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[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