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 ...

§ 1. THE BLANK-PARSON LINK.

[This is really a link between some unwritten Tale and the Parson's. It has been made into the Manciple-Parson Link (or Yeoman-Parson by the Christ-Church MS) by Chaucer's copiers, though not meant for it.]

& Incipit prologus Rectoris fabule [Egerton 2726, on leaf240, back]

By that þe Maunciple / hade his tale ended. The son from þe South lyne/ was discended. So lowe that he nas nat/ to my sight/ Degrees .ix. / and .xx^ty of hight/ Line 4 x. of þe Clok / it was tho as I gesse ffor .xj. fote / and litle more/ or lesse My shadow was / at thilk tyme as there Of soch fete / as my length parted were Line 8 In .vj fete equall / of proporcion [Eg. 2726 folio 241a] There-with the mones exaltacion I mene libra / all-wey gan ascende As we were entryng/ at a thorpes ende Line 12 ffor which our hoost/ as he was wont to gye As in this caas / our ioly company Seid in this wise / lordynges euerychone Now lakketh vs no tales moo þan one Line 16 ffulfilled is my sentence / and my decree I trowe þat we han herde in ecch degree All-most fulfilled is / all myn ordenaunce I pray to god / so yeue hym right gode chaunce Line 20 That telleth/ this tale to vs lustely Sir preest koth he / art þou a vicary Or art þow parson / sey soth be thy fey Be what þou be / ne breke þou nat our pley Line 24

[6-text p 590] Line 24 ffor euery man saue þou / hath told his tale Vnbokle and shewe vs / what is in þy male ffor truely me thynketh / by þy chere Thow sholdest knytte vp wele a grete matere Line 28 Tell vs a fable anon / for goddes bones This parson answerd / all at ones Thow getest/ fable noon ytold for me ffor Poule þat writeth vn-to Tymothe Line 32 Repreven hem / þat weyven sothfastnesse And tellen fables / and soch wrecchednesse Why shold I sowe draf/ out of my fyst/ Whan I may sowe whete / yf þat me lyst/ Line 36 ffor which I sey / þat yf þou list to here Moralitee/ and vertuous matere And þan / that ye woll yeue me audience I woll fayn / at cristes reuerence Line 40 Do yow plesaunce leefull/ as I can But trusteth wele / I am a sothern man I can nat geest/ rom / ram / ruf by lettre Ne god wote / ryme hold I but litle better Line 44 And therfore yf þou list/ I woll nat glose I woll yow tell a mery tale in prose To knytte vp all þis feest/ and make an ende And Ihesu for his grace / witte me sende/. Line 48 To shewe yow / þe weye in this viage [Eg. 2726 folio 241b] Of thylk perfyte glorious pilgrymage That hight Ierusalem celestiall/ And yf ye vouchesauf/ anoon I shall/ Line 52 Begynne vp-on my tale / for which I prey Tell your avice / I can no better sey But natheles / this meditacion I put it ay / vnder correccion Line 56 Of clerkes / for I am nat textuell/ I take but þe sentence / trusteth well Therefore I make / a protestacion That I woll stond / to correccion Line 60

[6-text p 591] Line 60 Vp-on this worde / we han assented sone ffor as vs semed / it was to done To enden / in som vertuous sentence And for to yeve hym / space / and audience Line 64 And bad our hoost/ he shold to hym sey That all we / to tell his tale hym prey Our hoost/ hade þe wordes / for vs all Sir prest koth he / now faire yow byfall Line 68 Sey what yow list/ and we woll gladly here And with þat worde / he seid in þis manere Telleth koth he your meditacon But hasteth yow / þe son / woll adoun Line 72 Beth fructuous / and þat in litle space And to do wele/ god send yow his grace Line 74

Hic desinit prologus Rectoris/