Boold was hir face / and fair and reed of hewe
She was a worthy womman al hir lyue
Housbondes at chirche dore / she hadde fyue
Line 460
Withouten oother compaignye in youthe
But ther of / nedeth nat to speke as nowthe
And thries / hadde she been at Ierusalem
She hadde passed / many a straunge strem
Line 464
At Rome she hadde been and at Boloigne
In Galice at Seint Iame / and at Coloigne
She koude muchel / of wandrynge by the weye
Gat tothed was she / soothly for to seye
Line 468
Vp on an Amblere / esily she sat
Ywympled wel / and on hir heed an hat
As brood / as is a bokeler / or a targe
A foot mantel / aboute hir hipes large
Line 472
And on hire feet a paire of spores sharpe
In felaweshipe / wel koude she laughe and carpe
Of remedies of loue / she knew per chaunce
For she koude of that Art the olde daunce
Line 476
A good man was ther of Religioun
And was / a poure Person of a toun [¶ Person of a toun.]
But riche he was / of hooly thoght and werk/
He was also / a lerned man a clerk
Line 480
That cristes gospel / trewely wolde preche [folio 10a]
Hise parisshens / deuoutly wolde he teche
Benygne he was / and wonder diligent
And in Aduersitee ful pacient
Line 484
And swich / he was [y-]preued ofte sithes
fful looth were hym / to cursen for hise tithes
But rather wolde he yeuen out of doute
Vn to his poure parisshens aboute
Line 488
Of his offryng and eek of his substaunce
He koude / in litel thyng haue suffisaunce
Wyd was his parisshe / and houses fer a sonder
But he ne lafte nat for reyn ne thonder
Line 492
In siknesse nor in meschief / to visite
