The Cambridge ms (University library, Gg. 4.27) of Chaucer's Canterbury tales / edited by Frederick J. Furnivall.

                                
                                     [6-text p 581] 
                                  
                                  Whit was this crowe as is a snow whit swan
                                  Line 133 
                                
                                  And countyrfetid the speche of euery man
                                
                                  He coude whan he schulde telle a tale
                                
                                  Therwith in al this world non nyghtynghale
                                  Line 136 
                                
                                  Ne coude by an hunderede thousent deel
                                
                                  Syngyn so wondir meryely & weel
                                
                                  // Now hadde this phebus in his hous a wyf
                                
                                  Whiche that he louede moore than his lyf
                                  Line 140 
                                
                                  And nyght & day dede euere his diligence
                                
                                  Hire for to pleese & don hire reuerence
                                
                                  Saue only the sothe that I schal sayn
                                
                                  Ialus he was & wolde haue kep here fayn
                                  Line 144 
                                
                                  ffor hym were loth byiapid for to bee
                                
                                  And so is euery wight in swich degre
                                
                                  But al in ydyl for it auaylyth noght
                                
                                  A good wif that is slene in werk & thought
                                  Line 148 
                                
                                  Schulde not been kept in noon a-wayt certeyn
                                
                                  And trewely the labour is in veyn
                                
                                  To kepe a schrewe for it wele nat bee
                                
                                  This holde I for a verray vanytee
                                  Line 152 
                                
                                  To spille labour for to kepe wivis
                                
                                  Thus wrytyn olde clerkis in here lyuys
                                
                                  But now to purpos as I ferst be-gan
                                
                                  This worthi phebus doth al that he can
                                  Line 156 
                                
                                  To plesyn here / wenynge that sweche plesaunce
                                
                                  And for his manhede & hise gouernaunce
                                
                                  That no man schulde haue put hire from hire grace
                                
                                  But god it wot there may no man enbrace
                                  Line 160 
                                
                                  As to discryue a thyng / whiche that nature
                                
                                  Hath naturelly set in a cryature
                                
                                  // Take any thyng & put it in a cage [folio 396a] 
                                
                                  And do al thyn entent & thyn corage
                                  Line 164 
                                
                                  To fostere it tenderely with mete & drynk
                                
                                  Of alle deynteis that thow canst be-thynk
                                
                                  And keepe it also clenly as thow may
                                
                                  Al thow his cage of gold be neuere so gay

                                  Line 168

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Title: The Cambridge ms (University library, Gg. 4.27) of Chaucer's Canterbury tales / edited by Frederick J. Furnivall.
Author: Chaucer, Geoffrey, d. 1400.
Canvas: Page 572
Publication: London :: Published for the Chaucer Society by K. Paul, Trench, Trübner,; 1868-1879.

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Collection: Corpus of Middle English Prose and Verse
Link to this Item: https://name.umdl.umich.edu/agz8234.0001.001
Link to this scan: https://quod.lib.umich.edu/c/cme/agz8234.0001.001/590

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Full citation: "The Cambridge ms (University library, Gg. 4.27) 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/agz8234.0001.001. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed April 26, 2025.

The Cambridge ms (University library, Gg. 4.27) of Chaucer's Canterbury tales / edited by Frederick J. Furnivall.

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