The General Prologue
Folio 2r
17 of 22 folios
Here bygynneth the Book of the tales of Caunt erbury
Whan that Aueryƚƚ wt his shoures soote
The droghte of Marcħ / hath perced to the roote
And bathed euery veyne in swich lycour
Of which vertu engendred is the flour
5
Whan zephirus eek wt his sweete breeth
Inspired hath in euery holt and heeth
The tendre croppes / and the yonge sonne
Hath in the Ram / his half cours yronne
And smale foweles / maken melodye
10
That slepen al the nyght with open Iye
So priketh hem nature / in hir corages
Thanne longen folk to goon on pilgrymages
And Palmeres for to seeken straunge strondes
To ferne halwes / kouthe in sondry londes
15
And specially / from euery shyres ende
Of Engelond to Caunterbury they wende
The holy blisful martir for to seke
That hem hath holpen whan þt they weere seeke
Bifel þt in that sesoū on a day
20
In Southwerk at the Tabard / as I lay
Redy to weenden / on my pilgrymage
To Caunterbury / with ful deuout corage
At nyght was come in to that hostelrye
Wel .xxix. in a compaignye
25
Of sondry folk by auenture yfalle
In felaweshipe / and pilgrymes weere they alle
That toward Caunterbury wolden ryde
The chambres and the stables / weeren wyde
And wel we weeren esed / at the beste
30
And shortly whan the sonne was to reste
So hadde I spoken with hem euerichoon
That I was of hir felaweshipe ano n