The Summoner's Tale
Folio 89r
11 of 13 folios
If it be good / in Thomas lyf of Ynde
Ȝe lyn here ful of anger / and of Ire
Witħ whicħ the deuele / settetħ ȝoure hert a fyre
275
And chiden heere / the Corrected from: holyselyholy sely Innocent
Ȝoure Corrected from: <nothing> wyfwyf / that is so meke and pacient
And therfore Thomas / trowe me if þu lest
Ne stryue nat witħ thy wyf / as for the best
And bere this word a wey / now be thy feytħ
280
Touchyng swicħ thyng / lo what the wyseman seitħ
Witħ Inne thyn hous / ne be þu no lyoū
To thyne suggettz / do non oppressioū
Ne make thyn acqueyntaunce / nat to flee
And Thomas / ȝet eftsones charge I the
285
Be war from hire / that in thy bosom slepetħ
War froo the serpent / that so slyly crepetħ
Vnder the gras / and styngetħ sotilly
Be war my sone / and herkene paciently
That twenty thousand men / han lost here lyues
290
For stryuyng witħ here lemmans / and here wyues
Now syn ȝe han / so holy meeke a wyf
What nedetħ ȝow / Thomas to maken strif
Ther nys I wysse / no serpent so cruelle
Whan a man tret vp on his tail / ne half so felle
295
As womman is / whan she hatħ caugħt an Ire
Vengeaunce is thanne / al that they desire
Ire is a synne Corrected from: <nothing> onon / of the greete Corrected from: <nothing> ofof Seuene
Abhominable / to the god of heuene
And to hī self / it is destruccione
300
This euery lewed vyker / or Persone
Can seyn / how Ire / engendretħ homycide
Ire is in sotħ / executour of pryde
I coude of Ire / seyn so mechil sorwe
My tale shuld laste / til to morwe
305
And þerfore preye I god / bothe day & nygħt
An Irous man / god sende hī litel mygħt
It is gret harm / and certes greet pitee
To sette an Irous man / in heye degree
¶ Whilom there was
/ an Irous potestate
There is a cross in dry point in the right margin.ODR
310
As seitħ Senek / that duryng his estate
Vp on a day / out redyn knygħtes twoo
And as fortune wolde / that it was so
That oon of hem cam hom / that othir nougħt
A noon the knygħt / byfore the Iuge is brougħt
315
That seide thus / thow hast thy felawe slayne
For whicħ I deme the / to the detħ certayne
And to a nother knygħt / comaunded he