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

GROUP A. FRAGMENT I.

§ 1. GENERAL PROLOGUE.

HENGWRT MS.

Here bygynneth the Book of the tales of Caunterbury.

WHan that Auerylle with his shoures soote [folio 2a] The droghte of March / hath perced to the roote And bathed euery veyne in swich lycour Of which vertu engendred is the flour Line 4 Whan zephirus eek with his sweete breeth Inspired hath in euery holt and heeth The tendre croppes / and the yonge sonne Hath in the Ram / his half cours yronne Line 8 And smale foweles / maken melodye That slepen al the nyght with open Iye So priketh hem nature / in hir corages Thanne longen folk to goon on pilgrymages Line 12 And Palmeres for to seeken straunge strondes To ferne halwes / kouthe in sondry londes And specially / from euery shyres ende Of Engelond / to Caunterbury they wende Line 16 The holy blisful martir / for to seke That hem hath holpen whan þat they weere seeke Bifel þat in that sesoun on a day In Southwerk at the Tabard / as .I. lay Line 20 Redy to weenden / on my pilgrymage To Caunterbury / with ful deuout corage At nyght was come / in to that hostelrye Wel .xxix. in a compaignye Line 24 Of sondry folk / by auenture yfalle In felaweshipe / and pilgrymes weere they alle That toward Caunterbury wolden ryde

The chambres and the stables / weeren wyde Line 28 And wel we weeren esed / at the beste And shortly whan the sonne was to reste So hadde I spoken with hem euerichoon That I was of hir felaweshipe anoon Line 32 And maade forward / erly for to ryse [folio 2b] To take oure wey / ther as .I. yow deuyse ¶ But nathelees / while .I. haue tyme and space Er that I ferther / in this tale pace Line 36 Me thynketh it acordant to resoun To telle yow / al the condicioun Of eech of hem / so as it seemed me And whiche they weere / and of what degree Line 40 And eek in what array / þat they weere Inne And at a knyght thanne wol I first bigynne ¶ A knyght ther was / and that a worthy man [Knyght/] That fro the tyme / þat he first bigan Line 44 To ryden out he loued chiualrye Trouthe and honour / fredom and curteisye fful worthy was he / in his lordes werre And ther to hadde he ryden / no man ferre Line 48 As wel in cristendom / as hethenesse And euere honured / for his worthynesse ¶ At Alisaundre he was / whan it was wonne fful ofte tyme / he hadde the bord bigonne Line 52 Abouen alle nacions / in Pruce In lettow / hadde he reysed / and in Ruce No cristen man so ofte / of his degree In Gernade at the seege eek hadde he be Line 56 At Algizir / and ryden in Belmarye At lyeys was he / and at Satalye Whan they weere wonne / and in the grete see At many a noble armee / hadde he bee Line 60 ¶ At mortal batailles / hadde he been fiftene And foghten for oure feyth / at Tramyssene In lystes thryes / and ay slayn his foo

¶ This ilke worthy knyght hadde been also Line 64 Somtyme / with the lord of Palatye Agayn another hethen in Turkye And euere moore / he hadde a souereyn prys And thogh þat he weere worthy / he was wys Line 68 And of his poort as meke / as is a mayde Ne neuere yet no vileynye he sayde In al his lyf vn-to no manere wight He was a verray perfit gentil knyght Line 72 But for to tellen yow / of his array [folio 3a] Hise hors weere goode / but he ne was nat gay Of ffustian / he wered a gypon Al bismotered / with his haubergeon Line 76 ffor he was laate / comen from his viage And wente / for to doon his pilgrymage ¶ With hym / ther was his sone a yong Squyer [Squyer.] A louere / and a lusty Bachiler Line 80 With lokkes crulle / as they weere leyd in presse Of .xx. yeer / he was of age I gesse Of his stature / he was of euene lengthe And wonderly delyuere / and of greet strengthe Line 84 And he hadde been som tyme / in chiuachye In fflaundres / in Artoys / and Picardye And born hym wel / as in so litel space In hope / to stonden / in his lady grace Line 88 ¶ Embrouded was he / as it weere a meede Al ful of fresshe floures / white and reede Syngynge he was / or floytynge al the day He was as fressh / as is the Monthe of May Line 92 Short was his gowne / with sleues / longe & wyde Wel koude he sitte on hors / and faire ryde He koude songes wel make / and endite Iuste and eek daunce / and wel portreye and write Line 96 So hoote he loued / that by nyghtertale He slepte namoore / than dooth a nyghtyngale Curteys he was / lowely / and seruysable

And carf biforn his fader / at the table Line 100 ¶ A Yeman he hadde / and seruantz namo [Yeman.] At that tyme / for hym liste ryde so And he was clad / in coote and hood of greene A sheef of Pecok arwes / bright and keene Line 104 Vnder his belt he bar ful thriftily Wel koude he dresse his takel yemanly His arwes drowped noght with fetheres lowe And in his hand / he bar a myghty bowe Line 108 A not heed hadde he / with a broun visage Of wodecraft / koude he wel al the vsage Vp on his arm / he bar a gay bracer And by his syde / a swerd and a Bokeler Line 112 And on that oother syde / a gay daggere [folio 3b] Harneysed wel / and sharpe / as poynt of spere A Cristofre on his brest of siluer sheene An horn he bar / the bawdryk was of greene Line 116 A fforster was he / soothly as I gesse ¶ Ther was also / a Nonne a Prioresse [Prioresse.] That of hir smylyng was ful symple and coy Hir gretteste ooth / was but by Seint Loy Line 120 And she was clepyd / madame Eglentyne fful wel she soong the seruyce dyuyne, Entuned in hir nose / ful semely And frenssh she spak ful faire and fetisly Line 124 After the scole / of Stratford at the Bowe ffor frenssh of Parys / was to hire vnknowe At mete / wel ytaught was she with alle She leet no morsel / from hir lyppes falle Line 128 Ne wette hir fyngres / in hir sauce deepe Wel koude she carye a morsel / and wel keepe That no drope / fille vp on hir brist In curteisye / was set muchel hir list Line 132 Hir ouer lyppe / wyped she so cleene That in hir coppe / ther was no ferthyng seene Of grece / whan she dronken hadde hir draghte

fful semely / after hir mete she raghte Line 136 And sikerly / she was of greet desport And ful plesaunt and amyable of port And peyned hire / to countrefete chiere Of Court and been estatlich of manere Line 140 And to been holden / digne of reuerence But for to speken / of hir conscience She was so charitable / and so pitous She wolde wepe / if þat she sawe a Mous Line 144 Caught in a trappe / if it weere deed / or bledde Of smale houndes / hadde she / þat she fedde With rosted flessh / or mylk / and wastel breed But soore wepte she / if oon of hem weere deed Line 148 Or if men smoot it / with a yerde smerte And al was conscience / and tendre herte fful semely / hir wympel pynched was Hir nose tretez / hir eyen / greye as glas Line 152 Hir mouth ful smal / and ther to / softe and reed [folio 4a] But sikerly / she hadde a fair forheed It was almoost a spanne brood I trowe ffor hardily / she was nat vndergrowe Line 156 fful fetys was hir cloke / as I was war Of smal Coral / aboute hir arm she bar A peyre of bedes / gauded al with greene And ther on heeng a brooch of gold ful sheene Line 160 On which / was first writen / a crowned .A. And after / amor vincit omnia. ¶ Another Nonne / with hire hadde she, [Nonne Chap|eleyne and thre prestes.] That was hire Chapeleyne / and preestes thre. ¶ A Monk ther was / a fair for the maystrye [Monk/.] An outrydere / that louede venerye A manly man / to been an Abbot able fful many a deyntee hors / hadde he in stable Line 168 And whanne he rood / men myghte his brydel heere Gyngle in a whistlynge wynd / as cleere And eek as loude / as dooth the Chapel belle

There as this lord / is kepere of the selle Line 172 The rule of seint Maure / or of seint Beneyt By cause þat it was oold / and som deel streyt This ilke Monk / leet oolde thynges pace And heeld / after the newe world the space Line 176 He yaf noght of that text a pulled hen That seith / þat hunterys been none holy men Ne þat a Monk. whan he is recchelees Is likned / til a fissh / þat is waterlees Line 180 This is to seyn / a Monk out of his Cloystre But thilke text heeld he nat worth an Oystre And I seyde / his opynyon was good What sholde he studie / and make hym seluen wood Line 184 Vp on a book in Cloystre alwey to poure Or swynke with his handes / and laboure As Austyn bit. how shal the world be serued Lat Austyn heue his swynk. to hym reserued Line 188 Ther fore / he was a prykasour aryght Grehoundes he hadde / as swift as fowel in flyght Of prikyng and of huntyng for the haare Was al his lust. for no cost wolde he spaare Line 192 I saugh his sleues / purfiled at the hond [folio 4b] With grys / and that the fyneste of a lond And for to festne his hood / vnder his chyn He hadde / of gold / wroght a ful curious pyn Line 196 A loue knotte / in the gretter ende ther was His heed was balled / that shoon as any glas And eek his face / as he hadde been enoynt He was a lord ful fat and in good poynt Line 200 Hise eyen steepe / and rollynge in his heed That stemed / as a fourneys of a leed Hise bootes souple / his hors / in greet estaat Now certeynly / he was a fair prelat Line 204 He was nat paale / as is a forpyned goost A fat swan / loued he / best of any roost His palfrey / was as broun as any berye

¶ A frere ther was / a wantowne and a merye, [¶ ffrere.] A lymytour / a ful solempne man Line 209 In alle the ordres foure / is noon þat kan So muche of daliaunce / and fair langage He hadde maked / ful many a mariage Line 212 Of yonge wommen / at his owene cost Vn to his ordre / he was a noble post fful wel biloued / and famylier was hee With ffrankeleyns / ouer al in his contree Line 216 And eek with worthy wommen / of the town ffor he hadde / power of confessioun As seyde him self / moore than a curaat ffor of his ordre / he was licenciaat Line 220 fful swetely / herde he confessioun And plesant. was his absolucioun He was an esy man / to yeue penaunce Ther as he wiste / to haue a good pitaunce Line 224 ffor vn to a poure ordre / for to yeue Is signe / that a man / is wel yshryue ffor if he yaf he dorste make auaunt He wiste / þat a man was repentaunt Line 228 ffor many a man / so hard is of his herte He may nat weepe / thogh þat he soore smerte Ther fore / in stede of wepynge / and preyeres Men moote yeue siluer / to the poure freres Line 232 ¶ His typet was ay farsed ful of knyues [folio 5a] And pynnes / for to yeuen faire wyues And certeynly / he hadde a murye noote Wel koude he synge / and pleyen on a roote Line 236 Of yeddynges / he bar outrely the prys His nekke whit was / as the flour delys Ther to he stroong was / as a Champioun He knew the tauernes wel in euery town Line 240 And euery hostiler / and Tappestere Bet / than a lazer / or a beggestere ffor vn to swich a worthy man / as he

Acorded nat / as by his facultee Line 244 To haue / with syke lazers aqueyntaunce It is nat honeste / it may noght auaunce ffor to deelen / with no swich poraille But al with riche / and sellerys of vitaille Line 248 And ouer al / ther as profit sholde aryse Curteys he was / and lowely of seruyse Ther was no man / nowheer / so vertuous He was the beste beggere / of his hous Line 252 And yaf a certeyn ferme / for the graunt Line 252b Noon of his bretheren / cam ther in his haunt Line 252c ffor thogh a wydwe / hadde noght a sho Line 253 So plesant was his In principio Yet wolde he haue a ferthyng er he wente His purchaas / was wel bettre than his rente Line 256 And rage he koude / as it weere right a whelpe In louedayes / koude he muchel helpe ffor there / he was nat lyk a Cloystrer With a threedbare cope / as is a poure scoler Line 260 But he was lyk a maister / or a Pope Of double worstede / was his semycope And rounded as a belle / out of the presse Somwhat he lypsed / for his wantownesse Line 264 To make his englyssh / sweete vp on his tonge And in his harpyng whan þat he hadde songe Hise eyen twynkled / in his heed aryght As doon the sterres / in the frosty nyght Line 268 This worthy lymytour / was cleped Huberd ¶ A Marchant was ther / with a forked berd [Marchaunt.] In Motlee / and hye on hors he sat [folio 5b] Vp on his heed / a fflaundryssh Beuere hat Line 272 His bootes clasped / faire and fetisly Hise resons / he spak ful solempnely Sownyng alway / thencrees of his wynnyng He woolde / the see weere kept for any thyng Line 276 Bitwixen Myddelburgh / and Orewelle

Wel koude he / in eschaunge / sheeldes selle This worthy man / ful wel his wit bisette Ther wiste no wight. that he was in dette Line 280 So estaatly was he / of his gouernaunce With his bargaynes / and with his cheuysaunce ffor soothe / he was a worthy man with alle But sooth to seyn / I noot how men hym calle Line 284 ¶ A Clerc ther was / of Oxenford also [¶ Clerc/ of Oxenforde.] That vn to logyk. hadde longe ygo As leene was his hors / as is a rake And he was noght right fat I vndertake Line 288 But looked holwe / and ther to sobrely fful threedbaare / was his ouereste Courtepy ffor he hadde / geten hym yet no benefice Ne was so worldly / for to haue office Line 292 For hym was leuere / haue at his beddes heed Twenty bookes / clad / in blak / or reed Of Aristotle / and his Philosophye Than robes riche / or ffithele / or gay Sautrye Line 296 But al be / that he was a Philosophre Yet hadde he / but litel gold in Cofre But al that he myghte / of his frendes hente On bookes / and on lernynge / he it spente Line 300 And bisily / gan for the soules preye Of hem / that yaf hym / wher with to scoleye Of studye / took he moost cure and moost heede Noght oo word spak he / moore than was neede Line 304 And that was spoke / in forme / and reuerence And short and quyk and ful of heigh sentence Sownynge in moral vertu / was his speche And gladly wolde he lerne / and gladly teche Line 308 ¶ A Sergeaunt of lawe / waar / and wys [¶ Sergeaunt of Lawe.] That often / hadde been at the Parvys Ther was also / ful ryche of excellence [folio 6a] Discreet he was / and of greet reuerence Line 312 He seemed swich / hise wordes weeren so Wyse

Iustice he was / ful often in Assise By patente / and by pleyn commissioun ffor his science / and for his heigh renoun Line 316 Of fees and robes / hadde he many oon So greet a purchasour / was nowher noon Al was fee symple / to hym / in effect His purchasyng myghte nat been infect Line 320 Nowher so bisy a man as he / ther nas And yet he seemed / bisyer than he was In termes / hadde he caas / and doomes alle That from tyme of kyng william / weere falle Line 324 Ther to / he koude endite / and make a thyng Ther koude no wight pynchen at his writyng And euery statut. koude he pleyn by roote He rood but hoomly / in a medlee coote Line 328 Girt with a ceynt of sylk. with barres smale Of his array / telle I no lenger tale ¶ A ffrankeleyn / was in his compaignye [¶ ffrankeleyn.] Whit was his berd / as is the dayesye Line 332 Of his complexcion / he was sangwyn Wel loued he by the morwe / a sope in wyn To lyuen in delyt was euere his wone ffor he was / Epicurus owene sone Line 336 That heeld opynyon / þat pleyn delit Was verray / felicitee parfit An housholdere / and that a greet was hee Seint Iulyan he was / in his contree Line 340 His breed / his ale / was alweys after oon A bettre envyned man / was neuere noon With outen bake mete / was neuere his hous Of fresshe fisshe / and flesshe / and that so plentevous Line 344 It snewed in his hous / of mete and drynke Of alle deyntees / þat men koude bithynke After / the sondry sesons / of the yeer So chaunged he / his mete / and his soper Line 348 fful many a fat partrych / hadde he in Muwe

And many a breem / and many a luce in Stuwe Wo was his Cook / but if his Sauce weere [folio 6b] Poynaunt and sharpe / and redy al his geere Line 352 His table dormaunt in his halle alway Stood redy couered / al the longe day At sessions / ther was he / lord and sire fful ofte tyme / he was knyght of the Shire Line 356 An Anlaas / and a Gipser / al of Sylk Heeng at his girdel / whit as morne mylk A Shirreue hadde he been / and Countour Was nowheer / swich a worthy vauasour Line 360 ¶ An haberdasshere / and a Carpenter [Haberdasshere Carpenter. Webbe. Dyere. Tapycer.] A Webbe / a Dyere / and a Tapycer And they weere clothed alle / in oo lyueree Of a solempne / and a greet fraternytee Line 364 fful fressh and newe / hir geere apyked was Hir knyues weere chaped / noght with bras But al with siluer / wroght ful clene and wel Hir girdles / and hir pouches / euerydel Line 368 Wel seemed eech of hem / a fair Burgeys To sitten in a yeldehalle / on a deys Euerych / for the wisdom / þat he kan Was shaply / for to been an Alderman Line 372 ffor catel / hadde they ynogh / and rente And eek hir wyues / wolde it wel assente And ellis certeyn / they weere to blame It is ful fair / to been yclepyd madame Line 376 And goon to vigilies / al bifore And haue a Mantel / realliche ybore ¶ A Cook they hadde with hem / for the nones [Cook/.] To boille the chiknes / with the Marybones Line 380 And poudre marchaunt. tart and / Galyngale Wel koude he knowe / a draghte of london ale He koude rooste / and seethe / and broille / & frye Maken Mortreux / and wel bake a pye Line 384 But greet harm was it as it thoughte me

