¶ The Cookes Tale
A Prentys whilom / dwelled in oure Citee
Of a craft / of vetayleres was he
And Gaillard was he / as a Goldffynch in þe shawe
Broun as a Bery / a propre short felawe
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With lokkes blake / kembed ful fetisly
Daunce he koude / so wel and iolyly
That he was cleped / Perkyn reuelour
he was as ful of loue / and paramour
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As is the hyue / ful of hony swete
Wel was the wenche / with him myght mete
At euery brydale / wold he synge and hoppe
He loued bet the tauerne / þan the shoppe
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ffor whan there ony ridyng was in Chepe
Out of the shoppe / thider wold he lepe
Til þat he had / al the sight I-seyn
And daunced wele / he nolde nat come ageyn
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And gadred him a meyne / of his sort
To hoppe & synge / and make swich disport
And there they setten steuene / for to mete
To play at the dys / in swich a strete
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ffor in the Toun / nas there no Prentys
That fairere coude kast / a peyre of Dys
Than Perkyn coude / and ther-to he was free
Of hys dispence / in place of preuyte
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That fond his Maister wel / in his chaffare
ffor oft tyme he fond / his box ful bare [folio 53b]
ffor sothly / a Prentys a Reuelour
That haunteth Dys / riot / & Paramour
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his maister shal it / in his shoppe a-bye
Al haue he no part / of the Mynstralsye
ffor theft and riot / they ben conuertible
Al can he pleye / on gyterne or ribible
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