| | That on a day this hend Nicholas | |
| | Fil with this yonge wyf to rage & to pleye | |
| | Whylis that her husbond was at Oseneye | |
| | As clerkis be ful subtil and ful queynt | |
| 90 | And pryuely he caughte hir be the queynt | |
| | And sayde y wis but yf I haue my wylle | |
| | For dern loue of the lemman I spylle | |
| | And held here harde be the shank bones | |
| | And sayde lemman loue me at onys | |
| 95 | Or I wol dye al so god me saue | |
| | And she sprong as a colt doth in the traue | |
| | And with her hed she wrieth faste away | |
| | She sayde I wol not kysse the be my fay | |
| | Why let be quod she let be Nicholas | |
| 100 | Or I wyl crye out and allas | |
| | Do wey your hondis for your curtesie | |
| | This Nicholas gan mercy forto crye | |
| | And spak so fayre & profred hir so fast | |
| | That she her loue graunted hym at the last | |
| 105 | And swere her oth be saynt Thomas of kent | |
| | That she wolde be at his comaundement | |
| | Whan that she may her leyser wel espye | |
| | Myn husbond is so ful of ielosye | |
| | But ye be waar wel and be pryue | |
| 110 | I wot right wel I am but ded quod she | |
| | Ye muste be ful dern as in this caas | |
| | Nay there of care I not quod Nicholas | |
| | A clerk hadde lowdly beset his whyle | |
| | But yf he coude a carpenter begyle | |
