The Ellesmere ms of Chaucer's Canterbury tales / edited by Frederick J. Furnivall.
About this Item
- Title
- The Ellesmere ms of Chaucer's Canterbury tales / edited by Frederick J. Furnivall.
- Author
- Chaucer, Geoffrey, d. 1400.
- Publication
- London :: Published for the Chaucer Society by N. Trübner,
- 1868-1879.
- Rights/Permissions
The University of Michigan Library provides access to these materials for educational and research purposes. These materials are in the public domain. If you have questions about the collection, please contact mec-info@umich.edu. If you have concerns about the inclusion of an item in this collection, please contact libraryit-info@umich.edu.
DPLA Rights Statement: No Copyright - United States
- Cite this Item
-
"The Ellesmere ms of Chaucer's Canterbury tales / edited by Frederick J. Furnivall." In the digital collection Corpus of Middle English Prose and Verse. https://name.umdl.umich.edu/AGZ8232.0001.001. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed May 20, 2024.
Pages
[6-text p 552]
With this Chanon / I dwelt haue seuen yeer
And of his science / am I neuer the neer
Al that I hadde / I haue lost ther-by
And god woot so hath many mo than I
Ther I was wont to be right fressh and gay
Of clothyng and of oother good array
Line 725
Now may I were / an hose vp-on myn heed
And wher my colour / was bothe fressh and reed
Now is it wan / and of leden hewe
Who so it vseth / soore shal he rewe
Line 729
And of my swynk / yet blered is myn eye
Lo / which auantage / is to multiplie
That slidynge science / hath me maad so bare
That I haue no good / wher þat euere I fare
Line 733
And yet I am endetted so ther-by
Of gold / that I haue borwed trewely
That whil I lyue / I shal it quite neuere
Lat euery man / be war by me for euere
Line 737
What maner man / that casteth hym ther to
If he continue / I holde his thrift ydo
ffor so helpe me god / ther-by shal he nat wynne
But empte his purs / and make hise wittes thynne
Line 741
And whan he / thurgh his madnesse and folye
Hath lost his owene good / thurgh Iupartye
Thanne he exciteth / oother folk / ther-to
Line 744
To lesen hir good / as he hym self hath do
ffor vn-to shrewes / ioye it is and ese
To haue hir felawes / in peyne and disese
Page 550
[6-text p 553]
Thus was I / ones lerned of a Clerk
Of that no charge / I wol speke of oure werk
Line 749
¶ Whan we been there / as we shul excercise
Oure Eluysshe craft/ we semen wonder wise
Oure termes / been so clergial / and so queynte [folio 198b]
I blowe the fir / til that myn herte feynte
Line 753
What sholde I tellen eche proporcion
Of thynges / whiche þat we werche vpon
As on fyue / or sixe Ounces / may wel be
Of siluer / or som oother quantitee
Line 757
And bisye me / to telle yow the names
Of Orpyment brent bones / Iren Squames
That in-to poudre / grounden been ful smal
And in an erthen pot put is al
Line 761
And salt yput In / and also papeer
Biforn thise poudres / that I speke of heer
And wel ycouered / with a lampe of glas
And muchel oother thyng / which þat ther was
Line 765
And of the pot and glasses enlutyng
That of the Eyr/ myghte passe out no thyng
And of the esy fir / and smart also
Which that was maad / and of the care and wo
Line 769
That we hadden / in oure matires sublymyng
And in Almalgamyng and calceniyng
Of quyk/ siluer / yclept Mercurie crude
ffor alle our sleightes / we kan nat conclude
Line 773
Oure Orpyment. and sublymed Mercurie
Oure grounden litarge eek in the P[o]rfurie
And ech of thise / of Ounces a certeyn
Noght helpeth vs / oure labour is in veyn
Line 777
Ne eek oure spirites Ascencioun
Ne oure matires / þat lyen al fix adoun
Mowe in oure werkyng no thyng vs auaille
ffor lost is / al oure labour and trauaille
Line 781
And al the cost/ a twenty deuel way
Is lost also / which we vp-on it lay
Page 551
[6-text p 554]
¶ Ther is also / ful many another thyng
That is / vn-to oure craft apertenyng
Line 785
Though I by ordre / hem nat reherce kan
By cause / that I am a lewed man
yet wol I telle hem / as they come to mynde
