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

[6-text p 498]

¶ Heere folwen the wordes of the ffrankelyn [folio 127a] to the Squier. and the wordes of the hoost to the ffrankelyn .

IN feith Squier / thow hast thee wel yquit And gentilly / I preise wel thy wit Quod the ffrankeleyn / considerynge thy yowthe So feelyngly thou spekest sire I allowethe Line 676 As to my doom / ther is noon that is heere Of eloquence / that shal be thy peere If that thou lyue / god yeue thee good chaunce And in vertu / sende thee continuaunce Line 680 ffor of thy speche / I haue greet deyntee I haue a sone / and by the Trinitee I hadde leuere / than twenty pound worth lond Though it right now / were fallen in myn hond Line 684 He were a man / of swich discrecion As that ye been / fy on possession But if a man / be vertuous with al I haue my sone snybbed / and yet shal Line 688 ffor he to vertu / listneth nat entende But for to pleye at dees / and to despende And lese al that he hath / is his vsage And he hath leuere / talken with a page Line 692 Than to comune / with any gentil wight There he myghte lerne gentillesse aright/ ¶ Straw for youre gentillesse / quod our hoost What ffrankeleyn / pardee sire wel thou woost Line 696 That ech of yow / moot tellen atte leste A tale or two / or breken his biheste ¶ That knowe I wel sire / quod the ffrankeleyn I prey yow / haueth me nat in desdeyn Line 700

[6-text p 499] Line 700 Though to this man I speke ¹a word¹ [[^1_1 in margin]] or two ¶ Telle on thy tale / with outen wordes mo ¶ Gladly sire hoost quod he / I wole obeye Vn to your wyl / now herkneth what I seye Line 704 I wol yow nat contrarien in no wyse As fer / as that my wittes / wol suffyse I prey to god / that it may plesen yow Thanne woot I wel / that it is good ynow Line 708

¶ Explicit .