| | Husbondis meke yong and fresh a bedde | |
| | And grace to our lyue hem that we wedde | |
| | And eek I pray Ihesus shorte her liuys | |
| 1235 | That wol not be gouerned be her wyuys | |
| | And olde and angry nygardis of dispence | |
| | God sende hem sone a foul verry pestilence | |
| | ¶ Here endith the tale of the wyf of bathe . | |
| | ¶ . And begynneth the prolog of the frere . | |
| | T | His nobyl limytour this worthy frere | |
| | He made alwey a maner louryng chere | |
| | Vp on the sompnour but for honeste | |
| | No vileyns word as yet spak he | |
| 5 | But atte laste he sayde vnto the wyf of bathe | |
| | Dame qd he god you euer kepe fro scathe | |
| | For here ye haue touchid also moot y the | |
| | In scole mater a ful greet difficulte | |
| | Ye haue said muche thing right coriously | |
| 10 | But dame here as ye riden be the wey | |
| | Vs nedith not to speke but of game | |
| | And lete auctours be a goddis name | |
| | To prechinge and to scole of clergye | |
| | And yf it likith vnto this gentil companye | |
| 15 | I wolde you of a sompnour telle a game | |
| | Parde ye mowe wel knowen be the name | |
| | That of a sompnour may no gode be said | |
| | I pray that non of you be euyl a payde | |
| | A sompnour is a renner vp and doun | |
| 20 | With maundementis for fornicacion | |
| | And y bete at euery townys ende | |
