The Summoner's Tale
Folio 81v
1 of 15 folios
With outen noyse / or clateryng of belles
Te Deum was oure song and no thyng elles
Saue that to crist / I seyde an orisoū
160
Thankynge hym / of his reuelacioū
For sire and dame / trusteth me right wel
Oure orisons / been wel moore effectuel
And moore we seen / of cristes secree thynges
Than bureƚƚ folk al thogh þt they were kynges
165
We lyue in pouerte / and in abstinence
And bureƚƚ folk in richesse and dispence
Of mete and drynke / and in hir foul delit
We han this worldes lust al in despit
Lazar and Diues / lyueden diuersly
170
And diuerse gerdou / hadde they ther by
Who so wol praye / he moot faste and be clene
And fatte his soule / and make his body lene
We fare as seith thapostle / clooth and foode
Suffiseth vs / thogh they be nat ful goode
175
The clennesse / and the fastyng of vs freres
Maketh / that crist accepteth oure prayeres
¶ Lo Moyses / fourty dayes / and fourty nyght
Fasted / er that the heighe god of myght
Spak with hym / in the mountayne of Synay
180
With empty wombe / fastynge many a day
Receyued he the lawe / that was writen
With goddes fynger / and Elye wel ye witen
In Mount Oreb / er he hadde any speche
With hye god / that is oure lyues leche
185
He fasted longe / and was in contemplaunce
Aaron / that hadde the temple in gouernaunce
And eek that othere preestes euerichon
In to the temple / whan they sholde gon
To preye for the peple / and do seruyse
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They nolden drynken / in no maner wyse
No drynke / which that myghte hem dronke make
But there in abstinence / preye and wake
Lest that they deyden / tak hede what I seye
But they be sobre / that for the peple preye
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War that I seye namoore / for it suffiseth
Oure lord Iħu / as holy writ deuyseth