The Prologue + 

“No more of this, for Goddë’s dignity!” + 

Quoth ourë Hostë; “for thou makest me + 

So weary of thy very lewëdness, + 

That, all so wisly God my soulë bless, + 

Mine earës achë for thy drafty speech. + 

Now such a rhyme the devil I beteche: + 

This may well be rhyme doggerel,” quoth he. + 

“Why so?” quoth I; “why wilt thou lettë me + 

More of my tale than any other man, + 

Since that it is the best rhyme that I can?” + 

“By God!” quoth he, “for, plainly at one word, + 

Thy drafty rhyming is not worth a tord: + 

Thou dost naught ellës but dispendest time. + 

Sir, at one word, thou shalt no longer rhyme. + 

Let see whe’er thou canst tellen aught in gest, + 

Or tell in prosë somewhat, at the least, + 

In which there be some mirth or some doctríne.” + 

“Gladly,” quoth I, “by Goddë’s sweetë pine, + 

I will you tell a little thing in prose, + 

That oughtë likë you, as I suppose, + 

Or else certés ye be too dangerous. + 

It is a moral talë virtuous, + 

All be it told sometimes in sundry wise + 

By sundry folk, as I shall you devise. + 

As thus, ye wot that ev’ry Evangelist, + 

That telleth us the pain of Jesus Christ, + 

He saith not all thing as his fellow doth; + 

But natheless their sentence is all soth, + 

And all accorden as in their senténce, + 

All be there in their telling differénce; + 

For some of them say more, and some say less, + 

When they his piteous passión express; + 

I mean of Mark and Matthew, Luke and John; + 

But doubtëless their sentence is all one. + 

Therefore, lordingës all, I you beseech, + 

If that ye think I vary in my speech, + 

As thus, though that I tellë some deal more + 

Of proverbës, than ye have heard before + 

Comprehended in this little treatise here, + 

T’ enforcë with the effect of my mattére, + 

And though I not the same wordës say + 

As ye have heard, yet to you all I pray + 

Blame me not; for as in my senténce + 

Shall ye nowhere findë no differénce + 

From the senténce of thilkë treatise lite, + 

After the which this merry tale I write. + 

And therefore hearken to what I shall say, + 

And let me tellen all my tale, I pray.” + 