That on his Shyne / a Mormal hadde he ffor Blankmanger / that maade he with the beste ¶ A Shipman was ther / wonyng fer by weste [Shipman.] ffor aught I woot he was of Dertemouthe Line 389 He rood vp on a Rouncy / as he kouthe In a gowne of faldyng to the knee [folio 7a] A daggere hangynge on a laas / hadde he Line 392 Aboute his nekke / vnder his arm adown The hoote Somer / hadde maad his hewe al brown And certeynly / he was a good felawe fful many a draghte of wyn / hadde he drawe Line 396 ffro Burdeuxward / whil þat the Chapman sleepe Of nyce conscience / took he no keepe If þat he faght and hadde the hyer hond By watre he sente hem hoom / to euery lond Line 400 But of his craft to rekene wel his tydes His stremys / and his daungers hym bisydes His herberwe and his moone / his lodmenage Ther was noon swich / from hulle to Cartage Line 404 Hardy he was / and wys to vndertake With many a tempest hadde his beerd been shake He knew alle the hauenes / as they weere ffro Gootlond / to the cape of ffynysteere Line 408 And euery cryke / in Britaigne / and in Spaigne His barge / y-clepyd was the Mawdelayne ¶ With vs / ther was / a Doctour of Phisyk [Doctour of Phisyk/.] In al this world / ne was ther noon hym lyk To speken of Phisyk and of Surgerye Line 413 ffor he was grounded / in Astronomye He kepte his pacient a ful greet deel In houres / by his magyk natureel Line 416 Wel koude he fortunen / the ascendent Of hise ymages / for his pacient He knew the cause / of euery maladye Weere it of hoot or coold / or moyste / or drye Line 420 And where it engendred / and of what humour

He was a verray / perfit practisour The cause yknowe / and of his harm the roote Anoon he yaf / the sike man his boote Line 424 ¶ fful redy hadde he / hise Apothecaryes To senden hym / his drogges / and his letuaryes ffor eech of hem / maade oother for to wynne Hir frendshipe / was noght newe to bigynne Line 428 Wel knew he / the oolde Esculapyus And Discorides / and eek Rusus Olde ypocras / Haly / and Galyen [folio 7b] Serapion / Razis / and Avycen Line 432 Auerroys / Damascien / and Constantyn Bernard / and Gatesden / and Gilbertyn Of his diete / mesurable was hee ffor it was / of no superfluytee Line 436 But of greet norissynge / and digestible His studye / was but litel on the Bible In sangwyn and in Pers / he clad was al Lyned with Taffata / and with Sendal Line 440 And yet he was / but esy of dispence He kepte / þat he wan in pestilence ffor gold in Phisyk. is a Cordial Ther fore / he loued gold in special Line 444 ¶ A good wyf was ther / of bisyde Bathe [The Goode Wyf of bisyde Bathe.] But she was som del deef and that was scathe Of clooth makynge / she hadde swich an haunt She passed hem / of Ipres / and of Gaunt Line 448 In al the parysshe / wyf ne was ther noon That to the offrynge / bifore hire sholde goon And if ther dide / certeyn / so wrooth was shee That she was / out of alle charitee Line 452 Hir Couerchiefes / ful fyne weere of grownd I dorste swere / they weyeden. ten pownd That on a Sonday / weeren vp on hir heed Hir hosen weeren / of fyn Scarlet reed Line 456 fful streyte yteyd / and shoes / ful moyste & newe

Boold was hir face / and fair and reed of hewe She was a worthy womman / al hir lyue Housbondes at chirche dore / she hadde fyue Line 460 With outen oother compaignye / in yowthe But ther of / nedeth noght to speke as nowthe And thries / hadde she been at Ierusalem She hadde passed / many a straunge strem Line 464 At Rome she hadde been / and at Boloyne In Galyce at Seint Iame / and at Coloyne She koude muchel / of wandrynge by the weye Gattothed was she / soothly for to seye Line 468 Vp on an Amblere / esily she sat Ywympled wel / and on hir heed an hat As brood as is / a Bokeler / or a Targe [folio 8a] A foot mantel / aboute hir hypes large Line 472 And on hir feet a peyre of spores sharpe In felaweshipe / wel koude she laughe. and carpe Of remedies of loue / she knew par chaunce ffor she koude of that art the olde daunce Line 476 ¶ A good man / was ther / of Religioun And was a poure parson / of a toun [Parson of a town.] But riche he was / of holy thoght and werk He was also / a lerned man a Clerk Line 480 That Cristes gospel / trewely wolde preche His parisshens / deuoutly wolde he teche Benygne he was / and wonder diligent And in aduersitee / ful pacient Line 484 And swich he was proeued / ofte sythes fful looth weere hym / to cursen for his tythes But rather wolde he yeuen / out of doute Vn to his poure parisshens aboute Line 488 Of his offrynge / and eek of his substaunce He koude in litel thyng haue suffisaunce Wyd was his parisshe / and houses fer a sonder But he ne lafte noght for reyn ne thonder Line 492 In siknesse / nor in meschief to visite

The ferreste in his parisshe / muche and lyte Vp on his feet and in his hond a staf This noble ensample / to his sheep he yaf Line 496 That first he wroghte / and afterward he taughte Out of the gospel / he tho wordes caughte And this figure / he added eek ther to That if gold ruste / what sholde Iren do Line 500 ffor if a preest be foul / in whom we truste No wonder is / a lewed man to ruste And shame it is / if a preest take keepe A shiten shepherde / and a clene sheepe Line 504 Wel oghte a preest ensample for to yiue By his clennesse / how þat his sheep sholde lyue He sette noght. his benefice to hyre And leet his sheep / encombred in the Myre Line 508 And ran to London / vn to Seint Poules To seeken hym / a Chauntrye for soules Or with a breetherede / to been withhoolde [folio 8b] But dwelte at hoom / and kepte wel his foolde Line 512 So þat the wolf ne maade it noght myscarye He was a sheepherde / and noght a Mercenarye And thogh he hooly weere / and vertuous He was noght to synful men despitous Line 516 Ne of his speche / daungerous / ne digne But in his techyng discreet and benygne To drawen folk to heuene / with fairnesse By good ensample / this was his bisynesse Line 520 But it weere / any persone obstynaat What so he weere / of heigh / or lowe estaat Hym wolde he snybben / sharply for the nonys A bettre preest I trowe ther nowher noon ys Line 524 He wayted / after no pompe / and reuerence Ne maked hym / a spyced conscience But Cristes loore / and hise Apostles twelue He taughte / but first he folwed it hym selue Line 528 ¶ With hym ther was a Plowman / was his broother [Plowman.]

That hadde ylad of donge / ful many a ffoother A trewe swynkere / and a good was he Lyuynge in pees / and perfit charitee Line 532 God loued he best with al his hoole herte At alle tymes / thogh hym gamed / or smerte And thanne his Neighebore / right as hym selue He wolde thresshe / and ther to / dyke and delue Line 536 ffor Cristes sake / with euery poure wight With outen hyre / if it laye in his myght His tythes payde he / ful faire and wel Bothe of his propre swynk and his catel Line 540 In a Tabard he rood / vp on a Mere Ther was also / a Reue / and a Millere A Somonour / and a Pardoner also A Maunciple / and my self ther weere namo Line 544 ¶ The Millere / was a stout carl / for the nones [Millere.] fful byg he was / of brawen / and eek of bones That proeued wel / for ouer al ther he cam At wrastlynge / he wolde haue alwey the Ram Line 548 He was short shuldred / brood / a thikke knarre Ther was no dore / that he noolde heue of harre Or breke it at a rennynge / with his heed [folio 9a] His beerd / as any sowe / or fox / was reed Line 552 And ther to brood / as thogh it weere a spaade Vp on the cope right of his nose he haade A werte / and ther on stood / a tuft of heerys Reede / as the bristles / of a Sowes eerys Line 556 Hise nosethirles / blake weere and wyde A swerd and a bokeler / baar he by his syde His mouth as greet was / as a greet fourneys He was a Ianglere / a Golyardeys Line 560 And that was moost of synne and harlotryes Wel koude he stelen corn / and tollen thryes And yet he hadde / a thombe of gold pardee A whit coote / and a blew hood wered hee Line 564 A Baggepipe / wel koude he / blowe and sowne

And ther with al / he broghte vs out of towne ¶ A gentil Maunciple / was ther / of a Temple [Maunciple.] Of which / Achatours myghte take exemple Line 568 ffor to been wyse / in byynge of vitaille ffor wheither þat he payde / or took by taille Algate he wayted so / in his achaat That he was ay biforn / and in good staat Line 572 ¶ Now is nat that of god / a ful greet grace That swich a lewed mannes wit shal pace The wysdom / of an heepe / of lerned men Of Maistres hadde he mo / than thryes ten Line 576 That weeren of lawe / expert and curious Of whiche / ther weere a dozeyne / in that hous Worthy / to been stywardes / of rente / and lond Of any lord / that is in Engelond Line 580 To make hym lyue / by his propre good In honour dettelees / but if he weere wood Or lyue as scarsly / as hym lyst desire And able / for to helpen al a Shire Line 584 In any caas / that myghte falle or happe And yet this Maunciple / sette hir aller cappe ¶ The Reue / was a sclendre coleryk man [Reue] His beerd was shaue / as neigh as euer he kan Line 588 His heer was by his eerys / ful rownd yshorn His tope was dokked / lyk a preest byforn fful longe weere hise legges / and ful leene [folio 9b] Ylik a staf. ther was no calf yseene Line 592 Wel koude he keepe / a Gerner and a Bynne Ther was noon Auditour / koude on hym wynne Wel wiste he / by the droghte and by the reyn The yeldynge / of his seed / and of his greyn Line 596 His lordes sheepe / his neet / his dayerye His swyn / his hors / his stoor / and his pultrye Was hooly / in this Reues gouernynge And by his couenant. yaf the rekenynge Line 600 Syn that his loord / was twenty yeer of age

Ther koude no man / brynge hym in arrerage Ther nas Baillyf. hierde / nor oother hyne That he ne knew / his sleyghte / and his couyne Line 604 They weere adrad of hym / as of the deeth His wonyng was ful faire vp on an heeth With greene trees / shadwed was his place He koude bettre / than his lord purchace Line 608 fful riche / he was astoored pryuely His lord / wel koude he plesen subtilly To yeue / and leene hym / of his owene good And haue a thank. and yet a coote and hood Line 612 In youthe / he lerned hadde / a good Mister He was a wel good wrighte / a Carpenter This Reue sat vp on a wel good Stot That was a Pomely gray / and highte Scot Line 616 A long Surcote of Pers / vp on he haade And by his syde / he baar a rusty blaade Of Northfolk was this Reue / of which I telle Bisyde a town / men clepyn Baldeswelle Line 620 Tukked he was / as is a ffrere aboute And euere he rood / the hyndreste of oure route ¶ A Somonour / was ther with vs / in that place [Somonour.] That hadde / a fyr-reed Cherubynnes face Line 624 ffor Sawceflewm he was / with eyen narwe And hoot he was / and lecherous as a Sparwe With scaled browes blake / and pyled berd Of his visage / children weere aferd Line 628 Ther nas quyk siluer / lytarge / ne Brymstoon Borace / Ceruce / ne Oille of Tartre noon Ne oynement. that wolde clense and byte [folio 10a] That hym myghte helpen / of his whelkes whyte Line 632 Nor of the knobbes / sittynge on his chekes Wel loued he garlek oynons and eek lekes And for to drynke strong wyn / reed as blood Thanne wolde he speke / and crye as he were wood Line 636 . . . . .

. . . . . [no gap in the MS.] A fewe termes hadde he / two / or thre That he hadde lerned / out of som decree Line 640 No wonder is / he herde it al the day And eek ye knowe wel / how þat a Iay Kan clepen watte / as wel as kan the Pope But who so koude / in oother thyng hym grope Line 644 Thanne hadde he spent al his philosophie Ay Questio quid iuris wolde he crye ¶ He was a gentil harlot and a kynde A bettre felawe / sholde men noght fynde Line 648 He wolde suffre / for a quart of wyn A good felawe / to haue his concubyn A twelf monthe / and excusen hym at the fulle fful pryuely / a fynch eek koude he pulle Line 652 And if he foond owher / a good felawe He wolde techen hym / to haue noon awe In swich caas / of the Ercedeknes curs But if a mannes soule / were in his purs Line 656 ffor in his purs / he sholde ypunysshed be Purs is the Ercedeknes helle / seyde he ¶ But wel I woot he lyed right in dede Of cursyng oghte ech gilty man [to] drede Line 660 ffor curs wol sle / right as assoillyng sauyth And also / war hym of a significauit / ¶ In daunger hadde he / at his owene gyse The yonge gerles / of the diocise Line 664 And knew hir conseil / and was al hir reed A gerland / hadde he set vp on his heed As greet. as it were / for an Ale stake A bokeler / hadde he maad hym of a cake Line 668 ¶ With hym ther rood / a gentil Pardoner [Pardoner.] Of Rouncyual / his freend / and his comper That streight was comen / fro the Court of Rome fful loude he soong com hyder loue to me Line 672 This Somonour baar to hym / a styf burdoun [folio 10b]

Was neuere trompe / of half so greet a soun ¶ This Pardoner / hadde heer / as yelow as wex But smothe it heeng as dooth a stryke of flex Line 676 By ounces / henge his lokkes þat he hadde And ther with / he his shuldres ouerspradde But thynne it lay / by colpons oon and oon But hood for Iolitee / wered he noon Line 680 ffor it was trussed vp / in his walet Hym thoughte / he rood al of the newe Iet Discheuele saue his cappe / he rood al bare Swiche glarynge eyen / hadde he as an hare Line 684 A vernycle / hadde he sowed / vp on his cappe His walet [lay] biforn hym / in his lappe Bretful of pardon / comen from Rome al hoot A voys he hadde / as smal / as hath a Goot Line 688 No berd hadde he / ne neuere sholde haue As smothe it was / as it were late yshaue I trowe he were a geldyng or a Mare But of his craft. fro Berwyk in to Ware Line 692 Ne was ther / swich another Pardoner ffor in his Male / he hadde a pilwe beer Which þat he seyde / was oure lady veyl He seyde he hadde / a gobet of the seyl Line 696 That seint Peter hadde / whan þat he wente Vp on the see / til Ihesu Crist hym hente He hadde a cros of laton / ful of stones And in a glas / he hadde pigges bones Line 700 But with thise relykes / whan þat he foond A poure parson / dwellyng vp on lond Vp on a day / he gat hym moore moneye Than þat the parson gat / in Monthes tweye Line 704 And thus / with feyned flaterye and Iapes He made the parson / and the peple his apes But trewely / to tellen at the laste He was in chirche / a noble Ecclesiaste Line 708 Wel koude he / rede a lesson / and a Storie

But alderbest he soong an Offertorie ffor wel he wiste / whan þat soong was songe He moste preche / and wel affyle hys tonge Line 712 To wynne siluer / as he ful wel koude [folio 11a] Ther fore he soong the muryerly and loude ¶ Now haue I toold yow / soothly in a clause Thestaat / tharray / the nombre / and eek the cause Line 716 Why þat assembled was this compaignye In Southwerk. at this gentil hostelrye That highte the tabard / faste by the belle But now is tyme / to yow for to telle Line 720 How þat we baren vs / that ilke nyght Whan we weere / in that hostelrye alyght And after wol I telle / of oure viage And al the remenant of oure pilgrymage Line 724 ¶ But first I pray yow / of youre curteisye That ye narette it / noght my vileynye Though þat I pleynly speke / in this matere To telle yow / hir wordes / and hir cheere Line 728 Ne thogh I speke / hir wordes proprely ffor this ye knowen / also wel as I Who so shal telle a tale / after a man He moot reherce / as neigh as euere he kan Line 732 Euerich a word / if it be in his charge Al speke he / neuer so rudeliche and large Or ellis / he moot telle his tale vntrewe Or feyne thyng or fynde wordes newe Line 736 He may noght spare / althogh he weere his brother He moot as wel / seye o word / as another Crist spak hym self ful brode in holy writ And wel ye woot no vileynye is it Line 740 Ek Plato seith / who so kan hym rede The wordes / mote be cosyn / to the dede ¶ Also I pray yow / to foryeue it me Al haue I nat set folk / in hir degree Line 744 Here in this tale / as þat they sholde stonde

