The Ellesmere ms of Chaucer's Canterbury tales / edited by Frederick J. Furnivall.

[6-text p 576]

GROUP H. FRAGMENT IX.

§ 1. THE MANCIPLE'S HEAD-LINK.

ELLESMERE MS.

¶ Heere folweth the Prologe / of the Maunciples tale .

Woot ye nat / where ther stant/ a litel toun Which þat ycleped is Bobbe up and doun Vnder the Blee / in Caunterbury weye Ther gan oure hoost for to Iape and pleye Line 4 And seyde sires / what Dun is in the Myre Is ther no man / for preyere ne for hyre That wole awake / oure felawe al bihynde A theef / myghte hym ful lightly robbe and bynde Line 8 See how he nappeth / see how for Cokkes bones As he wol falle / fro his hors atones Is that a Cook of London / with meschance Do hym come forth / he knoweth his penaunce Line 12 ffor he shal telle a tale / by my fey Al-though / it be nat worth a Botel hey Awake thou Cook quod he / god yeue thee sorwe What eyleth thee / to slepe by the morwe? Line 16 Hastow had fleen al nyght or artow dronke? Or hastow / with som quene / al nyght yswonke? So that thow mayst nat holden vp thyn heed ¶ This Cook / þat was ful pale and no thyng reed Line 20 Seyde to oure hoost. so god my soule blesse As ther is falle on me swich heuynesse Noot I nat why? þat me were leuere slepe Than / the beste galon wyn in Chepe Line 24

[6-text p 577] Line 24 ¶ Wel quod the Maunciple / if it may doon ese Line 25 To thee sire Cook / and to no wight displese Which þat heere rideth / in this compaignye And that oure hoost/ wole of his curteisye Line 28 I wol now / excuse thee / of thy tale ffor in good feith / thy visage is ful pale Thyne eyen daswen eek as that me thynketh [folio 206b] And wel I woot / thy breeth / ful soure stynketh Line 32 That sheweth wel / thou art nat wel disposed Of me certeyn / thou shalt nat been yglosed See how he ganeth / lo this dronken wight As though he wolde / swolwe vs anonright Line 36 Hoold cloos thy mouth man / by thy fader kyn The deuel of helle / sette his foot ther-In Thy cursed breeth / infecte wole vs alle ffy stynkyng swyn / fy / foule moote thou falle Line 40 A taketh heede sires / of this lusty man Now sweete sire / wol ye Iusten atte ffan Therto me thynketh / ye been wel yshape I trowe / that ye dronken han wyn Ape Line 44 And that is / whan men pleyen with a straw And with this speche / the Cook wax wrooth & wraw And on the Manciple / he gan nodde faste ffor lakke of speche / and doun the hors hym caste Line 48 Where as he lay / til þat men vp hym took This was / a fair chyuachee / of a Cook Allas / he nadde / holde hym by his ladel And er þat he / agayn were in his Sadel Line 52 Ther was greet showuyng bothe to and fro To lifte hym vp / and muchel care and wo So vnweeldy / was this sory palled goost And to the Manciple / thanne spak oure hoost/ Line 56 ¶ By cause / drynke / hath dominacion Vpon this man / by my sauacion I trowe / lewedly / he wolde telle his tale ffor were it wyn / or oold / or moysty Ale Line 60

[6-text p 578] Line 60 That he hath dronke / he speketh in his nose Line 61 And fneseth faste / and eek he hath the pose ¶ He hath also / to do moore than ynough To kepen hym and his Capul out of slough Line 64 And if he falle / from his capul eftsoone Thanne shal we alle / haue ynogh to doone In liftyng vp / his heuy dronken cors Telle on thy tale / of hym make I no fors Line 68 ¶ But yet Manciple / in feith thou art/ to nyce Thus openly / repreue hym of his vice Another day / he wole perauenture Reclayme thee / and brynge thee to lure Line 72 I meene / he speke wole / of smale thynges As for to pynchen / at thy rekenynges That were nat honeste / if it cam to preef / ¶ No quod the Manciple / that were a greet mescheef Line 76 So myghte he lightly / brynge me in the snare Yet hadde I leuere / payen for the Mare Which that he rit on / than he sholde with me stryue [folio 207a] I wol nat wratthen hym / al so moot I thryue That that/ I speke / I seyde it in my bourde Line 81 And wite ye what I haue heer in a gourde A draghte of wyn / ye of a ripe grape And right anon / ye shul seen a good Iape Line 84 This Cook shal drynke ther of / if þat I may Vp peyne of deeth / he wol nat seye me nay ¶ And certeynly / to tellen as it was Of this vessel / the Cook drank faste / allas? Line 88 What neded hym / he drank ynough biforn And whan he hadde / pouped in this horn To the Manciple / he took the gourde agayn And of that drynke / the Cook was wonder fayn Line 92 And thanked hym / in swich wise as he koude ¶ Thanne gan oure hoost to laughen wonder loude And seyde / I se wel / it is necessarie Where þat we goon / þat drynke we with vs carie Line 96

