[6-text p 561]
This tale / was nat oonly / toold for yow
But eek / for othere mo / ye woot wel how
Line 1001
That among. cristes Apostles twelue
Ther nas no traytour/ but Iudas hym selue
Thanne / why sholde al the remenant haue a blame
That giltlees were / by yow I seye the same
Line 1005
Saue oonly this / if ye wol herkne me
If any Iudas / in youre Couent be
Remoeueth hym bitymes / I yow rede
If shame / or los / may causen any drede
Line 1009
And beeth no thyng displesed I yow preye
But in this cas / herketh what I shal seye
IN London / was a preest Annueleer
That ther-Inne / had dwelled many a yeer
Line 1013
Which was so plesaunt and so seruysable
Vn-to the wyf / where as he was at table
That she wolde suffre hym no thyng for to paye
ffor bord ne clothyng wente he neuer so gaye
Line 1017
And spendyng siluer / hadde he right ynow
Ther-of no fors / I wol procede as now
And telle forth my tale / of the Chanon
That broghte this preest/ to confusion
Line 1021
¶ This false Chanon / cam vp on a day
Vn-to this preestes chambre / wher he lay
Bisechynge hym / to lene hym a certeyn
Of gold / and he wolde quite it hym ageyn
Line 1025
Leene me a marc quod he / but dayes three
And at my day / I wol it quiten thee
And if so be / that thow me fynde fals
Another day / do hange me by the hals
Line 1029
¶ This preest hym took a marc and that as swithe
And this Chanoun / hym thanked ofte sithe
And took/ his leue / and wente forth his weye
And at the thridde day / broghte his moneye
Line 1033
And to the preest / he took his gold agayn
Wher-of this preest was wonder glad and fayn
