The Corpus ms (Corpus Christi coll., Oxford) of Chaucer's Canterbury tales. Ed. by Frederick J. Furnivall.

                                
                                     [6-text p 344] 
                                  
                                  But who so wolde senge a cattes skyn
                                
                                  þanne wolde þe catt wel dwellen in his In
                                
                                  And if þe cattes skyn be slike and gay
                                
                                  Sche nel not dwelle in house half a day
                                  Line 352 
                                
                                  But forþ sche wille or ony day be dawed
                                
                                  To schewe hire skyn and go a caterwrawed
                                
                                  þis is to say if I be gay sir schrewe
                                
                                  I wil renne out my borel for to schewe
                                  Line 356 
                                
                                  Sire olde fool what helpeþ þe to spien
                                
                                  They þou prey argus with his þousand yhen [argus habuit mille oculos.] 
                                
                                  To be my warde corps as he can best
                                
                                  In feiþ he schal not kepe me but if me lest
                                  Line 360 
                                
                                  yet couþe I make his berd so mote I þee
                                
                                  þou seist eek þat þer ben þinges þree [folio 109a]  [for 104] 
                                
                                  þe whiche þinges troublen al þis Erþe
                                
                                  And þat no wight may endure þe ferþe
                                  Line 364 
                                
                                  O leue sire schrewe ihesu schorte þi lijf
                                
                                  yet prechest þou and seist an hateful wijf
                                
                                  y-rekned is for oon of þis meschances
                                
                                  Ben þer non oþer maner resemblances
                                  Line 368 
                                
                                  þat ye may likene ȝoure parables to
                                
                                  But if a sely wijf be on of þo
                                
                                  And likenest wommannes loue to helle
                                
                                  To bareyne lond þer water may not dwelle
                                  Line 372 
                                
                                  þou likenest it/ also to wilde fyre
                                
                                  The more it brenneth þe more it haþ desire
                                
                                  To consume eny þing þat brende wolde be
                                
                                  Thou seist þat right as wormes schende a tree
                                  Line 376 
                                
                                  Right so a wyf destroyeþ hir housebonde
                                
                                  This knowen þey þat ben to wyues bonde
                                
                                  lordynges right þus ȝe han vnderstande
                                
                                  Bar I stifly myn olde housbondes on hande
                                  Line 380 
                                
                                  þat þus þey seyden in here drunkenesse
                                
                                  And eek þat he hadde suspecion and Ielousnesse
                                
                                  On Iankyn and on my nefe also
                                
                                  O lord þe peyne I dede hem and þe woo

                                  Line 384

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Title: The Corpus ms (Corpus Christi coll., Oxford) of Chaucer's Canterbury tales. Ed. by Frederick J. Furnivall.
Author: Chaucer, Geoffrey, d. 1400.
Canvas: Page 223
Publication: London,: Pub. for the Chaucer society by N. Trübner & co.,; 1868-[1869]

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Collection: Corpus of Middle English Prose and Verse
Link to this Item: https://name.umdl.umich.edu/agz8235.0001.001
Link to this scan: https://quod.lib.umich.edu/c/cme/agz8235.0001.001/251:6

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Full citation: "The Corpus ms (Corpus Christi coll., Oxford) of Chaucer's Canterbury tales. Ed. by Frederick J. Furnivall." In the digital collection Corpus of Middle English Prose and Verse. https://name.umdl.umich.edu/agz8235.0001.001. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed June 17, 2025.

The Corpus ms (Corpus Christi coll., Oxford) of Chaucer's Canterbury tales. Ed. by Frederick J. Furnivall.

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