The Shipman's Tale
Folio 317v
8 of 8 folios
335
¶ And whan that he was come in to the toun
For gret chieretee & greet facoun
Vn to daun Ioħn he fyrst goth hȳ to pleye
Nat for to axe or borwe of hȳ monye
But for to wete & se of his weel fare
340
And for to tellyn hȳ of his chaffare
As frendys doon whā they been met in feere
Daun Ioħn hȳ makyth feste & myry chieere
And hȳ tolde a geyn ful specially
How he hadde weel I bouȝt & graciously
345
Thankede be god al hol his marchaūdyse
Saue that he wolde in alle wyse
Makyn a cheuyciaūce as for hise beste
And thāne he schulde ben In Ioye & reste
¶ Daun Ioħn answerede sertis I āx fayn
350
That ȝe in heele are comyn hom a gayn
And ȝif that I were ryche as I haue blys
Of twenty thousāt sheld schulde ȝe nat mys
For ȝe so kyndely this othir day
Lente me gold & as I can & may
355
I thākede be god & by seynt Iame
But natheles I tok vn to oure dame
Ȝoure wyf at hō the same gold agayn
Vp on ȝoure benche sche wot it wel certeyn
By certeyn tokenys that I can ȝow telle
360
Now by ȝoure leue I may no lengere dwelle
Oure abbot wole out of this toun a noon
And in his cūpaynye mote I goon
Grete weel oure dame myn owene nece sweete
And fare wel deere cosyn tyl we meete
365
¶ This marchaūt which that was ful war & wys
Creanced hath & payed ek in parys
To certeyn lūbardys redy in here hond
The sūme of gold & gat of hē his bond
And hō he goth myrye as a popyniay
370
For weele he knew he stood In swich a ray
That nedys mote he wȳne in that vyage
A thousent frankys a bouȳ al his Costage