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From The Nun's Priest's Tale, lines 449-500:
About a col-fox and examples of killers waiting in ambush
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From The Canterbury Tales:
The Nun's Priest's Tale
lines 501-515: Chauntecleer notices the fox


       Faire in the soond, to bathe hire myrily,
Lith Pertelote, and alle hir sustres by,
Agayn the sonne; and Chauntecleer so free
Soong murier than the mermayde in the see-
505For Phisiologus seith sikerly
How that they syngen wel and myrily.
And so bifel, that as he cast his eye
Among the wortes on a boterflye,
He was war of this fox that lay ful lowe.
510Nothyng ne liste hym thanne for to crowe,
But cride anon, "Cok! cok!" and up he sterte,
As man that was affrayed in his herte.
For natureelly a beest desireth flee
Fro his contrarie, if he may it see,
515Though he never erst hadde seyn it with his ye.
       All in the sand, a-bathing merrily,
Lay Pertelote, with all her sisters by,
There in the sun; and Chauntecleer so free
Sang merrier than a mermaid in the sea
505For Physiologus says certainly
That they do sing, both well and merrily.
And so befell that, as he cast his eye
Among the herbs and on a butterfly,
He saw this fox that lay there, crouching low.
510Nothing of urge was in him, then, to crow;
But he cried "Cock-cock-cock" and did so start
As man who has a sudden fear at heart.
For naturally a beast desires to flee
From any enemy that he may see,
515Though never yet he's clapped on such his eye.




Next Next:
From The Nun's Priest's Tale, lines 516-555:
The fox enchants Chauntecleer and asks him to sing
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