The Summoner's Tale
Folio 86r
14 of 15 folios
That euery man sholde han / ylike his part /
As of a soun / or sauour / of a fart
O nyce prowde cherl / I shrewe his face
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¶ Lo sires quod the lord / with harde grace
Who euere herde / of swich a thyng er now
To euery man ylike / tel me how
It is an inpossible / it may nat be
Ey nyce cherl / god lat hym neuere thee
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The rumblyng of a fart and euery soun
Nys but of Eyr / reuerberacioun
And ther it wasteth / lite and lite awey
Ther nys no man / kan deme by my fey
If that it were / departed equally
530
What lo my cherl / lo yet how shrewedly
Vn to my confessour / to day he spak
I holde hym certeynly / demonyak
Now ete youre mete / and lat the cherl go pleye
Lat hym go hange hym self a deuel weye
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¶ Now stood / the lordes Squyer at the boord
That carf his mete / and herde word by woord
Of alle thyng of which I haue yow sayd
¶ My lord quod he / be ye nat yuele apayd
I koude telle / for a gowne clooth
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To yow sire frere / so ye be nat wrooth
How that this fart sholde euene ydeled be
Among youre Couent if it liked me
¶ Tel quod the lord / and thow shalt haue anon
A gowne clooth / by god and by Seint Ioħn
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¶ My lord quod he / whan that the weder is fair
With outen wynd / or perturbynge of Air
Lat brynge a Cartwheel / heere in to this halle
But looke that it haue / his spokes alle
Twelf spokes / hath a Cartwheel comunly
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And brynge me thanne twelf freres / woot ye why
For thrittene / is a Couent as I gesse
Youre confessour heere / for his worthynesse
Shal parfourne vp / the nombre of this Couent
Thanne shal they knele adown / by oon assent
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And to euery spokes ende / in this manere
Ful sadly / leye his nose / shal a frere