The Shipman's Tale
Folio 145v
5 of 10 folios
Daun Ioħn I seye / lene me thise hundred frankes
Pardee / I wol nat faille yow my thankes
If that yow list to doon that I yow praye
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For at a certeyn day / I wol yow paye
And doon to yow / what plesance and seruice
That I may doon / rigħt as yow list deuise
And but I do / god take on me vengeance
As foul / as euere hadde Genylou of France
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¶ This gentil Monk / answerde in this manere
Now trewely / myn owene lady deere
I haue quod he / on yow so greet a routhe
That I yow swere / and pligħte yow my trouthe
That whan your housbonde / is to Flaundres fare
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I wol delyuere yow / out of this care
For I wol brynge yow / an hundred frankes
And wt that word / he caugħte hir by the flankes
And hir embraceth harde / and kiste hir ofte
Gooth now youre wey quod he / al stille & softe
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And lat vs dyne / as soone as þt ye may
For by my chilyndre / it is pryme of day
Gooth now / and beeth as trewe as I shal be
¶ Now elles / god forbede sire quod she
And forth she gooth / as Iolif as a pye
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And bad the cookes / þt they sholde hem hye
So þt men mygħte dyne / and that anon
Vp to hir housbonde / is this wyf ygon
And knokketh / at his Countour boldely
¶ Who ther ; quod he / Peter it am I .
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Quod she / what sir / how longe wol ye faste ;
How longe tyme / wol ye rekene and caste ;
Your sōmes / and your bookes / and your thynges ;
The deuel haue part on alle swiche rekenynges
Ye haue ynougħ pardee / of goddes sonde
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Com doun to day / and lat your bagges stonde
Ne be ye nat ashamed that Daun Ioħn
Shal fastīg al this day alenge goon
Lat vs heere a messe / and go we dyne
¶ Wyf quod this man / litel kanstow deuyne
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The curious bisynesse / that we haue
For of vs Chapmen / also god me saue
And by that lord / þt clepid is Seint Yve
Scarsly amonges xij. ten shul thryue
Continuelly / lastynge vn to oure age
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We may wel / make chiere / and good visage
And dryue forth the world / as it may be
And kepen / oure estaat in pryuetee
Til we be deed / or elles that we pleye
A pilgrymage / or goon out of the weye