| | Not helpith it to telle his sentence | |
| | And wel I woot the substaunce is in me | |
| | Yf ony thing shal wel reportyd be | |
| | Sere say sumwhat of huntyng I you pray | |
| 20 | Nay quod this monk I haue no lust to play | |
| | Now lete anothir telle as I haue told | |
| | Than spak our ost with mylde speche & bolde | |
| | And sayde to the Nonnys prest anone | |
| | Com ner thou prest com hidir sir Iohn | |
| 25 | Tel vs suche thing as may our hertis glade | |
| | Be blithe though thou ryde vp on a Iade | |
| | What though thy hors be foul and lene | |
| | Yf he wol serue the recke the not abene | |
| | Loke that thy herte be mery euyr moo | |
| 30 | Yes sir quod he so moot y goo | |
| | But I be mery I wis I wol be blamyd | |
| | And right anon his tale he hath attamyd | |
| | And thus he sayde to vs euerichon | |
| | This swete preest this gostly man sir Iohn | |
| | ¶ Here endeth the prolog of the Nonnys preest | |
| | ¶ And here begynneth his tale . | |
| | A | Poure wydow som deel stept in age | |
| | Was somtyme dwellyng in a cotage | |
| | Besyde a groue stondyng in a dale | |
| | This whidow of whiche I telle my tale | |
| 5 | Syn that day that she was last a wyf | |
| | In pacience ledde a ful simpyl lyf | |
| | For lityl was her catel and her rent | |
| | By husbondrye suche as god her sent | |