Thogh I ne kan nat sette hem in hir kynde
Line 789
As Boole / armonyak vertgrees / Boras
And sondry vessels / maad of erthe and glas
Oure vrynals / and our descensories
Violes / crosletz / and sublymatories
Line 793
Cucurbites / and Alambikes eek
And othere swiche / deere ynough a leek
Nat nedeth it for to reherce hem alle
Watres rubifiyng and Boles galle
Line 797
Arsenyk / sal Armonyak and Brymstoon
And herbes / koude I telle eek many oon
As Egremoyne / Valerian / and lunarie [folio 199a]
And othere swiche / if that me liste tarie
Line 801
Oure lampes brennyng bothe nyght and day
To brynge aboute / oure purpos / if we may
Oure fourneys eek / of Calcinacion
And of watres Albificacion
Line 805
Vnslekked lym / Chalk / and gleyre of an ey
Poudres diuerse / asshes / donge / pisse / and cley
Cered pottes / sal Peter / vitriole
And diuerse fires / maad of wode and cole
Line 809
Sal tartre / Alkaly / and sal preparat/
And combust matires / and coagulat
Cley / maad with hors / and mannes heer and oille
Of Tartre / Alum glas / berme / wort and argoille
Line 813
Resalgar / and oure matires enbibyng
And eek of oure matires encorporyng
And of oure siluer citrinacion
And of oure cementyng and fermentacion
Line 817
Oure yngottes / testes / and many mo
I wol yow telle / as was me taught also
Page 552
[6-text p 555]
The seuene spirites / and the bodies seuene
By ordre / as ofte I herde my lord hem neuene
Line 821
¶ The firste spirit quyk siluer called is
The seconde Orpyment the thridde ywis
Sal Armonyak / and the ferthe Brymstoon
The bodyes seuene eek/. lo hem heere anoon
Line 825
¶ Sol gold is / and Luna / siluer we threpe
Mars Iren / Mercurie quyk siluer we clepe
Saturnus leed / and Iuppiter is tyn
And Venus Coper / by my fader kyn
Line 829
¶ This cursed craft/ who so wole excercise
He shal no good han / þat hym may suffise
ffor al the good / he spendeth ther aboute
He lese shal / ther-of haue I no doute
Line 833
Who that listeth / outen his folie
Lat hym come forth / and lerne multiplie
And euery man / that oght hath in his cofre
Lat hym appiere / and wexe a Philosophre
Line 837
Ascauns / that craft is so light to leere
Nay nay god woot al be he Monk or frere
Preest or Chanon / or any oother wyght
Though he sitte at his book bothe day and nyght
Line 841
In lernyng of this Eluysshe nyce loore
Al is in veyn / and parde muchel moore
To lerne a lewed man this subtiltee
ffy spek nat ther-of / for it wol nat bee
Line 845
And konne he letterure / or konne he noon
As in effect. he shal fynde it al oon
ffor bothe / two / by my sauacion [folio 199b]
Concluden in multiplicacion
Line 849
Ylike wel / whan they han al ydo
This is to seyn / they faillen bothe two
Yet/ forgat I / to maken rehersaille
Of watres corosif / and of lymaille
Line 853
And of bodies mollificacion
And also / of hire induracion
Page 553
[6-text p 556]
Oilles / Ablucions / and metal fusible
To tellen al / wolde passen any Bible
Line 857
That owher is / wherfore as for the beste
Of alle thise names / now wol I me reste
ffor as I trowe / I haue yow toold ynowe
To reyse a feend / al looke he neuer so rowe
Line 861
¶ A nay lat be / the Philosophres stoon
Elixer clept./ we sechen faste echoon
ffor hadde we hym / thanne were it siker ynow
But vn-to god of heuene / I make avow
Line 865
ffor al oure craft whan we han al ydo
With al oure sleighte / he wol nat come vs to
He hath maad vs spenden muchel good
ffor sorwe of which / almoost we wexen wood
Line 869
But that good hope / crepeth in oure herte
Supposynge / though we sore smerte
To be releeued / by hym afterward
Swich supposyng and hope / is sharpe and hard
Line 873
I warne yow wel / it is to seken euere
That futur temps / hath maad men disseuere
In trust ther-of / from al þat euere they hadde
Yet of that Art they kan nat wexen sadde
Line 877
ffor vn-to hem / it is a bitter sweete
So semeth it for nadde they but a sheete
Which þat they myghte wrappe hem Inne at nyght
And a brat to walken Inne by day lyght
Line 881
They wolde hem selle / and spenden on the craft
