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¶ And bygynneth his tale
Whilom þer was dwellyng at Oxenford
A riche gnof that gestes heeld to boorde
And of his craft he was a Carpenter
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wiþ him þer was dwellyng a pore scoler
had lerned art but al his fantasye
was torned for to lerne astrologye
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An cowde a certeyn of conclusiouns
To deme by interrogaciouns
If þat men axed him in certeyn houres
[folio 43a] whan þat men schuld han drought or ellys schoures
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Or if men axed him what schulde bifalle
Of euery þing I may nouȝt reken hem alle
This clerk was cleped heende Nicholas
Of derne loue he cowde and of solas
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And þer wiþ he was sleigh and ful priue
And lik amayden meke for to se
A chambir had he in his hostillerye
Alone wiþouten eny compaignye
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Ful fetisly I-dight with herbes soote /
And he himself as swete as is þe roote
Of lokorys or eny Cetewale
his almagest and bookes gret and smale
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his astrylabe longyng for his art
his augrym stoones leyen faire a part
On schelues couched at his beddes heed
his presse I-couered wiþ a faldyng reed
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And al aboue þer lay a gay Sawtrye
On which he made a nightes melodye
So swetely þat al þe chambur rang
And angelus ad virginem he sang
Line 3216
And after þat he sang þe kynges note
Ful often blissed was his mery þrote
