| | And er that a furlong wey of space | |
| | Right so as bees swarme out of an hyue | |
| 30 | Out of the deuelis ars they gon dryue | |
| | Twenty thousand freris on a Route | |
| | And thorow out helle swarmed al aboute | |
| | And cam ayeen as faste as they may goon | |
| | And in to his ars they crepte in euerichon | |
| 35 | He clippid ayeen his tayl and lay stylle | |
| | This frere when he lokid had his wille | |
| | Vp on the tormentis of this sory place | |
| | His spirit god restorid of his grace | |
| | Vnto his body ayeen and he a wook | |
| 40 | But natheles for feer yet he quok | |
| | So was the deuyl ay in his mynde | |
| | Than is it his heritage of verry kynde | |
| | God saue you alle saue this cursid frere | |
| | My prolog wil I ende in this manere | |
| | ¶ Here endith the prolog . And | |
| | begynneth the Sompnours tale . | |
| | L | Ordingis qd he in yorkshire as I gesse | |
| | Is a mersh contre that callid is holdernes | |
| | In whiche ther wente a lymytour aboute | |
| | To preche and eke to begge it is no doute | |
| 5 | And so be fyl that on aday this frere | |
| | Hadde prechid in a chirche in his manere | |
| | And specially abouen euery thing | |
| | Excitid he the pepil in his prechinge | |
| | To trentalis and to yeue for goddis sake | |
| 10 | Where with men mighte holy housis make | |