My wit is short ye may wel vnderstonde ¶ Greet cheere / made oure hoost vs euerichon And to the souper / sette he vs anon Line 748 He serued vs / with vitaille / at the beste Strong was the wyn / and wel to drynke vs leste A semely man / oure hoost was with alle ffor to been / a Marchal in an halle Line 752 A large man he was / with eyen stepe [folio 11b] A fairer burgeys / was ther noon in Chepe Boold of his speche / and wys / and well ytaught And of manhode / hym lakked right naught Line 756 Eke ther to / he was right a murye man And after souper / pleyen he bigan And spak of murthe / amonges othere thynges Whan þat we hadde maad oure rekenynges Line 760 And seyde thus / now lordes trewely Ye been to me / right wel come hertely ffor by my trouthe / if þat I shal nat lye I seigh noght this yeer / so mury a compaignye Line 764 At ones in this herberwe / as is now ffayn wolde I doon yow myrthe / wiste I how And of a myrthe / I am right now bithoght To doon yow ese / and it shal coste noght Line 768 ¶ Ye goon to Caunterbury / god yow spede The blisful Martir / quyte yow youre mede And wel I woot as ye goon by the weye Ye shapen yow / to talen and to pleye Line 772 ffor trewely / confort / ne murthe is noon To ryde by the weye / domb as stoon And ther fore / wol I maken yow desport As I seyde erst and doon yow som confort Line 776 And if yow liketh alle / by oon assent ffor to stonden / at my Iuggement And for to werken / as I shal yow seye Tomorwe / whan ye ryden by the weye Line 780 Now by my fader soule / þat is deed

But ye be murye / I wol yeue yow myn heed Hoold vp youre hondes / with outen moore speche ¶ Oure conseil / was nat longe for to seche Line 784 Vs thoughte / it was nat worth / to make it wys And graunted hym / with outen moore avys And bade hym seye / his voirdit as hym leste ¶ Lordynges quod he / now herkneth for the beste Line 788 But taketh it noght I pray yow in desdeyn This is the poynt to speken short and pleyn That ech of yow / to shorte with oure weye In this viage / shal tellen tales tweye Line 792 To Caunterburyward / I mene it so [folio 12a] And homward / he shal tellen othere two Of auentures / þat whilom haue bifalle And which of yow / þat bereth hym best of alle Line 796 That is to seyn / that telleth in this cas Tales of best sentence / and moost solas Shal haue a Souper / at oure aller cost Here in this place / sittynge by this post Line 800 Whan that we come agayn / fro Caunterbury And for to make yow / the moore mury I wol my self goodly wit[h] yow ryde Right at myn owene cost and be youre gyde Line 804 And who so wole / my Iuggement with seye Shal paye / al that we spende by the weye And if ye vouche sauf / þat it be so Tel me anoon / with outen wordes mo Line 808 And I wol erly / shape me ther fore ¶ This thyng was graunted / and oure othes swore With ful glad herte / and preyden hym also That he wolde vouche sauf / for to do so Line 812 And that he wolde been / oure gouernour And of oure tales / Iuge and reportour And sette a souper / at a certeyn prys And we wol ruled been / at his deuys Line 816 In heigh and logh / and thus by oon assent

We been acorded / to his Iuggement And ther vp on / the wyn was fet anoon We dronken / and to reste wente echon Line 820 With outen / any lenger taryynge ¶ A morwe / whan þat day bigan to sprynge Vp roos oure hoost and was oure aller cok And gadred vs / togydres in a flok Line 824 And forth we ryden / a litel moore than pas Vn to the wateryng of Seint Thomas And there oure hoost bigan his hors areste And seyde / lordes / herkneth if yow leste Line 828 ¶ Ye woot youre forward / and it yow recorde If euensong / and morwesong acorde Lat se now / who shal telle the firste tale As euere mote I drynke wyn / or Ale Line 832 Who so be rebel / to my Iuggement [folio 12b] Shal paye / for al / that by the wey is spent Now draweth cut er þat we ferrer twynne He which þat hath the shorteste / shal bigynne Line 836 ¶ 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 Line 840 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 Line 844 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 Line 848 As ye han herd / what nedeth wordes mo And whan this goode man / sawgh þat it was As he / þat wys was / and obedient To kepe his forward / by his free assent Line 852 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 Line 856 And he bigan / with right a murye cheere His tale anoon / and seyde as ye may heere

Here bigynneth the knyghtes tale.

¶ Iamque domos patria Scithice post aspera gentis prelia laurigero.

Whilom / as olde stories tellen vs Ther was a duc þat highte Theseus Line 860 Of Atthenes / he was lord and gouernour And in his tyme / swich a conquerour That gretter was ther noon vnder the sonne fful many a riche contree / hadde he wonne Line 864 What with his wysdom / and his chiualrye He conquered / al the regne of femenye That whilom / was ycleped Scithia [folio 13a] And wedded / the queene ypolita Line 868 And broghte hire hom with hym / in his contree With muchel glorie / and greet solempnitee And eek / hir yonge suster Emelye And thus with victorie / and with melodye Line 872 Lete I this noble duc to Atthenes ryde And al his hoost. in armes hym bisyde ¶ And certes / if it nere to long to heere I wolde haue toold / fully the manere Line 876 How / wonnen was the regne of ffemenye By Theseus / and by his Chiualrye And of the grete bataille / for the nones Bitwixen Atthenes / and Amazones Line 880 And how assegeged was ypolita The faire hardy queene of Scithia And of the feste / þat was at hir weddynge And of the tempest at hir hom comynge Line 884 But al that thyng / I moot as now forbere I haue god woot / a large feeld to ere And wayke / been the oxen in my plogh The remenant of the tale / is long ynogh Line 888 I wol nat letten eek / noon of this route

Lat euery felawe / telle his tale aboute And lat se now / who shal the souper Wynne And ther I lefte / I wol ayein bigynne [[A break in the MS. with]]

Incipit narracio.

This duc / of Whom I make mencion Whanne he was come / almoost to the town In al his wele / and in his mooste pryde He was war / as he caste his eye asyde Line 896 Wher þat ther kneled / in the heighe weye A compaignye of ladyes / tweye and tweye Ech after oother / clad in clothes blake But swich a cry and swich a wo they make Line 900 That in this world / nys creature lyuynge That herde / swich another waymentynge And of this cry / they nolde neuere stenten [folio 13b] Til they / the reynes of his brydel henten Line 904 ¶ What folk been ye / þat at myn hom comynge Perturben so my feste / with cryynge Quod Theseus / haue ye so greet envie Of myn honour / that thus compleyne and crye Line 908 Or who hath yow mysboden / or offended And telleth me / if it may been amended And why þat ye / been clothed thus in blak/ The eldeste lady / of hem alle spak Line 912 Whan she hadde swowned / with a deedly cheere That it was routhe / for to seen and heere ¶ She seyde / lord / to whom ffortune hath yiuen Victorie / and as a Conquerour to lyuen Line 916 Noght greueth vs youre glorie / and youre honour But we biseken / mercy and socour Haue mercy on oure wo / and oure distresse Som drope of pitee / thurgh thy gentillesse Line 920 Vp on vs wrecched wommen / lat thow falle ffor certes lord / ther is noon of vs alle That she ne hath been / a duchesse / or a queene Now be we caytyues / as it is wel seene Line 924 Thanked be ffortune / and hir false wheel

That noon estaat assureth to been weel Now certes lord / to abiden youre presence Heere in this temple / of the goddesse clemence Line 928 We haue been waytynge / al this fourtenyght Now help vs lord / syth it is in thy myght ¶ I wrecche / which þat wepe and waille thus Was whilom wyf / to kyng Cappaneus Line 932 That starf at Thebes / cursed be the day And alle we / þat been in this array And maken / al this lamentacioun We losten alle oure housbondes / at that town Line 936 Whil þat the sege / ther aboute lay And yet now / the olde Creon weylaway That lord is now / of Thebes the Citee ffulfild of Ire / and of Iniquitee Line 940 He for despit / and for his tyrannye To doon / the dede bodyes vileynye Of alle oure lordes / whiche þat been slawe [folio 14a] Hath alle the bodyes / on an heepe ydrawe Line 944 And wol nat suffren hem / by noon assent Neyther to been yburyed / nor ybrent But maketh houndes / ete hem in despit And with that word / with outen moore respit Line 948 They fillen gruf and cryden pitously Haue / on vs wrecched wommen / som mercy And lat oure sorwe / synken in thyn herte ¶ This gentil duc doun from his courser sterte Line 952 With herte pitous / whan he herde hem speke Hym thoughte / þat his herte wolde breke Whan he saugh hem / so pitous / and so maat That whilom weren / of so greet estaat Line 956 And in hise armes / he hem alle vp hente And hem conforteth / in ful good entente And swoor his ooth / as he was trewe knyght He wolde doon / so ferforthly his myght Line 960 Vp on the tiraunt Creon / hem to wreke

That al the peple of Grece / sholde speke How Creon was / of Theseus yserued As he þat hadde his deeth / ful wel disserued Line 964 And right anoon / with outen moore abood His baner he desplayeth / and forth rood To Thebesward / and al his oost bisyde No neer Atthenes / wolde he go ne ryde Line 968 Ne take his ese / fully half a day But onward in his wey / that nyght he lay And sente anoon / ypolita the queene And Emelye / hir yonge suster sheene Line 972 Vn to the town of Atthenes / to dwelle And forth he ryt ther nys namoore to telle ¶ The rede statue of Mars / with spere and targe So shyneth / in his white Baner large Line 976 That alle the feeldes / glitren vp and doun And by his Baner / born was his penoun Of gold ful ryche / in which ther was ybete The Mynotaur / which þat he wan in Crete Line 980 ¶ Thus ryt this duc. thus ryt this conquerour And in his oost / of Chiualrye the flour Til þat he cam to Thebes / and alighte [folio 14b] ffaire in a feeld / ther as he thoghte fighte Line 984 ¶ But shortly / for to speken of this thyng With Creon / which þat was of Thebes kyng He faught and slow hym manly / as a knyght In pleyn bataille / and putte the folk to flyght Line 988 And by assaut he wan the Citee after And rente adoun / bothe wal / and sparre / and rafter And to the ladyes / he restored agayn The bones / of hir freendes / þat were slayn Line 992 To doon obsequies / as was tho the gyse But it weere al to long for to deuyse The grete clamour / and the waymentynge That the ladyes made / at the brennynge Line 996 Of the bodies / and the grete honour

That Theseus / the noble Conquerour Dooth to the ladys / whan they from hym wente But shortly / for to telle is myn entente Line 1000 ¶ Whan þat this worthy duc this Theseus Hath Creon slayn / and wonne Thebes thus Stille in that feeld / he took al nyght his reste And dide with al the / contree / as hym leste Line 1004 ¶ To ransake in the taas / of bodies dede Hem for to strepe / of harneys / and of wede The pilours / diden bisynesse / and cure After the bataille / and disconfiture Line 1008 And so bifel / in the taas they founde Thurgh girt with many a greuous blody wownde Two yonge knyghtes / liggynge by and by Bothe in oon armes / wroght ful richely Line 1012 Of whiche two / Arcita highte that oon And that oother knyght highte Palamon Nat fully quyk / ne fully deed they weere But by hir Cote armures / and by hir geere Line 1016 The heraudes / knewe hem best in special As they þat weren / of the blood roial Of Thebes / and of sustren two yborn Out of the taas / the pilours han hem torn Line 1020 And han hem caryed / softe vn to the tente Of Theseus / and he ful soone hem sente To Atthenes / to dwellen in prison [folio 15a] Perpetuelly / he nolde no raunson Line 1024 ¶ And whan this worthy duc / hath thus ydoon He took his oost / and hom he ryt anoon With laurer corouned / as a conquerour And there he lyueth / in ioye / and in honour Line 1028 Terme of his lyf / what nedeth wordes mo And in a tour / in angwissh and in wo Dwellen this Palamon / and eek Arcite ffor euere moore / ther may no gold hem quyte Line 1032 ¶ This passeth yeer by yeer / and day by day

Til it fil ones / in a morwe of May That Emelye / þat fairer was to seene Than is the lilie / vp on his stalke greene Line 1036 And fressher than the May / with floures newe ffor with the Rose colour stroof hir hewe I noot which was / the fairer of hem two Er it were day / as was hir wone to do Line 1040 She was arysen / and al redy dight ffor May wol haue / no slogardye a nyght The seson pryketh / euery gentil herte And maketh it out of his sleep to sterte Line 1044 And seith arys / and do thyn obseruance This maketh Emelye / haue remembrance To doon honour to May / and for to ryse Yclothed was she fressh / for to deuyse Line 1048 Hir yelow heer / was broyded in a tresse Bihynde hir bak a yerde long I gesse And in the gardyn / at the sonne vp riste She walketh vp and doun / and as hir liste Line 1052 She gadreth floures / party white and rede To make a subtil gerland for hir hede And as an Aungel / heuenysshly she soong ¶ The grete tour / þat was so thikke and strong Line 1056 Which of the Castel / was the chief dongeon Ther as the knyghtes / weren in prison Of whiche I tolde yow / and tellen shal Was euene ioynant / to the gardyn wal Line 1060 Ther as this Emelye / hadde hir pleyyng Bright was the sonne / and cleer / in that mornyng And Palamon / this woful prisoner [folio 15b] As was his wone / by leue of his Gailler Line 1064 Was risen / and romed in a chambre an heigh In which / he al the noble Citee seigh And eek the gardyn / ful of braunches greene Ther as / the fresshe Emelye the sheene Line 1068 Was in hir walk / and romed vp and down

This sorweful prisoner / this Palamon Gooth in the chambre / romyng to and fro And to hym self / compleynyng of his wo Line 1072 That he was born / ful ofte he seyde allas And so bifel / by auenture / or cas That thurgh a wyndow / thikke of many a barre Of Iren greet and square as any sparre Line 1076 He caste his eye / vp on Emelya And ther with al he bleynte / and cryde .A. As thogh / he stongen weere / vn to the herte ¶ And with that cry / Arcite anoon vp sterte Line 1080 And seyde cosyn myn / what eyleth thee That art so pale / and deedly on to see Why cridestow / who hath thee doon offence ffor goddes loue / tak al in pacience Line 1084 Oure prison / for it may noon oother be ffortune hath yeuen vs this aduersitee Som wikked aspect or disposicion Of Saturne / by som constellacion Line 1088 Hath yeuen vs this / al thogh we hadde it sworn So stood the heuene / whan þat we were born We mote endure it this is the short and playn This Palamon answerde / and seyde agayn Line 1092 ¶ Cosyn for sothe / of this opinion Thow hast a vayn ymaginacion This prison / caused me noght to crye But I was hurt right now / thurgh out myn Iye Line 1096 In to myn herte / that wol my bane be The fairnesse / of that lady þat I se Yond in the gardyn / romen to and fro Is cause / of al my cryyng and my wo Line 1100 I noot wher she be womman / or goddesse But Venus / is it soothly as I gesse And ther with al / on knees down he fil [folio 16a] And seyde / Venus if it be thy wil Line 1104 Yow in this gardyn / thus to transfigure

Bifore me / sorweful wrecched creature Out of this prison / help þat we may scape And if so be / my destynee be shape Line 1108 By eterne word / to dyen in prison Of oure lynage / haue som compassion That is so lowe ybroght by tirannye ¶ And with that word / Arcite gan espye Line 1112 Where as this lady / romed to and fro And with that sighte / hir beautee hurte hym so That if þat Palamon / was wounded soore Arcite is hurt. as muche as he / or moore Line 1116 And with a syk /. he seyde pitously The fresshe beautee / sleeth me sodeynly Of hire / þat rometh in the yonder place And but I haue / hir mercy / and hir grace Line 1120 That I may seen hire / at the leeste weye I nam but deed / ther nys namoore to seye ¶ This Palamon / whan he tho wordes herde Despitously he loked / and answerde Line 1124 Wheither seistow this / in ernest or in pley ¶ Nay quod Arcite / in ernest by my fey God help me so / me list ful yuele pleye This Palamon / gan knytte his browes tweye Line 1128 ¶ It were to thee quod he / no greet honour ffor to be fals / ne for to be traytour To me / that am thy cosyn and thy brother Ysworn ful depe / and ech of vs til oother Line 1132 That neuere / for to dyen in the peyne Til þat the deeth / departe shal vs tweyne Neither of vs / in loue to hyndre oother Ne in noon oother caas / my leeue brother Line 1136 But þat thow sholdest trewely forthre me In euery caas / and I shal forthren thee This was thyn ooth / as myn also certeyn I woot right wel / thow darst it nat withseyn Line 1140 Thus artow of my conseil / out of doute

