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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
The Merchant's Tale Folio 108v 24 of 27 folios
Ne children shulde I noone / vp oon hire geten
Ȝet were me leuere / houndes had me eten
195
Than that myn heritage / shulde falle
In straunge hand / and this I telle ȝow alle
I doute nougħ t / I wot the cause why
Men shulde wedde / and forthermore wot I
There speketħ many man / of mariage
200
That wot nomore of it / than wot my page
For whicħ causes / man shulde take a wyf
If he ne may nat / lyue chast his lyf
Take hī a wyf / witħ gret deuocioū
By cause of leueful / procreacioū
205
Of children / to honour of god a boue
And nat oonly / for par amour or loue
And ȝelde here dettes / whan that it is due
Or for that eche of hem / shulde helpen other
210
In myschief / as a Suster shal the brother
And lyue in chastite / ful holily
But Sires be ȝoure leue / that am nat I
For god be thanked / I dar make a vaunt
I fele myne lymes stark / and sufficeaunt
215
To do al that a man / bylongetħ to
I wot my self best / what I may do
Thougħ I be hore / I fare as dotħ a tree
That blomytħ / er þ at fruyt I wexen be
220
I fele me nowher hore / but oon myn hede
Myn herte and alle myne lymes / ben as grene
As laureƚƚ thurgħ the ȝere / is for to sene
And syn that ȝe / han herd al myn entent
I preye ȝow to my wyl / ȝe wyln assent
225
Dyuer se men / diuersly hī told
Of mariage / manye ensaumples old
Some blamed it / some preised it certeyn
But at the laste / shortly for to seyn
As al day falletħ / altercaciou
230
Be twixe frendes / in disputacioū
There fel a strif / be twix hise bretheren two
Of whicħ / þ at on / was cleped / Placebo
Iustinus sotħ ly / called was that other
Placebo seide / o Ianuare brother
235
Ful litel nede / had ȝe my lord so deere
Counseil to aske / of ony that is heere