The Summoner's Tale
Folio 82r
3 of 13 folios
Seyde this frere / curteisly and softe
Thomas quod he / god yelde yow / ful ofte
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Haue I / vpon this bench / faren ful weel
Heere haue I eten / many a myrie meel
And fro the bench / he droof awey the cat
And leyde adoun / his potente and his hat
And eek his scrippe / and sette hym softe adoun
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His felawe / was go walked in to toun
Forth with his knaue / in to that hostelrye
Wher as he shoope hym / thilke nygħt to lye
¶ O deere maister / quod this sike man
How han ye fare / sith þt Marcħ bigan ;
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I saugħ yow nogħt / this fourtnygħt / or moore
God woot quod he / laboured I haue ful soore
And specially / for thy sauaciou
Haue I seyd / many a percious orisou
And for oure othere freendes / god hem blesse
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I haue to day / been at your chirche at messe
And seyd a sermou / after my symple wit
Nat al after the text of hooly writ
For it is hard to yow / as I suppose
And therfore / wol I teche yow al the glose
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Glosynge / is a glorious thyng certeyn
For lettre sleeth / so as thise clerkes seyn
Ther haue I taugħt hem to be charitable
And spende hir good / ther it is resonable
And ther I saugħ oure dame / a wher is she ;
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¶ Yond in the yerd / I trowe þt she be
Seyde this man / and she wol come anon
¶ Ey maister / wel come be ye / by seint Ioħn
Seyde this wyf / how fare ye hertely ;
¶ The frere ariseth vp ful curteisly
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And hir embraceth in his Armes narwe
And kiste hir sweete / and chirteth as a Sparwe
With his lyppes / . dame quod he rigħt weel ;
As he that is youre seruant euery deel
Thanked be god / þt yow yaf soule and lyf
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Yet saugh I nat this day / so fair a wyf
In al the chirche / god so saue me
¶ Ye / god amende defautes / sir quod she
Algates / wel come be ye / by my fey
¶ Graunt mercy dame / this haue I founde alwey
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But of youre grete goodnesse / by youre leue
I wolde prey yow / þt ye nat yow greue
I wole with Thomas speke a litel throwe
Thise curatz / been ful necligent and slowe
To grope tendrely a conscience
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In shrift in perchyng is my diligence