They kan nat stynte / til no thyng be laft
And eueremoore / where þat euere they goon
Men may hem knowe / by smel of Brymstoon
Line 885
ffor al the world / they stynken as a goot
Hir sauour / is so rammyssh and so hoot
That though a man / a Mile from hem be
The sauour wole infecte hym truste me
Line 889
And thus by smel / and threedbare array
If þat men liste / this folk they knowe may
Page 554
[6-text p 557]
And if a man / wole aske hem pryuely
Why they been clothed / so vnthriftily
Line 893
They right anon / wol rownen in his ere
And seyn / þat if þat they espied were
Men wolde hem slee / by cause of hir science [folio 200a]
Lo / thus / this folk bitrayen Innocence
Line 897
Passe ouer this / I go my tale vn-to
Er þat the pot be on the fir ydo
Of metals / with a certeyn quantitee
My lord hem tempreth / and no man but he
Line 901
Now he is goon / I dare seyn boldely
ffor as men seyn / he kan doon craftily
Algate I woot wel / he hath swich a name
And yet ful oft / he renneth in a blame
Line 905
And wite ye how / ful ofte it happeth so
The pot tobreketh / and farewel al is go
Thise Metals / been of so greet violence
Oure walles / mowe nat make hem resistence
Line 909
But if they weren wroght/ of lym and stoon
They percen so / and thurgh the wal they goon
And somme of hem / synke in to the ground
Thus han we lost by tymes many a pound
Line 913
And somme are scatered / al the floor aboute
Somme lepte in-to the roof with-outen doute
Though þat the feend / noght in oure sighte hym shewe
I trowe he with vs be / that ilke shrewe
Line 917
In helle / where þat he lord is and sire
Nis ther moore wo / ne moore rancour ne Ire
Whan that oure pot is broke / as I haue sayd
Euery man chit and halt hym yuele apayd
Line 921
¶ Somme seyde / it was along on the fir makyng
Somme seyde nay / it was on the blowyng
Thanne was I fered / for that was myn office
¶ Straw quod the thridde / ye been lewed and nyce
Line 925
It was nat tempred as it oghte be
¶ Nay quod the fourthe / stynt and herkne me
Page 555
[6-text p 558]
By cause our fir / ne was nat maad of Beech
That is the cause / and oother noon so theech
Line 929
I kan nat telle / wher-on it was along
But wel I woot greet strif vs is among
¶ What quod my lord / ther is namoore to doone
Of thise perils / I wol be war eft soone
Line 933
I am right siker/ that the pot was crased
Be as be may / be ye no thyng amased
As vsage is / lat swepe the floor as swithe
Plukke vp youre hertes / and beeth glad and blithe
Line 937
¶ The Mullok/ on an heepe / sweped was
And on the floor / ycast a Canevas
And al this Mullok/ in a syve ythrowe
And sifted / and ypiked many a throwe
Line 941
¶ Pardee quod oon / somwhat of oure metal
Yet is ther heere / though þat we han nat al
Al though this thyng myshapped haue as now [folio 200b]
Another tyme / it may be wel ynow
Line 945
Vs moste putte / oure good in auenture
A Marchant pardee / may nat ay endure
Trusteth me wel / in his prosperitee
Somtyme his good / is drenched in the see
Line 949
And somtyme / comth it sauf / vn-to the londe
¶ Pees quod my lord / the nexte tyme I shal fonde
To bryngen oure craft / al in another plite
And but I do / lat me han the wite
Line 953
Ther was defaute in som what wel I woot
¶ Another seyde / the fir was ouer hoot
And be it hoot or coold / I dar seye this
That we concluden / eueremoore amys
Line 957
We faille of that / which þat we wolden haue
And in oure madnesse / eueremoore we raue
And whan we been / togidres euerichoon
Euery man / semeth a Salomon
Line 961
But euery thyng which þat seineth as the gold
Nis nat gold / as þat I haue herd told
Page 556
[6-text p 559]
Ne euery appul / that is fair to eye
Nis nat good / what so men clappe or crye
Line 965
¶ Right so / fareth it/ amonges vs
He þat semeth the wiseste by Ihesus
Is moost fool / whan it comth to the preef
And he þat semeth trewest is a theef/
Line 969
That shul ye knowe / er þat I fro yow wende
By that/ I of my tale haue maad an ende
¶ Explicit prima pars /
Page 557
[6-text p 560]
Et sequitur pars secunda . [THE TALE.]
