The Cook's Tale Folio 53r 1 of 2 folios
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Of many a pilgrym / hast thow cristes curs
For of thy per selee / ȝet they fare the wers
That they han eten / in thy stobel goos
For in thy shoppe / is many a flye loos
Now telle on gentil Roger / be thy name
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But ȝet I preye the / be nat wrotħ for game
A man may sey ful sotħ / in game and pleye
But swhicħ pley / quade pley / as the Flemyng seitħ
And þ er fore herry Bailly / be thy feitħ
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Be thow nat wrotħ / er we depar te heere
Thougħ that my tale / be of an hostelere
But natheles / I wol nat telle it ȝet
But er we Corrected from: depar tepar tede per te / I wysse þ u shalt be quytde par te de is underdotted, but it is also separated with a stroke.
And ther with alle / he lougħ & made chere
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And seide his tale / as ȝe shuln after here
A Prentys whilom / dwelled in oure Citee
Of a craft / of vetayleres was he
And Gaillard was he / as a Goldffyncħ in þ e shawe
Broun as a Bery / a propre short felawe
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W lokkes blake / kembed ful fetisly
Daunce he koude / so wel and iolyly
That he was cleped / Perkyn reuelour
He was as ful of loue / and paramour
As is the hyue / ful of hony swete
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Wel was the wenche / wt hī mygħ t mete
At euer y brydale / wold he synge and hoppe
He loued bet the tauer ne / þ an the shoppe
For whan there ony ridyng
Out of the shoppe / thider wold he lepe
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Til þ at he had / al the sigħ t I seyn
And daunced wele / he nolde nat come ageyn
And gadred hī a meyne / of his sort
To hoppe & synge / and make swicħ disport
And there they setten steuene / for to mete
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To pleye at the Dys / in swicħ a strete
For in the Toun
That fairere coude kast / a peyre of Dys
Than Perkyn coude / and ther to he was free
Of his dispence / in place of preuyte
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That fond his Maister wel / in his chaffare