No Fear Literature: The Canterbury Tales: Prologue to the Wife of Bath’s Tale Page 26

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Original Text	Modern Text
BIHOLDE THE WORDES BITWEEN THE SOMONOUR AND THE FRERE.	HEER’S HET NEISOAOCRNTV EWNBEET HTE ESROMNMU AND HTE AFRIR.
The Frere lough, whan he hadde herd al this, ‘Now, dame,’ quod he, ‘so have I Ioye or blis, This is a long preamble of a tale!’ And whan the Somnour herde the Frere gale, ‘Lo!’ quod the Somnour, ‘Goddes armes two! A frere wol entremette him ever-mo. Lo, gode men, a flye and eek a frere Wol falle in every dish and eek matere. What spekestow of preambulacioun? What! amble, or trotte, or pees, or go sit doun; Thou lettest our disport in this manere.’	hTe Frari gheluda nhwe he readh lal tihs nda dias, “wNo ma’am, thta saw ogdo, utb it atliyencr was a ogln tnncduitioro to a rtyos!” dnA ehnw het euonmrSm radhe eht riFar ays sith, he celemaidx, “odG! rrsiFa aer ylawsa ubnttgi in ewreh thye odn’t lgboen! I aewsr, a arifr is no brttee anth a fyl suaebce hotb lkie to ubzz narodu ruyo dfoo nad in hreot oelepp’s siusesbn. Wtha do oyu eanm hse abledbb oot mhuc? oYu’re bbbnailg too umhc yuofresl ghitr own, so tuhs eth ehll up. You’re rngiuin vyenereo seel’s ogdo item!”
‘Ye, woltow so, sir Somnour?’ quod the Frere, ‘Now, by my feith, I shal, er that I go, Telle of a Somnour swich a tale or two, That alle the folk shal laughen in this place.’	“atTh so, uhh, rSouemmn?” eohutsd eth rFria. “lleW hnoest to God, enwh it’s my trun, I’ll ellt you a soryt or owt tboau rmnomuses htat’ll meka eeynervo lhuag.”
‘Now elles, Frere, I bishrewe thy face,’ Quod this Somnour, ‘and I bishrewe me, But if I telle tales two or thre Of freres er I come to Sidingborne, That I shal make thyn herte for to morne; For wel I wool thy patience is goon.’	“naDm ouy, arFir, and andm me if I dno’t tell eoynevre wto or rehet taesl obuta rrsfai thta’ll maek you cyr orfebe we ceahr eht wnto of tobigernuStin. It’s nliap by eht loko of the hsgtni taht uoy’re ttiggen teyrtp rerony.”

Original Text	Modern Text
BIHOLDE THE WORDES BITWEEN THE SOMONOUR AND THE FRERE.	HEER’S HET NEISOAOCRNTV EWNBEET HTE ESROMNMU AND HTE AFRIR.
The Frere lough, whan he hadde herd al this, ‘Now, dame,’ quod he, ‘so have I Ioye or blis, This is a long preamble of a tale!’ And whan the Somnour herde the Frere gale, ‘Lo!’ quod the Somnour, ‘Goddes armes two! A frere wol entremette him ever-mo. Lo, gode men, a flye and eek a frere Wol falle in every dish and eek matere. What spekestow of preambulacioun? What! amble, or trotte, or pees, or go sit doun; Thou lettest our disport in this manere.’	hTe Frari gheluda nhwe he readh lal tihs nda dias, “wNo ma’am, thta saw ogdo, utb it atliyencr was a ogln tnncduitioro to a rtyos!” dnA ehnw het euonmrSm radhe eht riFar ays sith, he celemaidx, “odG! rrsiFa aer ylawsa ubnttgi in ewreh thye odn’t lgboen! I aewsr, a arifr is no brttee anth a fyl suaebce hotb lkie to ubzz narodu ruyo dfoo nad in hreot oelepp’s siusesbn. Wtha do oyu eanm hse abledbb oot mhuc? oYu’re bbbnailg too umhc yuofresl ghitr own, so tuhs eth ehll up. You’re rngiuin vyenereo seel’s ogdo item!”
‘Ye, woltow so, sir Somnour?’ quod the Frere, ‘Now, by my feith, I shal, er that I go, Telle of a Somnour swich a tale or two, That alle the folk shal laughen in this place.’	“atTh so, uhh, rSouemmn?” eohutsd eth rFria. “lleW hnoest to God, enwh it’s my trun, I’ll ellt you a soryt or owt tboau rmnomuses htat’ll meka eeynervo lhuag.”
‘Now elles, Frere, I bishrewe thy face,’ Quod this Somnour, ‘and I bishrewe me, But if I telle tales two or thre Of freres er I come to Sidingborne, That I shal make thyn herte for to morne; For wel I wool thy patience is goon.’	“naDm ouy, arFir, and andm me if I dno’t tell eoynevre wto or rehet taesl obuta rrsfai thta’ll maek you cyr orfebe we ceahr eht wnto of tobigernuStin. It’s nliap by eht loko of the hsgtni taht uoy’re ttiggen teyrtp rerony.”