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

[6-text p 383]

This Somnour in his styrop heyhe stood [on leaf 120, back] Vpon þis frere his herte was so wood That lik an aspen leef he quok for Ire lordynges quod he but o þing I desire / Line 1668 I ȝou beseche þat of ȝour curtesye Siþ ȝe han herde þis false frere lye As suffreþ me I may a tale telle This frere bosteþ þat he knoweþ helle/ Line 1672 And god wot þat it is litel wonder ffreres and feendes ben but litel asonder ffor parde ȝe han. ofte tyme herd telle/ how þat a frere rauyssched was in helle Line 1676 In spirit ones by avisioun And as an aungel ladde him vp and doun To schewen him þe peynes þat þer were In alle þe place saugh he nat a ffrere [folio 121a] Line 1680 Of oþer folk he saugh ynowe in woo Vnto þis aungel spak þe frere þo Now sire quod he han freres such a grace / That non of hem schal come to þis place / Line 1684 Ȝis quod þis aungel many a milioun And vnto Sathanas he hadde him doun And now haþ Sathanas saiþ he a taile Bradder þan of þe Caryk is þe saile Line 1688 hold vp þi tayl þou Satanas quod he / Schew forþ þin ersand lat þe frere se / Wher is þe neste of ffreres in þis place And er þat half a forlong wey of space Line 1692

[6-text p 384] Line 1692 Right so as bees swermen out of an hyue Out of þe deueles ers þey gon to dryue Twenty þousand freres on a route And þoughte helle swarme al aboute Line 1696 And camen aȝein as faste as þey mighte gon And in his ers þey crepeden euerichon he clapte his tayl aȝein and lay stille This frere whan he loked hadde his fille Line 1700 vppon þis tormentes of þis sory place / his spirit god restored of his grace / Vnto his body aȝein and he awok But naþeles for feere ȝit he quok Line 1704 So was þe deueles ars ay in his mynde þat is his heritage of verray kinde God saue ȝow alle saue þis cursed frere / My prologe wol I ende in þis manere / Line 1708