Ther was / a Chanon of Religioun
Amonges vs / wolde infecte al a toun
Line 973
Thogh it as greet were / as was Nynyuee
Rome / Alisaundre / Troye / and othere three
His sleighte / and his infinit falsnesse
Ther koude no man / writen as I gesse
Line 977
Though þat he lyue myghte a thousand yeer
In al this world / of falshede nas his peer
ffor in hise termes / so he wolde hym wynde
And speke hise wordes / in so sly a kynde
Line 981
Whanne he commune shal with any wight
That he wol make hym doten anon right
But it a feend be / as hym seluen is
fful many a man / hath he bigiled er this
Line 985
And wole / if that he lyue may a while
And yet men ride and goon ful many a Mile
Hym for to seke / and haue his Aqueyntaunce [folio 201a]
Noght knowynge / of his false gouernaunce
Line 989
And if yow list. to yeue me Audience
I wol it telle heere / in youre presence
¶ But worshipful Chanons Religious
Ne demeth nat. that I desclaundre youre hous
Line 993
Al-though that my tale / of a Chanoun bee
Of euery ordre / som shrewe is pardee
And god forbede / that al a compaignye
Sholde rewe / o. singuleer mannes folye
Line 997
To sclaundre yow / is no thyng myn entente
But to correcten / that is mys I-mente
Page 558
[6-text p 561]
This tale / was nat oonly / toold for yow
But eek / for othere mo / ye woot wel how
Line 1001
That among. cristes Apostles twelue
Ther nas no traytour/ but Iudas hym selue
Thanne / why sholde al the remenant haue a blame
That giltlees were / by yow I seye the same
Line 1005
Saue oonly this / if ye wol herkne me
If any Iudas / in youre Couent be
Remoeueth hym bitymes / I yow rede
If shame / or los / may causen any drede
Line 1009
And beeth no thyng displesed I yow preye
But in this cas / herketh what I shal seye
IN London / was a preest Annueleer
That ther-Inne / had dwelled many a yeer
Line 1013
Which was so plesaunt and so seruysable
Vn-to the wyf / where as he was at table
That she wolde suffre hym no thyng for to paye
ffor bord ne clothyng wente he neuer so gaye
Line 1017
And spendyng siluer / hadde he right ynow
Ther-of no fors / I wol procede as now
And telle forth my tale / of the Chanon
That broghte this preest/ to confusion
Line 1021
¶ This false Chanon / cam vp on a day
Vn-to this preestes chambre / wher he lay
Bisechynge hym / to lene hym a certeyn
Of gold / and he wolde quite it hym ageyn
Line 1025
Leene me a marc quod he / but dayes three
And at my day / I wol it quiten thee
And if so be / that thow me fynde fals
Another day / do hange me by the hals
Line 1029
¶ This preest hym took a marc and that as swithe
And this Chanoun / hym thanked ofte sithe
And took/ his leue / and wente forth his weye
And at the thridde day / broghte his moneye
Line 1033
And to the preest / he took his gold agayn
Wher-of this preest was wonder glad and fayn
Page 559
[6-text p 562]
¶ Certes quod he / no thyng/ anoyeth me [folio 201b]
To lene a man / a noble / or two / or thre
Line 1037
Or what thyng / were in my possession
Whan he / so trewe is of condicion
That in no wise / he breke wole his day
To swich a man / I kan neuer seye nay
Line 1041
¶ What quod this Chanoun / sholde I be vntrewe?
Nay that were a thyng yfallen al of newe
Trouthe is a thyng that I wol euere kepe
In to that day / in which that I shal crepe
Line 1045
In to my graue / or ellis god forbede
Bileueth this / as siker as the Crede
God thanke I / and in good tyme / be it sayd
That ther was neuere man yet yuele apayd
Line 1049
ffor gold ne siluer / that he to me lente
Ne neuere falshede / in myn herte I mente
And sire quod he / now of my pryuetee
Syn ye so goodlich / han been vn-to me
Line 1053
And kithed to me / so greet gentillesse
Somwhat to quyte with youre kyndenesse
I wol yow shewe / if that yow list to leere
I wol yow teche / pleynly the manere
Line 1057
How I kan werken / in Philosophie
Taketh good heede / ye shul wel seen at eye
That I wol doon / a maistrie er I go
Line 1060
¶ Ye quod the preest. ye sire quod he / and wol ye so?
Marie / ther-of / I pray yow hertely
¶ At youre comandement sire trewely
Quod the Chanon / and ellis god forbeede
¶ Loo how this theef koude his seruice beede
Line 1065
fful sooth it is / that swich profred seruyse
Stynketh / as witnessen thise olde wyse
And that ful soone / I wol it verifie
In this Chanon / roote of alle trecherie
Line 1069
That euere moore / delit hath and gladnesse
Swiche feendly thoughtes / in his herte impresse
Page 560
[6-text p 563]
How Cristes peple / he may to meschief / brynge
God kepe vs / from his false dissymulynge
Line 1073
¶ Noght wiste this preest with whom þat he delt
N[e] of his harm comynge / he no thyng felte
O sely preest / o sely Innocent
With coueitise / anon thou shalt be blent
Line 1077
O gracelees / ful blynd is thy conceite