And now / thow woldest falsly been aboute To loue my lady / whom I loue and serue [folio 16b] And euere shal / til þat myn herte sterue Line 1144 Now certes false Arcite / thow shalt nat so I loued hire first and tolde thee my wo As to my conseil / and my brother sworn To forthre me / as I haue told biforn Line 1148 ffor which / thow art ybounden / as a knyght To helpe me / if it laye in thy myght Or ellis artow fals / I dar wel sayn This Arcite / ful proudly spak agayn Line 1152 ¶ Thow shalt quod he / be rather fals than I. And thow art fals / I telle thee outrely ffor paramour / I loued hire first er thow What wiltow seyn / thow woost nat yet now Line 1156 Wheither she be a womman / or goddesse Thyn is / affeccion of holynesse And myn is loue / as to a creature ffor which / I tolde thee myn auenture Line 1160 As to my cosyn / and my brother sworn I pose / that thow louedest hire biforn Wostow nat wel / the olde clerkes sawe That who shal / yeue a louere any lawe // [Quis legem det amantibus.] Loue is a gretter lawe / by my pan Than may be yeue / to any erthely man And therfore / posityf lawe / and swich decree Is broke al day for loue / in ech degree Line 1168 A man moot nedes loue / maugree his heed He may nat fleen it / thogh he sholde be deed Al be she mayde / wydwe / or ellis wyf And eek it is nat likly / al thy lyf Line 1172 To stonden in hir grace / namoore shal .I. ffor wel thow woost thy self verraily That thow and I / been dampned to prison Perpetuelly / vs gayneth no raunson Line 1176 We stryue / as dide the houndes for the boon

They foghte alday / and yet hir part was noon Ther cam a kyte / whil þat they were so wrothe That bar awey the boon / bitwix hem bothe Line 1180 And therfore / at the kynges court my brother Ech man for hym self / ther is noon oother Loue if thee lest. for I loue / and ay shal [folio 17a] And soothly / leue brother this is al Line 1184 Heere in this prison / moote we endure And euerich of vs / take his auenture ¶ Greet was the stryf / and long bitwix hem tweye If þat I hadde leyser for to seye Line 1188 But to theffect / it happed on a day To telle it yow / as shortly as I may A worthy duc. þat highte Parotheus That felawe was / vn to duc Theseus Line 1192 Syn thilke day / þat they were children lyte Was come to Atthenes / his felawe to visite And for to pleye / as he was wont to do ffor in this world / he loued no man so Line 1196 And he loued hym / as tendrely agayn So wel they loued / as olde bookes sayn That whan þat oon was deed / soothly to telle His felawe wente / and soghte hym down in helle Line 1200 But of that storie / list me noght to write Duc Perotheus / loued wel Arcite And hadde hym knowe at Thebes / yeer oy yere And finally / at requeste and prayere Line 1204 Of Perotheus / with outen any raunson Duc Theseus / hym leet out of prison ffrely to goon / wher þat hym liste ouer al In swich a gyse / as I yow tellen shal Line 1208 This was the forward / pleynly for tendite Bitwixe Theseus / and hym Arcite That if so weere þat Arcite weere yfounde Euere in his lyf / by day / or nyght or stounde Line 1212 In any contree / of this Theseus

And he weere caught. it was acorded thus That with a swerd / he sholde lese his heed Ther nas noon oother / remedye ne reed Line 1216 But taketh his leue / and homward he hym spedde Lat hym be war / his nekke lyth to wedde ¶ How greet a sorwe / suffreth now Arcite The deeth he feeleth / thurgh his herte smyte Line 1220 He wepeth / wayleth / cryeth pitously To sleen hym self / he wayteth pryuely He seyde allas / the day þat I was born [folio 17b] Now is my prison / worse than biforn Line 1224 Now is me shape / eternally to dwelle Noght in purgatorie / but in helle Allas / þat euere knew I Parotheus ffor ellis / hadde I dwelled with Theseus Line 1228 Yfettred in his prison eueremo Thanne hadde I been in blisse / and nat in wo Oonly the sighte of hire / whom þat I serue Thogh þat I neuere / hir grace may disserue Line 1232 Wolde haue suffised / right ynogh for me ¶ O deere cosyn / Palamon / quod he Thyn is the victorie / of this auenture fful blisfully in prison maystow dure Line 1236 In prison? / nay certes / but in paradys Wel hath ffortune / yturned thee / the dys That hast the sighte of hire / and I thabsence ffor possible is / syn thow hast hire presence Line 1240 And art a knyght a worthy and an able That by som caas / syn ffortune is chaungeable Thow mayst to thy desir / som tyme atteyne But I / that am exiled and bareyne Line 1244 Of alle grace / and in so greet despeyr That ther nys Erthe / water / fyr / ne Eyr Ne creature / that of hem maked is That may me helpe / or do confort in this Line 1248 Wel oghte I sterue / in wanhope / and distresse

ffarwel my lyf / my lust and my gladnesse ¶ Allas why pleynen folk so / in commune On purueiance of god / or of ffortune Line 1252 That yeueth hem ful ofte / in many a gyse Wel bettre / than they kan hem self deuyse ¶ Som man desireth / for to haue richesse That cause is ofte / of his moerdre / or gret siknesse Line 1256 And som man wolde / out of his prison fayn That in his hous / is of his meynee slayn Infinite harmes / been in this matere We woot nat what thyng þat we prayen heere Line 1260 We fare as he / þat dronke is as a Mous A dronke man woot wel / he hath an hous But he noot / which the righte wey is thider [folio 18a] And to a dronke man / the wey is slider Line 1264 And certes / in this world / so faren we We seken faste / after felicitee But we goon wrong ful ofte trewely Thus may we seyn alle / and nameliche .I. Line 1268 That wende / and hadde a greet opinion That if I myghte / scapen fro prison Thanne hadde I been in ioye / and parfit heele Ther now / I am exiled fro my wele Line 1272 Syn þat / I may nat seen yow Emelie I nam but deed / ther nys no remedie ¶ Vp on that oother syde Palamon Whan þat he wiste / Arcite was agon Line 1276 Swich sorwe he maketh / þat the grete tour Resowneth / of his yowlyng and clamour The pure fettres / of his shynes grete Were / of his bittre salte teeris wete Line 1280 Allas quod he / Arcita cosyn myn Of al oure stryf / god woot the fruyt is thyn Thow walkest now / in Thebes at thy large And of my wo / thow yeuest litel charge Line 1284 Thow maystt syn thow hast wisdom / and manhede

Assemblen / al the folk of oure kynrede And make a werre / so sharp / on this Citee That by som auenture / or som tretee Line 1288 Thow mayst haue hire / to lady and to wyf ffor whom / þat I moste nedes lese my lyf ffor as by wey / of possibilitee Sith thow art at thy large / of prison free Line 1292 And art a lord / greet is thyn auantage Moore than is myn / that sterue here in a cage ffor I moot wepe / and waille whil I lyue With al the wo / þat prison may me yeue Line 1296 And eek with peyne / þat loue me yeueth also That doubleth / al my torment and my wo Ther with / the fyr of Ialousie vp sterte With Inne his brest and hente hym by the herte Line 1300 So woodly / þat he lyk was to byholde The Boxtree / or the Asshen dede / and colde ¶ Thanne seyde he / o crewel goddes / þat gouerne [folio 18b] This world / with byndyng of youre word eterne Line 1304 And writen / in the table of Atthamant Youre parlement /. and youre eterne grant What is man kynde / moore vn to yow holde Than is the sheepe / þat rowketh in the folde Line 1308 ffor slayn is man / right as another beest And dwelleth eek in prison and arrest And hath siknesse / and greet aduersitee And ofte tymes / giltlees pardee Line 1312 ¶ What gouernance / is in this prescience That giltlees / tormenteth Innocence And yet encreeceth this / al my penance That man is bounden / to his obseruance Line 1316 ffor goddes sake / to letten of his wille Ther as a beest may al his lust fulfille And whan a beest is deed / it hath no peyne But man after his deeth / moot wepe and pleyne Line 1320 Thogh in this world / he haue care and wo

With outen doute / it moot stonden so The answere of this / lete I to diuynys But wel I woot þat in this world / greet pyne is Line 1324 ¶ Allas / I se a serpent or a theef That many a trewe man / hath doon mescheef Goon at his large / and where hym lust may turne But I moot been in prison / thurgh Saturne Line 1328 And eek thurgh Juno / Ialous / and eek wood That hath destroyed / wel neigh al the blood Of Thebes / with his waste walles wyde And Venus / sleeth me / on that oother syde Line 1332 ffor Ialousie / and feere / of hym Arcite ¶ Now wol I stynte / of Palamon alite And lete hym / in his prison stille dwelle And of Arcita / forth I wol yow telle Line 1336 ¶ The Somer / and the nyghtes longe Encreecen / double wise / the peynes stronge Bothe of the louere / and the prisoner I noot which hath / the sorwefuller myster Line 1340 ffor soothly for to seyn / this Palamon Perpetuelly / is dampned to prison In cheynes / and in fettres / to been deed [folio 19a] And Arcite / is exiled / vp on his heed Line 1344 ffor euere mo / as out of that contree Ne neueremo / ne shal his lady see ¶ Yow loueris / axe I now / this question Who hath the worse / Arcite / or Palamon Line 1348 That oon may seen his lady / day by day But in prison / moot he dwelle alwey That oother where hym list may ride or go But seen his lady / shal he neuere mo Line 1352 Now demeth as yow list ye þat kan ffor I wol telle forth / as .I. bigan

¶ Whan þat Arcite / to Thebes comen was fful ofte a day / he swelte / and seyde allas Line 1356 ffor seen his lady / shal he neuere mo And shortly / to concluden al his wo So muchel sorwe / hadde neuere creature That is or shal / whil þat the world may dure Line 1360 ¶ His sleepe / his mete / his drynke / is hym biraft That leene he weex / and drye as is a shaft Hise eyen holwe / and grisly to biholde His hewe falow / and pale as asshen colde Line 1364 And solitarie he was / and euere alloone And waillynge al the nyght. makynge his moone And if he herde / soong or Instrument Thanne wolde he wepe / he myghte nat be stent Line 1368 So feble eek were his spiritz / and so lowe And chaunged so / þat no man koude knowe His speche / nor his voys / thogh men it herde And in his gere / for al the world he ferde Line 1372 Nat oonly / lyk the loueris maladye Of Hereos / but rather lyk Manye [Mania] Engendred / of humour malencolyk Biforn his Celle fantastyk Line 1376 And shortly / turned was / al vp so down Bothe habit and eek disposicioun Of hym / this woful louere daun Arcite ¶ What sholde I al day / of his wo endite Line 1380 Whanne he endured hadde / a yeer / or two This cruel torment and this peyne and wo At Thebes in his contree / as I seyde [folio 19b] Vp on a nyght in sleep / as he hym leyde Line 1384 Hym thoughte / how þat the wynged god Mercurye Biforn hym stood / and bad hym to be murye His slepy yerde / in honde he bar vp righte An hat he wered / vp on his herys brighte Line 1388

Line 1388 Arrayed was this god / as he took keepe As he was / whan þat Argus took his sleepe And seyde hym thus / to Atthenes shaltow wende Ther is thee shapen / of thy wo an ende Line 1392 ¶ And with that word / Arcite wook and sterte Now trewely / how sore þat me smerte Quod he / to Atthenes right now wol I fare Ne for the drede of deeth / shal I nat spare Line 1396 To se my lady / þat I loue and serue In hir presence / I recche nat to sterue ¶ And with that word / he caughte a greet Mirour And saugh / þat chaunged was al his colour Line 1400 And saugh his visage / al in another kynde And right anoon / it ran hym in his mynde That sith his face / was so disfigured Of maladie / the which he hadde endured Line 1404 He myghte wel / if þat he bar hym lowe Lyue in Atthenes / eueremoore vnknowe And seen his lady / wel ny / day by day And right anoon / he chaunged his array Line 1408 And cladde hym / as a poure laborer And al allone / saue oonly a Squyer That knew his pryuetee / and al his cas Which was disgised / pourely as he was Line 1412 To Atthenes / is he goon / the nexte way And to the Court he wente vp on a day And at the gate / he profreth his seruyse To drugge and drawe / what so men wol deuyse Line 1416 ¶ And shortly / of this matere / for to seyn He fil in office / with a Chambreleyn The which / þat dwellyng was with Emelye ffor he was wys / and koude soone espye Line 1420 Of euery seruant which þat serueth here Wel koude he / hewen wode / and water bere ffor he was yong. and myghty for the nones [folio 20a] And ther to / he was strong and byg of bones Line 1424

Line 1424 To doon / what any wight kan hym deuyse A yeer / or two / he was in this seruyse Page of the chambre / of Emelie the brighte And Philostrate / he seyde þat he highte Line 1428 ¶ But half so wel biloued a man / as he Ne was ther neuere in Court of his degree He was so gentil / of condicion That thurgh out al the Court was his renon Line 1432 They seiden / þat it were a charitee That Theseus / wolde enhauncen his degree And putten hym / in worshipful seruyse Ther as he myghte / his vertu exercise Line 1436 And thus with Inne a while / his name is spronge Bothe of his dedes / and his goode tonge That Theseus / hath taken hym so ner That of his chambre / he made hym a Squier Line 1440 And gaf hym gold / to mayntene his degree And eek men broghte hym / out of his contree ffro yeer to yeer / ful pryuely his rente But honestly / and sleighly / he it spente Line 1444 That no man wondred / how þat he it hadde And thre yeer in this wise / his lyf he ladde And bar hym so / in pees / and ek in werre Ther was no man / that Theseus hath derre Line 1448 And in this blisse / lete I now Arcite And speke I wole / of Palamon alite ¶ In derknesse / and horrible / and strong prison This seuen yeer / hath seten Palamon Line 1452 fforpyned / what for wo / and for distresse Who feeleth / double soor / and heuynesse But Palamon / that loue destreyneth so That wood out of his wit he gooth for wo Line 1456 And eek ther to / he is a prisoner Perpetuelly / nat oonly for a yer Who koude ryme / in englissh proprely His martirdom / for sothe it am noght I Line 1460

Line 1460 Ther fore I passe / as lightly / as I may ¶ It fil / þat / in that Seuenthe yeer of May The thridde nyght. as olde bokes seyn [folio 20b] That al this storie / tellen moore pleyn Line 1464 Were it by auenture / or destynee As whan a thyng is shapen / it shal be That soone after the mydnyght Palamon By helpyng of a freend / brak his prison Line 1468 And fleeth the Citee / faste as he may go ffor he hadde yeue / his Gailler drynke so Of a Clarree / maad of certeyn wyn Line 1471 With Nercotikes / and opye / of Thebes fyn // [Opium Thebaicum.] That al that nyght. thogh þat men wolde hym shake The Gailler sleepe / he myghte noght awake ¶ And thus he fleeth / as faste as euere he may The nyght was short and faste by the day Line 1476 That nedes cost he moste hym seluen hyde And til a groue / faste ther bisyde With dreedful foot thanne stalketh Palamon ffor shortly / this was his opynyon Line 1480 That in that groue / he wolde hym hyde al day And in the nyght thanne wolde he take his way To Thebesward / his freendes for to preye On Theseus / to helpe hym to werreye Line 1484 And shortly / outher he wolde lese his lyf Or wynnen Emelie / vn to his wyf This is theffect and his entente pleyn ¶ Now wol I turne / to Arcite ageyn Line 1488 That litel wiste / how neigh þat was his care Til þat ffortune / hadde broght hym / in the snare ¶ The bisy larke / messager of day Salueth in hir song the morwe gray Line 1492 And firy Phebus / riseth vp so brighte That al the Orient. laugheth of the lighte And with his stremes / dryeth in the greues The siluer dropes / hangynge on the leues Line 1496

