Who so be rebel / to my Iuggement
Shal paye / for al / that by the wey is spent
Now draweth cut er þᵗat we ferrer twynne
He which þᵗat hath the shorteste / shal bigynne
¶ Sire knyght quod he / my mayster and my lord
Now draweth cut for that is myn acord
Cometh neer quod he / my lady Prioresse
And ye sire Clerc. lat be your shamefastnesse
Ne studieth noght ley hond to / euery man
¶ Anoon to drawen / euery wight bigan
And shortly / for to tellen / as it was
Were it by auenture / or sort or cas
The sothe is this / the Cut fil to the knyght
Of which ful blithe and glad was euery wight
And telle he moste his tale / as was resoun
By forward / and by composicioun
As ye han herd / what nedeth wordes mo
And whan this goode man / sawgh þᵗat it was
As he / þᵗat wys was / and obedient
To kepe his forward / by his free assent
He seyde / syn I shal bigynne the game
What wel come be the Cut in goddes name
Now lat vs ryde / and herkneth what I seye
And with that word / we ryden forth oure weye
And he bigan / with right a murye cheere
His tale anoon / and seyde as ye may heere
¶ Iamque domos patria Scithice post asꝑpera gentis
prelia laurigero.
Here bigynneth the knyghtes tale.
Whilom / as olde stories tellen vs
Ther was a Duc þᵗat highte Theseus
Of Atthenes / he was lord and gouernour
And in his tyme / swich a conquerour
That gretter was ther noon vnder the sonne
Ful many a riche contree / hadde he wonne
What with his wysdom / and his chiualrye
He conquered / al the regne of femenye