Corpus of Middle English Prose and Verse

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

[6-text p 665] hem out of the regne of heuene that is heritage to goode folk [885] ¶ Of this brekynge comth eek ofte tyme. that folk vnwar / wedden or synnen with hire owene kynrede. and namely / thilke harlottes that haunten bordels of thise fool wommen. that mowe be likned to a commune gonge where as men purgen hire ordure [886] ¶ What seye we eek of Putours þat lyuen by the horrible synne of putrie. [¶ Of putours that lyuen / by the puterye of wommen] and constreyne wommen to yelden to hem a certeyn rente of hire bodily puterie. ye somtyme of his owene wyf/ or his child. as doon this bawdes / certes / thise been cursede synnes [887] ¶ Vnderstoond eek / that Auowtrie is set gladly in the ten comandementz bitwixe thefte and man|slaughtre. for it is / the gretteste thefte that may be. for it is thefte of body and of soule. [888] and it is lyk to homycide. for it kerueth atwo and breketh atwo / hem / that first were maked o flessh. and therfore / by the olde lawe of god they sholde be slayn. [889] but nathelees by the lawe of Ihesu crist that is lawe of pitee. whan he seyde to the [folio 231b] womman that was founden in Auowtrie. and sholde han been slayn with stones. after the wyl of the Iewes as was hir lawe. Go quod Ihesu crist and haue na|moore wyl to synne. or wille namoore to do synne ‖ [890] Soothly / the vengeance of Auowtrie is awarded to the peynes of helle but if so be / that it be destourbed by penitence [891] Yet been ther mo speces of this cursed synne. as whan that oon of hem is religious. or elles bothe. [¶ Of Religious and ordred folk/ that vsen leccherye] or of folk / that been entred in-to ordre. as subdekne or preest or hospitaliers. and euere the hyer that he is in ordre. the gretter is the synne [892] ¶ The thynges that gretly agreggen hire synne. is the brekynge of hire Auow of chastitee. whan they receyued the ordre ‖. [893] And forther ouer sooth is that hooly ordre. is chief of al the tresorie of god. and his especial signe and mark of chastitee. to shewe that they been ioyned to chastitee which that is moost precious lyf that is /. [894] And thise ordred folk been specially titled to god / and of the
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Title
The Ellesmere ms of Chaucer's Canterbury tales / edited by Frederick J. Furnivall.
Author
Chaucer, Geoffrey, d. 1400.
Canvas
Page 661
Publication
London :: Published for the Chaucer Society by N. Trübner,
1868-1879.

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https://name.umdl.umich.edu/agz8232.0001.001
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https://quod.lib.umich.edu/c/cme/agz8232.0001.001/695:12

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"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 April 30, 2025.
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