The Monk's Prologue
Folio 206r
1 of 4 folios
890
¶ And Tulliius seiþe ; þer is no þinge so cōmendable in
a grete lorde
as whan he is debonaire & meke & appeseþ him mekely
¶ And
.I. preie ȝowe þat ȝe wil for bere nowe to do vengeance
in suche maner
þat ȝour goode name may be kepped & conserued ;
and þat men maie haue cau-
se & matier to peryse ȝowe of pite & of mercye ;
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And þat ȝe haue no cause to re-
pente ȝowe of þinge þat \ȝe/ is done
¶ For Senec seiþe ; he repenteþ him ī
yuel manere þat repenteþ him of his victorie
wherefore .I. preie ȝowe ; lete
Mercy be in ȝoure herte ;
to þeffecte & þentente þat god al myhty haue
Mercy vpon ȝowe in his last Iugement
wiþ outen mercy schal be to hī
þt haþe no mercye of a noþere wyht
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¶ whan Mellibe hadde herd þe grete
skils & resons of dame Prudence ; and of hire wise informacions & te-
cheinges
his hert gan encline to þe wiƚƚ of his wif consideringe to þe
trewe entent
conformed him a name ; & assented Fully to worchen after
hire conseile ;
& þongede \god/ of whome procedeþ al godenesse þat him sent a wif
of so discrecione ;
¶ And whan þe daie cam þat his aduersaries schold appere
in his presence .
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He spak to hem ful goodly And seide to hem in þis wise ;
Al
be it soo ; þat of ȝoure pride & be persumcion & foly . & of ȝoure nõligence &
vnkunynge
ȝe haue misborne ȝowe & trespassed to me ;
ȝitt for al so muche
as .I. see & be holde ȝoure gre humilite ;
& þat ȝe bene sori & repentant of ȝour
giltes
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it constreyne me to do ȝowe grace & mercye ;
where fore .I. receyve ȝowe
to my grace ;
& for ȝeue ȝowe vtterly al þoffences Iniuries & wronges þt
ȝe haue done aȝeines me & myne
to þis affecte & to þis ende þat god of his
endeles mercy
wole att þe time of our deyeinge forȝeuen oure gelte þat we
haue trespased vn to hī ī þis wrecched werld ;
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¶ For doubtelesse if we bien
sory & repentant of þe sinnes & giltes þe whiche we haue trespasede in þõ
siht of oure lorde gode ;
He is so fre & so merciful
þat he wil forȝeuen vs
ower giltes
& bringe vs vnto þilke blisse þat neuer haþ ende ; To whi-
che blisse he vs bringe þat blod on crosse for vs spreynde . Qui cum prexx .
Explicit Fabula Galfridi Chaucer de Mellibeo . Milite
Incipit prologus de Monacho .
Whan endede was þe tale of Mellibe
And of Prudence & of hire benygnite
Oure Oste seide as .I. am Feiþful man
And be þe precious corpus Madrian
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.I. had leuere þan a barel ale
That good lef my wif hadde herde þis tale
For sche nys no þinge of suche pacience
As was þis Mellebes wif Prudence
Be goddes bones whan .I. bete my knaues
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Sche bringeþ me þe grete clobbed staues
And crieþ slee þe dogges euerychone
And brekeþ boþe bak & bone