And here bygynneth þe tale of þe Chanouns ȝeman [¶ prologus]
Whan ended was þe lif/ of seynt Cecile
Er we fully had riden fyue myle
At/ Boughtoun vnder blee vs gan atake
A man þat cloþed was in cloþes blake
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And vnder þat he had a whit surplice
his hakeney þat was a pomely grice
So swete þat it wonder was to se
It semed he hadde priked myles þre /
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The hors eek þat his ȝyman rood vpon [folio 169b]
So swette þat vnneþes might he goon
Aboute þe peytrel stood þe foom ful hye
he was of foom as flekked as a pye
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A male tweyfold on his croper lay
It semed þat he caried litel array
And light for somer rood þis worþy man
And in myn herte wondren I bigan
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what þat he was til þat I vnderstood
how þat his cloke was sowed vnto his hood
For which whan I long had auysed me /
I demed him som chanoun for to be
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his hat heng at his bak doun by a laas
For he had riden more þan trot or paas /
He had I-pryked lik as he were wood
A cloote leef he had vnder his hood
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For swoot and for to kepe his heed from hete
But it was ioye for to se him swete
His forhed dropped as a stillatorie
were ful of plantayn and of peritorie
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