The Shipman's Tale
Folio 152r
4 of 9 folios
For on my Portos / I make an otħ
That neuere in my lyf / for lief ne lootħ
Ne shal I of no counseile / ȝow bewreye
¶ The same a geyn qd she / to ȝow I seye
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By god and by this Portos / I swere
Thougħ men me wolde / al in peces tere
Ne shal I neuere / for to gon to helle
Bywreye a word / of thyng that ȝe me telle
Nougħt for no Cosynage / ne alliaunce
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But verrayly for loue / and affiaunce
¶ Thus ben they sworn / and here vp on they kiste
And eche of hem / told other what hem liste
Cosyn quod she / if that I hadde a space
As I haue noon / and / namely in this place
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Thāne wolde I telle / a legende of my lif
What I haue suffred / sithe I was a wyf
Witħ myn housbonde / al be he ȝoure Cosyn
¶ Nay qd this Monk / by god and Seynt Martyn
He is no more / Cosyn vn to me
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Than is this lef / that hangetħ on the tre
I clepe hī so / by Seynt Denys of Fraunce
To han the more cause / of aqueyntaunce
Of ȝow / whicħ I haue loued specialy
A bouen alle wommen / sikerly
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This swere I Corrected from: nowȝownȝow / on my professioun
Telletħ ȝoure grief / lest that he come a doun
And hastetħ ȝow / and gotħ a wey a noon
¶ My dere loue qd she / o myn Daun Ioħn
Ful lief were me / this counseil for to hide
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But out it mot / I may no lengere a bide
Myn husbonde is to me / the werst man
That euere was / sithe that the world bygan
But sithe I am a wif / it syt nat me
To tellen no wygħt / of oure pryuyte
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Neither a bedde / ne in noon other place
God shilde I shulde it telle / for his grace
A wif ne shal nat seyn / of hire housbonde
But al honour / as I can vnderstonde
Saue vn to ȝow / thus meche I tellen shal
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As helpe me god / he is nougħt wortħ at al
In no degree / the value of a flye
But ȝet me greuetħ moste / his nygardye
And wel ȝe wot / that wōmen naturely
Desiren thynges / sexe / as wel as I