The Corpus ms (Corpus Christi coll., Oxford) of Chaucer's Canterbury tales. Ed. by Frederick J. Furnivall.

§ 1. THE BLANK-PARSON LINK. CORPUS MS. Here bygynneþ þe prologe of þe parson

[This is really a link between some unwritten Tale and the Parson's. It has been made into the Manciple-Parson Link (or Yeoman-Parson by the Christ-Church MS) by Chaucer's copiers, though not meant for it.]

on leaf 261

By þat þe maunciple hadde his tale ended [Ca^m xxiiij^m] The sonne fro þe souþ syde is descended So lowe þat he was nought to my sight Degrees xxix as of highte / Line 4 Ten of þe clokke it was so as I gesse / ffor xj foote a lytel more or lesse My schadwe was at þilke tyme as þere / Of suche feet as my lengþe parted were / Line 8 In six foote equal of proporcion Ther-wiþ þe mones exaltacion I mene libra alwey gan ascende As we were entryng at a thropes ende Line 12 ffor wiþ oure Oste as he was wont to gye As in þis caas oure ioly companye / Sayde in þis wise lordynges euerychon Now lakkeþ vs no tale more þan oon Line 16 ffulfild is my sentence and my degre Who wile now telle a tale let se Almost fulfilled is myn ordynaunce I pray to god so ȝiue him right good chance Line 20 þat telleþ þis tale to vs lustely Sire prest quod he art þou a vicary Or art þou a person say soþ by þy fey Be what þou be ne breke nought oure pley Line 24

[6-text p 590] Line 24 ffor euery man saue þou haþ told his tale Line 25 vnbokele and schewe vs what is in þy male [folio 261b] ffor trewely me þenkeþ by þy cheere Thou scholdest knette vp wel a gret matiere Line 28 Telle vs a fable anon for cokkes bones This person answered al at oones Thou getest fable non y-tolde for me ffor Poule þat writeþ vnto Thimothe Line 32 Repreueþ hem þat wayuen soþfastnesse And tellen fables and such wrecchednesse Whi schulde I schewen draff out of my feste / Whan I may schewen whete if þat me leste Line 36 ffor which I saye if þat þou luste to heere Moralite and vertuous matiere And þenne þat ȝe woln ȝiue me audience I wol ful fayn at cristes reuerence / Line 40 Don ȝou plesaunce lefful as I can But trusteþ wel I am a sothryn man I can nought geste rom ram ruf by lettre Ne god wot rym holde I but lytel bettre Line 44 And þerfore if ȝou luste I wol nought glose I wol ȝou telle a mery tale in prose To knitte vp al þis feste an ende And ihesu for his grace witte me sende Line 48 To schewe ȝou þe wey in þis visage Of þilke parfyt glorious pilgrimage That highte Ierusalem Celestial And if ȝe vouche sauf anon ȝe schal Line 52 Bygynne vpon my tale for which I preye Telle ȝoure avis I can no bettre seye But naþeles þis meditacion I putte it ay vnder correction Line 56 Of clerkes for I am nought text wel I take but þe sentence trustel wel þerfore I make protestacion That I wol stonde to correction Line 60

[6-text p 591] Line 60 Vppon þis word we han assented sone [[a leaf cut out of the Corpus MS]] [for as hit semed / hit was for to doone [MS Arch. Seld. B. 14 folio 268a] to enden / in som vertuous sentence and for to yeve him space / and audience Line 64 and bad oure Oste / he shulde to him say that alle we / to telle his tale him pray oure Oste had the wordes / for vs alle sir prest quod he / now faire yow befalle Line 68 sey what yow luste / and we wol gladly here and with that worde / he seide in this manere telleth quod he / youre meditacioun but hasteth yow / the sonne wol a-doun Line 72 beth fructuous / and that in litel space and to do wel / god sende yow his grace.

Here endith the parson his prolog] [[MS Arch. Seld. B. 14 extract stops]]