Line 1496 And Arcita / that in the Court roial With Theseus / Squyer principal Is risen / and looketh on the murye day And for to doon / his obseruance to May Line 1500 Remembrynge / on the point of his desir He on a Courser / startlynge as the fir Is riden in to the feldes / hym to pleye [folio 21a] Out of the Court. were it a myle / or tweye Line 1504 And to the groue / of which þat I yow tolde By auenture / his wey he gan to holde To maken hym / a gerland of the greues Were it of wodebynde / or hawethorn leues Line 1508 And loude he soong. ayein the sonne shene May / with alle thy floures / and thy grene Wel come be thow / faire fresshe May In hope / þat I som grene gete may Line 1512 And from his courser / with a lusty herte In to the groue / ful hastily he sterte And in a path / he rometh vp and doun Ther as by auenture / this Palamon Line 1516 Was in a bussh / þat no man myghte hym se ffor soore afered / of his deeth was he No thyng knew he / þat it was Arcite God woot he wolde haue trowed it ful lite Line 1520 But sooth is seyd / go sithen many yeris That feeld hath eyen / and the wode hath erys It is ful fair / a man to bere hym euene ffor alday meeten men / at vnset steuene Line 1524 fful litel woot Arcite / of his felawe, That was so neigh / to herknen al his sawe ffor in the bussh / he sitteth now ful stille ¶ Whan þat Arcite / hadde romed al his fille Line 1528 And songen al the roundel lustily In to a studie / he fil sodeynly As doon thise louerys / in hir queynte gerys Now in the crope / now down in the brerys Line 1532

Line 1532 Now vp / now down / as boket in a welle Right as the friday / soothly for to telle Now it shyneth / now it reyneth faste Right so / kan gery Venus ouercaste Line 1536 The hertes of hir folk. right as hir day Is gerful / right so chaungeth she array Selde is the friday / al the wike ylike ¶ Whan þat Arcite hadde songe / he gan to syke Line 1540 And sette hym down / with outen any moore Allas quod he / that day / þat I was bore How longe Iuno / thurgh thy crueltee [folio 21b] Woltow werreyen / Thebes the Citee Line 1544 Allas / ybroght is to confusion The blood roial / of Cadme and Amphion ¶ Cadmus / which þat was the firste man That Thebes bulte / and first bigan Line 1548 And of the Citee / first was crowned kyng Of his lynage am I / and his of-spryng By verray ligne / as of the stok roial And now I am / so caytyf and so thral Line 1552 That he þat is / my mortal enemy I serue hym / as his Squyer pourely And yet dooth Iuno / me wel moore shame ffor I dar noght biknowe myn owen name Line 1556 But ther as I was wont to highte Arcite Now highte I Philostrate / noght worth a myte ¶ Allas thow felle Mars / allas Juno Thus hath youre Ire / oure lynage al fordo Line 1560 Saue oonly me / and wrecchid Palamon That Theseus / martireth in prison And ouer al this / to sleen me outrely Loue hath his firy dart so brennyngly Line 1564 Ystiked / thurgh my trewe careful herte That shapen was my deeth / erst than my sherte Ye sleen me with youre eyen / Emelye Ye been the cause / wherfore þat .I. dye Line 1568

Line 1568 Of al the remenant of myn oother care Ne sette I noght. the mountaunce of a tare So þat I koude doon aught. to youre plesaunce And with that word / he fil down in a traunce Line 1572 A longe tyme / and afterward he vp sterte ¶ This Palamon / that thoughte / þat thurgh his herte He felte a coold swerd / sodeynly glyde ffor Ire he quook. no lenger wolde he byde Line 1576 And whan þat he had herd / Arcites tale As he were wood / with face deed and pale He stirte hym vp / out of the buskes thikke And seyde Arcite / false traytour wikke Line 1580 Now artow hent that louest my lady so ffor whom þat I haue / al this peyne and wo And art my blood / and to my conseil sworn [folio 22a] As I ful ofte / haue toold thee her biforn Line 1584 And hast byiaped here / duc Theseus And falsly / chaunged hast thy name thus I wol be deed / or ellis thow shalt dye Thow shalt noght / loue my lady Emelye Line 1588 But I wol loue hire oonly / and namo ffor I am Palamon / thy mortal foo And thogh þat I / no wepne haue in this place But out of prison / am astert by grace Line 1592 I drede noght þat outher thow shalt dye Or thow ne shalt noght louen Emelye Chees which thow wolt or thow shalt noght asterte ¶ This Arcite / with ful despitous herte Line 1596 Whan he hym knew / and hadde his tale herd As fiers as leon / pulled out his swerd And seyde thus / by god þat sitteth aboue Nere it þat thow art syk and wood for loue Line 1600 And eek þat thow / no wepne hast in this place Thow sholdest neuere / out of this groue pace That thow ne sholdest dyen of myn hond ffor I diffye / the seuretee and the bond Line 1604

Line 1604 Which þat thow seist þat I haue maad to thee What verray fool / thynk wel þat loue is free And I wol loue hire / maugree al thy myght ¶ But for as muche / as thow art a worthy knyght Line 1608 And wilnest to darreyne hire by bataille Haue here my trouthe / tomorwe I nyl nat faille With outen wityng of any oother wight That here / I wol be founden / as a knyght Line 1612 And bryngen harneys / right ynogh for thee And chees the beste / and leef the worste to me And mete and drynke / this nyght wol I brynge Ynogh for thee / and clothes for thy beddynge Line 1616 And if so be / þat thow my lady wynne And sle me in this wode / ther I am Inne Thow mayst wel haue thy lady / as for me ¶ This Palamon answerde / I graunte it thee Line 1620 And thus they been departed / til amorwe Whan ech of hem / hadde leyd his feith to borwe O Cupide / out of alle charitee [folio 22b] O regne / that wolde no felawe haue to thee Line 1624 fful sooth is seyd / þat loue ne lordshipe Wol noght his thankes / haue no felaweshipe Wel fynden that Arcite and Palamon ¶ Arcite / is riden anoon / vn to the town Line 1628 And on the morwe / er it were dayes lyght fful priuely / two harneys hath he dyght Bothe suffisaunt and mete to darreyne The bataille in the feeld / bitwix hem tweyne Line 1632 And on his hors / allone / as he was born He carieth al this harneys / hym biforn And in the groue / at tyme and place yset This Arcite / and this Palamon been met Line 1636 ¶ To chaungen / gan the colour in hir face Right as the hunterys / in the regne of Trace That stonden at the gappe / with a spere Whanne hunted is / the leon or the Bere Line 1640

Line 1640 And hereth hym / come russhynge in the greues And breketh / bothe bowes / and the leues And thynketh / here cometh my mortal enemy With oute faille / he moot be deed / or .I. Line 1644 ffor outher / I moot sleen hym / at the gappe Or he moot sle me / if þat me myshappe So ferden they / in chaungyng of hir hewe As fer / as euerich / oother of hem knewe Line 1648 ¶ Ther nas no good day / ne no saluynge But streight with outen word / or rehersynge Euerich of hem / heelp for to armen oother As frendly / as he weere / his owene brother Line 1652 And after that / with sharpe speres stronge They foynen / ech at oother / wonder longe Thou myghtest wene / þat this Palamon In his fightynge were a wood leon Line 1656 And as a crewel Tygre / was Arcite As wilde boores / gonnen they to smyte That frothen / whit as foom / for Ire wood Vp to the Anclees / foghte they in hir blood Line 1660 And in this wise / I lete hem fightyng dwelle And forth I wole / of Theseus yow telle ¶ The destynee / Ministre general [folio 23a] That executeth / in the world ouer al Line 1664 The purueiance / that god hath seyn biforn So stroong it is / þat thogh the world hadde sworn The contrarie of a thyng by ye / or nay Yet som tyme / it shal fallen on a day Line 1668 That falleth nat eft / with Inne a thousand yeer ffor certeinly / oure appetites heer Be it of werre / or pees / or hate / or loue Al is this ruled / by the sighte aboue Line 1672 ¶ This mene I now / by myghty Theseus That for to hunten / is so desirus And namely / at the grete hert in May That in his bed / ther daweth hym no day Line 1676

Line 1676 That he nys clad / and redy for to ryde With hunte and horn / and houndes hym bisyde ffor in his huntyng hath he swich delit That it is / al his ioye and appetit Line 1680 To been hym self / the grete hertes bane ffor after Mars / he serueth now Diane ¶ Cleer was the day / as I haue told er this And Theseus / with alle ioye and blys Line 1684 With his ypolita / the faire queene And Emelie / clothed al in greene On huntyng be they riden roially And to the groue / that stood ful faste by Line 1688 In which ther was an hert as men hym tolde Duc Theseus / the streighte wey hath holde And to the launde / he rideth hym ful right ffor thider was the hert wont haue his flight Line 1692 And ouer a brook / and so forth on his weye This duc wol han a cours at hym / or tweye With houndes swiche / as þat hym list comaunde And whan this duc. was come vn to the launde Line 1696 Vnder the sonne he looketh / and anon He was war / of Arcite and Palamon That foghten breme as it were boles two The brighte swerdes / wenten to and fro Line 1700 So hidously / that with the leeste strook It semed / as it wolde felle an ook But what they weere / no thyng he ne woot [folio 23b] This duc his courser / with the spores smoot Line 1704 And at a stert he was bitwix hem two And pulled out a swerd / and cryed Hoo Namoore / vp on peyne / of lesyng of youre heed By myghty Mars / he shal anon be deed Line 1708 That smyteth any strook / þat I may seen But telleth me / what myster men ye been That been so hardy / for to fighten heer With outen Iuge / or oother officer Line 1712

Line 1712 As it weere in a lystes roially ¶ This Palamon / answerde hastily And seyde / sire / what nedeth wordes mo We haue the deeth disserued / bothe two Line 1716 Two woful wrecches been we / two caytyues That been encombred / of oure owene lyues And as thow art a rightful lord and Iuge Ne yif vs / neither mercy ne refuge Line 1720 But slee me first. for seinte charitee But slee my felawe eek / as wel as me Or slee hym first. for thogh thow knowe it lite This is thy mortal foo / this is Arcite Line 1724 That fro thy lond / is banysshed on his heed ffor which / he hath deserued to be deed ffor this is he / þat cam vn to thy yate And seyde / þat he highte Philostrate Line 1728 Thus hath he iaped thee / ful many a yeer And thow . hast maked hym / thy chief Squyer And this is he / þat loueth Emelye ffor sith the day is come / þat I shal dye Line 1732 I make pleynly / my confession That I am / thilke woful Palamon That hath thy prison / broken wikkedly I am thy mortal foo / and it am I Line 1736 That loueth so hoote / Emelye the brighte That I wol dyen / present in hir sighte Wherfore I axe deeth / and my Iuwise But slee my felawe / in the same wise Line 1740 ffor bothe haue we / deserued to be slayn ¶ This worthy duc answerde anoon agayn And seyde / this is a short conclusion [folio 24a] Youre owene mouth / by youre confession Line 1744 Hath dampned yow / and I wol it recorde It nedeth noght to pyne yow with the corde Ye shul be deed / by myghty Mars the rede ¶ The queene anoon / for verray wommanhede Line 1748

Line 1748 Gan for to wepe / and so dide Emelye And alle the ladies / in the compaignye Greet pitee was it / as it thoughte hem alle That euere swich a chaunce / sholde falle Line 1752 ffor gentil men they weere / of greet estaat And no thyng but for loue / was this debaat And sawe / hir blody wowndes / wide and soore And alle cryden / bothe lasse and moore Line 1756 Haue mercy lord / vp on vs wommen alle And on hir bare knees / adown they falle And wolde haue kist his feet ther as he stood Til at the laste / aslaked was his mood Line 1760 ffor pitee / renneth soone in gentil herte And thogh he first for Ire quook and sterte He hath considred / shorthly in a clause The trespas of hem bothe / and eek the cause Line 1764 And al thogh þat his Ire / hir gilt accused Yet in his reson / he hem bothe excused ¶ As thus / he thoghte wel þat euery man Wol helpe hym self in loue / if þat he kan Line 1768 And eek / deliuere hym self / out of prison And eek / his herte hadde compassion Of wommen / for they wepten euere in oon And in his gentil herte / he thoghte anoon Line 1772 And softe vn to hym / self he seyde fy Vp on a lord / that wol haue no mercy [¶ nota] But be a leon / bothe in word / and dede To hem / that been in repentaunce and drede Line 1776 As wel / as to a proud despitous man That wol mayntene / that he first bigan That lord / hath litel of discrecion That in swich caas / kan no dyuysion Line 1780 But weyeth pryde / and humblesse / after oon And shortly / whan his Ire is thus agoon He gan to loken vp / with eyen lighte [folio 24b] And spak thise same wordes / al on highte Line 1784

Line 1784 ¶ The god of loue / a benedicitee How myghty / and how greet a lord is he Agayns his myght. ther gayneth none obstacles He may be clepid a god / for his miracles Line 1788 ffor he kan maken / at his owene gyse Of euerich herte / as þat hym list deuyse ¶ Lo here / this Arcite / and this Palamon That quitly were / out of my prison Line 1792 And myghte haue lyued in Thebes roially And witen / I am hir mortal enemy And þat hir deeth / lyth in my myght also And yet hath loue / maugree hir eyen two Line 1796 Broght hem hyder / bothe for to dye Now looketh / is nat that an heigh folye ¶ Who may been a fool / but if he loue Bihoold for goddes sake / þat sit aboue Line 1800 Se how they blede / be they noght wel arrayed Thus hath hir lord / the god of loue ypayed Hir wages / and hir fees / for hir seruyse And yet they wenen to be ful wyse Line 1804 That seruen loue / for aught þat may bifalle But this is yet the beste game of alle That she / for whom / they haue this Iolitee Kan hem ther fore / as muche thank as me Line 1808 She woot namoore / of al this hoote fare By god / than woot a cokkow of an hare But al moot been assayed / hoot and coold A man moot been a fool / or yong or oold Line 1812 I woot it by my self / ful yoore agoon ffor in my tyme / a seruant was I oon And ther fore / syn I knowe of loues peyne And woot how soore / it kan a man distreyne Line 1816 As he þat hath been caught ofte in his laas I yow foryeue / al hoolly this trespas At requeste of the queene / þat kneeleth heere And eek of Emelye / my suster deere Line 1820

Line 1820 And ye shal bothe anoon / vn to me swere That neuere mo / ye shal my contree dere Ne make werre vp on me / nyght nor day [folio 25a] But been my freendes / in al that ye may Line 1824 I yow foryeue / this trespas euerydel And they hym sworen / his axing faire and wel And hym of lordshipe / and of mercy preyde And he hem graunteth grace / and thanne he seyde Line 1828 ¶ To speke of roial lynage / and richesse Thogh þat she weere a queene / or a princesse Ech of yow bothe / is worthy doutelees To wedden whan tyme is / but nathelees Line 1832 I speke / as for my suster Emelye ffor whom / ye haue this stryf and Ialousye Ye woot your self. she may nat wedden two Atones / thogh ye fighten eueremo Line 1836 That oon of yow / al be hym looth / or lief He moot go pipen / in an yuy leef This is to seyn / she may nat now haue bothe Al be ye nevere so Ialous / ne so wrothe Line 1840 And for thy / I yow putte in this degree That ech of yow / shal haue his destynee As hym is shape / and herkneth in what wyse Lo here youre ende / of that I shal deuyse Line 1844 ¶ My wyl is this / for plat conclusion With outen any replicacion If that yow liketh / take it for the beste That euerich of yow / shal goon where hym leste Line 1848 ffrely / with outen raunson / or daunger And this day fifty wykes / fer ne neer Euerich of yow / shal brynge an hundred knyghtes Armed for listes / vp at alle rightes Line 1852 Al redy / to darreyne hire by bataille And this bihoote I yow / with outen faille Vp on my trouthe / and as I am a knyght That wheither of yow bothe / þat hath myght Line 1856

Line 1856 This is to seyn / þat wheither he or thou May with his hundred / as I spak of now Sleen his contrarie / or out of lystes dryue Thanne shal I yeue / Emelye to wyue Line 1860 To whom þat ffortune / yeueth so fair a grace The lystes / shal I maken in this place And god so wisly / on my soule rewe [folio 25b] As I shal / euene Iuge been and trewe Line 1864 Ye shul noon oother ende / with me maken That oon of yow ne / shall be deed / or taken And if yow thynketh / this is well ysayd Sey youre auys / and holdeth yow apayd Line 1868 This is youre ende / and youre conclusion ¶ Who looketh lightly now / but Palamon Who spryngeth vp for ioye / but Arcite Who koude telle / or who koude it endite Line 1872 The ioye / that is maked in the place Whan Theseus / hath doon so fair a grace But doun on knees / wente euery maner wight And thonken hym / with al hir herte and myght Line 1876 And namely the Thebans ofte sythe And thus with good hope / and herte blythe They take hir leeue / and homward gonne they ryde To Thebes / with olde walles wyde Line 1880

Explicit prima pars

Incipit pars secunda.

