The Friar's Tale
Folio 85r
8 of 9 folios
If I the excuse / thougħ thow shuldest be spilt
Allas qd she / god wot I haue no gilt
Paie me qd he / or by the swete Seynt Anne
As I wol bere a wey / thy newe panne
315
For dette / whicħ þu owest me of olde
Whan þu madest thyn husbonde / Cokewolde
I paid at hom / for thyn correcciou
¶ Thow lixt qd she / be myn saluaciou
Ne was I neuere or now / wydewe ne wyf
320
Somound vn to ȝoure court / in al my lyf
Ne neuere I nas / but of my body trewe
Vn to the deuele blak / & row of hewe
Ȝeue I thy body / and my panne also
And whanne the deuele / herd hire cursen so
325
Vp on hire knees / he seide in this manere
Now Mabily / myn owen moder deere
Is this ȝoure wylle in ernest / that ȝe seye
The Deuele qd she / so fecche hī or he deye
And panne and al / but he wol hī repente
330
Nay olde stot / that is nat myn entente
Quod this Sompnor / for to repente me
For ony thyng / that I haue had of the
I wold I had thy smok / and euery clotħ
Now brother qd the deuele / be nat wrotħ
335
Thy body and this panne / ben myne be rigħt
Thow shalt to helle / witħ me / ȝet to nygħt
There thow shalt knowen / of oure pryuete
More than a Maister / of dyuynyte
And witħ that word / this foul fend hī hente
340
Body and soule / he witħ the Deuele wente
Where as theise Sompnoures / han here heritages
And god that made / aftir his Image
Man kynde saue / and gyde / vs alle and some
And leue this Sompnour / good man to bycome
345
¶ Lordynggis I coude haue told ȝow / qd this Frere
Had I had leyser / for this Sompnour heere
After the tixt of crist / Poule and Ioħn
And of oure othere Doctoures / many oon
Swiche peynes / that ȝoure hertes mygħt a gryse
350
Al be it so / no tonge may it deuyse
Thougħ that I mygħt / a thousand wynter telle
The peynes of that cursed hous / in helle
But for to kepe vs / fro that cursed place
Waketħ and preyetħ / iħu for his grace
355
So kepe vs / fro the temptour Sathanas
Herkenetħ this word / by war as in this cas
The lyou sittetħ / in his wayte alwey
To slee the Innocent / if that he may