The General Prologue
Folio 7r
7 of 22 folios
In a gowne of faldyng to the knee
A daggere hangynge on a laas / hadde he
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Aboute his nekke / vnder his arm adown
The hoote Somer / hadde maad his hewe al brown
And certeynly / he was a good felawe
Ful many a draghte of wyn / hadde he drawe
Fro Burdeuxward / whil þt the Chapman sleepe
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Of nyce conscience / took he no keepe
If þt he faught and hadde the hyer hond
By watre he sente hem hoom / to euery lond
But of his craft to rekene wel his tydes
His stremys / and his daungers hym bisydes
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His herberwe and his moone / his lodmenage
Ther was noon swich / from huƚƚ to Cartage
Hardy he was / and wys to vndertake
With many a tempest hadde his beerd been shake
He knew alle the hauenes / as they weere
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Fro Gootlond / to the cape of Fynysteere
And euery cryke / in Britaigne / and in Spaigne
His barge / yclepyd was the Mawdelayne
¶ With vs / ther was / a Doctour of Phisyk
In al this world / ne was ther noon hym lyk
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To speken of Phisyk and of Surgerye
For he was grounded / in Astronomye
He kepte his pacient a ful greet deel
In houres / by his magyk natureel
Wel koude he fortunen / the ascendent
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Of hise ymages / for his pacient
He knew the cause / of euery maladye
Weere it of hoot / or coold / or moyste / or drye
And where it engendred / and of what humour
He was a verray / parfit practisour
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The cause yknowe / and of his harm the roote
Anoon he yaf / the sike man his boote
¶ Ful redy hadde he / hise Apothecaryes
To senden hym / his drogges / and his letuaryes
For eech of hem / maade oother for to wynne
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Hir frendshipe / was noght newe to bigynne
Wel knew he / the oolde Esculapyus
And Discorides / and eek Rufus