The Shipman's Tale
Folio 154r
8 of 9 folios
¶ The Sonday next / the Marchaunt was a gon
To Seynt Denys / I comen is Daun Ioħn
Witħ crovne and berd al fressħ / and newe I shaue
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In al the hous / there nas so litel a knaue
Ne no wigħt elles / that he nas ful fayne
That my lord Daun Ioħn / was come a gayne
And shortly to the poynt / rigħt for to gon
This faire wyf a corded / witħ Daun Ioħn
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That for this hondred frankes / he shulde al nygħt
Haue hire in hise armes / bolt vp rigħt
And this a cord / parformed was in dede
In myrthe al nygħt / a besy lif they lede
Til it was day / that Daun Ioħn went his way
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And bad the meyne / fare wel haue good day
For noon of hem / ne no wigħt in the toun
Hatħ of Daun Ioħn / rigħt no suspeccioun
And fortħ he ridetħ home / to his Abbeye
Or where hī list / nomore of hī I seye
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¶ This Marchaūt / whan that ended was the feire
To Seynt Denys / he gan for to repeire
And witħ his wyf / he maketħ feste and chere
And telletħ hire / that chaffare is so dere
That nedes must he make / a cheuysaunce
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For he was bounde / in a reconysaunce
To paie twenty thousand sheldes / a noon
For whicħ this Marchaūt / is to Parys gon
To borwe of certeyne frendes / that he hadde
A certeyne frankes / & some witħ hī he ladde
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And whan that he was come / in to the Toun
For gret chierte / and gret affeccioū
Vn to Daun Ioħn / he first gotħ hī to pleye
Nat for to axe / or borwe of hī moneye
But for to wyte / and sen of his welfare
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And for to tellen hī / of his chaffare
As frendes doon / whan they ben met I fere
Daun Ioħn hī maketħ feest / and mery chiere
And he hī told a geyn / ful specialy
How he had wel I bougħt / and gaciously
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Thanked by god / al hool his marchandise
Saue that he must / in al manere of wyse
Maken a cheuysaūce / as for his beste
And thanne he shulde / ben in ioye & reste
Daun Ioħn answerde / certes I am fayn