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

[6-text p 383]

¶ The prologe / of the Somonours tale . [on leaf 84, back]

THis Somonour / in his Styropes hye stood Vp-on this frere / his herte was so wood That lyk an Aspen leef / he quook for Ire ¶ Lordynges quod he / but o thyng I desire Line 1668 I yow biseke / that of youre curteisye Syn ye han herd / this false frere lye As suffereth me / I may my tale telle This frere bosteth / that he knoweth helle Line 1672 And god it woot that it is litel wonder ffreres and feendes / been but lyte a-sonder ffor pardee / ye han ofte tyme herd telle How that a frere / vanysshed was to helle Line 1676 In spirit ones / by a visioun And as an Angel / ladde hym vp and doun To shewen hym / the peynes þat ther were In al the place / saugh he nat a frere Line 1680 Of oother/ folk / he saugh ynowe in wo [folio 85a] Vn-to this Angel / spak the frere tho ¶ Now sire quod he / han freres swich a grace That noon of hem / shal come to this place? Line 1684 ¶ Yis quod this Angel / many a Millioun And vn-to Sathanas / he ladde hym doun And now hath Sathanas / seith he a tayl Brodder/ than of a Carryk/ is the sayl Line 1688 Hold vp thy tayl / thou Sathanas quod he Shewe forth thyn ers / and lat the frere se Where is the nest of freres / in this place And er/ þat half a furlong wey of space Line 1692

[6-text p 384] Line 1692 Right so as bees / out swarmen from an hyue Out of the deueles ers / ther gonne dryue Twenty thousand freres / in a route And thurgh-out helle / swarmeden aboute Line 1696 And comen agayn / as faste as they may gon And in his ers / they crepten euerychon He clapte his tayl agayn / and lay ful stille This frere / whan he hadde looke al his fille Line 1700 Vpon the tormentz / of this sory place His spirit god restored of his grace Vn-to his body agayn / and he awook But natheles / for fere yet he quook Line 1704 So was the deueles ers / ay in his mynde That is his heritage / of verray kynde God saue yow alle / saue this cursed frere My prologe / wol I ende / in this manere Line 1708