¶The prologe of the Cookes tale
The Cook / of Londo|un| / whil the Reue spak/ ffor ioye hym thoughte / he clawed hym on the bak/ Haha quod he / for Cri{s}tes pa{ss}io|un| This Millere / hadde a sharp conclu{s}io|un| Vp on his argument/ of herbergage Wel seyde Salomon / in his langage Ne bryng nat euery man / in to thyn hous ffor herberwyng/ by nyghte is |per|ilous Wel oghte a man / auy{s}ed for to be Whom |þt| he broghte / in to his |pri|uetee I pray to god / so yeue me sorwe and care If euer sith / I highte hogge of ware Herde I a Millere / bettre y{s}et awerk / He hadde a iape of malice / in the derk/ But god forbede / that we stynten heere
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ffor if ye / vouche {s}auf to heere
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A tale of me / that am a poure man I wol yow telle / as wel as e|uer|e I kan A litel iape / that fil in oure Citee ¶Oure hoo{s}t an{s}werde / and seyde I graunte it thee Now tel on Roger / looke that it be good ffor many a pa{s}tee / ha{s}tow laten blood And many a Iakke of Douere / ha{s}tow soold That hath been twies hoot/ and twies coold Of many a pilgrym / ha{s}tow Cri{s}tes curs ffor of thy |per|{s}le / yet they fare the wors That they han eten / with thy stubbul goos ffor in thy shoppe / is many a flye loos Now tel on / gentil Roger / by thy name But yet I praye thee / be nat wrooth for game A man may seye ful {s}ooth / in game and pley ¶Thow sei{s}t ful sooth / quod Roger by my fey
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But sooth pley quade pley / as the fflemyng seith And therfore herry Bailly / by thy feith Be thou nat wrooth / er we departen heer Thogh |þt| my tale / be of an ho{s}tiler But nathelees / I wol nat telle it yit But er we parte / ywis thow shalt be quyt/ And ther with al / he lough / and made cheere And seyde his tale / as ye shal after heere
¶Here bigynneth the Cook/ his tale
A Prentis / whilom dwelled in oure Citee And of a craft/ of vitaillers was he Gaillard he was / as goldfynch in the shawe Broun as a berye / a |prop|re short/ felawe With lokkes blake / ykembd ful feti{s}ly Dauncen he koude / so wel and iolily That he / was clepyd Perkyn Reuelour He was / as ful / of loue and |per|amour As is the hyue / ful of hony swete Wel was the wenche / |þt| |with| hym myghte meete
At euery bridale / wolde he synge |&| hoppe he loued bet the Tauerne / than the shoppe ffor / whan ther any ridyng/ was in Chepe Out of the {s}hoppe / thider wolde he lepe Til |þt| he hadde / al the sighte y{s}eyn And daunced wel / he wolde noght come ageyn And gadred hym / a meynee of his sort/ To hoppe and synge / and maken swich di{s}port/ And ther / they setten steuene / for to meete To pleyen at the dees / in swich a Streete ffor in the town / nas ther no Prentys That fairer / koude ca{s}te a paire of dys Than Perkyn koude / and ther to he was free Of his di{s}pen{s}e / in place of pryuetee That foond his mai{s}ter wel / in his chaffare ffor ofte tyme / he foond his box ful bare ffor sikerly / a prentys reuelour That haunteth dees / ryot/ or |per|amour
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His mai{s}ter / shal it in his shoppe abye Al haue he / no part of the Min{s}tralcye ffor thefte and riot / they been con|uer|tible Al konne he pleye / on Giterne / or Rubible Reuel and trouthe / as in a lowe degree They been ful wrothe al day / as men may see ¶This ioly Prentys / with his Mai{s}ter bood Til he were neigh / out of his |pre|nti{s}hood Al were he snybbed / bothe erly and late And som tyme / lad with reuel to Newgate But atte la{s}te / his mai{s}ter hym bithoghte Vp on a day / whan he his papir soghte Of a |pro|uerbe / that seith this same word Wel bet is roten Appul / out of hoord Than |þt| it rotte / al the remenaunt/ So fareth it/ by a riotous seruaunt/ It is ful la{ss}e harm / to lete hym pace Than he shende / alle the {s}eruantz in the place Ther fore / his mai{s}ter gaf hym acquitaunce And bad hym go / with sorw / and |with| me{s}chaunce And thus this ioly |pre|ntys / hadde his leeue Now lat hym riote / al the nyght/ or leeue And for ther nys no theef/ with oute a lowke That helpeth hym / to wa{s}ten and to sowke Of that he brybe kan / or borwe may Anon / he {s}ente his bed / and his array Vn to a compeer / of his owene sort/ That loued dees / and reuel / and di{s}port/ And hadde a wyf / that heeld for contenaunce A shoppe / and swyued for hir su{s}tenaunce
Of this Cokes talemaked Chaucer namoore
