The Friar's Tale Folio 81v 1 of 9 folios
25
Telletħ ȝoure tale / and late the Sompnour be
Nay qd the Sompnour / late hī sey to me
What so hī list / whan it cometħ to my lot
By god I shal hī quyten / euer y grot
I shal hī telle / whicħ a gret honour
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It is to be / a flateryng
And eke / of ful many / a nother crime
Whicħ nedetħ nat / to rehercen at this tyme
And his office / I shal hī telle I wys
35
Telletħ fortħ ȝoure tale / myn owen maister dere
Wh ilom there was dwellyng
An Archedekene / a man of hey degree
That boldely / dede / execuciou
In punysshyng
5
Of wychecraft / and eke of baudrye
Of diffamacion / and aduoutrye
Of chirche Reues / and of testamentes
Of Contractes / and of lak of Sacramentes
Of vsurie / and of Symonye also
10
But certis lecchours / dide he grettest woo
They shulden synge / if that they were hent
And smale titheres / weren foule I shent
If ony Persone / wold vp on hē pleyne
There mygħ t a stert hī / no pecunyal peyne
15
For smale tithes / and for smale offrynge
He mad the peeple / pytously to synge
For er the Busshope / caugħ t hē witħ his hoke
They weren / in the Archedekenes boke
And than had he / thurgħ his Iurisdicciou
20
Power / to don on hem correccioū
He had a Sompnour / redy to his hond
A slier boy / was noon in Engelond
For sotilly he had / his espialle
That taugħ t hī wele / where it mygħ t a vaille
25
He coude Corrected from: sparesperespa ere / of lecchoures oon or twoo
To techen hī / to foure and twenty moo
For thougħ this Sompnor / wod were as an hare
To telle hise harlotrie / I wyl nat spare
For we ben out / of Corrected from: hisherehis ere correcciou
30
They han of vs / no Iurisdicciou