The Manciple's Tale
Folio 214r
7 of 8 folios
Walled a tonge with teeth and lippes eeke
220
For man shulde him auyse what he speke
Mi sone ful ofte for to muche speche
Hath many a man ben spilte as clerkes teche
But for litel speche auysely
Is no man shent to speke generally
225
My sone thi tonge sholdestow restreyne
At al tymes but whan thow dost thi peyne
To speke of god in honour and preyere
The first vertue sone is if thow wolt leere
Is to restreyne and kepe wel thi tonge
230
Thus lernen children whan that thei ben yonge
Mi sone of muchel spekyng euel auysed
There lasse spekyng had ynow suffised
Comth muchel harm thus was me tolde and taght
In muchel speche synne wanteth naght
235
Wostow whereof a rakel tonge serueth
Right as a swerde forketteth and forkerueth
An arm a two my dere sone right so
A tonge ketteth frendeship al a two
A Iangeler is to god abhominable
240
Rede Salomon so wise and honurable
Rede Dauid in his psalmes rede Senekke
Mi sone spek noght but with thin heed thow bekke
Dissimile as thow were deef if that thow here
A Iangeler speke of perilous matere
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The flemyng seith and lerne it yif the liste
That litel Iangelyng causeth muchel reste
Mi sone if thow no wikked word hast seide
The thar not drede for to ben be wryede
But he that hath mys saide I dar wel sayn
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He may bi no wey clepe his word agayn
Thing that is seide / is seid and forth it goth
Thogh him repente or be him leef or looth
He is his thral / to whoom that he hath seide
A tale of which he is now yuele apaide
255
Mi sone be war and be non auctour newe
Of tydynges where thei been fals or trewe
Where so thow come amonges hie or lowe