The Manciple's Tale
Folio 204r
3 of 6 folios
Goon ete wormes / and swich wrecchednesse
For euere this brid / wol doon his bisynesse
To escape out of his Cage / if he may
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His libertee / this brid desireth ay
¶ Lat take a Cat and fostre hym wel wt Milk
And tendre flessħ / and make his couche of silk
And lat hym seen / a Mous go by the wal
Anon he weyueth / Milk / and flessħ and al
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And euery deyntee / that is in that hous
Swich appetit he hath / to ete a Mous
Lo / heere hath lust his dominacioū
And Appetit fleemeth discrecioū
¶ A she wolf / hath also / a vileyns kynde
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The lewedeste wolf þt she may fynde
Or leest of reputacioū / that wol she take
In tyme / whan hir lust to han a make
¶ Alle thise ensamples / speke I by thise men
That been vntrewe / and no thyng by wōmen
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For men han euere / a likerous Appetit
On lower thyng to parfourne hir delit
Than on hir wyues / be they neuer so faire
Ne neuer so trewe / ne so debonaire
Flessħ is so newefangel with meschaunce
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That we ne konne / in no thyng han plesaunce
That sowneth in to vertu / any while
¶ This Phebus / which þt thoghte vpon no gile
Deceyued was / for al his Iolitee
For vnder hym / another hadde shee
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A man / of litel reputacioū
Nat worth to Phebus / in cōparisoū
The moore harm is / it happeth ofte so
Of which ther cometh / muchel harm & wo
¶ And so bifel / whan Phebus was absent
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His wyf anon / hath for hir lemman sent /
Hir lēman ; certes this is a knauyssħ speche
Foryeueth it me / and that I yow biseche
¶ The wise Plato seith / as ye may rede
The word / moot nede accorde with the dede
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If men shal telle proprely a thyng
The word / moot cosyn be to the werkyng
I am am a boystous man / rigħt thus seye I
Ther nys no difference trewely
Bitwixe a wyf þt is of heigh degree
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If of hir body / dishoneste she bee
And a poure wenche / ; oother than this
If it so be / they werke bothe amys
But þt the gentile / in hir estaat aboue
She shal be cleped / his lady as in loue