The General Prologue
Folio 8v
6 of 9 folios
465
And thries had she ben / at Ierusalem
She had passed / many a straunge strem
At Rome had she be / and at Boloyne
In Galice at Seynt Iamez / and at Coloyne
She coude meche / of wandryng by the weye
470
Gat tothed was she / sothly to seye
Vp on an aumblere / esily she sat
Wel I wympled / and on hire hed an hat
As brod as is / a bokeler or a targe
A fote mantel / aboute hire hepes large
475
And on hire fete / a peire of spores sharpe
In felashippe / coude she / laughe & carpe
The remedies of loue / she coude par chaunce
For of þat art / she knew þe olde daunce
A Good man
þere was
/ of religion
¶ A parsoun
480
That was
/ Corrected from: a Persou / of a poreof a pore / a Persoūa b Persoū / of a a pore toun
Persou : A letter b is written above the word Persou , and a letter a above the word pore to indicate the correct word order in a lighter shade of ink.ODR
But riche he was / of holy thouȝt and werke
He was also / a lerned man / a clerke
That cristes gospel / trewely wold preche
His perisshyns deuoutly / wold he teche
485
Benygne he was / and wonder diligent
And in aduersite / ful a bidyng / and pacient
For whicħ he was preued / often sithes
Ful loth were hī to curse / for hise tithes
But rather wold he ȝeuen / wt oute doute
490
Vn to his pore parisshyns / a boute
Of his offryng / and eke of his substance
He coude in litil / thyng / haue suffisance
Wyde was his perissħ / and houses fer a sonder
But he left nouȝt / for reyn ne for thonder
495
In sekenesse and in myschef / to visite
The ferthest / in his perissħ / moche and lite
Vp on his feet / and in his hond a staf
This noble ensaumple / to his shepe he ȝaf
That first he wrouȝt / and afterward he taugħt
500
Ouȝt of þe gospel / he tho wordes caugħt
And this figre / he added eke ther to
That if gold rust / what shuld Iren do
For if a preest be foul / on whom we trust
No wonder is / a lewed man to rust
505
And shame it is / if a preest take kepe
To se a sheton shepherde / & a clene shepe