The Manciple's Tale
Folio 248v
3 of 8 folios
And for his manhod and his gouernaūce
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That no man schuld han put him fro hir gace
But god it woot þer may no man embrace
As to destroy a þing . þe which nature
Haþ naturelly . set in a creature
Tak any brid and put him in a cage
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And do al þin entent and þy corrage
To foster it tenderly wiþ mete and drynk
And wiþ aƚƚ þe deyntees þou canst þink
And keep it al so kyndly as þou may
Al þough his cage of gold be neuer so gay
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Ȝit haþ þis brid by twenty þousand fold
Leuer to be . in forest wyd and cold
Gon ete wormes and such wrecchidnes
For euer þis brid wil doon his busynes
To scape out of his cage whan he may
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His liberte þe brid desireþ ay
Let take a cat and foster him wel wiþ mylk /
And tender fleisch and mak his bed of silk /
And let him see a mous go by þe wal
Anoon he wayueþ mylk and fleisch and al
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And euery deynte which is in þat hous
Such appetit haþ sche to ete þe mous
Lo heer haþ lust his dominacioun
And appetit . flemeth discrscioun .
Also a sche wolf haþ a vilayns kynde /
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The lewidest . wolf þat sche may fynde
Or lest of reputacioun him wol sche take
In tyme whan hir lust to haue a make /
Aƚƚ þis ensamples . tel I by þis men
That ben vntrewe and no þing by wōmen
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For men han euer a licorous appetit
On lower þing to parforme her delit
Than on her wyues ben þay neuer so fair
Ne neuer so trewe ne so debonaire
Fleissch is so newfangil with meschaunce
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That we can in no þinge haue plesaunce
That souneþ in to vertu eny while