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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 166v 3 of 32 folios
if so be / þ t þ tu fynde / þ t by errour / or by other cause / harm or dama-
ge / may bitide /
ge / may bitide /
260
Also if thy coū seil be dishoneste / or elles cometħ
of dishoneste / cause / chaunge thy coū seil /
of dishoneste / cause / chaunge thy co
For the lawes seyn /
þ t alle byhestes / þ t ben dishoneste / ben of no value /
And eke if so
be /þ t it be inpossible / or may nat goodly be par formed or kept /
be /
And
take this for a gener al reule ¶ That euer y coū seil / þ t is affermed so
strongly /þ t it may nat be chaunged / for no condicion þ t may betide
I seye / þ t thilke coū seil is wykked
take this for a gen
strongly /
had herd the doct
this wyse
265
chesyng /
But now wolde
I fayn /þ t ȝe wolde cō descende in special /
I fayn /
ȝow / or what semet
oure p
ȝoure herte / thoug
For god
wot /þ t as in myn entente / I speke it for ȝoure beste / for ȝoure ho-
nour /& for ȝoure pro fyte eke /
wot /
nour /
270
And sotħ ly I hope / þ t ȝoure benygnytee
wil taken it in pacience
wil taken it in pacience
as in this cas / ne shulde nat / as to speke
seillyng
in whicħ coū seil / ȝe
han erred / in many a sondry wyse
han erred / in many a sondry wyse
in the assemblyng
for ȝe shulde first / han cle-
ped a fewe folk to ȝoure coū seil / & after ȝe mygħ te han shewed
it / to mo folk / if it hadde be nede /
ped a fewe folk to ȝoure co
it / to mo folk / if it hadde be nede /
275
But certes ȝe han sodeynly cle-
ped to ȝoure coū seil a gret multitude of peeple ful chargeant / &
ful a noyous for to heere
ped to ȝoure co
ful a noyous for to heere
oonly han cleped to ȝoure co
ȝe han I cleped straunge folk / ȝonge folk / false flat er eres / & enemys
reconsiled /& folk þ t doon ȝow reuer ence / wt outen loue
reconsiled /
so ȝe han erred / for ȝe han broug
Couertise /
the whicħ thre thynges ben conta rious
to euer y coū seil / honest & pro fitable /
to eu
280
the whicħ thre thynges / ȝe ne
han nat anientissed or destroyed hē / neither in ȝoure self / ne in
ȝoure coū seillor s / as ȝow ougħ te
han nat anientissed or destroyed h
ȝoure co
shewed to ȝoure co
werre a noon /
they han espied by ȝoure
wordes / to what thyng ȝe ben enclyned /
wordes / to what thyng ȝe ben enclyned /
ȝow / rathere to ȝoure talent / than to ȝoure
for it semet
seillo
285
where as in so gret / & so heigħ
a nede / it hadde ben necessarie / mo coū seillor s & more deliberacoū
topar forme ȝoure empi se
a nede / it hadde ben necessarie / mo co
to