The Manciple's Prologue
Folio 108r
3 of 4 folios
And on the Manciple / bigan he nodde faste
For lakke of speche / and doun the hors hym caste
Wher as he lay / til þt men vp hym took
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This was / a fair chyuachee of a Cook
Allas / he nadde yholde hym / by his ladel
And er þt he / agayn were in his Sadel
Ther was gret showuyng bothe to and fro
To lifte hym vp / and muchel care and wo
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So vnweldy / was this sory palled goost
And to the Manciple / thanne spak oure hoost
¶ By cause / drynke hath domynacioū
Vp on this man / by my sauacioū
I trowe he lewedly / telle wolde his tale
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For were it wyn / or old / or moisty Ale
That he hath dronke / he speketh in his nose
And fneseth faste / and eek he hath the pose
He hath also to do / moore than ynow
To kepen hym / and his capil / out of the Slow
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And if he falle / from his capil eft soone
Than shal we alle / haue ynow to doone
In liftynge vp / his heuy dronken cors
Telle on thy tale / of hym make I no fors
But yet Manciple / in feith thow art to nyce
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Thus openly / repreue hym of his vice
Another day / he wole per auenture
Reclayme thee / and brynge thee to lure
I mene / he speke wole / of smale thynges
As for to pynchen / at thy rekenynges
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That were nat honeste / if it cam to preef
¶ No quod the Manciple / that were a gret mescheef
So myghte he lightly / brynge me in the snare
Yet hadde I leuere / payen for the Mare
Which he rit on / than he sholde wt me stryue
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I wol nat wrathe hym / also mote I thryue
That þt I spak I seyde it in my bourde
And wite what I haue here in a gourde
A draughte of wyn / ye of a rype grape
And right anon / ye shul seen a good Iape
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This Cook / shal drynke ther of if I may
Vp peyne of deeth / he wol nat seye me nay