The Summoner's Tale
Folio 87r
13 of 13 folios
¶ I koude telle / for a gowne clootħ
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To yow sir frere / so ye be nat wrootħ
How that this fart euene delt shal be
Among your Couent if it lyked me
¶ Tel quod the lord / and thou shalt haue anon
A gowne clooth / by god / and by Seint Ioħn
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¶ My lord quod he / whan þt the weder is fair
With outen wynd / or perturbynge of Air
Lat brynge a Cartwheel in to this halle
But looke / that it haue his spokes alle
Twelue spokes / hath a Cartwheel comunly
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And bryng me thanne .xij. freres woot ye why ;
For twelue is a Couent as I gesse
The Confessour heere / for his worthynesse
Shal parfourne vp / the nombre of his Couent
Thanne shal they knele doun / by oon assent
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And to euery spokes ende / in this manere
Ful sadly / leye his nose shal a frere
Your noble Confessour ther god hym saue
Shal holde his nose / vprigħt / vnder the Naue
Thanne shal this cherl / wt bely stif and togħt
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As any Tabour / been hyder ybrogħt
And sette hym on the wheel / rigħt of this Cart
Vp on the Naue / and make hym lete a fart
And ye shul seen / vp peril of my lyf /
By preeue / which that is demonstratif
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That equally / the soun of it wol wende
And eke the stynk vn to the spokes ende
Saue þt this worthy man / your Confessour
By cause / he is a man of greet honour
Shal haue the firste fruyt / as resoū is
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As yet the noble vsage / of freres is
The worthy men of hem / shul first be serued
And certeinly / he hath it weel disserued
He hath to day taught vs so muche good
With perchyng in the pulpit ther he stood
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That I may vouche sauf / I sey for me
He hadde the firste smel / of fartes thre
And so wolde / al the Couent hardily
He bereth hym / so faire and hoolily
¶ The lord / the lady / and alle men saue the frere
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Seyde / þt Iankyn spak / in this matere
As wel as Euclude / or Protholomee
Touchynge this cherl / they seyde subtiltee
And heigh wit made hym speke / as he spak /
He nys no fool / ne no demonyak
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And Iankyn / hath ywonne a newe gowne
My tale is doon / we been almoost at towne
¶ Heere endeth the Somonours tale ~