| | But wil shal not fayle that is soth | |
| | And yet haue I alwey a coltis toth | |
| 35 | As many a yeer as it is passed henne | |
| | Sen that my tappe of lif began to renne | |
| | For sikirly whan I was born anone | |
| | Deth drew the tappe of lif and let it gon | |
| | And euer seth hath so the tappe ronne | |
| 40 | Tyl that almost al empty is the tonne | |
| | The streme of lif now droppith on the chymbe | |
| | The sely tunge may wel rynge and chymbe | |
| | Of wrecchidnesse that past is ful yore | |
| | With olde folk saue dotage ther is nomore | |
| 45 | Whan that our hoost had herd this sermonyng | |
| | He gan to speken as lordly as a kyng | |
| | And sayde what amountith al this wit | |
| | What shul we speke alday of holy writ | |
| | The deuel made a reue forto preche | |
| 50 | Or of a sowter a shipman or a leche | |
| | Say forth thy tale and tary not the tyme | |
| | Lo depford it is halfwey to pryme | |
| | Lo grenewich that many a shrewe is ynne | |
| | It were al tyme thy tale forto begynne | |
| 55 | Now sires quod Oswold the Reue | |
| | I pray you alle that ye yow not greue | |
| | Though that y answere & somdel sette his houn | |
| | For leful is with force forto sown | |
| | This dronkyn myllere hath told vs here | |
| 60 | How that begilid was a maister carpentere | |
| | Parauenture in scorn for that I am one | |