[6-text p 579] Line 96 ffor that wol turne / rancour and disese Line 97 Tacord and loue / and many a wrong apese ¶ O Bacus / yblessed be thy name That so kanst turnen / ernest in-to game Line 100 Worshipe and thank be to thy deitee Of that mateere / ye gete namoore of me Telle on thy tale / Manciple I thee preye ¶ Wel sire quod he / now herkneth what I seye Line 104

[6-text p 580]

¶ Heere bigynneth the Manciples tale / of the Crowe .

WHan Phebus / dwelled heere / in this world adoun As olde bookes / maken mencioun He was / the mooste lusty Bachiler In al this world / and eek the beste Archer He slow Phiton / the serpent as he lay Slepynge / agayn the sonne vpon a day And many another / noble worthy dede He with his bowe wroghte / as men may rede Line 112 ¶ Pleyen he koude / on euery Mynstralcie And syngen / that it was a melodie To heeren / of his cleere voys the soun Certes / the kyng of Thebes Amphioun Line 116 That with his syngyng walled that Citee Koude neuere syngen / half so wel as hee Therto he was / the semelieste man That is or was / sith þat the world bigan Line 120 What nedeth it/ hise fetures to discryue ffor in this world / was noon so fair on lyue He was ther-with / fulfild of gentillesse [folio 207b] Of honour / and of parfit worthynesse Line 124 ¶ This Phebus / that was / flour of Bachilrie As wel / in fredom / as in Chiualrie ffor his desport. in signe eek of Victorie Of Phiton / so as telleth vs the storie Line 128 Was wont to beren in his hand a bowe ¶ Now hadde this Phebus / in his hous a crowe Which in a Cage / he fostred many a day And taughte it speke / as men teche a Iay Line 132

[6-text p 581] Line 132 Whit was this Crowe / as a snow whit swan Line 133 And countrefete the speche of euery man He koude / whan he sholde telle a tale Ther-with in al this world / no nyghtyngale Line 136 Ne koude / by an hondred thousand deel Syngen / so wonder myrily and weel ¶ Now hadde this Phebus / in his hous a wyf / Which þat he louede / moore than his lyf/ Line 140 And nyght and day / dide euere his diligence Hir for to plese / and doon hire reuerence Saue oonly / the sothe that I shal sayn Ialous he was / and wolde haue kept hire fayn Line 144 ffor hym were looth / byiaped for to be And so is euery wight in swich degree But all in ydel / for it auailleth noght A good wyf / that is clene / of werk and thoght Line 148 Sholde nat been kept in noon awayt certayn And trewely / the labour is in vayn To kepe a shrewe / for it wol nat bee This holde I / for a verray nycetee Line 152 To spille labour / for to kepe wyues Thus writen olde clerkes / in hir lyues

Bvt now to purpos / as I first bigan This worthy Phebus / dooth all that he kan Line 156 To plesen hire / wenynge that swich plesance And for his manhede / and his gouernance That no man / sholde han put hym from hire grace But god it woot. ther may no man embrace Line 160 As to destreyne a thyng. which þat nature Hath natureelly / set in a creature ¶ Taak any bryd / and put it in a Cage And do al thyn entente / and thy corage Line 164 To fostre it tendrely / with mete and drynke Of alle deyntees / þat thou kanst bithynke And keepe it al so clenly / as thou may Al though his Cage / of gold be neuer so gay Line 168

