The Prioress' Tale
Folio 200r
1 of 7 folios
WEl sayd by corpus boones quod oure host
Now longe mot þou sayle by þe cost
Sir gentil maister gentil mariner
God ȝiue þe monk a þousand last quadeȝer
5
Haha felaws be war for such a iape
The monk put in þe mannes hood an ape
And in his wyues eek by seint austyn
Draweþ no monkes more vnto ȝour In
But now pasouer and let vs loke aboute
10
Who schal telle first of al þis route /
Anoþer tale / and wiþ þat with þat word he sayde /
As curteisly as it had ben a mayde /
My lady prioresse by ȝour leue
So þat I wist I scholde ȝow not greue
15
I wolde deme þat ȝe telle scholde
A tale next if so were þat ȝe wolde /
Now wol ȝe vouche sauf my lady deere /
Gladly quod sche / and sayd in þis manere /
O lord oure lord þy name how merueylous
Is in þis large world I sprad quod sche
For nougħt oonly þy laude precious
Parformed is by men of heih degre
5
But by mouthes of children þy bounte
Parformed is on oure brest soukynge
Som tyme schewe þay þin heriynge
Wherfore in laude as I best can or may
Of þe and of þy white lily flour
10
Which þat þe bar and is a mayde alway
To telle a story I wil do my labour
Nougħt þat I may encresce ȝoure honour
For sche hir silf / is honour and roote
Of bounte next hir sone and soules boote /
15
O modir mayde . O mayde mooder fre /
O bussħ vnbrent brennyng in Moises sigħt
That rauysshedest / doun fro þe deite
Thurgħ þin humblesse þe gost þat in þe aligħt
Of whos vertu he in þin herte pigħt