The General Prologue
Folio 4v
12 of 22 folios
I saugh his sleues / prfiled at the hond
With grys / and that the fyneste of a lond
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And for to festne his hood / vnder his chyn
He hadde / of gold / wroght a ful curious pyn
A loue knotte / in the gretter ende ther was
His heed was balled / that shoon as any glas
And eek his face / as he hadde been enoynt
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He was a lord ful fat and in good poynt
Hise eyen steepe / and rollynge in his heed
That stemed / as a fourneys of a leed
Hise bootes souple / his hors / in greet estaat
Now certeynly / he was a fair perlat
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He was nat paale / as is a forpyned goost
A fat swan / loued he / best of any roost
His palfrey / was as broun as any berye
¶ A frere ther was / a wantowne and a merye
A lymytour / a ful solempne man
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In alle the ordres foure / is noon þt kan
So muche of daliaunce / and fair langage
He hadde maked / ful many a mariage
Of yonge wommen / at his owene cost
Vn to his ordre / he was a noble post
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Ful wel biloued / and famylier was hee
With Frankeleyns / ouer al in his contree
And eek with worthy wommen / of the town
For he hadde / power of confessioun
As seyde hym self / moore than a curaat
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For of his ordre / he was licenciaat
Ful swetely / herde he confessioū
And plesant. was his absolucioū
He was an esy man / to yeue penaunce
Ther as he wiste / to haue a good pitaunce
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For vn to a poure ordre / for to yeue
Is signe / that a man / is wel yshryue
For if he yaf he dorste make auaunt
He wiste / þt a man was repentaunt
For many a man / so hard is of his herte
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He may nat weepe / thogh þt he soore smerte
Ther fore / in stede of wepynge / and preyeres
Men moote yeue siluer / to the poure freres