The Friar's Tale
Folio 104r
3 of 11 folios
And make him grete festis atte nale
50
And right as Iudas hadde purses smale
And was a theef . right such a þeef was he
His maister had not half his duete
He was if I schal ȝiue him his laude
A þeef a sompnour and eek a baude .
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And he had wenches at his retenue
That wheþir þat ser Robert or ser hughe
Or Iak or Rauf or who so þat it were
That lay by hem þay told it in his eere
Thus was þe wenche and he of oon assent
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And he wold fecche a feyned maundement
And sompne hem to chapitre boþe tuo
And pyle þe man and let þe wenche go
Than wold he sayn I schal frend for þy sake
Don strike þe out of oure ƚres blake
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The þar nomore as in þis cas trauayle
I am þy frend þer I þe may auayle
Certeynly he knew of bribours mo
Than possible is to telle in ȝeres tuo
For in þis world nys dogge for þe bowe
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Þat can an hurt deer from an hol y knowe
Bet þan þis sompnor knew a leccheour
Or auoutier or ellis a paramour
And for þat was þe fruyt of al his rent
Therfore þer on he set al his entent
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And so bifel þat oones on a day
This sompnor euer wayting on his pray
Rod for to sompne a widew and old ribibe
Feynyng a cause for he wolde bribe
It happed þat he say bifore him ryde
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A gay ȝeman vnder a forest syde
A bow he bar and arwes bright and kene
He had vpon a courtepy of grene
An hat vpon his heed wiþ frenges blake
Sir quod þis sompnour heyl and wel ouertake
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Welcome quod he and euery good felawe
Whider ridestow vnder þis grene schawe