The General Prologue
Folio 12r
21 of 22 folios
To Caunterburyward / I mene it so
And homward / he shal tellen othere two
795
Of auentures / þt whilom haue bifalle
And which of yow / þt bereth hym best of alle
That is to seyn / that telleth in this cas
Tales of best sentence / and moost solas
Shal haue a Souper / at oure aller cost
800
Here in this place / sittynge by this post
Whan that we come agayn / fro Caunt erbury
And for to make yow / the moore mury
I wol my self goodly wit yow ryde
Right at myn owene cost and be your gyde
805
And who so wole / my Iuggement with seye
Shal paye / al that we spende by the weye
And if ye vouche sauf / þt it be so
Tel me anoon / with outen wordes mo
And I wol erly / shape me ther fore
810
¶ This thyng was graunted / and oure othes swore
With ful glad herte / and preyden hym also
That he wolde vouche sauf / for to do so
And that he wolde been / oure gouernour
And of oure tales / Iuge and reportour
815
And sette a souper / at a certeyn prys
And we wol ruled been / at his deuys
In heigh and logh / and thus by oon assent
We been acorded / to his Iuggement
And ther vp on / the wyn was fet anoon
820
We dronken / and to reste wente echou
With outen / any lenger taryynge
¶ A morwe / whan þt day bigan to sprynge
Vp roos oure hoost and was oure aller cok
And gadred vs / togydres in a flok
825
And forth we ryden / a litel moore than pas
Vn to the wateryng of Seint Thomas
And there oure hoost bigan his hors areste
And seyde / lordes / herkneth if yow leste
¶ Ye woot youre forward / and it yow recorde
830
If euensong / and morwesong acorde
Lat se now / who shal telle the firste tale
As euere mote I drynke wyn / or Ale