The Nun's Priest's Tale Folio 189v 1 of 12 folios
70
What eyletħ yow to grone in this manere
Ȝe ben a verrey slepere / fy for shame
And he answerde / and seide thus Madame
I preye yow / that ȝe take it nat a grief
By god me mette / I was in swicħ meschief
75
Rigħ t now / þ t ȝet myn herte is sore a frigħ t
Now god qd he / my sweuene recche a rigħ t
W Inne oure ȝerd / where as I saugħ a beest
80
Was lyke an hound & wolde han mad a reest
Vp on my body and an had me deed
His colour was bitwexe / ȝelew and reed
And tipped was his tail / & bothe hise Erys
Witħ blak / vnlike the remenaū t of hise heris
85
His snoute was smal / wt glowyng
Ȝet for his look / for fere al moost I deye
This caused me / my gronyng
Allas quod she / for by þ t god a boue
90
Now han ȝe loost myn herte / & al my loue
I can nougħ t loue a Coward / by my feitħ
For certes / what so any wō man seitħ
We alle desyren / if it mygħ t be
To han an housbonde / hardy wys & free
95
Ne hī þ t is a gast / of euer y tool
Ne noon auentour / by þ at god a boue
How dursten ȝe for shame / seye to ȝoure loue
That any thyngħ t make ȝow a ferd
100
Han ȝe no mā nes herte / and han a berd
Allas / and konne ȝe ben a gast of sweuenys
No thyng
Sweuenes ben engendred / of replexiouns
And ofte of fume / and of complexiouns
105
Whan humours ben to habundaū t / in a wygħ t
Certes this drem / whicħ ȝe han met to nygħ t
Cometħ of the gret / super fluytee
Of ȝoure rede Colera / parde
Whicħ causetħ folk / to dredyn in here dreemes
110
Of arwes and of fyr / witħ rede lemes
Of rede beestes / that they wol hem byte
Of contekes and of waspes / grete and lyte
Rigħ t as the humour / of malencolie
Causetħ many a man / in sleepe to crie
115
For fere of Blake Beres / or Booles blake
Or elles blake deueles / þ t wole hem take
Of othere humours / coude I telle also
That werken many a man / in sleepe ful woo
But I wol passe / as ligħ tly as I can
120
Lo Catoū whicħ / þ t was so wys a man
Seide he nat thus / ne do no fors of dremes
Now sire qd she / whan we flee fro theise bemes
For goddes loue / as take som laxatyf
Vp per il of my soule / and of my lyf
125
I counseil yow the beste / I wol nat lye
That bothe of colour / and of malencolie
Ȝe purge ȝow and for ȝe shuln nat tarie
Thougħ in this toun / is noon Appotocarie
I shal my self / to herbes techen ȝow
130
That shal be for ȝoure ese / & for ȝoure prow
The whicħ han / of here pro prete / by kynde
To purgen ȝow bynethe / and eke a boue
Sire forȝete nat this / for goddes loue
135
Ȝe ben ful colerik / of complexioun
War that the sonne / in his assencioun
Ne fynde ȝow nat replet / of humours hote
And if it do / I dar wel leye a grote
That ȝe shuln han / a feuere terciane
140
Or an agu / whicħ þ t may be ȝoure bane
Of wormes / or ȝe take ȝoure laxatyues
Of lauriol / centaure / and fumetere
Or elles of ellebor / that growetħ there
145
Of Catapuce / or of gait Rys beries
Of herbe yue / growyng in oure ȝerd þ er e merie is
Pikke hē rigħ t as they growe / and ete hem In
Betħ merie housbonde for ȝoure fader kyn
150
But nathelees / as touchyng
That hatħ of wysdom / swicħ a gret renoun
Thougħ þ t he bad / no dremes for to drede
By god men moun / in olde bookes rede
155
Of many a man / more of auctoritee