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

§ 1. THE CLERK'S HEAD-LINK.

LANSDOWNE MS.

¶ Incipit prologus Clerici; [on leaf 114]

Sir Clerc of Oxenforde owre Oste seide Ȝe ride as still and coie as doþ a maide Weer newe spowsed sittinge att þe borde This daie ne herde .I. of ȝoure tounge a worde Line 4 I trowe þat ȝe stody aboute some sophime Bot Salomon seiþe euery þinge haþe time For godessake beþe of Better chier It is no time for to stodie here. Line 8 Tel vs sum mery tale be ȝoure feie [folio 114b] For what man is entrede in-to pleie He nedes mote vnto þe plaie assent Bot preches nouht as freres done in lente Line 12 To make vs for oure olde sinnes wepe Ne þat þi tale Make us nouht to sl[e]pe Tell vs sum Mery þinge Of Auentures Ȝoure termes ȝoure coloures ȝoure figures Line 16 Kepe hem in store til so be ȝe enditen Hihe stylede as whan þat men to kinges writen Spekeþ so pleine att þis time .I. ȝou preie That we may vnderstonde what ȝe seie Line 20 ¶ Þis worþi clerke benyngly ansewerd Oste quod he .I. am vnder ȝoure ȝerde Ȝe hane of vs as noue þe gouernance And þerfore wil .I. do ȝowe obeissance Line 24

[6-text p 404] Line 24 As fer as reson axeþ hardely .I. will ȝowe tel a tale whiche þat .I. Lerened att Pādouse of a worþi clerke As preuede be his worde and his werk Line 28 He is nowe dede and nailed in his chist .I. praie to god ȝif his soule good ryst Fraunces Petrak þe Laureat poet Hiht þis clerke whos rethorik swoet Line 32 Enlumyned al. ytaile of Potrie As Linian dide of Philosophie Or lawe or oþer arte particulere Bote þat wil nouht suffur dwell here Line 36 Bot as it were a twynklinge of an eye Hem boþe haþe and al schal we dye Bot for to tell of þis worþi man þat tauht me þis tale as he gan Line 40 .I. seie þat wiþ hyhe stile first enditeþ Or he þe body of his tale writeþ A prohemye in þe whiche descriueþ he Pymonde and of Saluces þe Contre Line 44 And spekeþ of Appenyne þe hulles hihe þat buen þe boundes of lumbardie And of þe mounte vesulus in special Where as þe poe out of a wel smal Line 48 Takeþ his first springeinge and his sours þat estward ay encreseþ in his cours To Emel warde · ferrir and venise [folio 115a] Whiche of longe þinge were to deuise Line 52 And treuly as to my Iuggement Me þenkeþ þat a þinge impertinent Saue þat he wil con[u]eyn his matier Bot þis is tale whiche þat ȝe maie hier Line 56

Explicit prologus;