The Manciple's Prologue
Folio 107r
1 of 4 folios
And hye vp on a tree / he fley anon
¶ And whan the fox say / þt he was gon
Allas quod he / o Chauntecler Allas
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I haue to yow quod he / ydon trespas
In as muche / as I maked yow aferd
Whan I yow hente / and broghte in to this yerd
But sire / I dide it in no wikke entente
Com doun / and I shal telle yow what I mente
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I shal seye sooth to yow / god help me so
¶ Nay thanne quod he / I shrewe vs bothe two
And first I shrewe my self / bothe blood and bones
If thow bigile me / any ofter than ones
Thow shalt namoore / thurgh thy flaterye
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Do me to synge / and wynken wt myn eye
For he þt wynketh / whan he sholde see
Al wilfully / god lat hym neuere thee
¶ Nay quod the fox / but god yeue hym meschaūce
That is / so vndiscret of gouernaūce
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That Iangleth / whan he sholde holde his pees
¶ Lo / swich it is / for to be recchelees
And necligent and truste on flaterye
But ye / þt holden this tale a folye
As of a fox / or of a cok and hen
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Taketh the moralitee / goode men
For Seint Poul seith / þt al that writen is
To oure doctryne / it is ywrite ywis
Taketh the fruyt and lat the chaf be stille
Now goode god / if þt it be thy wille
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As seith my lord / so make vs alle goode men
And brynge vs / to his heye blisse Amen ~
¶ Here is ended / the Nonnes preestes tale ~
¶ And here folweth the prologe of the Manciples tale ~
Woot ye nat where / ther stant a litel town
Which / þt clepid is / Bobbe vpanddown
Vnder the Blee / in Caunterbury weye
Ther gan oure hoost for to iape and pleye
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And seyde sires / what / Don is in the Myre
Is ther no man / for preyere ne for hyre