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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 164v 30 of 32 folios
may nat do /
And secoundly / he that is Irous & wrotħ / he ne may
nat wel deme /
nat wel deme /
And he that may nat wel deme / may nat wel
coū seille /
co
The thridde is this / that he þ t is Irous & wrotħ / as
seitħ Senek / ne may nat speke / but blameful thynges /
seit
160
and
witħ hise vicious wordes / he steretħ oþ ere folk / to angre & to
Ire
wit
Ire
te /
for the Apostle seitħ / þ t coueitise is the rote of alle harmes /
And trostetħ wel / þ t a coueitous man / ne kan nat deme / ne th-
enke / but oonly to fulfille the ende of his coueitise /
enke / but oonly to fulfille the ende of his coueitise /
ne may neu
165
dryue out of ȝoure herte / hastifnesse / for c
ȝe ne moun nat
deme for the beste / a sodeyn thouȝt /þ t falletħ in ȝoure herte /
But ȝe muste a vyse ȝow on it ful ofte /
deme for the beste / a sodeyn thouȝt /
But ȝe muste a vyse ȝow on it ful ofte /
for as ȝe herde here
biforñ / the cō e pro uerbe is this / that he þ t sone demetħ / sone
repentetħ /
bifor
repentet
Sire / ȝe ne be nat alwey / in like disposicioū /
for
cer tes som thyng / þ t somtyme semetħ to ȝow / þ t it is good for
to doo / A nother tyme / it semetħ to ȝow the conta rie /
c
to doo / A nother tyme / it semet
170
whan ȝe
han taken coū seil vn to ȝoure self / And han demed by good delibe-
racioū / swicħ thyng as ȝow semetħ best
han taken co
racio
ȝe kepe it secree /
Cross in dry point in the right margin.ODR
by wreye nat ȝoure coū seil to no per sone / but if
so be /þ t ȝe wenen sikerly / þ t thurgħ ȝoure bywreiynge / ȝoure cō -
dicioū shal ben to ȝow more pro fitable /
so be /
dicio
For Iħ c Syrak seitħ / Ney-
ther to thy foo / ne to thy frend / diskeure nat thi secree / neþ i
folie /
ther to thy foo / ne to thy frend / diskeure nat thi secree / ne
folie /
for they woln ȝeue ȝow audience & lokyng & supportacion
in thy per sence / & skorne the in thyn absence
in thy p
175
seit
co
in thyn herte /
And whan þ u bewreyest
thy coū seil / to any wigħ t / he holdetħ the in his snare /
thy co
ȝow is bettre / to hide ȝoure co
to whom ȝe han by wreyed ȝoure co
owen co
co
180
biwreiyng of
stonden in the bettre pliȝt / th
in this wyse
leuere pees or werre / or this / or that / ne shewe h
and thyn entente /
for troste wel / þ t cō ely theise coū seillours ben
flatereres /
flatereres /
namely the coū seillours of grete lordes /
For they
enforcen hē alwey / rather to speken plesaū te wordes / enclynyng
to the lordes lust / than wordes / that ben trewe orpro fitable /
enforcen h
to the lordes lust / than wordes / that ben trewe or
185