The General Prologue
Folio 11v
20 of 22 folios
A large man he was / with eyen stepe
A fairer burgeys / was ther noon in Chepe
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Boold of his speche / and wys / and wel ytaught
And of manhode / hym lakked right naught
Eke ther to / he was right a murye man
And after souper / pleyen he bigan
And spak of murthe / amonges othere thynges
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Whan þt we hadde maad oure rekenynges
And seyde thus / now lordes trewely
Ye been to me / right wel come hertely
For by my trouthe / if þt I shal nat lye
I seigh noght this yeer / so murye a compaignye
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Atones in this herberwe / as is now
Fayn wolde I doon yow myrthe / wiste I how
And of a myrthe / I am right now bithoght
To doon yow ese / and it shal coste noght
¶ Ye goon to Caunt erbury / god yow spede
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The blisful Martir / quyte yow youre mede
And wel I woot as ye goon by the weye
Ye shapen yow / to talen and to pleye
For trewely / confort / ne murthe is noon
To ryde by the weye / domb as stoon
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And ther fore / wol I maken yow desport
As I seyde erst and doon yow som confort
And if yow liketh alle / by oon assent
For to stonden / at my Iuggement
And for to werken / as I shal yow seye
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Tomorwe / whan ye ryden by the weye
Now by my fader soule / þt is deed
But ye be murye / I wol yeue yow myn heed
Hoold vp youre hondes / with outen moore speche
¶ Oure conseil / was nat longe for to seche
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Vs thoughte / it was nat worth / to make it wys
And graunted hym / with outen moore avys
And bade hym seye / his voirdit as hym leste
¶ Lordynges quod he / now herkneth for the beste
But taketh it noght I pray yow in desdeyn
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This is the poynt to speken short and pleyn
That ech of yow / to shorte with oure weye
In this viage / shal tellen tales tweye