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

                                
                                     [6-text p 337] 
                                  
                                  It likeþ hem to be clene in body and goste
                                
                                  Of myne astate .I. wil make no boste
                                
                                  For wele ȝe knowe a lorde in his housholde
                                
                                  Haþe nouht euery vessel of golde
                                  Line 100 
                                
                                  Some biene of tree and done lorde seruise
                                
                                  God clepeþ folke to him in sunder wise
                                
                                  And eueryche haþ of god a proper ȝift
                                
                                  Som þis. som þat. as him likeþ to schift
                                  Line 104 
                                
                                  Virginite is grete perfectione
                                
                                  And conscience eke wiþ deuocione
                                
                                  Bot crist þat of perfection is well
                                
                                  Bad nouht euery whight he schold sell
                                  Line 108 
                                
                                  All þat he hadde and ȝiue it to þe pore
                                
                                  And in suche wise folowe him and his lore
                                
                                  He spak to hem þat wolden leue perfitelye
                                
                                  And lordeynges be ȝoure leue þat am nouȝt .I.
                                  Line 112 
                                
                                  .I. wyl be-stowe þe flowre of al myne age
                                
                                  In charite and fruyte of Mariage
                                
                                  Tel me also to what conclusione
                                
                                  Were membres maade of generacione
                                  Line 116 
                                
                                  And of so perfit wise and why y-wrouht
                                
                                  Tresteþ riht wele þei were nouht maad for nouht
                                
                                  Glose who so will and sei boþe vp and doune
                                
                                  þat þei were maad for purgacione
                                  Line 120 
                                
                                  Of vryne. and owre boþe þinges smale
                                
                                  Were eke to knowe a female frome a male
                                
                                  And for none oþere cause what seie ȝe noo
                                
                                  þe experience woote it is nouȝt soo
                                  Line 124 
                                
                                  So þat þe clerkes be not wiþ me wroþe
                                
                                  .I. sei þis þet þei maked bue for boþe
                                
                                  þis is to seine for Office and for ese
                                
                                  Of engenderinge þere we nouht god displese
                                  Line 128 
                                
                                  Whi scholden men elles in hire bokes sette
                                
                                  þat man schal ȝelde to his wife his dette
                                
                                  Nowe where-wiþ scholde he paye his payment
                                
                                  If þat he ne vsed his sely instrument

                                  Line 132

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Title: The Lansdowne ms of Chaucer's Canterbury tales / edited by Frederick J. Furnivall.
Author: Chaucer, Geoffrey, d. 1400.
Canvas: Page 216
Publication: London :: Published for the Chaucer Society by N. Trübner,; 1867-1879.

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Collection: Corpus of Middle English Prose and Verse
Link to this Item: https://name.umdl.umich.edu/agz8236.0001.001
Link to this scan: https://quod.lib.umich.edu/c/cme/agz8236.0001.001/244:6.1.1

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Full citation: "The Lansdowne ms of Chaucer's Canterbury tales / edited by Frederick J. Furnivall." In the digital collection Corpus of Middle English Prose and Verse. https://name.umdl.umich.edu/agz8236.0001.001. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed June 6, 2025.

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

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