[6-text p 293]
ffor he hadde founde a corn / lay in the yerd
Real he was / he was namoore aferd
And fethered Pertelote / twenty tyme
And trad as ofte / er it was pryme
Line 4368
He looketh / as it were / a grym leoun
And on hise toos / he rometh vp and doun
Hym deigned nat to sette his foot to grounde
He chukketh / whan he hath a corn yfounde
Line 4372
And to hym rennen thanne / hise wyues alle
Thus roial / as a prince is in an halle
Leue I this Chauntecleer / in his pasture
And after / wol I telle / his auenture
Line 4376
Whan þat the Monthe / in which the world bigan
That highte March / whan god first maked man
Was compleet and passed were also
Syn March bigan / thritty dayes and two
Line 4380
Bifel / that Chauntecleer / in al his pryde
Hise seuene wyues / walkynge by his syde
Caste vp hise eyen / to the brighte sonne
That in the signe of Taurus / hadde yronne
Line 4384
Twenty degrees and oon / and som-what moore
And knew by kynde / and by noon oother loore
That it was Pryme / and crew with blisful steuene
The sonne he seyde / is clomben vp on heuene
Line 4388
ffourty degrees and oon / and moore ywis
Madame Pertelote / my worldes blis
Herkneth thise blisful briddes / how they synge [folio 187a]
And se / the fresshe floures / how they sprynge
Line 4392
fful is myn herte / of reuel and solas
But sodeynly / hym fil a sorweful cas
ffor euere / the latter ende of ioye is wo
God woot þat worldly ioye / is soone ago
Line 4396
And if a Rethor / koude faire endite
He in a Cronycle saufly myghte it write
As for a souereyn notabilitee [¶ Petrus Comestor]
Now euery wys man / lat him herkne me
Line 4400