I trowe / men wolde deme it necligence If I foryete / to tellen the despence Of Theseus / that gooth so bisily To maken vp the lystes / roially Line 1884 That swich a noble Theatre / as it was I dar wel seyn / in this world ther nas The circuit a myle was aboute Walled of stoon / and dyched al with oute Line 1888 Round was the shape / in manere of compas

fful of degrees / the heighte of sixty paas That whan a man / was set on o degree He letted noght his felawe for to see Line 1892 ¶ Estward ther stood a gate / of Marbul whit Westward / right swich another / in the oposit And shortly to concluden / swich a place Was noon in erthe / as in so lite a space Line 1896 ffor in the lond / ther was no crafty man [folio 26a] That Geometrye / or Ars metrik kan Ne purtreyour / ne keruere of ymages That Theseus / ne yaf mete and wages Line 1900 The Theatre / for to maken and deuyse And for to doon / his ryte and sacrifise He Estward hath / vp on the gate aboue In worship of venus / goddesse of loue Line 1904 Doon maad an Auter / and an oratorie And on the westward / in memorie Of Mars / he maked hath right swich another That coste largely / of gold a fother Line 1908 And Northward / in a touret on the wal Of Alabastre whit and reed Coral An oratorie / riche for to see In worshipe / of Diane of chastitee Line 1912 Hath Theseus / doon wroght in noble Wise ¶ But yet hadde I forgeten / to deuyse The noble keruyng / and the purtreitures The shape / the contenance / and the figures Line 1916 That weren / in thise oratories thre ¶ ffirst / in the temple of Venus / maystow se Wroght on the wal / ful pitous to biholde The broken slepes / and the sykes colde Line 1920 The sacred teerys / and the waymentynge The firy strokes / of the desirynge That loues seruantz / in this lyf enduren The othes / that hir couenantz assuren Line 1924 Plesance / and hope / desir / foolhardynesse

Beautee and youthe / baudrye / richesse Charmes and force / lesynges / flaterye Despense / bisynesse / and Ialousye Line 1928 That wered / of yelowe gooldes a gerland And a Cokkow / sittyng on hir hand ffestes / Instrumentz / caroles / daunces Lust and array / and alle the circumstaunces Line 1932 Of loue / whiche þat I rekned / and rekne shal By ordre / weren peynted on the wal And mo than / I kan make of mencion ffor soothly / al the Mount of Citheron Line 1936 Ther Venus / hath hir principal dwellynge [folio 26b] Was shewed on the wal / in purtreyynge With al the gardyn / and the lustynesse Nat was foryeten / the porter ydelnesse Line 1940 Ne Narcisus the faire / of yoore agon Ne yet / the folie / of kyng Salomon Ne yet the grete strengthe of Ercules Thenchantementz / of Medea and Circes Line 1944 Ne of Turnus / with the hardy fiers corage The ryche Cresus / caytif in seruage ¶ Thus may ye seen / þat wisdom ne richesse Beautee / ne sleighte / strengthe hardynesse Line 1948 Ne may with Venus / maken champartie ffor as hir lust the world than may she gye Lo all this folk / so caught were in hir laas Til they for wo / ful ofte seyde allas Line 1952 Suffiseth heere ensamples / oon or two And though / I koude rekne a thousand mo ¶ The statue of Venus / glorious for to see [ad vid] Was naked / fletyng in the large See [.i. mare] Line 1956 And fro the nauele doun / al couered was With wawes grene / and brighte as any glas A Citole in hir right hand / hadde she And on hir heed / ful semely for to se Line 1960 A rose gerland / fressh / and wel smellynge

Aboue hir heed / hir dowues flikerynge Biforn hire stood / hir sone Cupido Vp on his shuldres / wynges hadde he two Line 1964 And blynd he was / as it is ofte seene A bowe he bar / and Arwes brighte and keene ¶ Why sholde I nat as wel / eek telle yow al The purtreyture / þat was vp on the wal Line 1968 With Inne the temple / of myghty Mars the rede Al peynted was the wal / in lengthe and brede Lyk to the eestres / of the grisly place That highte the grete temple / of Mars in Trace Line 1972 In thilke colde / frosty Region Ther as Mars / hath his souereyn mansion ¶ ffirst on the wal / was peynted a fforest In which ther dwelleth / neither man ne best Line 1976 With knotty / knarry / bareyne trees olde [folio 27a] Of stubbes sharpe / and hidouse to biholde In which / ther ran a rombul / in a swough As thogh a storm / sholde bresten euery bough Line 1980 And downward on an hil / vnder a bente Ther stood the temple / of Mars armypotente. Wroght al of burned steel / of which the entree Was long and streyt and gastly for to see Line 1984 And ther out cam a rage / and swich a veze [.i. impetus] That it made / al the gate for to rese The Northren light in at the dores shoon ffor wyndow on the wal / ne was ther noon Line 1988 Thurgh which men myghten / any light discerne The dore was al / of Athamant eterne Yclenched / ouerthwart and endelong/ With Iren togh / and for to make it strong Line 1992 Euery piler / the temple to sustene Was tonne greet of Iren bright and shene ¶ Ther say I first. the dirke ymagynynge Of felonye / and al the compassynge Line 1996 The cruel Ire / reed as any gleede

The pike purs / and eek the pale drede The smylere / with the knyf vnder the cloke The shipne brennyng / with the blake smoke Line 2000 The treson / of the mordryng in the bed The open werre / with woundes al bibled Contek / with blody knyf and sharpe manace Al ful of chirkyng was that sory place Line 2004 ¶ The sleere of hym self / yet saugh I ther His herte blood / hath bathed al his heer The nayl ydryuen / in the shode a nyght The colde deeth / with mouth gapyng vp right Line 2008 Amyddes of the temple / sat meschaunce With disconfort and sory contenaunce ¶ Yet saugh I woodnesse / laughyng in his rage Armed compleynt out hees / and fiers outrage Line 2012 The caroyne in the bussh / with throte ycorue A thousand slayn / and noght of qualm ystorue The tiraunt with the praye / by force yraft The town destroyed / ther was no thyng laft Line 2016 ¶ Yet saugh I brent. the shippes hoppesteres [folio 27b] The hunte strangled / with the wilde beres The sowe freten the child / right in the Cradel The Cook yscalded / for al his longe ladel Line 2020 ¶ Naught was forgeten / by the Infortune of Marte The Cartere / ouer ryden / with his Carte Vnder the wheel / ful lowe he lay adown Ther were also / of Martes deuysioun Line 2024 The Barbour / and the Bochier and the Smyth That forgeth sharpe swerdes / on his styth ¶ And al aboue / depeynted in a tour Saugh I Conquest sittyng in greet honour Line 2028 With the sharpe swerd / ouer his heed Hangynge / by a subtil twynes threed ¶ Depeynted was / the slaghtre of Iulius Of grete Nero / and of Anthonius Line 2032 Al be / þat thilke tyme / they were vnborn

Yet was hir deeth / depeynted ther biforn By manacynge of Mars / right by figure So was it shewed / in that purtreyture Line 2036 As is depeynted / in the Sertres aboue Who shal be slayn / or ellis deed for loue Suffiseth oon ensample / in stories olde I may nat rekne hem alle / thogh I wolde Line 2040 ¶ The Statue of Mars / vp on a Carte stood Armed / and loked grym / as he were wood And ouer his heed / ther shynen two figures Of sterres / þat been clepyd in Scriptures Line 2044 That oon Puella / that oother Rubeus This god of armes / was arrayed thus A wolf ther stood / bifore hym at his feet With eyen rede / and of a man he eet Line 2048 With subtil pencel / was depeynted this storie In redoutynge of Mars / and of his glorie ¶ Now to the temple / of Diane the chaste As shortly as I kan / I wol me haste Line 2052 To telle yow / al the discripsioun Depeynted been the walles / vp and doun Of huntyng and of shamefast chastitee Ther saw .I. / how woful Calistopee Line 2056 Whan þat Diane / agreued was with here [folio 28a] Was turned / fro a womman / til a Bere And after was she maad / the lode sterre [// Vrsa maior] Thus was it peynted / I kan seye yow no ferre Line 2060 Hir sone is eek a sterre / as men may see Ther saw I Dane / yturned to a tree I mene nat / the goddesse diane But Penneus doghter / which þat highte Dane Line 2064 ¶ Ther saw I Attheon / an hert ymaked ffor vengeaunce / þat he saw Diane al naked I seigh / how þat hise houndes haue hym caught And freten hym / for þat they knewe hym naught Line 2068 ¶ Yet peynted was / a litel ferther moor

How Atthalante / hunted the wilde boor And Meleagree / and many another mo ffor which Diane / wroghte hym care and wo Line 2072 Ther saw .I. many another wonder storie The whiche / me list nat drawen to memorie ¶ This goddesse on hert ful hye seet With smale houndes / al aboute hir feet Line 2076 And vnder nethe hir feet. she hadde a moone Wexinge it was / and sholde wanye soone In gaude grene / hir statue yclothed was With bowe in honde / and arwes in a cas Line 2080 Hir eyen caste she / ful lowe adown Ther Pluto / hath his dirke Regioun A womman trauailyng was hir biforn But for hir child / so longe was unborn Line 2084 fful pitously / lucina gan she calle And seyde help / for thow mayst best of alle Wel koude he peynte lyfly / that it wroghte With many a floryn / he the hewes boghte Line 2088 ¶ Now been thise listes maad / and Theseus That at his grete cost arrayed thus The temples / and the Theatre euery del Whan it was doon / hym liked wonder wel Line 2092 But stynte I wole / of Theseus alite And speke of Palamon / and of Arcite ¶ The day approcheth / of hir retournynge That euerich / sholde an hundred knyghtes brynge Line 2096 The bataille to darreyne / as I yow tolde [folio 28b] And til Atthenes / hir couenant for to holde Hath euerich of hem / broght a hundred knyghtes Wel armed for the werre / at alle rightes Line 2100 And sikerly / ther trowed many a man That neuere sithen / þat the world bigan As for to speke / of knyghthod of hir hond As fer / as god hath maked see and lond Line 2104 Nas of so fewe / so noble a compaignye

ffor euery wight þat loued chiualrye And wolde his thankes / han a passant name Hath prayd / that he myghte been of that game Line 2108 And wel was hym / þat ther to chosen was ffor if ther fille / tomorwe swich a cas Ye knowen wel / þat euery lusty knyght/ That loueth paramours / and hath his myght Line 2112 Were it in Engelond / or ellis where They wolde hir thankes / wilnen to be there To fighten for a lady / benedicitee It were a lusty sighte / for to see Line 2116 ¶ And right so / ferden they with Palamon With hym ther wenten / knyghtes many oon Som wol ben armed / in an haubergeon And in a Brestplate / and in a light gypon Line 2120 And som wol haue / a piere plates large And som wol haue / a Pruce sheeld / or a targe Som wol been armed / on his legges weel And haue an Ax / and som a Maas of steel Line 2124 Ther nys no newe gyse / þat it nas oold Armed were they / as I haue yow toold Euerich / after his opinyon ¶ Ther maystow seen / comynge with Palamon Line 2128 Lygurge hym self the grete kyng of Trace Blak was his beerd / and manly was his face The cercles of his eyen / in his heed They gloweden / bitwixen yelow and reed Line 2132 And lyk a griffon / loked he aboute With keempe herys / on his browes stoute His lymes grete / his brawnes / harde and stronge Hys shuldres brode / hise armes rounde and longe Line 2136 And as the gyse was / in his contree [folio 29a] fful hye / vp on a Chaar of gold stood he With foure white Boles / in the trays In stide of Cotearmure / ouer his harnays Line 2140 With nayles yelwe / and brighte as any gold

He hadde a Berys Skyn / colblak / for old His longe heer / was kembed bihynde his bak As any Rauenes fetthere / it shoon for blak Line 2144 A wrethe of gold / greet of huge wighte Vp on his heed / and ful of stones brighte Of fyne Rubyes / and of dyamauntz Aboute his Chaar / they wente white Alauntz Line 2148 Twenty and mo / as grete as any Steer To hunten at the leon / and the deer And folwed hym / with mosel faste ybounde Colered of gold / and turrettes filed rounde Line 2152 An hundred lordes / hadde he in his route Armed ful wel / with hertes stierne and stoute ¶ With Arcita / in stories as men fynde The grete Emetrius / the kyng of Inde Line 2156 Vp on a Steede bay / trapped in steel Couered in a clooth of gold / dyapred weel Cam ridynge / lyk the god of Armes Mars His cote armure / was of clooth of Tars Line 2160 Couched with perlys white / and rounde and grete His sadel was / of brend gold newe ybete A Mantelet vp on his shulder hangynge Bretful of Rubies reede / as fyr sparklynge Line 2164 His crispe heer / lyk rynges was yronne And that was yelow / and glitred as the sonne His nose was heigh / hise eyen bright Citryn His lyppes rounde / his colour was sangwyn Line 2168 A fewe fraknes / in his face yspreynd Bitwixen yelow / and som del blak ymeynd And as a leon / he his lookyng caste Of .xxv. yeer / his age I caste Line 2172 His beerd / was wel bigonne for to sprynge His voys / was as a trompe thonderynge Vp on his heed / he wered of laurer grene A gerland fressh / and lusty for to seene Line 2176 Vp on his hand / he bar for his deduyt [folio 29b]

An Egle tame / as any lilie whyt An hundred lordes / hadde he with hym there Al armed saue hir heddes / in al hir gere Line 2180 fful richely / in alle manere thynges ffor trusteth wel / þat dukes / Erles / kynges Were gadred / in this noble compaignye ffor loue / and for encrees of chiualrye Line 2184 Aboute this kyng ther ran on euery part fful many a tame leon and leopart ¶ And in this wise / thise lordes alle and some Been on the Sonday / to the Citee come Line 2188 Aboute pryme / and in the town alight ¶ This Theseus / this duc this worthy knyght Whan he hadde broght hem / in to his Citee And Inned hem / euerich at his degree Line 2192 He festeth hem / and dooth so gret labour To esen hem / and doon hem al honour That yet men wenen / þat no mannes wit Of noon estaat ne koude amenden it/ Line 2196 ¶ The Mynstralcye / the seruyce / at the feeste The grete yiftes / to the meeste and leeste The ryche array / of Theseus Paleys Ne who sat first or last vp on the deys Line 2200 What ladyes fairest been / and best daunsynge Or which of hem / kan daunse best and synge Ne who moost feelyngly / speketh of loue What haukes sitten / on the perche aboue Line 2204 What houndes lyggen / on the floor adown Of al this / make I now no mencioun But al theffect that thynketh me the beste Now comth the point and herkneth if yow leste Line 2208 ¶ The Sonday nyght er day bigan to sprynge Whan Palamon / the larke herde synge Al thogh it nere nat day / by houres two Yet soong the larke / and Palamon right tho Line 2212 With holy herte / and with an heigh corage

He roos / to wenden on his pilgrymage Vn to the blisful / Scitherea benygne I mene Venus / honurable and digne Line 2216 And in hir hour / he walketh forth a paas [folio 30a] Vn to the lystes / ther hir temple was And down he kneleth / and with humble cheere And herte soor / he seyde as ye shal heere Line 2220 ¶ ffaireste of faire / o lady myn Venus Doghter of Ioue / and spouse to Vulcanus Thow gladere / of the mount of Cytheron ffor thilke loue / thow haddest to Adoon Line 2224 Haue pitee / of my bittre teerys smerte And taak myn humble prayere at thyn herte ¶ Allas I ne haue no langage to telle Theffecte. ne the tormentz of myn helle Line 2228 Myn herte / may myne harmes nat biwreye I am so confus / þat I kan noght seye But mercy lady bright þat knowest wele My thoght and seest what harmes þat I feele Line 2232 Considre al this / and rewe vp on my soore As wisly / as I shal for euere moore Emforth my myght thy trewe seruant be And holden werre / alwey with chastitee Line 2236 That make I myn avow / so ye me helpe I kepe noght of armes for to yelpe Ne I ne axe noght / tomorwe / to haue victorie Ne renoun in this cas / ne veyne glorie Line 2240 Of prys of armes / blowen vp and down But I wolde haue / fully possessioun Of Emelye / and dye in thy seruyse ffynd thow the manere / how / and in what wyse Line 2244 I recche nat but it may bettre be To haue victorie of hem / or they of me So þat I haue / my lady in myn armes ffor thogh so be / þat Mars is god of armes Line 2248 Youre vertu is so greet in heuene aboue

