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Our counseil was nat longe for to seche; Us thoughte it was noght worth to make it wys, And graunted him withouten more avys, And bad him seye his verdit, as him leste. Our counseil was nat longe for to seche; Us thoughte it was noght worth to make it wys, And graunted him withouten more avys, And bad him seye his verdit, as him leste.
‘Lordinges,’ quod he, ‘now herkneth for the beste; But tak it not, I prey yow, in desdeyn; This is the poynt, to speken short and pleyn, That ech of yow, to shorte with your weye, In this viage, shal telle tales tweye, To Caunterbury-ward, I mene it so, And hom-ward he shal tellen othere two, Of aventures that whylom han bifalle. And which of yow that bereth him best of alle, That is to seyn, that telleth in this cas Tales of best sentence and most solas, Shal have a soper at our aller cost Here in this place, sitting by this post, Whan that we come agayn fro Caunterbury. And for to make yow the more mery, I wol my-selven gladly with yow ryde, Right at myn owne cost, and be your gyde. And who-so wol my Iugement withseye Shal paye al that we spenden by the weye. And if ye vouche-sauf that it be so, Tel me anon, with-outen wordes mo, And I wol erly shape me therfore.’ ‘Lordinges,’ quod he, ‘now herkneth for the beste; But tak it not, I prey yow, in desdeyn; This is the poynt, to speken short and pleyn, That ech of yow, to shorte with your weye, In this viage, shal telle tales tweye, To Caunterbury-ward, I mene it so, And hom-ward he shal tellen othere two, Of aventures that whylom han bifalle. And which of yow that bereth him best of alle, That is to seyn, that telleth in this cas Tales of best sentence and most solas, Shal have a soper at our aller cost Here in this place, sitting by this post, Whan that we come agayn fro Caunterbury. And for to make yow the more mery, I wol my-selven gladly with yow ryde, Right at myn owne cost, and be your gyde. And who-so wol my Iugement withseye Shal paye al that we spenden by the weye. And if ye vouche-sauf that it be so, Tel me anon, with-outen wordes mo, And I wol erly shape me therfore.’

Original Text

Modern Text

Our counseil was nat longe for to seche; Us thoughte it was noght worth to make it wys, And graunted him withouten more avys, And bad him seye his verdit, as him leste. Our counseil was nat longe for to seche; Us thoughte it was noght worth to make it wys, And graunted him withouten more avys, And bad him seye his verdit, as him leste.
‘Lordinges,’ quod he, ‘now herkneth for the beste; But tak it not, I prey yow, in desdeyn; This is the poynt, to speken short and pleyn, That ech of yow, to shorte with your weye, In this viage, shal telle tales tweye, To Caunterbury-ward, I mene it so, And hom-ward he shal tellen othere two, Of aventures that whylom han bifalle. And which of yow that bereth him best of alle, That is to seyn, that telleth in this cas Tales of best sentence and most solas, Shal have a soper at our aller cost Here in this place, sitting by this post, Whan that we come agayn fro Caunterbury. And for to make yow the more mery, I wol my-selven gladly with yow ryde, Right at myn owne cost, and be your gyde. And who-so wol my Iugement withseye Shal paye al that we spenden by the weye. And if ye vouche-sauf that it be so, Tel me anon, with-outen wordes mo, And I wol erly shape me therfore.’ ‘Lordinges,’ quod he, ‘now herkneth for the beste; But tak it not, I prey yow, in desdeyn; This is the poynt, to speken short and pleyn, That ech of yow, to shorte with your weye, In this viage, shal telle tales tweye, To Caunterbury-ward, I mene it so, And hom-ward he shal tellen othere two, Of aventures that whylom han bifalle. And which of yow that bereth him best of alle, That is to seyn, that telleth in this cas Tales of best sentence and most solas, Shal have a soper at our aller cost Here in this place, sitting by this post, Whan that we come agayn fro Caunterbury. And for to make yow the more mery, I wol my-selven gladly with yow ryde, Right at myn owne cost, and be your gyde. And who-so wol my Iugement withseye Shal paye al that we spenden by the weye. And if ye vouche-sauf that it be so, Tel me anon, with-outen wordes mo, And I wol erly shape me therfore.’