[6-text p 582] Line 168 Yet hath this brid / by twenty thousand foold Line 169 Leuere in a fforest / that is rude and coold Goon ete wormes / and swich wrecchednesse [folio 208a] ffor euere this brid / wol doon his bisynesse Line 172 To escape out of his Cage / if he may His libertee / this brid desireth ay ¶ Lat take a Cat and fostre hym wel with Milk And tendre flessh / and make his couche of silk Line 176 And lat hym seen / a Mous go by the wal Anon he weyueth / Milk / and flessh and al And euery deyntee / that is in that hous Swich appetit he hath / to ete a Mous Line 180 Lo / heere hath lust his dominacion And Appetit fleemeth discrecion ¶ A she wolf / hath also / a vileyns kynde The lewedeste wolf / þat she may fynde Line 184 Or leest of reputacion / that wol she take In tyme / whan hir lust to han a make ¶ Alle thise ensamples / speke I by thise men That been vntrewe / and no thyng by wommen Line 188 ffor men han euere / a likerous appetit On lower thyng to parfourne hire delit Than on hire wyues / be they neuer so faire Ne neuer so trewe / ne so debonaire Line 192 fflessh is so newefangel with meschaunce That we ne konne / in no thyng han plesaunce That sowneth in-to vertu / any while ¶ This Phebus / which þat thoghte vpon no gile Line 196 Deceyued was / for al his Iolitee ffor vnder hym / another hadde shee A man / of litel reputacion Nat worth to Phebus / in comparison Line 200 The moore harm is / it happeth ofte so Of which ther cometh / muchel harm and wo ¶ And so bifel / whan Phebus was absent His wyf anon / hath for hir lemman sent Line 204

[6-text p 583] Line 204 Hir lemman? certes this is a knauyssh speche Line 205 fforyeueth it me / and that I yow biseche ¶ The wise Plato seith / as ye may rede The word / moot nede accorde with the dede Line 208 If men shal telle proprely a thyng The word / moot cosyn be to the werkyng I am a boystous man / right thus seye I Ther nys no difference trewely Line 212 Bitwixe a wyf/ þat is of heigh degree If of hire body / dishoneste she bee And a poure wenche /? oother than this If it so be / they werke bothe amys Line 216 But þat the gentile / in hire estaat aboue She shal be cleped / his lady as in loue And for that oother / is a poure womman [folio 208b] She shal be cleped / his wenche / or his lemman Line 220 And god it woot myn owene deere brother Men leyn þat oon / as lowe as lith þat oother ¶ Right so / bitwixe a titlelees tirant/ And an Outlawe / or a theef errant Line 224 The same I seye / ther is no difference To Alisaundre / was toold this sentence That for the tirant is of gretter myght By force of meynee / for to sleen doun right Line 228 And brennen hous and hoom / and make al playn Lo / therfore / is he cleped a Capitayn And for the Outlawe / hath but smal meynee And may nat doon / so greet an harm as he Line 232 Ne brynge a contree / to so greet mescheef/ Men clepen hym / an Outlawe / or a theef / But for I am a man / noght textueel I wol noght telle / of textes neuer a deel Line 236 I wol go / to my tale / as I bigan Whan Phebus wyf / had sent for hir lemman Anon they wroghten / al hire lust volage ¶ The white crowe / they heeng ay in the Cage Line 240

[6-text p 584] Line 240 Biheeld hire werk and seyde neuer a word Line 241 And whan þat hoom was come Phebus the lord This Crowe sang / Cokkow / Cokkow / Cokkow / ¶ What bryd quod Phebus / what song syngestow? Line 244 Ne were thow wont/ so myrily to synge That to myn herte / it was a reioysynge To heere thy voys / allas what song is this? ¶ By god quod he / I synge nat amys Line 248 Phebus quod he / for al thy worthynesse ffor al thy beautee / and thy gentilesse ffor al thy song/ and thy Mynstralcye ffor al thy waityng blered is thyn eye Line 252 With oon / of litel reputacion Noght worth to thee / in comparison The montance of a gnat/ so moote I thryue ffor on thy bed / thy wyf / I saugh hym swy & cetera ¶ What wol ye moore / the Crowe anon hym tolde By sadde tokenes / and by wordes bolde How þat his wyf had doon hire lecherye Hym to greet/ shame / and to greet vileynye Line 260 And tolde hym ofte / he saugh it with hise eyen ¶ This Phebus / gan aweyward for to wryen And thoughte / his sorweful herte brast atwo His bowe he bente / and sette ther-Inne a flo Line 264 And in his Ire / his wyf / thanne hath he slayn This is theffect. ther is namoore to sayn ffor sorwe of which / he brak his Mynstralcie [folio 209a] Bothe harpe / and lute / and Gyterne / and sautrie Line 268 And eek he brak hise Arwes / and his bowe And after that/ thus spak he to the crowe ¶ Traitour quod he / with tonge of Scorpion Thou hast me broght/ to my confusion Line 272 Allas that I was wroght / why nere I deed O deere wyf o gemme of lustiheed That were to me / so sad / and eek so trewe Now listow deed / with face pale of hewe Line 276

