The Cambridge ms. Dd. 4. 24. of Chaucer's Canterbury tales, completed by the Egerton ms. 2726 (the Haistwell ms) Ed. by Frederick J. Furnivall ...
Chaucer, Geoffrey, d. 1400., Furnivall, Frederick James, ed. 1825-1910,
Page 474 [6-text p 253]
& bygynneth the Prologe of the Monkes tale;
WHan ended was my tale / of Melibe
And of Prudence / & hire benygnetee
3080
Oure Host seide / as I am a feithful man
And by þat precious corpus / Madrian
I had leuere / than a barel ale
That goodleef my wyf / had herd this tale
3084
She nys no-thyng / of swich pacience [folio 177b]
As was this Melibeus wyf / Prudence
By goddes bones / whan I bete myne knaues
She bryngeth me / the grete clobbed staues
3088
And cryeth / slee the dogges euerychon
And breke hem bothe bak / & euery bon
And if þat any neyghebore of myne
Wol nat in chirche / to my wyf enclyne
3092
Or be so hardy / to hire to trespace
whan she cometh hom / she raumpeth in my face
And crieth fals coward / wreke thy wyf
By corpus bones / I wyl haue thy knyf
3096
And þou shalt haue my distaf / & go spynne
ffro day to nyght / right thus she wol bigynne
Allas she seith / þat euere that I was shape
To wedde a mylk-soppe / or a coward ape
3100
That wol ben ouer-ladde / with euery wyght
Thow darst nat stonde / by thy wyues right
This is my lif / but if that I wol fight
And out atte dore a-noon / I mot me dight
3104
Or elles I am but lost / but if that I
Be like a wylde lyon / fool hardy
I wot wel / she wol do me slee / some day
Some neighebore / and thanne go my way
3108
ffor I am perilous / with knyf in honde
Al be it / that I dar nat / hire withstonde
Page 475 [6-text p 254]
ffor she is bygge in armes / be my feith
That shal he fynde / þat hire mysdooth or seith
3112
But late vs passe a-wey / fro this matere
My lord the Monk / quod he / be mery of chere
ffor ȝe shuln telle a tale / trewely
loo Rouchestre stant heere / fast by
3116
Ride forth myn owne lord / breke nat our game
But by my trouthe / I knowe nat ȝoure name
wheiþer shal I calle ȝow / my lord Daun Iohn
Or Daun Thomas / or elles daun Albon
3120
Of what hous be ȝe / by ȝoure fader kyn
I vow to god / þou hast a ful fair skyn
It is a gentil pasture / there þou goost
Thow art nat like a penaunt / or a goost
3124
Vp-on my feith / þou art som officer
Som worthy Sexteyn / or som Celerer
ffor by my fadres soule / as to my dome
þou art a maister / whan þou art at home
3128
No poore Cloistrer / ne no nowys [folio 178a]
But a gouernour / wyly and wys
And there with al / of braunes & of bones
A wel faryng persone / for the nones
3132
I preye to god / ȝeue him confusion
That first the brought / vn-to Religion
Thow woldest han ben / a tredfoul a-right
hadestow as gret a leue / as þou hast myght
3136
To perfourme thy lust / in engendrure
Thow haddest bygeten / ful many a creature
Allas / why werest þou / so wyde a cope
God ȝeue me sorwe / but and I were Pope
3140
Nat oonly þou / but euery myghty man
Though he were shore ful heye / vp-oon his pan
Shulde haue a wyf / for al the world is lorn
Religion hath take vp / al the corn
3144
Of tredynge / & we borel men ben shrympes
Of feble trees / there come wrecched ympes
Page 476 [6-text p 255]
This maketh þat oure Eyres / ben so sklendre
And fieble / þat they moun nat wel engendre
3148
This maketh þat oure wyues / woln assaie
Religious folk / for they moun bettre paie
Of Venus paiementȝ / than moun we
God wot / no lusshburgh / payen ȝe
3152
But be nat wroth my lord / though þat I pleye
fful ofte in game / a sooth I haue herd seye
¶ This worthy Monke / toke al in pacience
And seide / I wol doon al my diligence
3156
As fer as sovneth / in-to honestee
To telle ȝow a tale / or two or three
And if ȝow list / to herken hiderward
I wyl ȝow seyn / the lif of Seynt Edward
3160
Or elles first / tragedies wel I telle
Of which I haue an .C. in my celle
Tragedy is to seyn / a certeyn storie
As olde bookes maken / memorie
3164
Of him þat stood / in gret prosperitee
And is I-fallen / out of heigh degree
In-to Miserie / and endeth wrecchedly
And they ben versified / comunly
3168
Of sexe feet / which men clepen exametron
In prose eke / ben endited many oon
And eke in metre / in many a sondry wyse
loo this declaryng / ought I-now suffise
3172
Now herkeneth / if ȝow liketh for to heere [folio 178b]
But first I ȝow byseke / in this matere
Though I be ordre / telle nat theise thynges
Be it of Popes, Emperours or kynges
3176
After here ages / as men writen fynde
But telle hem some bifore / & some bihynde
As it now cometh / vn-to my remembraunce
haue me excused / of myn ignoraunce
3180
Heere endeth þe prologe
