The Summoner's Tale
Folio 82r
6 of 15 folios
Yaf vs ensample / of fastyng / and prayeres
Ther fore / we mendynantz / we sely freres
Been wedded / to pouerte and continence
200
To charitee / humblesse and abstinence
To persecucioū / for rightwisnesse
To wepyng misericorde and clennesse
And ther fore may ye se / that oure prayeres
I speke of vs / we mendinantz / we freres
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Be to the hye god / moore acceptable
Than youres / with youre festes at the table
Fro Paradys first if I shal nat lye
Was man out chaced / for his glotonye
And chaast was man / in Paradys certeyn
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¶ But herkne Thomas / what I shal seyn
I ne haue no text of it as I suppose
But I shal fynde it in a maner glose
That specially / oure swete lord Iħus
Spak this by freres / whan he seyde thus
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Blessed be they / that poure in Spirit been
And so forth / al the gospel / may ye seen
Wher it be likker / oure professioū
Or hire / that swymmen in possessioū
Fy on hir pompe / and hir glotonye
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And for hir lewednesse / I hem diffye
Me thynketh / they been lyk Iouynyan
Fat as a whale / and walkyng as a swan
Al vynolent as Botel in the Spence
Hir preyere is / of ful greet reuerence
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Whan they for soules / seye the psalm of Dauit
Lo buf they seye / cor meum eructauit
Who folweth cristes gospel / and his foore
But we that hūble been / and chaast / and poore
Werkers of goddes word / nat Auditours
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Ther fore / right as an hauk / vp at a sours
Vp spryngeth in to theyr / right so prayeres
Of charitable / and chaste bisy freres
Maken hir sours / to goddes erys two
Thomas / Thomas / so mote I ryde or go
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And by that lord / that clepid is Seint yue
Nere thow oure brother / sholdestow nat thryue