[6-text p 585] Line 276 fful giltlees / that dorste I swere ywys Line 277 O rakel hand / to doon so foule amys O trouble wit o Ire recchelees That vnauysed / smyteth giltles Line 280 O wantrust . ful of fals suspecion Where was thy wit and thy discrecion O euery man / be war of rakelnesse Ne trowe no thyng with-outen strong witnesse Line 284 Smyt nat to soone / er þat ye witen why And beeth auysed / wel and sobrely Er ye doon / any execucion Vp on youre Ire / for suspecion Line 288 Allas / a thousand folk hath rakel Ire ffully fordoon / and broght hem in the Mire Allas / for sorwe .I wol my seluen slee ¶ And to the Crowe / o false theef seyde he Line 292 I wol thee quite anon / thy false tale Thou songe whilom / lyk a nyghtyngale Now shaltow false theef thy song forgon And eek thy white fetheres euerichon Line 296 Ne neuere in al thy lif/ ne shaltou speke Thus shal men / on a traytour been awreke Thou / and thyn of-spryng/ euere shul be blake Ne neuere / sweete voys shul ye make Line 300 But euere crie / agayn tempest and rayn In tokenynge / þat thurgh thee / my wyf is slayn And to the Crowe / he stirte / and that anon And pulled / hise white fetheres euerychon Line 304 And made hym blak and refte hym al his song And eek his speche / and out at dore hym slong Vn-to the deuel / which I hym bitake And for this caas / been alle Crowes blake Line 308

LOrdynges / by this ensample I yow preye Beth war / and taketh kepe what I seye Ne telleth neuere / no man in youre lyf How þat another man / hath dight his wyf / Line 312

[6-text p 586] Line 312 He wol yow haten / mortally certeyn Line 313 Daun Salomon / as wise clerkes seyn Techeth a man / to kepen his tonge weel [folio 209b] But as I seyde / I am noght textueel Line 316 But nathelees / thus taughte me my dame My sone / thenk/ on the Crowe on goddes name My sone / keepe wel thy tonge / and keepe thy freend A wikked tonge / is worse than a feend Line 320 My sone / from a feend / men may hem blesse My sone / god of his endelees goodnesse Walled a tonge / with teeth and lippes eke ffor man sholde hym auyse / what he speeke Line 324 My sone / ful ofte / for to muche speche Hath many a man been spilt as clerkes teche But for litel speche / auysely Is no men shent . to speke generally Line 328 My sone / thy tonge sholdestow restreyne At alle tymes / but whan thou doost thy peyne To speke of god / in honour and preyere The firste vertu sone / if thou wolt leere Line 332 Is to restreyne / and kepe wel thy tonge Thus lerne children / whan þat they been yonge My sone / of muchel spekyng/ yuele auysed Ther lasse spekyng/ hadde ynough suffised Line 336 Comth muchel harm / thus was me toold and taught In muchel speche / synne wanteth naught Wostow / wher-of a rakel tonge serueth Right as a swerd / forkutteth and forkerueth Line 340 An Arm atwo / my deere sone right so A tonge / kutteth freendshipe al atwo A Iangler / is to god abhomynable Reed Salomon / so wys and honurable Line 344 Reed Dauid in hise psalmes / reed Senekke My sone spek nat but with thyn heed thou bekke Dissimule as thou were deef / if that thou heere A Iangler /. speke of perilous mateere Line 348

[6-text p 587] Line 348 The flemyng seith / and lerne it if thee leste Line 349 That litel Ianglyng causeth muchel rest My sone / if thou no wikked word hast seyd Thee thar nat drede / for to be biwreyd Line 352 But he þat hath mysseyd / I dar wel sayn He may by no wey / clepe his word agayn Thyng that is seyd is seyd / and forth it gooth Though hym repente / or be hym leef / or looth Line 356 He is his thral / to whom þat he hath sayd A tale / of which he is now yuele apayd My sone be war / and be noon Auctour newe Of tidynges / wheither they been false or trewe Line 360 Wher so thou come / amonges hye or lowe Kepe wel thy tonge / and thenk vp-on the Crowe Line 362

¶ Heere is ended / the Manciples tale of the Crowe .

Notes

• on leaf 206
• [Painting of the Manciple.]
• ¶ Exemplum. de volucre
• ¶ Exemplum. de Murelego
• ¶ Exemplum. de lupo
• ¶ Nota malum quid.