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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 166r 2 of 32 folios
examynynge thaō ne of ȝoure coū seillour / ȝe shuln considre manye
thynges
thynges
235
posest /
trouthe be seid
For he þ t seitħ fals / may nat wel be coū seilled in þ t cas / of whicħ
he lyetħ
he lyet
den to that
a corde
And eke if thy mygħ t / may atteyne þ er to / And if the
morepar t / & the bettre par t of þ ine coū seillor s / acorde þ er to or no //
more
Thā ne shalt þ u cō sidre / what thyng shal folwe of þ t coū seillyng /
as hate / pees / werre / ga ce / pro fyt / or damage / & manye oþ er e þ inges
as hate / pees / werre / g
240
And in alle theise thynges / þ u shalt chese the beste / And weyue alle
othere thynges
othere thynges
gendred /
nes they ben sprongen /
And whan ȝe haue examyned ȝoure coū -
seil / as I haue seid /& whicħ par tie is the bettre / & more pro fitable
And han appreued it / by manye wyse folk& olde /
seil / as I haue seid /
And han appreued it / by manye wyse folk
than shaltow
cō sidere / if þ u maist par forme it / & maken of it a good ende /
c
245
For
certes / resoū wol nat / þ t any man shulde bygynne a thyng /
but if he mygħ te par forme it / as hī ougħ te /
certes / reso
but if he myg
Ne no wigħ t shulde
take vp oon hī so heuy charge / þ t he mygħ t nat beren it
take vp oon h
Cato
lest
thyng
And if so be / þ t þ u be in doute / wheither
þ u maist par forme a thyng or noo / ches rather to suffre / þ an bigȳ ne
250
of whic
this is to
seyn ;þ t the is bettre to holde thy tonge stille / than for to spe-
ke
seyn ;
ke
hast power to
is the bettre /
wel seyn they / þ t defen-
den euery wigħ t / to assaye a thyng / of whicħ he is in doute /
wheiþ er he may par forme it / or no
den euery wig
whei
myned ȝoure co
ȝe moun
at an ende
255
repreue
if the cause ceset
for the lawe
seitħ / vp on thynges þ t newely bityden / bihouetħ newe coū seil ;
seit
enemy / cha