The Friar's Tale
Folio 84r
6 of 9 folios
Come there / the nedetħ nat / of me to lere
For þu shalt / be thyn owen experience
Come in a chayer / rede al this sentence
Bette than virgile / while he was on lyue
220
Or Dant also / now late vs ride blyue
For I wyl holde / companye witħ the
Til it be so / that thow forsake me
¶ Nay q
d this Sompno
r / that shal nat betide
¶ Sompnour
I am a ȝeman / that knowen is ful wyde
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My trouthe wol I holde / as in this caas
For thougħ thow were / the deuele Sathanas
My trouthe wyl I holde / to the my brother
As I haue sworñ / and ecħ of vs to other
For to be trewe bretheren / as in this cas
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And bothe we gon / a bouten oure purchas
Take thow thy part / what Corrected from: <nothing> þ þ men wol the ȝeue
And I shal myn / thus may we bothe leue
And if that any of vs / haue more than other
Lat hī be trewe / and part it witħ his brother
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¶ I gaunte qd the Deuele / be my fey
And witħ that word / they ryden fortħ here wey
And rigħt at the entryng / of the tounes ende
To whicħ this Sompnor / shope hī for to wende
They saw a cart / that charged was witħ hey
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Whicħ that a Cartere / drof fortħ in his wey
Depe was the weye / for whicħ the cart stode
This Cartere smot / and cried as he were wode
Hayt Brok hayt Skot / what spare ȝe for the stones
The fend qd he / ȝow fecche body and bones
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As ferfortħ / as euere were ȝe foled
So mechil woo / as I haue witħ ȝow tholed
The deuele haue al / bothe hors Cart and hey
¶ This Sompnor seide / here shuln we han a pley
And nere the fend he drow / as nougħt ne were
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Ful pryuely / and rovned in his Eere
Herkene my brother / herken be thyn feitħ
Herest thow nat how / that the Cartere seitħ
Hent it a noon / for he hatħ ȝeue it the
Bothe hey and cart / and eke hise caples three
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Nay qd the deuele / god wot neuere a dele
It is nat his entent / trost me wele
Aske hī thy selue / if þu nat trowest me
Or ellis stynt a while / and þu shalt se
This Cartere takkitħ his hors / on the croupe
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And they bygonne / to drawen & to stoupe
Hayt now qd he / there iħu cist ȝow blisse
And al his handwerk / bothe more & lesse
That was wel twyt / myn owen Lyard boyM