The Summoner's Tale
Folio 84v
11 of 15 folios
xys nat a tyle / yet with Inne oure wones
By god / we owen fourty pound for stones
Now help Thomas / for hym þt harwed helle
400
Or ellis mote we / oure bookes selle
And if yow lakke / oure predicacioū
Thanne gooth the world / al to destruccioū
For who so / fro this world / wolde vs bireue
So god me saue / Thomas by youre leue
405
He wolde bireue / out of the world the sonne
For who kan teche / and werchen as we konne
And that is nat of litel tyme quod he
But sith Elie was / or Elize
Han freres been / that fynde I of record
410
In charitee / thonked be oure lord
Now Thomas / help for Seinte charitee
And down anon / he set hym on his knee
¶ This sike man / weex wel neigh wood for Ire
He wolde / that the frere / hadde been afire
415
With his false dissimulacioū
Swich thyng / as is in my possessioū
Quod he / ; that may I yeue and noon oother
Ye sey me thus / how that I am youre brother
¶ Ye certes quod the frere / trusteth wel
420
I took oure dame / oure lettre with oure sel
¶ Now wel quod he / and som what shal I yeue
Vn to youre holy Couent whil I lyue
And in thyn hand / thow shalt it han anon
On this condicioū / and oother noon
425
That thow departe it so / my deere brother
That euery frere / haue as muche as oother
This shaltow swere / on thy professioū
With outen fraude / or cauelacioū
¶ I swere it quod this frere / vp on my feith
430
And ther with al / his hand in his he leith
Lo here my feith / in me / shal be no lak
¶ Now thanne put thyn hand / down by my bak
Seyde this man / and grope wel bihynde
Bynethe my buttok there shaltow fynde
435
A thyng that I haue hyd in pryuetee
¶ A thoghte this frere / that shal go with me