| | I wol yow sayn . of the lif of saint Edward | |
| | Or ellis tragedyes first wol I telle | |
| | Of whiche I haue an hundrid in my selle | |
| 85 | Tregedy is forto telle a certeyn story | |
| | As olde bokis makyn memorye | |
| | Of hem that stondyn in greet prosperite | |
| | And is falle out of his degre | |
| | In to mysery and endith wrecchidly | |
| 90 | And they been vercifyed comynly | |
| | Of . vj . feet which men clepyn exametron | |
| | In prose eke ven enditid many ou | |
| | And in metre many a sondry wyse | |
| | Lo this ought ynough to suffise | |
| 95 | Now harkenyth yf you list for to here | |
| | But first I beseche yow in this matere | |
| | Thogh I be ordre telle not thise thingis | |
| | Be it of popis Emperours & kyngis | |
| | And aftir her agis as men writen fynde | |
| 100 | But telle hem som before and som behynde | |
| | As it comyth to my remembraunce | |
| | Haue me excusid of myn ignoraunce | |
| | ¶ . Here endith the Monkis prolog . | |
| | ¶ . Here begynnyth the Tale . | |
| | I | Wil be waile in manere of tregedie | |
| | The harm of hem that stonden in hye degre | |
| | And fillen so that ther nas no remedy | |
| | To brynge hem out of her aduersite | |
| 5 | For certen whenne that fortune list to fle | |
| | Ther may noman of her the cours witholde | |
