The Shipman's Tale
Folio 317r
7 of 8 folios
They drynke & speke & rome a whyle & pleye
Tyl that daun Iohñ rydyth to his abbey
The morwe cam & forth this marchaūt ridith
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To Flaunderis ward his prentys weel hȳ gydith
Tyl he cam in to Bruggis myriely
Now goth this Marchaunt faste & busyly
A boute his neede & byeth & creaunceth
He neythir pleyeth at deis ne daunceth
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But as a marchaūt schortely for to telle
He lat his lyf & there I lete hȳ dwelle
The soneday next the marchaūt was a goon
To seynt Denys is come daun Ioħn
With croune & berd al frosch & newe schaue
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In al the hous ne was so lyte a knawe
Ne no whit ellys that he nas ful fayn
That myn lord Daun Ioħn was come a gayn
And schortely to the poynt rygh for to goon
This fayre wyf a cordyt with daun Ioħn
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That for hise hunderede frankys he schulde al nyght
Haue hyre in hise armys bolt vp ryȝt
And this acord parforned was in deede
In myrthe al nyght a busy lyf they leede
Til it was day that daū Ioħn wente his way
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And bad the meyne fare wel haue good day
For non of hem ne nowyght in the toun
Hath of daū Ioħn rygh non suspecyoun
And forth he rydyth hom to his abbey
Or wheere hȳ luste no more of hȳ I seye
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¶ This Marchaūt whan that endit was the fayre
To seynt Denys he gan for to rapayre
And with his wyf he makyth feste & cheere
And tellyth hyre that chaffare is so deere
That nedys muste he make a cheyuyssance
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For he was boūdyn in a reconyssance
To payen twenty thousent sheeld a non
For with this marchaunt is to parys goon
To borwe of certeyn frendys that he hadde
A certeyn frankys & some with hym he ladde