The Nun's Priest's Tale
Folio 193v
2 of 12 folios
He wolde han fled / but that the fox a noon
Seide / gentil Sire allas / whider wol ȝe goon
465
Be ȝe affrayed of me / that am ȝoure freend
Now certes / I were worse than a feend
If I to ȝow wolde harm / or vylanye
I nam nat come / ȝoure coūseil for to espie
But trewely the cause / of my comyng
470
Was oonly for to herken / how þt ȝe syng
For trewely ȝe han / as merie a steuene
As any Aungel hatħ / þt is in heuene
Ther wt ȝe han in Musyke / more felynge
Than had Boice / or any þt can synge
475
My lord ȝoure fader / god his soule blisse
And eke ȝoure moder / of hire gentillesse
Han in myn hous I ben / to my gret ese
And certes sire / ful fayn wolde I ȝow plese
But for men speke of syngynge / I wol seye
480
So mote I brouke wel / myne eyen tweye
Saue ȝe / I ne herd neuere / man so synge
As dede ȝoure fader / in the morwenynge
Certes it was of herte / al that he song
And for to make his voys / the more strong
485
He wolde so peyne ħī / þt witħ bothe hise eyen
He muste wynke / so loude he wolde cryen
And stonden on his tipptoū / ther witħ al
And strecche fortħ his nekke / longe & smal
And eke he was / of swicħ discrecioun
490
That þere nas noman / in no regioun
That ħī in song or wysdam / mygħte passe
I haue wel red / in Daun Burnel the Asse
Among
his vers
/ how
þt þere was a Cok
There is a small cross in the left margin. ODR
That for a Preestes sone / ȝaf ħī a knok
495
Vp on his leg / whil he was ȝong & nyce
He made ħī for to lese / his benefice
But certeyn þere is / no comperisoun
Betwix the wysdom / & discrecioun
Of ȝoure fader / and of his subtilitee
500
Now syngetħ sire / for seynt Charitee
¶ Lat se / kan ȝe ȝoure fader countrefete
This Chauntecler / his wenges gan to bete
As man þt coude / his tresoū nat espie
So was he rauysshed / witħ his flaterie
505
Allas ȝe lordes / many a fals flaterour