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1. The General Prologue
2. The Knight's Tale
3. The Miller's Prologue
4. The Miller's Tale
5. The Reeve's Prologue
6. The Reeve's Tale
7. The Cook's Prologue
8. The Cook's Tale
9. Introduction to the Man of Law's Tale
10. The Man of Law's Tale
11. The Wife of Bath's Prologue
12. The Wife of Bath's Tale
13. The Friar's Prologue
14. The Friar's Tale
15. The Summoner's Prologue
16. The Summoner's Tale
17. The Clerk's Tale
18. Lenvoye de Chaucer
19. Words of the Host
20. The Merchant's Prologue
21. The Merchant's Tale
22. Epilogue to the Merchant's Tale
23. The Squire's Tale
24. The Franklin's Tale
25. The Physician's Tale
26. Introduction to the Pardoner's Tale
27. The Pardoner's Prologue & Tale
28. The Shipman's Tale
29. The Prioress' Tale
30. The Tale of Sir Thopas
31. Here the Host 'stynteth' Chaucer's Tale of Sir Thopas
32. The Tale of Melibeus
33. The Monk's Prologue
34. The Monk's Tale
35. The Nun's Priest's Prologue
36. The Nun's Priest's Tale
37. Epilogue to the Nun's Priest's Tale
38. The Second Nun's Tale
39. The Canon's Yeoman's Prologue
40. The Canon's Yeoman's Tale
The Tale of Melibeus Folio 160v 1 of 32 folios
I wol ȝow telle / a litil thyng in prose
20
That ougħ te like ȝow / as I suppose
Or elles certes / ȝe be to daungerous
Al be it told / somtyme / in sondry wyse
Of sondry folk / as I shal ȝow deuyse
25
That telletħ vs / the peyne of Ihū crist
Ne seitħ nat alle thyng / as his felawe dotħ
But nathelees / his sentence is al sotħ
30
For sō me of hem seyn more / & some sey lasse
Whan they / his pitous passioū expresse
But doutelees / here sentence is al oon
35
Therfore lordynggis alle / I ȝow byseche
If ȝow thynke I varie / as in my speche
Of prouerbes / than ȝe han herd bifore
Comprehended / in this litel tretys heere
40
To enforce witħ / the effect of my matere
And thougħ I nat / the same wordes seye
Blametħ me nougħ t / for as in my sentence
Shuln ȝe no wher / fynden / difference
45
Fro the sentence / of this tretys lite
After the whicħ / this mery tale I wryte
And lat me tellen al my tale / I preye
A ȝong man called Melibeus mygħ ty and riche / bygat
vp on his wyf / that called was Prudence / a do-
ugħ ter / whicħ that called was Sophie /
vp on his wyf / that called was Prudence / a do-
ug
vp on a
day bifel / that he for his disport / is went in toþ e
feldes / hī to pleye /
day bifel / that he for his disport / is went in to
feldes / h
his wyf & eke his dougħ ter hatħ he laft / wt
Inne his hous / of whicħ the dores / weren fast I shette /
Inne his hous / of whic
three of
his olde foos / han it espied / and setten laddres / to the walles of
his hous / and by wyndowes ben entred /
his olde foos / han it espied / and setten laddres / to the walles of
his hous / and by wyndowes ben entred /
5