The Nun's Priest's Tale
Folio 106v
15 of 16 folios
Xxx out at dores / stirten they anon
xnd seyen the fox / toward the groue gon
And bar vp on his bak the cok / away
560
And criden / out harrow and weilaway
Ha / ha. the fox / and after hym they ran
And eek with staues / many another man
Ran Colle oure dogge / and Talbot and Gerland
And Malkyn / with a distaf in hir hand
565
Ran Cow and calf / and eek the verray hogges
So fered / for berkynge of the dogges
And showtynge of the men / and wōmen eek
They ronne so / hem thoughte hir herte breek
They yelleden / as fendes doon in helle
570
The dokes cryden / as men wolde hem quelle
The gees for feere / flowen ouer the trees
Out of the hyue / cam the swarm of bees
So hydous was the noyse / a benedicite
Certes / he Iakke Straw / and his meynee
575
Ne made neuere showtes / half so shrille
Whan þt they wolden / any flemyng kille
As thilke day / was maad vp on the fox
Of bras / they broghten bemys / and of box
Of horn / of boon / in whiche they blewe and powped
580
And ther with al / they skryked and they howped
It semed / as þt heuene sholde falle
Now goode men / I prey yow herkneth alle
¶ Lo / how Fortune / turneth sodeynly
The hope / and pryde eek of hire enemy
585
This cok þt lay vp on the foxes bak
In al his drede / vn to the fox he spak
And seyde sire / if þt I were as ye
Yit sholde I seyn / as wys god helpe me
Turneth ayein ye proude cherles alle
590
A verray pestilence / vp on yow falle
Now I am come / vn to this wodes syde
Maugree youre heed / the cok shal here abyde
I wol hym ete in feith / and that anon
¶ The fox answerde / in feith it shal be don
595
And he spak that word / al sodeynly
This cok / brak from his mouth delyuerly