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

[6-text p 199]

¶ Here the hoost/ stynteth Chaucer of his tale of Thopas / and biddeth hym / telle another tale.

Namoore of this / for goddes dignytee Quod oure Hoost for thow makest me So wery / of thy verray lewednesse [folio 215b] That also wisly / god my soule blesse Line 2112 Myne erys aken / of thy drasty speche Now swich a rym / the deuel I biteche This may wel be / rym dogerel quod he ¶ Why so quod I / why wiltow lette me Line 2116 Moore of my tale / than another man Syn that it is / the beste rym I kan ¶ By god quod he / for pleynly at o word Thy drasty rymyng is nat worth a tord Line 2120 Thow doost noght ellis / but despendest tyme Sire at o word / thow shalt no lenger ryme Lat se / wher thow kanst tellen aught in geste Or tel in Prose / som what at the leeste Line 2124 In which ther be som myrthe / or som doctrine ¶ Gladly quod I / by goddes swete pyne I wol yow telle / a litel thyng in prose That oghte like yow / as I suppose Line 2128 Or ellis certes / ye be to daungerous It is a moral tale vertuous Al be it toold som tyme in sondry wise Of sondry folk / as I shal yow deuyse Line 2132 ¶ As thus / ye woot þat euery Euaungelist That telleth vs / the peyne of Ihesu Crist Ne seith nat alle thyng as his felawe dooth But nathelees / hir sentence is al sooth Line 2136 And alle acorden / as in hir sentence Al be ther / in hir tellyng difference

[6-text p 200] ffor somme of hem seyn moore / & somme seyn lesse Whan they / his pitous passion expresse Line 2140 I mene / of Mark / Mathew / Luk and Iohn But doutelees / hir sentence is al oon ¶ Therfore / lordynges alle / I yow biseche If þat ye thynke / I varie / as in my speche Line 2144 As thus / thogh þat I telle somwhat moore Of prouerbes / than ye han herd bifore Comprehended / in this litel tretys heere To enforcen with / theffect of my matere Line 2148 And thogh I nat the same wordes seye As ye han herd / yet to yow alle I preye Blameth me nat / for as in my sentence [folio 216a] Shul ye / nowher / fynden difference Line 2152 ffro the sentence / of this tretys lite After the which / this myry tale I write And therfore herkneth / what þat I shal seye And lat me tellen / al my tale I preye Line 2156