The General Prologue
Folio 141r
19 of 20 folios
685
A vernykele hadde he sowyd vp on hese cappe
Hese walet be foryn hȳ in hese lappe
Bret ful of pardoū come frō rome hot
A uoys he hath as smal as haþ a got
No berd hadde he ne neuere schulde haue
690
As smothe it was as it were late schaue
I trowe he were ageldyns or a mare
But of hese craft frō berewik in to ware
Ne was swich a noþer pardoūnere
For in his male he hadde a pilwe bere
695
Wich þt he seyde was oure lady ueyl
He seyde he hadde a gobet of þe seyl
That seynt petyr hadde whan þt he wente
Vp on þe se tyl \that god/ ___hȳ hente
He hadde a cros / of latoun ful of stonys
700
And in a glas he hadde piggis bonys
But wt þese relikys whan þt he fond.
A pouere persoū vp on lond
Vp on a day he gat hȳ more moneye
Than þe persoū gat in moneþis tweye
705
And þus wt feynede flaterye & Iapis
He made the persoū & the puple hese apys
But trewely to tellyn at the laste
He was in cherche a noble ecclesiaste
Wel couthe he rede a story lessoū or a story
710
But aldirbest he song an offratory
For wel he wiste whan that song was sunge
He muste preche & wel affile hyse tunge
To wȳne syluer as he wel couthe
Therfore he song the meryerely & loude
715
Now haue I told ȝow sothly in a clause
The estat tharay the noūbre & ek the cause
Whi assemblid was this cūpayny
In southwerk at this ientil ostelry
That hyȝte the tabbard faste by þõ belle
720
But now is tyme to ȝow for to telle