Canterbury tales composed for the entertainment of all ingenious young men at their merry meetings upon Christmas, Easter, Whitsontide, or any other time, especially in long winter evenings to keep good wits imply'd : intermixt with pleasant stories, witty jests and delightful songs very proper for either city, town, or country with an epistle dedicated to the bakers, smiths and millers by Chaucer junior.

The Dedication to the Bakers, Smith•• Millers, and other Readers

YOV are presented here with a Choi•• Banquet of delightful Tales, pleas•••••• Stories, witty Iests, and merry Songs to ••••••vert the young Men and Maids when 〈◊〉〈◊〉 come to the Bake-house, Forge or Mill; 〈◊〉〈◊〉 by these you may encrease your Trade and 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Customers to you: for be sure the merry L••••∣ses will go where they can be furnished with Tales, Stories and Iests; therefore these ••re as necessary for you as a fair Wife for a fine Tavern, a young Hostess for an old Inn, or a Gazet for a Coffee-House. It is fitted for all manner of Persons, therefore I hope you will all furnish your selves with it; for it will be a rare Companion for Old and Young upo•• many Oc••asions; especially at Christmas, Easter, VVhitsontide, or long Winter E∣venings over a Cup of Nut-brown-Ale and Lambs-wool. In a word, you will find it a•• comfortable as Matrimony, or as sweet as •• Maiden-head at midnight, or a Sack-Posse•• at the latter end of a Fire, what would yo•• have more the young Men and Maids ma•• laugh till their Lungs ake, and the old an•• melancholly, will find Dr. Merryman the be•••• Physitian.