| | Be tokeneth the sonne bemys soth to sayn | |
| | Thou shalt an hangid be fadir certeyn | |
| 670 | Rayn shal the wasshe and sonne shal the drye | |
| | Thus she warned ful plat and ful pleyn | |
| | His doughter that callyd was Phanye | |
| | An hangid was Cresus the proud kyng | |
| | His ryal trone mighte hym not auaylle | |
| 675 | Tragedy is non other maner thing | |
| | Ne can in syngrye ne bewaylle | |
| | For that fortune alday wol assaylle | |
| | With vnwaar strook the regnes that be proude | |
| | For whenne men trust in her than wol she faylle | |
| 680 | And couer her bright face vnder a cloude | |
| | ¶ Here endith the Monkes tale . | |
| | H | O quod our ooste syr nomore of this | |
| | That ye haue said is ynough ywis | |
| | And mykyl more for mykyl heuynes | |
| | Is right ynough to mykyl folk I ges | |
| 5 | Your talis doon vs no disport ne game | |
| | Wherfore sir Monk Piers Adam be your name | |
| | I pray yow hertly tel vs sumwhat ellis | |
| | For sikirly nere clynkyng of your bellis | |
| | That on your brydil hongyn on euery syde | |
| 10 | Be heuyn kyng that for vs alle dyde | |
| | I sholde or this fallen doun for slepe | |
| | Al though the slough hadde neuyr be so depe | |
| | Thanne hadde your tale al be told in veyn | |
| | For certenly as thyse clerkis seyn | |
| 15 | Where as a man may haue non audience | |
