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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 Man of Law's Tale Folio 58r 19 of 21 folios
Cold water shal nouȝt greue vs / but a lite
255
And I shal swicħ a feest / and reuel make
That as I trowe / I shal the Soudan quyte
For thougħ his wyf be ci stened / neuer e so whyte
She shal haue nede / to wasshe a wey the rede
Thougħ she a fontful water / witħ hire lede
260
Virago thow semirame / the secounde
O serpent / vnder femynynytee
Like to the serpent / depe in helle I bounde
O feyned womman / al that may confounde
265
Vertue and innocence / thurgħ thy malice
Is bred in the / as neste of euery vyce
That thow were chased / from oure heritage
Wel knowest þ u / to wommen the olde way
270
Thow madest Eue / brynge vs in seruage
Thow wylt for don / this cristene mariage
Thyn instrument / so welawey the whyle
Makest þ u of wō men / whan þ u wylt begyle
275
Leet pryuyly hire counseil / gon here way
What shulde I in this tale / lengere tary
She rideth to the Soudan / on a day
And seide hī that she wolde / reneye hire lay
And cristendome / of prestes handes fonge
280
Repentynge hire / she hethene was so longe
That she must han / the cristene folk to fest
To plesen hem / I wyl do my labour
The Soudan seitħ / I wyl don at ȝoure hest
285
And knelynge thanketh hire / of that request
So glad was he / he nyst what to seye
She kist hire sone / and hom she gotħ hire weye
In Surrye / wt a gret solempne route
290
And hastilicħ this Soudan / sent his sonde
First to his moder / and al the regne a boute
And seide / his wyf was comen / out of doute
And preyede hire for to ride / a geyne the Quene
The honour of his regne / to sustene
295
Of Surreyens and Romayns / mette I feere