The Summoner's Tale
Folio 81v
2 of 13 folios
15
Thanked be god / in wele and habundaunce
Trentals seyde he / deliueren fro penaunce
Hir freendes soules / as wel olde as yonge
Ye whan þt they been hastily ysonge
Nat for to holde a preest Ioly and gay
20
He syngeth nat but o masse in a day
Deliuereth out quod he / anon the soules
Ful hard it is / wt flessħhook or wt oules
To been yclawed / or to brenne or bake
Now spede yow hastily / for cristes sake
25
And whan this frere / had seyd al his entente
With / qui cū patre / forth his wey he wente
¶ Whan folk in chirche / had yeue ħi / what hem leste
He wente his wey / no lenger wolde he reste
With Scrippe and tipped staf / ytukked hye
30
In euery hous / he gan to poure and prye
And beggeth mele / and chese / or elles corn
His felawe hadde a staf / tipped with horn
A peyre of tables / al of yuory
And a poyntel / polyssħed fetisly
35
And wroot the names / alwey as he stood
Of alle folk / that yaf hym any good
Ascaunces / that he wolde for hem prey
Yif hym a bussħel whete / Malt or Reye
A goddes kechyl / or a trype of chese
40
Or elles what yow lyst we may nat cheese
A goddes halfpeny / or a masse peny
Or yif vs of your brawn / if ye haue eny
A dagou of youre blanket leeue dame
Oure suster deere / Lo heere I write youre name
45
Bacou / or boef / or swich thyng as ye fynde
¶ A sturdy harlot wente ay hem bihynde
That was hir hostes man / and bar a sak /
And what men yaf hem / leyde it on his bak
And whan þt he / was out at dore anon
50
He planed awey / the names euerichon
That he biforn / had writen in his tables
He serued hem / with nyfles and with fables
¶ Nay ther thou lixt thou Somonor quod the frere
¶ Pees quod oure hoost for cistes mooder deere
55
Tel forth thy tale / and spare it nat at al
¶ So thryue I quod this Somonor / so I shal
¶ So longe he wente hous by hous / til he
Cam til an hous / ther he was wont to be
Refressħed moore / than in an hundred placis
60
Syk lay the goode man / whos the place is
Bedrede vp on a couche lowe he lay
Deus hic quod he o Thomas freend good day