That if yow list I shal wel haue my loue ¶ Thy temple / wol I worshipe euere mo And on thyn Auter / wher I ryde or go Line 2252 I wol doon sacrifice / and fyres beete And if ye wol noght so / my lady sweete Thanne praye I thee / to morwe with a spere That Arcita / me thurgh the herte bere Line 2256 Thanne rekke I noght whan I haue lost my lyf [folio 30b] Thogh þat Arcita / wynne hire to his wyf This is theffect and ende of my prayere Yif me my loue / thow blisful lady deere Line 2260 ¶ Whan the orison was doon / of Palamon His sacrifice he dide / and that anon fful pitously / with alle circumstances Al telle I nat as now / his obseruances Line 2264 But at the laste / the Statue of Venus shook And made a signe / wher by þat he took That his prayere / accepted was that day ffor thogh the signe / shewed a delay Line 2268 Yet wiste he wel / þat graunted was his boone And with glad herte / he wente hym hoom ful soone ¶ The thridde hour in equal / þat Palamon Bigan / to Venus temple / for to gon Line 2272 Vp roos the soone / and vp roos Emelye And to the temple of Diane / gan hye Hir maydens / þat she thider with hire ladde fful redily with hem / the fyr they hadde Line 2276 Thencens / the clothes / and the remenant al That to the sacrifice / longen shal The hornes ful of Mede / as was the gyse Ther lakked noght to doon hir sacrifise Line 2280 ¶ Smokynge the temple / ful of clothes faire This Emelye / with herte debonaire Hir body wessh / with water of a welle But hou she dide hir ryte / I dar nat telle Line 2284 But it be / any thyng in general

And yet it were a game / to heren al To hym þat meneth wel / it nere no charge But it is good / a man be at his large Line 2288 ¶ Hir brighte heer was kembed / vntressed al A corone / of a grene ook cerial Vp on hir heed was set ful fair and meete Two fyres / on the Auter gan she beete Line 2292 And dide hir thynges / as men may biholde In Stace of Thebes / and othere bokes olde Whan kyndled was the fyr / with pitous cheere Vn to Diane / she spak / as ye may heere Line 2296 ¶ O chaste goddesse / of the wodes grene [folio 31a] To whom / bothe heuene / and erthe / and See [.i. mare] is seene Queene of the regne of Pluto / derk and lowe Goddesse of maydenes / þat myn herte hast knowe Line 2300 fful many a yeer / and woost what I desire As keepe me / fro thy vengeance and thyn Ire That Attheon / aboghte crewelly Chaste goddesse / wel wostow þat I Line 2304 Desire / to been a mayden / al my lyf Ne neuere wol I be / no loue / ne wyf I am thow woost yet of thy compaignye A mayde / and loue huntyng and venerye Line 2308 And for to walken / in the wodes wilde And noght to been a wyf / and be with childe Noght wol I knowe / compaignye of man Now help me lady / sith ye may and kan Line 2312 ffor tho thre formes / þat thow hast in thee And Palamon / þat hath swich loue to me And eek Arcite / þat loueth me so soore This grace I praye thee / with oute moore Line 2316 As seend[e] loue and pees / bitwix hem two And fro me / turn awey / hir hertes so That al hir hote loue / and hir desir And al hir bisy torment and hir fyr Line 2320 Be queynt and turned in another place

And if so be / thow wolt noght do me grace Or if my destynee / be shape so That I shal nedes / haue oon of hem two Line 2324 As seend me hym / þat moost desireth me Bihoold goddesse / of clene chastitee The bittre teerys / þat on my chekes falle Syn thow art mayde / and kepere of vs alle Line 2328 My maydenhode thow kepe / and wel conserue And whil I lyue / a mayde I wol thee serue ¶ The fyres brenne / vp on the Auter cleere Whil Emelie / is thus in hir prayere Line 2332 But sodeynly / she seigh a sighte queynte ffor right anon / oon of the fyres queynte And quyked agayn / and after that anon That oother fyr was queynt and al agon Line 2336 And as it queynte / it made a whistlynge [folio 31b] As doon thise weete brondes / in hir brennynge And at the brondes ende / out ran anoon As it were / blody dropes many oon Line 2340 ffor which / so soore agast was Emelye That she was wel neigh mad / and gan to crye ffor she ne wiste / what it signyfied But oonly for the feere / thus hath she cryed Line 2344 And weepe / þat it was pitee for to heere ¶ And ther with al / Diane gan appeere With bowe in honde / right as an hunteresse And seyde doghter / stynt thyn heuynesse Line 2348 Among the goddes hye / it is affermed And by eterne word / writen and confermed Thou shalt be wedded / vn to oon of tho That han for thee / so muche care and wo Line 2352 But vn to which of hem / I may noght telle ffare wel / for I ne may no lenger dwelle The fires / which þat on myn Auter brenne Shul thee declaren / er þat thow go henne Line 2356 Thyn auenture of loue / as in this cas

And with that word / the Arwes in the Caas Of the goddesse / clateren faste and rynge And forth she wente / and made a vanysshynge Line 2360 ffor which / this Emelye astoned was And seyde / what amounteth this allas I putte me / in thy proteccion Diane / and in thy disposicion Line 2364 And hoom she gooth anoon / the nexte weye This is theffect ther nys namoore to seye ¶ The nexte houre of Mars / folwynge this Arcite / vn to the temple walked is Line 2368 Of fierse Mars / to doon his sacrifise With alle the rytes / of his payen wise With pitous herte / and heigh deuocion Right thus to Mars / he seyde his orison Line 2372 ¶ O stronge god / þat in the regnes colde Of Trace / honoured art and lord yholde And hast in euery regne / and euery lond Of armes / al the brydel in thyn hond Line 2376 And hem fortunest as thee list deuyse [folio 32a] Accepte of me / my pitous sacrifise If so be / þat my youthe may disserue And þat my myght be worthy for to serue Line 2380 Thy godhede / þat I may be oon of thyne Thanne praye I thee / to rewe vp on my pyne ffor thilke peyne / and thilke hote fyr In which / thow whilom brendest for desir Line 2384 Whan þat thow vsedest the beautee Of faire yonge / fresshe Venus free And haddest hire in armes at thy wille Al though thee ones / on a tyme mysfille Line 2388 Whan Vulcanus / hadde caught thee in his laas And foond thee lyggyng by his wyf allas ffor thilke sorwe / þat was in thyn herte Haue routhe as wel / vp on my peynes smerte Line 2392 I am yong / and vnkonnyng as thow woost/

And as I trowe / with loue offended moost That euere was / any lyues creature ffor she þat dooth me / al this wo endure Line 2396 Ne reccheth neuere / wher I synke or fleete And wel I woot er she me mercy heete I moot with strengthe / wynne hire in the place And wel I woot with outen help and grace Line 2400 Of thee / ne may my strengthe noght auaille Thanne help me lord / tomorwe in my bataille ffor thilke fyr / þat whilom brende thee As wel as thilke fyr / now brenneth me Line 2404 And do þat I tomorwe / may haue victorie Myn be the trauaille / and thyn be the glorie Thy souereyn temple / wol I moost honouren Of any place / and alwey moost labouren Line 2408 In thy plesaunce / and in thy craftes stronge And in thy temple / I wol my baner honge And alle the armes / of my compaignye And euere mo / vn til þat day I dye Line 2412 Eterne fyr / I wol bifore thee fynde And eek to this auow / I wol me bynde My berd / myn heer / þat hangeth long adown That neuere yet ne felte offensioun Line 2416 Of Rasour / nor of Shere / I wol thee yiue [folio 32b] And been thy trewe seruant whil I lyue Now lord haue routhe / vp on my sorwes soore Yif me the victorie / I axe thee namoore Line 2420 ¶ The prayere stynt of Arcita the stronge The rynges / on the temple dore þat honge And eek the dores / clatereden ful faste Of which Arcita / som what hym agaste Line 2424 The fires brende / vp on the Auter brighte That it gan al the temple for to lighte A swete smel / anoon the ground vp yaf And Arcita / anoon his hand vp haf Line 2428 And moore encens / in to the fyr he caste

With othere rytes mo / and at the laste ¶ The statue of Mars / bigan his hauberk rynge And with that sown / he herde a murmurynge Line 2432 fful lowe and dym / and seyde thus / Victorie ffor which / he yaf to Mars / honour and glorie ¶ And thus with ioye / and hope / wel to fare Arcite anoon / vn to his In is fare Line 2436 As fayn as fowel / is of the brighte sonne ¶ And right anoon / swich stryf ther is bigonne ffor thilke grauntyng in the heuene aboue Bitwixe Venus / the goddesse of loue Line 2440 And Mars / the sterne god armipotente That Iuppiter / was bisy it to stente Til þat the pale / Saturnus the colde That knew so manye / of auentures olde Line 2444 ffoond in his olde experience / an art That he ful soone / hath plesed euery part As sooth is seyd / elde hath greet auantage In elde / is bothe wisdom and vsage Line 2448 Men may the olde atrenne and nat atrede Saturne anoon / to stynten stryf and drede Al be it / þat it is agayn his kynde Of al this stryf he kan remedie fynde Line 2452 ¶ My deere doghter Venus / quod Saturne My cours / that hath so wyde for to turne Hath moore power / than woot any man Myn is the drenchyng in the See so wan Line 2456 Myn is the prison / in the derke cote [folio 33a] Myn is the stranglyng and hangyng by the throte The murmur / and the cherles rebellynge The groynyng and the pryuee empoysonynge Line 2460 I do vengeance / and pleyn correccion Whil I dwelle / in the signe of the leon Myn is the ruyne / of the heighe halles The fallyng of the toures / and of the walles Line 2464 Vp on the Mynour / or the Carpenter

I slow Sampson / shakyng the piler And myne be / the maladies colde The derke tresons / and the castes olde Line 2468 My lookyng is the fader of pestilence Now weep namoore / I shal doon diligence That Palamon / that is thyn owene knyght Shal haue his lady / as thow hast hym hight Line 2472 Thogh Mars shal helpe his knyght yet nathelees Bitwixe yow / ther moot be som tyme pees Al be ye noght of o complexion That causeth al day / swich diuision Line 2476 I am thyn Aiel / redy at thy wille Weepe now namoore / I wol thy lust fulfille ¶ Now wol I stynten / of the goddes aboue Of Mars / and of Venus / goddesse of loue Line 2480 And telle yow / as pleynly as I kan The grete effect . for which þat I bigan [[No gap in the MS.]] ¶ Greet was the feeste / in Atthenes that day And eek the lusty seson / of that May Line 2484 Made euery wight to been in swich plesaunce That al that monday / Iusten they and daunce And spenden it in Venus heigh seruyse And by the cause / þat they sholde ryse Line 2488 Erly / for to seen the grete sight Vn to hir reste / wente they at nyght And on the morwe / whan the day gan sprynge Of hors and harneys / noyse and claterynge Line 2492 Ther was in hostelryes / al aboute And to the paleys / rood ther many a route Of lordes / vp on steedes and palfreys Ther maistow seen / deuysynge of harneys Line 2496 So vnkouth / and so ryche / and wroght so weel [folio 33b] Of Goldsmythrye / of Broudyng and of steel

The sheldes brighte / testers / and trappures Goldhewen helmes / hauberkes / cote armures Line 2500 Lordes in parementz / on hir coursers Knyghtes of retenue / and eek Squyers Nailynge the speres / and the helmes bokelynge Gyggynge of sheeldes / with layners lasynge Line 2504 Ther as nede is / they were no thyng ydel The fomy steedes / on the golden brydel Gnawynge / and faste the Armurers also With fyle and hamer / prykyng to and fro Line 2508 Yemen on foote / and communes many oon With shorte staues / thikke as they may goon Pipes / trompes / Nakers / Claryounes That in the bataille / blowen blody sownes Line 2512 The paleys ful of peples / vp and down Heer thre / ther ten / holdynge hir questioun Deuynynge / of thise Thebans knyghtes two Somme seyde thus / somme seyden it shal be so Line 2516 Somme helden with hym / with the blake berd Somme with the balled / somme with the thikke herd Somme seyde / he looked grym / and he wolde fighte He hath a Sparth / of .xx. pound of wighte Line 2520 Thus was the halle / ful of deuynynge Longe after / þat the sonne gan to sprynge ¶ The grete Theseus / þat of his sleepe awaked With mynstralcye / and noyse þat was maked Line 2524 Held yet the chambres / of his paleys ryche Til þat the Theban knyghtes / bothe yliche Honoured /. weren in to the paleys fet ¶ Duc Theseus / is at a wyndow set Line 2528 Arrayed / right as he weere a god in Trone The peple preeseth / thiderward ful soone Hym for to seen / and doon heigh reuerence And eek / to herkne his heste / and his sentence Line 2532 ¶ An heraud on a Scaffold / made an .oo. Til al the noyse / of the peple was ydo

And whan he say the peple / of noyse al stille Thus shewed he / the myghty dukes wille Line 2536 ¶ The lord hath / of his heighe discrecion [folio 34a] Considred / þat it were destruccion To gentil blood / to fighten in the gyse Of mortal bataille / now in this emprise Line 2540 Wher fore / to shapen / þat they shal noght dye He wole / his firste purpos modifie ¶ No man ther fore / vp on peyne / of los of lyf No manere shot ne polax / ne short knyf Line 2544 In to the lystes sende / or thider brynge Ne short swerd for to stoke / with point bitynge No man ne drawe / ne bere it by his syde Ne no man / shal vn to his felawe ryde Line 2548 But o cours / with a sharp ygrounde spere ffoyne if hym list on foote / hym self to were And he þat is at meschief / shal be take And noght slayn / but be broght vn to the stake Line 2552 That shal been ordeyned / on eyther syde But thider he shal bi force / and ther abyde And if so falle / the Chiefteyn be take On outher syde / or ellis sleen his make Line 2556 No lenger / shal the tourneying laste God spede yow / go forth and ley on faste With long swerd / and with mace / fighteth your fille Go now youre wey / this is the lordes wille Line 2560 ¶ The voys of peple / touched the heuene So loude cryde they / with loude steuene God saue swich a lord / that is so good He wilneth / no destruccion of blood Line 2564 ¶ Vp goon the trompes / and the melodye And to the lystes / ryt the compaignye By ordinance / thurgh out the Citee large Hanged with clooth of gold / and noght with sarge Line 2568 ¶ fful lyk a lord / this noble duc gan ryde Thise two Thebans / vp on eyther syde

And after rood the queene / and Emelye And after that another compaignye Line 2572 Of oon and oother / after hire degree And thus they passen / thurgh out the Citee And to the lystes / coome they bityme It nas nat of the day / yet fully pryme Line 2576 ¶ Whan set was Theseus / ful ryche and hye [folio 34b] Ypolita the queene / and Emelye And othere ladyes / in degrees aboute Vn to the setes / preeseth al the route Line 2580 And westward / thrugh the gates vnder Marte [.i. sub Marte] Arcite / and eek the hundred of his parte With baner reed / is entred right anon ¶ And in that selus moment Palamon Line 2584 Is vnder Venus / Estward in the place With baner whit / and hardy cheere and face In al the world / to seken vp and down So euene / with outen variacioun Line 2588 Ther nere / swiche compaignyes tweye ffor ther was noon so wys / þat koude seye That any hadde / of oother auantage Of worthynesse / ne of estaat ne age Line 2592 So euene / were they chosen for to gesse And in two renges / faire they hem dresse ¶ Whan þat hir names / rad were euerichon That in hir nombre / gyle were ther noon Line 2596 Tho were the gates shet and cryd was loude Do now youre deuoir / yonge knyghtes proude ¶ The heraudes / lefte hir prikyng vp and down Now ryngen trompes loude / and Clarioun Line 2600 Ther is namoore to seyn / but west and Est In goon the speres / ful sadly in the arest In gooth the sharpe spore / in to the syde Ther seen men / who kan Iuste / and who kan ryde Line 2604 Ther shyueren shaftes / vp on sheeldes thikke He feeleth / thurgh the herte spoon the prykke

