But sooth pley quade pley / as the Flemyng seith
And ther fore herry Bailly / by thy feith
Be thou nat wrooth / er we departen heer
Thogh þᵗat my tale / be of an hostiler
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 taleA 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 ꝓpropre short felawe
With lokkes blake / ykembd ful fetisly
Dauncen he koude / so wel and iolily
That he / was clepyd Perkyn Reuelour
He was / as ful / of loue and ꝑparamour
As is the hyue / ful of hony swete
Wel was the wenche / þᵗat wᵗith hym myghte meete
At euery bridale / wolde he synge ⁊and hoppe
He loued bet the Tauerne / than the shoppe
For / whan ther any ridyng was in Chepe
Out of the shoppe / thider wolde he lepe
Til þᵗat he hadde / al the sighte yseyn
And daunced wel / he wolde noght come ageyn
And gadred hym / a meynee of his sort
To hoppe and synge / and maken swich disport
And ther / they setten steuene / for to meete
To pleyen at the dees / in swich a streete
For in the town / nas ther no Prentys
That fairer / koude caste a paire of dys
Than Perkyn koude / and ther to he was free
Of his dispense / in place of pryuetee
That foond his maister wel / in his chaffare
For ofte tyme / he foond his box ful bare
For sikerly / a prentys reuelour
That haunteth dees / ryot or ꝑparamour