| | Our oste than spak a sir ye sholde be hende | |
| | And certis a man of your astat | |
| | In company we wol haue no debaat | |
| 25 | Tellith your tale and leet the sompnour be | |
| | Nay quod the sompnour let hym say by me | |
| | What so hym list when it comyth to my lot | |
| | Be god I shal hym quyte euery grot | |
| | I shal hym telle whiche a gret honour | |
| 30 | It is to be a flateryng lymytour | |
| | And of many another maner cryme | |
| | Whiche nedith not to reherce at this tyme | |
| | And his office I shal hym telle ywis | |
| | Our ost answerde pes nomore of this | |
| 35 | And aftir this he sayde vnto the frere | |
| | Tel forth your tale myn owyn maister dere | |
| | ¶ Here endith the Freris prolog . | |
| | ¶ And here begynneth his tale . | |
| | W | Hilom ther was duellyng in my contre | |
| | An archedekyn a man of high degre | |
| | That boldly did ful many an execucion | |
| | In punysshynge of euery fornicacion | |
| 5 | Of whichecraft and eke of baudrye | |
| | Of diffamacion and auoutrye | |
| | Of chirche Reuys and of testamentis | |
| | Of contract and of lak of sacrementis | |
| | Of vsurye and eke of symonye also | |
| 10 | But certis lechours did he muche woo | |
| | They sholde syngen yf that they were hent | |
| | And smale tithers also were foule shent | |
