The Nun's Priest's Tale
Folio 185r
13 of 14 folios
The gees for feere / flowen ouer the trees
Out of the hyve / cam the swarm of bees
So hydous was the noyse / a benedicitee
Certes / he Iakke Straw / and his meynee
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Ne made neuere / shoutes / half so shille
Whan þt they wolden / any flemyng kille
As thilke day / was maad vp on the fox
Of bras / they broghten bemes and of box
Of horn / of boon / in whiche they blewe and powped
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And ther withal / they skriked / and they howped
It semed / as that heuene sholde falle
Now goode men / I prey yow herkneth alle
Lo / how Fortune / turneth sodeynly
The hope / and pryde / of hir enemy
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This Cok / that lay vpon the foxes bak
In al his drede / vn to the fox he spak
And seyde sire / if that I were as ye
Yet wolde I seyn / as wys god helpe me
Turneth agayn / ye proude cherles alle
Now I am come / vn to the wodes syde
Maugree youre heed / the Cok shal heere abyde
I wol hym ete in feith / and that anon
¶ The fox answerde / in feith it shal be don
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And as he spak that word / al sodeynly
This Cok / brak from his mouth delyuerly
And heigħe vp on a tree / he fleigħ anon
And whan the fox saugħ / þt he was gon
A verray pestilence / vp on yow falle
¶ Allas quod he / o Chauntecleer allas
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I haue to yow quod he / ydoon trespas
In as muche / as I maked yow aferd
Whan I yow hente / and brogħte in to this yerd
But sire I dide it. of no wikke entente
Com doun / and I shal telle yow what I mente
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I shal seye sooth to yow / god help me so
¶ Nay thanne quod he / I shrewe vs bothe two
And first I shrewe my self / bothe blood & bones
If thou bigyle me / any ofter than ones
Thou shalt namoore / thurgħ thy flaterye
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Do me to synge / and wynke with myn eye
For he that wynketh / whan he sholde see
Al wilfully / god lat hym neuere thee
¶ Nay quod the fox / but god yeue hym meschaunce
That is so / vndiscreet of gouernaunce
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That Iangleth / whan he sholde holde his pees
¶ Lo / swich it is / for to be recchelees
And necligent and truste on flaterye
¶ But ye / that holden / this tale a folye