• The Norman Blake Editions of The Canterbury Tales

was of age Gelous he was and heeld hir narwe in cage For sche was wilde ȝong and he was old And demed himself be lik a Cokewold He knew nat Catoū for his wit was rude That bad man

• The Norman Blake Editions of The Canterbury Tales

O cler o welful auter holy croys Rood of þe lambes blood ful of pite That wissh þe world fro old iniquite Me fro þe feend and fro his clowes keepe That day þat I schal drenchen in þe deepe

• The Norman Blake Editions of The Canterbury Tales

was discret and debonaire And companable and bar hir self ful faire Syn þilke day þat sche was seuen ȝer old That sche haþ trewely þe hert in hold Of chaunteclere loken in euery lith He loued hir so þat

• The Norman Blake Editions of The Canterbury Tales

saith in þis wise Stondeth vpon þe weyes and seeþ &, axeþ of olde pathes þat is to sayn of old sentence which is þe good way . and ȝe schul fynde refresshyng for ȝoure soules c. Many ben þe

• The Norman Blake Editions of The Canterbury Tales

doon synne orrible þat he Dar nought for schame of it schryuen be Or ony wōman be sche ȝong or old That hath y maad hir housbond cokewold Which folk schal haue no power ne grace To offre to my

• The Norman Blake Editions of The Canterbury Tales

þat nedeþ neuer a del It was me told er ȝe com heer tuo houres He was par dy an old felaw of ȝoures And sodeinly he was I slayn to night Fordronk as he sat on his bench vpright

• The Norman Blake Editions of The Canterbury Tales

him hent Right as þay wolde haue torned ouer a style Whan þai han goon nought fully a myle An old man and a pore with hem mette This olde man ful mekely hem grette , And saide þus lordynges

• The Norman Blake Editions of The Canterbury Tales

þy grete worþinesse That I may not , þis in my wyt susteene But as a child of twelf month old or lesse , Than can vnneþes eny word expresse Right so fare I and þerfor I ȝou pray Endith

• The Norman Blake Editions of The Canterbury Tales

gestes gret and smale Ther was a monk a fair man and a bold I trowe þritty wynter he wras old That euer in oon was drawyng to þat place , This ȝonge monk þat was so fair of face

• The Norman Blake Editions of The Canterbury Tales

arise Nece quod he it aught ynough suffise Fyue houres for to slepe a night But it were for eny old palled wight As ben þese weddid men þat lye and dare As in a forme liþ a wery hare

• The Norman Blake Editions of The Canterbury Tales

A thousand frankes aboue al his costage His wyf redy mette him at þe gate As sche was wont of old vsage algate And al þat night in mirþe þay ben sette For he was riche and clerly out of

• The Norman Blake Editions of The Canterbury Tales

smoke , And chydyng wyues maken men to fle Out of here oughne hous a benedicite What eylith such an old man for to chyde , þou seist we wyues woln oure vices hide Til we ben weddid and þan

• The Norman Blake Editions of The Canterbury Tales

feet so clene and faire That al myn hert I ȝaf vnto his hold He was I trowe twenty wynter old And I was fourty I schal say þe soþe But ȝit I had alway a Coltis toþe Gattothid I

• The Norman Blake Editions of The Canterbury Tales

wher Mercury is reysed Therfor no wōman of clerkes is preised The clerk whan he is old and may nouȝt do Of venus werkis is not worþ a scho Than sit he doun and writ in his dotage That wōmen

• The Norman Blake Editions of The Canterbury Tales

and let my body go Nay quod sche þan I schrew vs boþe tuo For þough þat I be foule old and poure I nolde for al þe metal ne for þe oure That vnder erthe is graue or lith

• The Norman Blake Editions of The Canterbury Tales

we wedde And eek I pray to Ihū schort her lyues That wil nought be gouerned after her wyues And old and angry nygardes of despense God send hem sone verray pestilence , Here endith þe wif of Bathe hire

• The Norman Blake Editions of The Canterbury Tales

fulfilled of fayrie The elf queen with hir ioly compaignye Daunced fuloft in many a grene mede This was þe old oppynyoū as I rede I speke of many hundrid ȝer ago But now can no man see noon elues

• The Norman Blake Editions of The Canterbury Tales

was two yeer old , and fro the brest Departed of his Norice , on a day This Markys , caughte yet another lest To tempte his wyf , yet ofter , if he may O nedelees , was she

• The Norman Blake Editions of The Canterbury Tales

For in effect it proued is on me Loue is noght old , as whan þt it is newe But certes lord , for noon aduersitee To dyen in this cas , it shal nat be That euere in word

• The Norman Blake Editions of The Canterbury Tales

ther fore wolde I fayn That thyn were , al swich manere gouernance Thow knowest eek of old al my plesance Though thyn array be badde , and yuel biseye Do thow thy deuoir , at the leeste weye Nat