The Wife of Bath's Tale Folio 76v 1 of 10 folios
Loo goodmen / a flye and eke a Frere
810
Wol falle in euer y dissħ / and eke matere
What spekest thow / of preambulaciou
What aumble or trotte / or pes / or go sitte doun
Thow lettest oure disport / in this manere
815
Now be my feitħ / I shal er that I goo
Telle of Sompnoures / swicħ a tale or twoo
That alle folk / shuln laugħ en / in this place
Now elles Frere / I be shrewe thyn face
Quod the Sompnour / and I be shrewe me
820
But if I telle tales / two or three
Of Freres / or þ t I come to Sydyngburne
That I shal make / thyn hert for to morne
For wel I wot / thy pacience is a gon
825
And seide / late the womman telle hire tale
Ȝe fare as folk / that dronken ben of Ale
Do dame / telle fortħ ȝoure tale / & that is best
There are two small and faint crosses in dry point in the left margin.
Al redy sire qd she / rigħ t as ȝow list
If I haue lycence / of this worthy Frere
830
Ȝis dame qd he / teƚƚ fortħ / & I wyl here
In the olde dayes / of kyng
Of whicħ that Bretons speken / gret honour
Al was this lond / fulfilled of fairie
The Elf Quene / witħ hire ioly companye
835
Daunced ful ofte / in many a grene mede
This was the olde oppynyou
I speke of manye / hundred ȝeres a go
But now can noman / se noone Elues moo
For now the gret charite / and preyeres
840
Of lymytours / and othere holy Freres
That serchen euer ry lond / and euer y streme
As thikke as motes / in the Sonne beme
Blissyng
Citees / Burgħ es / Castelles / heye Toures
845
Thropes / Bernes / Shepenes / Deyries
This maketħ that there ben / no fayeries
For there as wont / to walken was an Elf
There walketħ now / the lymytour hī self