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

[6-text p 500]

[THE PROEM.]

¶ The p[ro]loge of þe ffrankeleyn

                                    
                                      Thise olde gentile britouns in here dayes [on leaf 159] 
                                    
                                      Of diuerse auentures maden layes
                                    
                                      Rymeden in here firste britoun tonge
                                    
                                      Whiche layes with here instrumentz þey songe
                                      Line 712 
                                    
                                      Oþer elles radden hem for here plesaunce
                                    
                                      And on of hem haue I in remembraunce
                                    
                                      Which I schal seye wiþ as good wille as I can
                                    
                                      But sires by cause þat I am a burel man
                                      Line 716 
                                    
                                      At my begynnyng first I ȝou beseche
                                    
                                      haueþ me excused of my rude speche
                                    
                                      I lerned neuer rethorik certayn
                                    
                                      þing þat I speke it mot be bare and playn
                                      Line 720 
                                    
                                      I slepte neuer on þe mount of pernaso
                                    
                                      Ne neuer lered Marcus Thullius ne Cithero
                                    
                                      Colours of Rethorik ne knowe I non wiþouten drede
                                    
                                      But suche coloures as growen in þe mede
                                      Line 724 
                                    
                                      Oþir elles suche as men dye or peynte
                                    
                                      Colours of Rethorik ben me to queynte
                                    
                                      Myn spyrit feleþ nought of such matere
                                    
                                      But if ȝe luste my tale schul ȝe not here
                                      Line 728

[THE TALE.]

                                    
                                      Ther was a knight þat loued and did his peyne
                                      Line 730 
                                    
                                      In amoryke þat cleped is Briteyne
                                      Line 729 
                                    
                                      To seruen a lady in his beste wise
                                    
                                      And many a labour and many a gret emprise

                                      Line 732

Pages

Index

About this Item

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 351
Publication: London,: Pub. for the Chaucer society by N. Trübner & co.,; 1868-[1869]

Technical Details

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/agz8235.0001.001/379

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DPLA Rights Statement: No Copyright - United States

IIIF

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Cite this Item

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 May 28, 2025.