The Merchant's Tale
Folio 140r
5 of 30 folios
And almoost god woot on my pittes brynke
Vp on my soule / som what moste I thynke
I haue my body / folily despended
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Blissed be god / þt it shal been amended
For I wol be certeyn / a wedded man
And that anon / in al the haste I kan
Vn to som mayde / fair and tendre of age
I pray yow / shapeth for my mariage
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Al sodeynly / for I wol nat abyde
And I wol fonde / tespien on my syde
To whom I may / be wedded hastily
But for as muche / as ye been mo than I.
Ye shullen rather / swich a thyng espien
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Than I / and where me best were to allien
¶ But o thyng warne I yow / my freendes deere
I wol noon old wyf han / in no manere
She shal nat passe / .xx. yeer certeyn
Old fissħ / and yong flessħ / wol I haue feyn
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Bet is quod he / a Pyk / than a Pykerel
And bet than old boef / is the tendre vel
I wol no womman / xxx i. yeer of age
It is but bene straw / and greet forage
And eek thise olde widwes / god it woot
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They konne so muche craft on wades boot
So muchel broken harm / whan hem leste
That with hem / sholde I neuere lyue in reste
For sondry scoles / maketh subtile clerkis
Womman of many scoles / half a clerk is
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But certeinly / a yong thyng may men gye
Right as men may warm wex / wt handes plye
Wherfore / I sey yow pleynly in a clause
I wol noon old wyf han / right for this cause
For if so were / I hadde swich meschaunce
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That I in hire / ne koude han no plesaunce
Thanne sholde I lede my lyf / in avoutrye
And go streight to the deuel / whan I dye
Ne children sholde I none / vp on hir geten
Yet were me leuere / houndes hadde me eten
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Than that myn heritage sholde falle
In straunge hand / and this I telle yow alle