No thyng/ ne artow war/ of the deceite
Which that this fox / yshapen hath for thee
Hise wily wrenches / thou ne mayst nat flee
Line 1081
Wherfore to go / to the conclusion
That refereth / to thy confusion
Vnhappy man / anon I wol me hye [folio 202a]
To tellen thyn vnwit / and his folye
Line 1085
And eek the falsnesse / of that oother wrecche
As ferforth / as my konnyng may strecche
This Chanon was my lord / ye wolden weene
Sire hoost in feith / and by the heuenes queene
Line 1089
It was another Chanon / and nat hee
That kan an hundred foold moore subtiltee
He hath bitrayed folkes many tyme
Of his falshede / it dulleth me to ryme
Line 1093
Euere whan þat I speke / of his falshede
ffor shame of hym / my chekes wexen rede
Algates / they bigynnen for to glowe
ffor reednesse haue I noon / right wel I knowe
Line 1097
In my visage / for fumes diuerse
Of metals / whiche ye han herd me reherce
Consumed / and wasted han my reednesse
Now taak heede / of this Chanons cursednesse
Line 1101
¶ Sire quod he to the preest lat youre man gon
ffor quyk siluer / that we hadde it anon
And lat hym / bryngen Ounces two or three
And whan he comth / as faste shal ye see
Line 1105
A wonder thyng which ye saugh neuere er this
¶ Sire quod the preest it shal be doon ywis
Page 561
[6-text p 564]
He bad his seruant. fecchen hym this thyng
And he al redy / was at his biddyng
Line 1109
And wente hym forth / and cam anon agayn
With this quyk siluer / soothly for to sayn
And toke thise Ounces thre / to the Chanoun
And he hem leyde / faire and wel adoun
Line 1113
And bad the seruant. coles for to brynge
That he anon / myghte go to his werkynge
¶ The coles / right anon weren yfet
And this Chanon / took out a Crosselet
Line 1117
Of his bosom / and shewed it to the preest
This Instrument quod he / which þat thou seest
Taake in thyn hand / and put thy self ther Inne
Of this quyk siluer an Ounce / and heer bigynne
Line 1121
In the name of Crist. to wexe a philosofre
Ther been ful fewe / to whiche I wolde profre
To shewen hem / thus muche of my science
ffor ye shul seen / heer by experience
Line 1125
That this quyk siluer / wol I mortifye
Right in youre sighte anon / I wol nat lye
And make as good siluer / and as fyn
As ther is any / in youre purse or myn
Line 1129
Or elleswhere / and make it malliable
And elles / holdeth me / fals and vnable
Amonges folk/ for euere to appeere [folio 202b]
I haue a poudre heer / þat coste me deere
Line 1133
Shal make al good / for it is cause of al
My konnyng / which þat I to yow shewen shal
Voyde youre man / and lat hym be ther oute
And shette the dore / whils we been aboute
Line 1137
Oure pryuetee / that no man vs espie
Whils that we werke / in this Philosophie
¶ Al as he bad / fulfilled was in dede
This ilke seruant anonright out yede
Line 1141
And his Maister / shette the dore anon
And to hire labour/ spedily they gon
Page 562
[6-text p 565]
¶ This preest at this cursed Chanons biddyng
Vp on the fir/ anon sette this thyng
Line 1145
And blew the fir / and bisyed hym ful faste
And this Chanon / in-to the Crosselet cast
A poudre noot I wher of / that it was
Ymaad / ouþer of chalk or of glas
Line 1149
Or som what elles / was nat worth a flye
To blynde with the preest. and bad hym hye
The coles / for to couchen al aboue
The Crosselet. for in tokenyng I thee loue
Line 1153
Quod this Chanon / thyne owene handes two
Shul werche al thyng/. which shal heer be do
¶ Graunt mercy quod the preest and was ful glad
And couched cole / as that Chanon bad
Line 1157
And while he bisy was // this feendly wrecche
This false Chanoun / the foule feend hym fecche
Out of his bosom / he took/ a Bechen cole
In which ful subtilly / was maad an hole
Line 1161
And ther-Inne / put was of siluer lemaille
An Ounce / and stopped was with-outen faille
The hole with wex / to kepe the lemaille In
And vnderstondeth / that this false gyn
Line 1165
Was nat maad ther / but it was maad bifore
And othere thynges / I shal tellen moore
Herafterward / whiche þat he with hym broghte
Er he cam there / hym to bigile he thoghte
Line 1169
And so he dide / er þat they wente atwynne
Til he had terned hym / he koude nat blynne
It dulleth me / whan that I of hym speke
On his falshede / fayn wolde I me wreke
Line 1173
If I wiste how / but he is heere and there
He is so variaunt / þat he abit nowhere
¶ But taketh heede / now sires for goddes loue
He took this cole / of which I spak aboue
Line 1177
And in his hand / he baar it pryuely
And whils the preest couched bisily
Page 563
[6-text p 566]
The coles / as I tolde yow er this [folio 203a]
This Chanon seyde / freend ye doon amys
Line 1181
This is nat couched / as it oghte be
But soone / I shal amenden it quod he
Now lat me medle ther-with / but a while
