The Ellesmere ms of Chaucer's Canterbury tales / edited by Frederick J. Furnivall.

[6-text p 589]

GROUP I. FRAGMENT X.

§ 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.]

¶ Heere folweth the Prologe / of the Persons tale . ELLESMERE MS. [folio 210a]

                                    
                                      BY that the Manciple / hadde his tale al ended
                                    
                                      The sonne / fro the south lyne was descended
                                    
                                      So lowe / that he ne nas nat to my sighte
                                    
                                      Degrees / nyne and twenty / as in highte
                                      Line 4 
                                    
                                      Ten of the Clokke / it was tho / as I gesse
                                    
                                      ffor elleuene foot or litel moore / or lesse
                                    
                                      My shadwe was / at thilke tyme as there
                                    
                                      Of swiche feet as my lengthe parted were
                                      Line 8 
                                    
                                      In sixe feet equal / of proporcion
                                    
                                      Ther with / the Moones exaltacion
                                    
                                      I meene Libra / alwey gan ascende
                                    
                                      As we / were entryng at a Thropes ende
                                      Line 12 
                                    
                                      ¶ ffor which our hoost as he was wont to gye
                                    
                                      As in this caas / oure Ioly compaignye
                                    
                                      Seyde in this wise / lordynges euerichoon
                                    
                                      Now lakketh vs no tales / mo than oon
                                      Line 16 
                                    
                                      ffulfilled is my sentence / and my decree
                                    
                                      I trowe / that we han herd of ech degree
                                    
                                      Almoost fulfild is al myn ordinaunce
                                    
                                      I pray to god / so yeue hym right good chaunce
                                      Line 20 
                                    
                                      That telleth this tale / to vs lustily
                                    
                                      ¶ Sire preest quod he / artow a vicary
                                    
                                      Or arte a person / sey sooth by thy fey
                                    
                                      Be what thou be / ne breke thou nat oure pley

                                      Line 24

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About this Item

Title: The Ellesmere ms of Chaucer's Canterbury tales / edited by Frederick J. Furnivall.
Author: Chaucer, Geoffrey, d. 1400.
Canvas: Page 584
Publication: London :: Published for the Chaucer Society by N. Trübner,; 1868-1879.

Technical Details

Collection: Corpus of Middle English Prose and Verse
Link to this Item: https://name.umdl.umich.edu/agz8232.0001.001
Link to this scan: https://quod.lib.umich.edu/c/cme/agz8232.0001.001/614:12

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Cite this Item

Full citation: "The Ellesmere ms of Chaucer's Canterbury tales / edited by Frederick J. Furnivall." In the digital collection Corpus of Middle English Prose and Verse. https://name.umdl.umich.edu/agz8232.0001.001. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed May 1, 2025.