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1. The General Prologue
2. The Knight's Tale
3. The Miller's Prologue
4. The Miller's Tale
5. The Reeve's Prologue
6. The Reeve's Tale
7. The Cook's Prologue
8. The Cook's Tale
9. Introduction to the Man of Law's Tale
10. The Man of Law's Tale
11. The Wife of Bath's Prologue
12. The Wife of Bath's Tale
13. The Friar's Prologue
14. The Friar's Tale
15. The Summoner's Prologue
16. The Summoner's Tale
17. The Clerk's Tale
18. Lenvoye de Chaucer
19. Words of the Host
20. The Merchant's Prologue
21. The Merchant's Tale
22. Epilogue to the Merchant's Tale
23. The Squire's Tale
24. The Franklin's Tale
25. The Physician's Tale
26. Introduction to the Pardoner's Tale
27. The Pardoner's Prologue & Tale
28. The Shipman's Tale
29. The Prioress' Tale
30. The Tale of Sir Thopas
31. Here the Host 'stynteth' Chaucer's Tale of Sir Thopas
32. The Tale of Melibeus
33. The Monk's Prologue
34. The Monk's Tale
35. The Nun's Priest's Prologue
36. The Nun's Priest's Tale
37. Epilogue to the Nun's Priest's Tale
38. The Second Nun's Tale
39. The Canon's Yeoman's Prologue
40. The Canon's Yeoman's Tale
Introduction to the Man of Law's Tale Folio 54r 1 of 3 folios
Sic desunt fabula Coci/ & Incipit pro logus legis per iti ;
A new folded folio begins here in the quire and the folio has a smaller number of line to the page. ODR
Oure h ost saw wel / þ t the brigħ t sonne
The ark of his artificiale day / hatħ ronne
The ferthe part / and half an oure & more
And thougħ t he were not / depe I stert in lore
5
He wist it was / the eigħ t and twenty day
Of Apriƚƚ / that is messanger vn to May
And saw wel / þ t the shadewe of euer y tree
Was as in lengthe / the same quantite
That was the body erecte / that causet it
10
And þ er fore by the shadewe / he tok his wyt
That phebus / whicħ þ t shone / so clere and brigħ t
Sixe degrees was fyue & fourty clombe on heigħ t
And for that day / as in that latitude
It was ten of the clok / he gan conclude
15
And sodeynly he pligħ t / his hors a boute
Lordynggis qd he / I warne ȝow alle this route
The ferthe par tie of this day / is gon
Now for the loue of god / & of Seynt Ioħ n
Lesetħ no tyme / as ferfortħ as ȝe may
20
Lordynggis the tyme wastetħ / nygħ t & day
And steletħ from vs / what preuyly slepynge
And what þ orugħ negligence / in oure wakynge
As doth the strem / that tr netħ neuer e a geyn
Descendyng fro the mounteyn / in to a pleyn
25
Wel can Senek / and many a Philosophre
By waylen tyme / more than gold in coffre
For losse of catel / may recouered be
But losse of tyme / shendetħ vs qd he
It wyl not comen a geyn / wt outen drede
30
Nomore than wyl / Malkyns maydenhede
Whan she hatħ lost it / in hire wantounesse
Lat vs nougħ t mowlen thus / in Idelnesse
Sire man of lawe qd he / so haue ȝe blisse
Telle vs a tale a non / as forward isse
35
Ȝe ben submytted / thurgħ ȝoure free assent
To stonden in this cas / at my Iugement
Acquiteth ȝow now / of ȝoure byhest
Than han ȝe don / ȝoure deuer at the lest
Host qd he / depar dieux iche assent
40
To breke forward / is not myn entent
Byhest is dette / and I wol holde fayne
Al my behest / I can no betre sayne