The Manciple's Tale
Folio 204v
4 of 6 folios
115
And for that oother is a poure womman
She shal be cleped / his wenche / or his lemman
And god it woot myn owene deere brother
Men leyn þt oon / as lowe as lith þt oother
¶ Rigħt so / bitwixe a titlelees tiraūt
120
And an Outlawe / or a theef erraūt
The same I seye / ther is no difference
To Alisaundre / was toold this sentence
That for the tirant is of gretter mygħt
By force of meynee / for to sleen doun rigħt
125
And brennen hous & hoom / & make al playn
Lo / therfore / is he cleped a Capitayn
And for the Outlawe / hath but smal meynee
And may nat doon / so greet an harm as he
Ne brynge a contree / to so greet mescheef /
130
Men clepen hym / an Outlawe / or a theef /
But for I am a man / nogħt textueel
I wol nogħt telle / of textes neuer a deel
I wol go / to my tale / as I bigan
Whan Phebus wyf / had sent for hir lēman
135
Anon they wroghten / al hir lust volage
¶ The white crowe / that heeng ay in the Cage
Biheeld hir werk and seyde neuer a word
And whan þt hoom was come Phebus the lord
This Crowe sang / Cokkow / Cokkow / Cokkow /
140
¶ What bryd quod Phebus / what song syngestow ;
Ne were thow wont / so myrily to synge
That to myn herte / it was a reioysynge
To heere thy voys / allas what song is this ;
¶ By God quod he / I synge nat amys
145
Phebus quod he / for al thy worthynesse
For al thy beautee / and thy gentilesse
For al thy song and thy Mynstralcye
For al thy waityng blered is thyn eye
With oon / of litel reputacioū
150
Nogħt worth to thee / in comparisoū
The montance of a gnat / so moote I thryue
For on thy bed / thy wyf / I saugħ hym swy et cetera
¶ What wol ye moore / the Crowe anon hym tolde
By sadde tokenes / and by wordes bolde
155
How þt his wyf had doon hir lecherye
Hym to greet shame / and to greet vileynye
And tolde hym ofte / he saugħ it wt hise eyen
¶ This Phebus / gan aweyward for to wryen
And thougħte / his sorweful herte brast atwo
160
His bowe he bente / and sette therInne a flo
And in his Ire / his wyf thanne hath he slayn
This is theffect. ther is namoore to sayn