The Ellesmere ms of Chaucer's Canterbury tales / edited by Frederick J. Furnivall.

¶ The prologe of the Cokes Tale

The Cook of London / whil that the Reue spak ffor ioye him thoughte / he clawed him on the bak Ha . ha . quod he / for cristes passion This Millere / hadde a sharpe conclusion Line 4328 Vpon his argument / of herbergage Wel seyde Salomon / in his langage Ne brynge nat every man in-to thyn hous ffor herberwynge by nyghte is perilous Line 4332 Wel oghte a man / auysed for to be Whom that he broghte / in-to his pryuetee I pray to god / so yeue me sorwe and care If euere sitthe / I highte Hogge of Ware Line 4336 Herde I a Millere / bettre yset a werk He hadde a Iape of malice in the derk But god forbede / that we stynte heere [hic] And therfore / if ye vouche-sauf to heere [audire] Line 4340 A tale of me / that am a poure man I wol yow telle / as wel as euere I kan A litel iape / that fil in oure Citee ¶ Oure hoost answerde / and seide I graunte it thee Line 4344 Now telle on Roger / looke that it be good ffor many a pastee / hastow laten blood And many a Iakke of Douere hastow soold That hath been / twies hoot and twies coold Line 4348 Of many a pilgrym / hastow cristes curs ffor of thy percely / yet they fare the wors That they han eten / with thy stubbel goos ffor in thy shoppe / is many a flye loos Line 4352 Now telle on / gentil Roger by thy name But yet I pray thee / be nat wroth for game A man may seye ful sooth / in game and pley [folio 51a] ¶ Thou seist ful sooth / quod Roger by my fey Line 4356

Line 4356 But sooth pley quaad pley / as the flemyng seith And ther-fore / Herry Bailly / by thy feith Be thou na[t] wrooth / er we departen heer Though that my tale / be of an Hostileer Line 4360 But nathelees / I wol nat telle it yit But er we parte / ywis thou shalt be quit/ And ther with al / he lough and made cheere And seyde his tale / as ye shul after heere [[Slight break in the MS.]] Line 4364