The Merchant's Tale
Folio 140v
6 of 30 folios
x xxte nat / I woot the cause why
Men sholde wedde / and ferther moore woot I
Ther speketh many a man of mariage
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That woot namoore of it / than woot my page
For whiche causes / man sholde take a wyf
If he ne may nat lyue / chast his lyf
Take hym a wyf / with greet deuocioū
By cause / of leueful procreacioū
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Of children / to thonour of god aboue
And nat oonly / for paramour or loue
And for they sholde / lecherye eschue
And yelde hir dette / whan þt it is due
Or for þt ech of hem / sholde helpen oother
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In meschief as a Suster shal the brother
And lyue in chastitee / ful holily
But sires by youre leue / that am nat I
For god be thanked / I dar make auant
I feele my lymes / stark and suffisant
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To do / al that a man bilongeth to
I woot my self best what I may do
Thogh I be hoor / I fare as dooth a tree
That blosmeth / er the fruyt ywoxen be
And blosmy tree / nys neither drye ne deed
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I feele me nowher hoor / but on myn heed
Myn herte / and alle my lymes / been as grene
As laurer thurgh the yeer is for to sene
And syn þt ye han herd / al myn entente
I pray yow / to my conseil ye wol assente
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¶ Dyuerse men / diuersely hym tolde
Of mariage / manye ensamples olde
Sōme blamed it sōme preised it certeyn
But at the laste / shortly for to seyn
As alday / falleth altercaciou
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Bitwixe freendes / in disputisou
Ther fil a stryf bitwix his bretheren two
Of whiche / that oon was clepid Placebo
Iustinus soothly / called was that oother
¶ Placebo seyde / o Ianuarie brother
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Ful litel nede / hadde ye my lord so deere
Conseil to axe / of any that is heere