crowe
Which in a Cage / he fostred many a day
And taugħte it speke / as men teche a Iay
Whit was this Crowe / as a snow whit swan
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And countrefete the speche of euery man
He koude / whan he sholde telle a tale
Ther with in al this world / no nygħtyngale
Ne koude / by an hondred thousand deel
Syngen / so wonder myrily and weel
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¶ Now hadde this Phebus / in his hous a wyf
Which þt he louede / moore than his lyf
And nygħt and day / dide euere his diligence
Hir for to plese / and doon hir reuerence
Saue oonly / the sothe that I shal sayn
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Ialous he was / and wolde haue kept hir fayn
For hym were looth / byiaped for to be
And so is euery wigħt in swich degree
But al in ydel / for it auailleth nogħt
A good wyf / that is clene / of werk & thogħt
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Sholde nat been kept in noon awayt certayn
And trewely / the labour is in vayn
To kepe a shrewe / for it wol nat bee
This holde I / for a verray nycetee
To spille labour / for to kepe wyues
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Thus writen olde clerkes / in hir lyues
Bvt now to purpos / as I first bigan
This worthy Phebus / dooth al that he kan
To plesen hir / wenynge that swich plesaūce
And for his manhede / and his gouernaūce
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That no man / sholde han put hym from hir gace
But god it woot. ther may no man embrace
As to destreyne a thyng. which þt nature
Hath natureelly / set in a creature
¶ Taak any bryd / and put it in a Cage
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And do al thyn entente / and thy corage
To fostre it tendrely / with mete and drynke
Of alle deyntees / þt thou kanst bithynke
And keepe it also clenly / as thou may
Al thougħ his Cage / of gold be neuer so gay
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Yet hath this brid / by twenty thousand foold
Leuere in a Forest / that is rude and coold