ffor of yow / haue I pitee by seint Gile
Line 1185
Ye been right hoot. I se wel how ye swete
Haue heer a clooth / and wipe awey the wete
And whils þat the preest wiped his face
This Chanon / took his cole with harde grace
Line 1189
And leyde it aboue / vp on the myddeward
Of the Crosselet. and blew wel afterward
Til that the coles / gonne faste brenne
¶ Now yeue vs drynke / quod the Chanon thenne
Line 1193
As swithe al shal be wel I vndertake
Sitte we doun / and lat vs myrie make
And whan þat / this Chanones Bechen cole
Was brent. al the lemaille out of the hole
Line 1197
In-to the Crosselet fil anon adoun
And so it moste nedes by resoun
Syn it so euene / abouen it couched was
But ther-of / wiste the preest no thyng alas
Line 1201
He demed alle the coles yliche good
ffor of that sleighte / he no thyng vnderstood
And whan this Alkamystre saugh his tyme
Ris vp quod he sire preest. and sit by me
Line 1205
And for I woot wel / Ingot haue I noon
Gooth walketh forth and brynge vs a Chalk/ stoon
ffor I wol make oon / of the same shape
That is an Ingot. if I may han hape
Line 1209
And bryngeth eek with yow / a bolle or a panne
fful of water / and ye shul se wel thanne
How þat oure bisynesse / shal thryue & preeue
And yet for ye shul han no mysbileeue
Line 1213
Ne wrong conceite of me / in youre Absence
I ne wol nat been out of youre presence
Page 564
[6-text p 567]
But go with yow / and come with yow ageyn
The chambre dore / shortly for to seyn
Line 1217
They opened and shette / and wente hir weye
And forth with hem / they carieden the keye
And coome agayn / with-outen any delay
What sholde I tarien / al the longe day
Line 1221
He took the Chalk / and shoope it in the wise
Of an Ingot as I shal yow deuyse
¶ I seye / he took/ out of his owene sleeue
A teyne of siluer / yuele moot he cheeue
Line 1225
Which þat was nat / but an Ounce of weighte
And taak heede now / of his cursed sleighte
¶ He shoope his Ingot in lengthe and eek in breede [folio 203a]
Of this teyne / with-outen any drede
Line 1229
So slyly / that the preest it nat espide
And in his sleue / agayn he gan it hide
And fro the fir/ he took vp his mateere
And in thyngot putte it with myrie cheere
Line 1233
And in the water vessel / he it caste
Whan þat hym luste / and bad the preest as faste
What þat heer is / put In thin hand and grope
Thow fynde shalt ther siluer as I hope
Line 1237
[. . . . .
. . . . .]
He putte his hand In / and took vp a teyne
Of siluer fyn / and glad in euery veyne
Line 1241
Was this preest. whan he saugh it was so
Goddes blessyng and his moodres also
And alle halwes / have ye sire Chanon
Seyde this preest. and .I. hir malison
Line 1245
But and ye vouche-sauf to techen me
This noble craft and this subtiltee
I wol be youre / in al that euere I may
¶ Quod the preest yet wol I make assay
Line 1249
The seconde tyme / þat ye may taken heede
And been expert of this / and in youre neede
Page 565
[6-text p 568]
Another day / assaye in myn absence
This disciplyne / and this crafty science
Line 1253
Lat take another Ounce / quod he tho
Of quyk siluer / with-outen wordes mo
And do ther with / as ye han doon er this
With that oother / which þat now siluer is
Line 1257
¶ This preest hym bisieth / in al þat he kan
To doon / as this Chanon / this cursed man
Comanded hym / and faste he blew the fir
ffor to come / to theffect of his desir
Line 1261
And this Chanon / right in the meene while
Al redy was / the preest eft to bigile
And for a contenance / in his hand he bar
An holwe stikke / taak kepe and be war
Line 1265
In the ende of which / an Ounce and namoore
Of siluer lemaille / put was as bifore
In his cole / and stopped with wex weel
ffor to kepe In / his lemaille euery deel
Line 1269
And whil this preest was in his bisynesse
This Chanon / with his stikke gan hym dresse
To hym anon / and his poudre caste In
As he dide er / the deuel / out of his skyn
Line 1273
Hym terve / I pray to god / for his falshede
ffor he was euere fals / in thoght and dede
And with this stikke / aboue the Crosselet
That was ordeyned / with that false Iet/
Line 1277
He stired the coles / til relente gan [folio 204a]
The wex agayn the fir / as euery man?
But it a fool be / woot wel it moot nede
And al that in the stikke was out yede
Line 1281
And in the crosselet hastily it fel
¶ Now good sires / what wol ye bet than wel
Whan þat this preest. thus was bigiled ageyn
Supposynge noght but treuthe sooth to seyn
Line 1285
He was so glad / that I ne kan nat expresse
In no manere / his myrthe and his gladnesse
Page 566
[6-text p 569]
And to the Chanon / he profred eftsoone
Body and good / ye quod the Chanon soone
Line 1289
Though poure I be / crafty thou shalt me fynde
I warne thee / yet is ther moore bihynde
¶ Is ther any coper/ her Inne seyde he?
