The General Prologue
Folio 4r
13 of 22 folios
Hir mouth ful smal / and ther to / softe and reed
But sikerly / she hadde a fair forheed
155
It was almoost a spanne brood I trowe
For hardily / she was nat vndergrowe
Ful fetys was hir cloke / as I was war
Of smal Coral / aboute hir arm she bar
A peyre of bedes / gauded al with greene
160
And ther on heeng a brooch of gold ful sheene
On which / was first writen / a crowned .A.
And after / amor vincit omnia .
¶ Another Nonne / with hire hadde she
That was hire Chapeleyne / and preestes thre
165
¶ A Monk ther was / a fair for the maystrye
An outrydere / that louede venerye
A manly man / to been an Abbot able
Ful many a deyntee hors / hadde he in stable
And whanne he rood / men myghte his brydel heere
170
Gyngle in a whistlynge wynd / as cleere
And eek as loude / as dooth the Chapel belle
There as this lord / is kepere of the Selle
The rule of Seint Maure / or of Seint Beneyt
By cause þt it was oold / and som deel streyt
175
This ilke Monk / leet oolde thynges pace
And heeld / after the newe world the space
He yaf noght of that text a pulled hen
That seith / þt hunterys been none holy men
Ne þt a Monk. whan he is recchelees
180
Is likned / til a fissħ / þt is waterlees
This is to seyn / a Monk / out of his Cloystre
But thilke text heeld he nat worth an Oystre
And I seyde / his opynyon was good
What sholde he studie / and make hym seluen wood
185
Vp on a book in Cloystre alwey to poure
Or swynke with his handes / and laboure
As Austyn bit. how shal the world be serued
Lat Austyn haue his swynk. to hym reserued
Ther fore / he was a prykasour aryght
190
Grehoundes he hadde / as swift as fowel in flyght
Of prikyng and of huntyng for the haare
Was al his lust. for no cost wolde he spaare