The Merchant's Tale
Folio 110v
2 of 27 folios
Neditħ it nomore / for hī to go ne ride
He was a poynted / there he wold a byde
Placebo cam / and eke hise frendes sone
And alderfirst / he bad hē alle a boone
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That noone of hē / noone argumentez make
A geyn the purpos / whicħ þt he hatħ take
Whicħ purpos / was plesyng to god / seide he
And verray ground / of his prosperite
He seide there was / a mayden in the toun
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Whicħ that of beaute / had gret renoun
Al were it so / she were of smal degree
Suffisetħ hym / hire ȝouthe and hire beaute
Whicħ maide he seide / he wolde han to his wyf
To lede in ease and holynesse / his lyf
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And thanke god / that he mygħt haue hire al
That no wygħt / his blisse parten shal
And preyed hem / to laboure in this nede
And shape that he / faille nat to spede
For than he seide / his spirit was at ease
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Than is qd he / no thyng may me displese
Saue o thyng / prykketħ in my conscience
The whicħ I wol reherce / in ȝoure persence
I haue qd he herd seid / ful ȝore a go
There may noman haue / parfyt blisses two
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This is to seyn / in erthe and eke in heuene
For thougħ he kepe hī / fro the synnes seuene
And eke from euery braunche / of thilke tree
Ȝet is there / so parfyt felicite
And so grete ese / and lust in mariage
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That euere I am a gast / now in myn age
That I shal lede now / so mery a lyf
So delicat / witħ outen woo and strif
That I shal haue / myn heuene in erthe heere
For sithe that verray heuene / is bougħt so dere
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Witħ tribulacioūs / and gret penaunce
How shuld I than / that lyue in swicħ plesaunce
As alle wedded men / don witħ here wyues
Come to the blisse / there crist eterne / oon lyue ys
This is my drede / and ȝe myne bretheryn twey
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Assoyletħ me / this questioū / I prey
Iustinus / whicħ that hated his foly
Answered a noon / rigħt in his iapery
And for he wold / his longe tale a bregge
He wold noon auctorite / allege
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But seide sire / so there be noon obstacle