¶ Ye quod the preest sire I trowe wel ther be
Line 1293
¶ Elles go bye vs som / and that as swithe
Now good sire / go forth thy wey and hy the
¶ He wente his wey / and with the coper cam
And this Chanon / it in hise handes nam
Line 1297
And of that coper / weyed out but an Ounce
¶ Al to symple / is my tonge to pronounce
As Ministre of my wit the doublenesse
Of this Chanon / roote of alle cursednesse
Line 1301
He semed freendly / to hem / þat knewe hym noght
But he was feendly / bothe in herte and thoght
It weerieth me / to telle of his falsnesse
And nathelees / yet wol I it expresse
Line 1305
To thentente / that men may be war therby
And for noon oother cause trewely
¶ He putte the Ounce of Coper in the Crosselet
And on the fir / as swithe he hath it set/
Line 1309
And caste In poudre / and made the preest/ to blowe
And in his werkyng for to stoupe lowe
As he dide er / and al nas but a Iape
Right as hym liste / the preest he made his Ape
Line 1313
And afterward / in the Ingot he it caste
And in the panne / putte it at the laste
Of the water / In he putte his owene hand
And in his sleue / as ye biforn hand
Line 1317
Herde me telle / hadde a siluer teyne
He slyly tooke it out/ this cursed heyne
Vnwityng this preest of his false craft
And in the pannes botme / he hath it laft
Line 1321
And in the water / rombled to and fro
And wonder pryuely / took vp also
Page 567
[6-text p 570]
The coper teyne / noght knowynge this preest
And hidde it and hym hente by the breest
Line 1325
And to hym spak and thus seyde in his game [folio 204b]
Stoupeth adoun / by god ye be to blame
Helpeth me now / as a dide yow whil eer
Putte In youre hand / and looketh what is theer
Line 1329
¶ This preest took vp / this siluer teyne anon
And thanne seyde the Chanon / lat vs gon
With thise thre teynes / whiche þat we han wroght
To som Goldsmyth / and wite if they been ouht
Line 1333
ffor by my feith / I nolde for myn hood
But if that they were siluer/ fyn and good
And that as swithe / preeued it shal bee
¶ Vn-to the Goldsmyth / with thise teynes three
Line 1337
They wente / and putte thise teynes in Assay
To fir and hamer / myghte no man seye nay
But þat they weren / as hem oghte be
¶ This sotted preest. who was gladder than he
Line 1341
Was neuere brid / gladder agayn the day
Ne nyghtyngale / in the seson of May
Nas neuere man / that luste bet to synge
Ne lady / lustier in carolynge
Line 1345
Or for to speke of love and wommanhede
Ne knyght in Armes / to doon an hardy dede
To stonden in grace / of his lady deere
Than hadde this preest this soory craft to leere
Line 1349
And to the Chanon / thus he spak and seyde
ffor loue of god / that for vs alle deyde
And as I may / deserue it vn-to yow
What shal this receite coste / telleth now
Line 1353
¶ By oure lady quod this Chanon / it is deere
I warne yow wel / for saue I and a frere
In Engelond / ther kan no man it make
¶ No fors quod he / now sire for goddes sake
Line 1357
What shal I paye / telleth me I preye?
¶ Ywis quod he / it is ful deere I seye
Page 568
[6-text p 571]
Sire at o word / if that thee list it haue
Ye shul paye fourty pound / so god me saue
Line 1361
And nere the freendshipe / þat ye dide er this
To me /. ye sholde paye moore y-wis
¶ This preest the somme of fourty pound anon
Of nobles fette / and took hem euerichon
Line 1365
To this Chanon / for this ilke receit
Al his werkyng nas but fraude and deceit
¶ Sire preest he seyde / I kepe han no loos
Of my craft / for I wolde it kept were cloos
Line 1369
And as ye loue me / kepeth it secree
ffor and men knewen / al my soutiltee
By god / they wolden han so greet enuye
To me / by cause / of my Philosophye
Line 1373
I sholde be deed / ther were noon oother weye [folio 205a]
¶ God it forbeede quod the preest/ what sey ye
Yet hadde I leuere / spenden al the good
Which þat I haue / or elles wexe I wood
Line 1377
Than that ye sholden falle in swiche mescheef/
¶ ffor youre good wyl / sire haue ye right good preef
Quod the Chanon / and farwel grant mercy
He wente his wey / and neuer the preest hym sy
Line 1381
After that day / and whan þat this preest shoolde
Maken assay / at swich tyme as he wolde
Of this receit / farwel / it wolde nat be
Lo thus byiaped / and bigiled was he
Line 1385
Thus maketh he / his introduccion
To brynge folk/ to [hir] destruccion
COnsidereth sires / how þat in ech estaat
Bitwixe men and gold / ther is debaat
Line 1389
