| | Highte this clerk whoos rethorik swete | |
| | Enlumyned al Itayle of poetrie | |
| | As Lucane did of philosophie | |
| 35 | Or lawe or other art particuler | |
| | But deth that wol not suffre vs to duelle here | |
| | But as it were the twynkelyng of an ye | |
| | Hem bothe hath slayn and alle shal we dye | |
| | But forth to telle of this worthy man | |
| 40 | That taughte me this tale as I began | |
| | He first with high stile he enditith | |
| | Er he the dite of his tale writith | |
| | A probleme in whiche discriueth he | |
| | Pemounte and of Saluces the contre | |
| 45 | And spekyn of arpentyn the hilles hye | |
| | That been the boundes of west lumbardye | |
| | And of mount vesulus in special | |
| | Where that the poo out of the welle smal | |
| | Takyng his first spryngynge and his cours | |
| 50 | That Estward euer encresith in his sours | |
| | To Emeli ward to Ferrare and venise | |
| | The whiche a long thing were to deuyse | |
| | And trewly as to my Iugement | |
| | Me thinkith it a thing inpertinent | |
| 55 | Saue that he wol conueye his matere | |
| | But thus he begynneth his tale as ye mow here | |
| | ¶ Here endith the prolog . And | |
| | begynneth the clerkis tale of Oxenforde | |
| | T | her was in the west side of Itayle | |
| | Doun at the Rote of vesulus the colde | |