So ferforth / that vnnethe is ther noon
This multiplying blent so many oon
That in good feith / I trowe þat it bee
The cause grettest of swich scarsetee
Line 1393
Philosophres / speken so mystily
In this craft þat men kan nat come therby
Page 569
[6-text p 572]
ffor any wit þat men han now a dayes
They mowe wel chiteren / as þat doon Ioyes
Line 1397
And in hir termes / sette hir lust and peyne
But to hir purpos / shul they neuere atteyne
A man may lightly lerne / if he haue aught
To multiplie / and brynge his good to naught
Line 1401
¶ Lo / swich a lucre / is in this lusty game
A mannes myrthe / it wol turne vn-to grame
And empten also / grete and heuye purses
And maken folk / for to purchacen curses
Line 1405
Of hem / þat han hir good / ther-to ylent
ffy for shame / they þat han been brent
Allas / kan they nat flee / the fires heete
Ye that it vse / I rede ye it leete
Line 1409
Lest ye lese al / for bet than neuere is late
Neuere to thryue / were to long a date
Though ye prolle ay / ye shul it neuere fynde
Ye been as boold as is Bayard the blynde
Line 1413
That blondreth forth / and peril casteth noon
He is as boold / to renne agayn a stoon
As for to goon / bisides in the weye
So faren ye / that multiplie I seye
Line 1417
If þat youre eyen / kan nat seen aright
Looke þat youre mynde / lakke noght his sight
ffor though ye looken neuer so brode and stare
Ye shul no thyng wynne on that chaffare
Line 1421
But wasten / al that ye / may rape and renne [folio 205b]
Withdraweth the fir / lest it to faste brenne
Medleth namoore / with that Art I mene
ffor if ye doon / youre thrift is goon ful clene
Line 1425
And right as swithe / I wol yow tellen heere
What þat the Philosophres seyn in this mateere
LO thus seith Arnold of the newe toun
As his Rosarie / maketh mencioun
Line 1429
He seith right thus / with-outen any lye
Ther may no man / Mercurie mortifie
Page 570
[6-text p 573]
But it be / with his brother knowlechyng
How þat he / which þat first seyde this thyng
Line 1433
Of Philosophres / fader first was hermes
He seith / how þat the dragon doutelees
Ne dyeth nat. but if that he be slayn
With his brother/ and that is for to sayn
Line 1437
By the dragon / Mercurie and noon oother
He vnderstood / and Brymstoon by his brother
That out of sol / and Luna were ydrawe
And therfore seyde he / taak heede to my sawe
Line 1441
Lat no man bisye hym / this Art for to seche
But if þat he / thentencion and speche
Of Philosophres / vnderstonde kan
And if he do / he is a lewed man
Line 1445
ffor this science / and this konnyng quod he
Is of the secree / of the secretes pardee
¶ Also / ther was a disciple of Plato
That on a tyme / seyde his maister to
Line 1449
As his book senior / wol bere witnesse
And this was his demande in soothfastnesse
Telle me the name / of the priuee stoon
¶ And Plato answerde / vn-to hym anoon
Line 1453
Take the stoon / that Titanos men name
¶ Which is that quod he? Magnasia is the same
Seyde Plato / ye sire / and is it thus?
This is / ignotum per ignocius
Line 1457
What is Magnasia / good sire I yow preye?
¶ It is a water / that is maad I seye
Of elementes foure quod Plato
¶ Telle me the roote / good sire quod he tho
Line 1461
Of that water / if it be youre wille
¶ Nay nay quod Plato / certein that I nylle
The Philosophres / sworn were euerychoon
That they / sholden discouere it vn-to noon
Line 1465
Ne in no book it write / in no manere
ffor vn-to Crist / it is so lief and deere
Page 571
[6-text p 574]
That he wol nat that it discouered bee
But where it liketh / to his deitee
Line 1469
Man for tenspire / and eek / for to deffende [folio 206a]
Whom þat hym liketh / lo this is the ende
¶ Thanne conclude I thus / sith þat god of heuene
Ne wil nat that the Philosophres neuene
Line 1473
How þat a man / shal come vn-to this stoon
I rede vs for the beste / lete it goon
ffor who so / maketh god his Aduersarie
As for to werken / any thyng in contrarie
Line 1477
Of his wil / certes neuer shal he thryue
Thogh that he multiplie terme of lyue
And there a poynt for ended is my tale
Line 1480
God sende euery trewe man / boote of his bale Amen .
¶ Heere is ended the Chanons yemannes tale .
Notes
-
¶ Solacium miser|iorum &cetera.
-
¶ Non teneas Au|rum &cetera
-
¶ Nec pulcrum pomum &cetera
-
[MS ns]
-
[Not in Reg. 17 D xv, leaf210, bk. In Brit. Mus. Addit. 5140, leaf 303, back; Reg. 18 C ii, lf 171; Harl. 7333, leaf 92, col. 1, &c.]
-
no gap in the MS.
-
[so]