Vp spryngeth speres / twenty foot on highte Out goon the swerdes / as the siluer brighte Line 2608 The helmes they tohewen / and to-shrede Out brest the blood / with sterne stremys rede With myghty maces / the bones they tobreste He thurgh the thikkest of the throng gan threste Line 2612 Ther stomblen steedes stronge / and doun gooth al He rolleth vnder foot as dooth a bal He foyneth on his feet with his tronchoun And he hym hurteth / with his hors adoun Line 2616 He thurgh the body is hurt and sithen ytake [folio 35a] Maugree his heed / and broght vn to the Stake As forward was / right there he moste abyde Another / lad is on that oother syde Line 2620 ¶ And som tyme / dooth hem Theseus to reste Hem to refresshe / and drynken if hem leste fful ofte a-day / haue thise Thebans two Togydre ymet and wroght his felawe wo Line 2624 Vnhorsed hath ech oother / of hem tweye Ther nas no tygre / in the vale of Galgopheye Whan þat hir whelp is stole / whan it is lyte So cruel on the hunte / as is Arcite Line 2628 ffor Ialous herte / vp on this Palamon Ne in Belmarye / ther nys so fel leon That hunted is / or for his hunger wood Ne of his praye / desireth so the blood Line 2632 As Palamon / to sleen his foo Arcite The Ialous strokes / on hir helmes byte Out renneth blood / on bothe hir sydes rede ¶ Som tyme an ende ther is / of euery dede Line 2636 ffor er the sonne / vn to the reste wente The stronge kyng Emetrius / gan hente This Palamon / as he faught with Arcite And made his swerd / depe in his flessh to byte Line 2640 And by the force of twenty / is he take Vnyolden / and ydrawen to the stake

And in the rescous / of this Palamon The stronge kyng lygurge / is born adoun Line 2644 And kyng Emetrius / for al his strengthe Is born out of his sadel / a swerdes lengthe So hitte hym Palamon / er he were take But al for noght he was broght to the stake Line 2648 His hardy herte / myghte hym helpe naught He moste abyde / whan þat he was caught By force / and eek by composicion ¶ Who sorweth now / but woful Palamon Line 2652 That moot namoore / goon agayn to fighte And whan þat Theseus / hadde seen this sighte Vn to the folk / that foghten thus echon He cryde / hoo namoore / for it is doon Line 2656 I wol be trewe Iuge / and nat partye [folio 35b] Arcite of Thebes / shal haue Emelye That by his fortune / hath hire faire ywonne Anon ther is a noyse of peple bigonne Line 2660 ffor ioye of this / so loude and heigh with alle It semed / þat the lystes sholde falle ¶ What kan now faire Venus / doon aboue What seith she now / what dooth this queene of loue Line 2664 But wepeth so / for wantyng of hir wille Til þat hir teerys / in the lystes fille She seyde / I am ashamed doutelees ¶ Saturnus seyde / doghter hoold thy pees Line 2668 Mars hath his wyl / his knyght hath al his boone And by myn heed / thow shalt been esed soone ¶ The trompours / with the loude Mynstralcye The heraudes / þat ful loude yelle and crye Line 2672 Been in hir wele / for ioye of daun Arcite But herkneth me / and stynteth noyse a lite Which a myracle / ther bifel anon ¶ This fierse Arcite / hath of his helm ydon Line 2676 And on a Courser / for to shewe his face He priketh / endelong the large place

Lookyng vpward / vp on this Emelye And she agayn / hym caste a freendly eye Line 2680 . . . . . . . . . . [no gap in the MS.] And she was al his cheere / as in his herte Out of the ground / a furye Infernal sterte Line 2684 ffrom Pluto sent at requeste of Saturne ffor which his hors / for feere gan to turne And leep asyde / and foundred as he leepe And er þat Arcite / may taken keepe Line 2688 He pighte hym / on the pomel of his heed That in the place / he lay as he were deed His brest to brosten / with his Sadel bowe As blak he lay / as any col / or crowe Line 2692 So was the blood / yronnen in his face Anon he was yborn out of the place With herte soor / to Theseus Paleys Tho was he coruen / out of his harneys Line 2696 And in a bed ybroght ful faire and blyue ffor he was yet in memorie and alyue And alwey cryinge / after Emelye [folio 36a] ¶ Duc Theseus / with al his compaignye Line 2700 Is comen hoom / to Atthenes his Citee With alle blisse / and greet solempnytee Al be it þat this auenture was falle He nolde noght disconforten hem alle Line 2704 ¶ Men seyde eek Arcite / shal nat dye He shal been heelyd / of his maladye And of another thyng / they were as fayn That of hem alle / was ther noon yslayn Line 2708 Al were they soore yhurt and namely oon That with a Spere / was thirled the brest boon ¶ To oothere woundes / and to broken armes Somme hadden salues / and somme hadden charmes Line 2712 ffermacyes of herbes and eek saue They dronken / for they wolde hir lymes haue

ffor which this noble duc / as he wel kan Conforteth / and honoureth euery man Line 2716 And made reuel / al the longe nyght Vn to the straunge lordes / as was right ¶ Ne ther was holden to disconfitynge But as a Iustes / or a tourneyinge Line 2720 ffor soothly / there was no disconfiture ffor fallyng . nys nat but an auenture Ne to been had by force vn to the stake Vnyolden / and with twenty knyghtes take Line 2724 A persone allone / with outen mo And haryed forth / by arm / foot / and to And eek his steede / dryuen forth with staues With footmen / bothe yemen and eek knaues Line 2728 It nas arretted hym / no vileynye Ther may no man / clepe it cowardye ¶ ffor which anoon / Duc Theseus leet crye To stynten / al rancour and enuye Line 2732 The gre / as wel of oo syde as of oother And eyther syde ylyk as otheres brother And yaf hem yiftes / after hir degree And fully heeld a feeste / dayes three Line 2736 And conueyed / the kynges worthily Out of his toun / a iournee largely And hoom wente euery man / the righte way [folio 36b] Ther was namoore / but fare wel haue good day Line 2740 Of this bataille / I wol namoore endite But speke of Palamon / and of Arcite [[A break in the MS. with]]

¶ Explicit secunda pars

¶ Incipit pars tercia & vltima

Swelleth the brest of Arcite / and the soore Encreese that his herte / moore and moore The clothered blood / for any lechecraft Corrupteth / and is in his bouk / ylaft That neyther veyne blood / ne ventusynge Ne drynke of herbes / may been his helpynge Line 2748 The vertu expulsyf / or animal ffro thilke vertu / clepyd natural

Ne may the venym / voyden ne expelle The pipes of his longes / gan to swelle Line 2752 And euery lacerte / in his brest adown Is shent with venym and corrupcioun Hym gayneth neither / for to gete his lyf Vomyt vpward / ne downward laxatyf Line 2756 Al is to brosten / thilke regioun Nature / hath no dominacioun And certeinly / ther nature wol nat werche ffare wel Phisyk . go ber the man to cherche Line 2760 This al and som / þat Arcita moot dye ffor which / he sendeth after Emelye And Palamon / þat was his cosyn deere Thanne seyde he thus / as ye shal after heere Line 2764 ¶ Nat may the woful spirit in myn herte Declare a point of alle my sorwes smerte To yow my lady / þat I loue moost But I byquethe / the seruice of my goost Line 2768 To yow / abouen euery creature Syn þat my lyf / may no lenger dure Allas the wo / allas the peynes stronge That I for yow haue suffred / and so longe Line 2772 Allas the deeth / allas myn Emelye [folio 37a] Allas / departyng of oure compaignye Allas myn hertes queene / allas my wif Myn hertes lady / endere of my lyf Line 2776 What is this world / what axeth men to haue Now with his loue / now in his colde graue . . . . . . . . . . Line 2780 . . . . . . . . . . [no gap in the MS.] ¶ I haue heer / with my cosyn Palamon Had stryf and rancour / many a day gon Line 2784 ffor loue of yow / and for my Ialousye And Iuppiter / so wys my soule gye

To speken / of a seruaunt proprely With circumstaunces alle / trewely Line 2788 That is to seyn / trouthe / honour / knyghthede Wisdom / humblesse / estaat / and heigh kynrede ffredom / and al / that longeth to that art So Iuppiter / haue of my soule part Line 2792 As in this world / right now ne knowe I non So worthy to been loued / as Palamon That serueth yow / and wol doon al his lyf And if þat euere / ye shal been a wyf Line 2796 fforyet nat Palamon / the gentil man And with that word / his speche faille gan ffor from his feet vp to his brest was come The coold of deeth / þat hadde hym ouercome Line 2800 And yet moore ouer / for in his armes two The vital strengthe / is lost and al ago Oonly the Intellect with oute moore That dwelled in his herte / syk and soore Line 2804 Gan faillen / whan the herte felte deeth Dusked hise eyen two / and fayled breeth But on his lady / yet caste he his eye His laste word / was mercy Emelye Line 2808 His spirit chaunged hous / and wente ther As I cam neuere / I kan nat tellen wher Therfore I stynte / I nam no dyuynystre Of soules / fynde I nat in this Registre Line 2812 Ne me ne lyst thilke opynyons to telle Of hem / thogh þat they writen wher they dwelle Arcite is coold / ther Mars his soule gye Now wol I speken / forth of Emelye Line 2816 ¶ Shrighte Emelye / and howleth Palamon [folio 37b] And Theseus / his suster took anon Swownynge / and baar hire fro the corps away What helpeth it to tarien forth the day Line 2820 To tellen how she weepe / bothe eue and morwe ffor in swich caas / wommen haue swich sorwe

Whan þat hir housbondes / been from hem ago That for the moore part they sorwen so Line 2824 Or ellis fallen / in swich a maladye That at the laste / certeinly they dye ¶ Infinite / been the sorwes and the teerys Of olde folk . and folk of tendre yeerys Line 2828 In all the town for the deeth of this Theban ffor hym ther wepeth bothe child a[nd] man So greet wepyng was ther noon certayn Whan Ector was broght al fressh yslayn Line 2832 To Troye / allas the pitee þat was ther Cracchynge of chekes / rentyng eek of heer Why woldestow be deed / thise wommen crye And haddest gold ynow / and Emelye Line 2836 ¶ No man / myghte gladen Theseus Sauyng his olde fader Egeus That knew / this worldes transmutacioun As he hadde seyn it chaungen / bothe vp and down Line 2840 Ioye after wo / and wo after gladnesse And shewed hem / ensample and lyknesse ¶ Right as ther deyed neuere man / quod he [Argumentum.] That he ne lyued in erthe / in som degree Line 2844 Right so / ther lyued neuere man he seyde In al this world / þat som tyme he ne deyde This world nys but a thurghfare / ful of wo And we been pilgrymes / passynge to and fro Line 2848 Deeth is an ende / of euery worldly soore And ouer al this / yet seyde he muchel moore To this effect ful wysly / to enhorte The peple / that they sholde hem reconforte Line 2852 ¶ Duc Theseus / with al his bisy cure Caste now / wher that the sepulture Of goode Arcite / may best ymaked be And eek moost honurable / in his degree Line 2856 And at the laste / he took conclusion [folio 38a] That ther / as first Arcite and Palamon

Hadden for loue / the bataille hem bitwene That in the selue groue / swoote and grene Line 2860 Ther as he hadde / hise amorouse desires His compleinte / and for loue his hote fyres He wolde make a fyr / in which the office ffuneral / he myghte al acomplice Line 2864 And leet anoon comaunde / to hakke and hewe The okes olde / and leyen hem on a rewe In colpons / wel arrayed for to brenne Hise officers / with swifte feet they renne Line 2868 And ryde anoon / at his comandement And after this / Theseus hath ysent After a Beere / and it al ouerspradde With clooth of gold / the richeste þat he hadde Line 2872 And of the same suyte / he cladde Arcite Vp on his handes / his gloues white Eek on his heed / a coroune of laurer greene And in his hand / a swerd ful bright and keene Line 2876 He leyde hym bare the visage / on the beere Ther with he weepe / þat pitee was to heere And for the peple / sholde seen hym alle Whan it was day / he broghte hym to the halle Line 2880 That roreth / of the cryyng and the sown Tho cam / this woful Theban Palamon With flotry berd / and ruggy asshy heerys In clothes blake / ydropped al with teerys Line 2884 And passyng othere / of wepyng Emelye The rufulleste / of al the compaignye In as muche / as the seruyce sholde be The moore noble / and ryche in his degree Line 2888 Duc Theseus / leet forth thre steedes brynge That trapped weren in steel al gliterynge And couered with the armes / of daun Arcite Vp on thise steedes / grete and whyte Line 2892 Ther seten folk / of which oon baar his sheeld Another his spere / vp on his hondes heeld

The thridde bar with hym / his bowe Turkeys Of brend gold / was the caas / and eek the harneys Line 2896 And ryden forth a paas / with sorweful cheere [folio 38b] Toward the groue / as ye shul after heere The nobleste of the Grekys / þat ther were Vp on hir shuldres / carieden the beere Line 2900 With slak[e] paas / and eyen rede and weete Thurgh out the Citee / by the maister streete That sprad was al with blak and wonder hye Right of the same / is the strete ywrye Line 2904 Vp on the right hand / wente olde Egeus And on that oother syde / Duc Theseus With vessels in hir hand / of gold ful fyn As ful of hony / melk / and blood and wyn Line 2908 Eek Palamon / with ful greet compaignye And after that / cam woful Emelye With fyr in hande / as was that tyme the gyse To do the office / of funeral seruyse Line 2912 ¶ Heigh labour / and greet apparaillynge Was at the seruyce / and the fyr makynge That with his grene tope / the heuene raughte And twenty fadme of brede / the armes straughte Line 2916 This is to seyn / the bowes / were so brode Of stree first ther was leyd many a lode But how the fyr was maked vp on highte Ne eek the names / how the trees highte Line 2920 As ook / ffyrre / Birch / Asp / Alder / holm / popler Wylow / Elm / Plane / Assh / Box / Chestayn / lynde / laurer Mapul / Thorn / Beech / hasyl / Ew / Whippultree How they were feld / shal nat been told for me Line 2924 Ne how the goddes / ronnen vp and doun Desherited / of hir habitacioun In which they woneden / in reste and pees Nymphes / ffawnes / and Amadrides Line 2928 Ne how the beestes / and the bryddes alle ffledden / for fered / whan the wode was falle

Ne how the ground / agast was of the lyght That was nat wont to seen the sonne bright Line 2932 Ne how the fyr / was couched first with stree And thanne with drye stikkes / clouen a three And thanne with grene wode / and spicerye And thanne with clooth of gold / and with perrye Line 2936 And gerlandes hangynge / ful of many a flour [folio 39a] The Mirre / thencens / with al so greet sauour Ne how Arcite / lay among al this Ne what richesse / aboute the body is Line 2940 Ne how that Emelye / as was the gyse Putte in the fyr / of funeral seruyse Ne how she swowned / whan men made the fyr Ne what she spak ne what was hir desir Line 2944 Ne what Iuels / men in the fyr caste Whan þat the fyr was greet and brente faste Ne how somme caste hir sheeld / and somme hir spere And of hir vestimentz / whiche þat they were Line 2948 And coppes fulle of Milk / and wyn and blood In to the fyr / þat brente as it were wood Ne how the Grekys / with An huge route Thries ryden / al the fyr aboute Line 2952 Vp on the left hand / with a loud shoutynge And thries / with hir speres claterynge And thries / how the ladyes gonne crye And how þat lad / was homward Emelye Line 2956 Ne how Arcite / is brent to Asshen colde Ne how that lychwake / was yholde Al thilke nyght ne how the grekys pleye The wake pleyes / ne kepe I noght to seye Line 2960 Who wrastleth best naked / with oille enoynt Ne who þat baar hym best in no disioynt I wol nat tellen al / how [that] they goon Hoom til Atthenes / whan the pleye is doon Line 2964 But shortly to the poynt than wol I wende And maken / of my longe tale an ende

¶ By proces / and by lengthe of certeyn yerys Al stynt is / the moornynge and the terys Line 2968 Of Grekys / by oon general assent Thanne semed me / ther was a parlement At Atthenes / vp on a certeyn point and caas Among the whiche pointes / y-spoken was Line 2972 To haue / with certeyn contrees alliance And haue fully / of Thebans obeisance ffor which this noble Theseus anon Leet senden / after gentil Palamon Line 2976 Vnwist of hym / what was the cause and why [folio 39b] But in his blake clothes / sorwefully He cam at his comandement / in hye Tho sente Theseus / for Emelye Line 2980 ¶ Whan they were set and hust was al the place And Theseus / abiden hath a space Er any word / cam from his wise brest/ His eyen sette he ther as was his lest Line 2984 And with a sad visage / he siked stille And after that right thus he seyde his wille ¶ The firste moeuere / of the cause aboue [Nota] Whan he first made / the faire cheyne of loue Line 2988 Greet was theffect and heigh was his entente Wel wiste he why / and what ther of he mente ffor with that faire cheyne of loue he boond The fyr / the Eyr / the water / and the loond Line 2992 In certeyn boundes / þat they may nat flee That same Prince / and that moeuere quod he Hath stabliced / in this wrecched world adoun Certeine dayes / and duracioun Line 2996 To al / that is engendred / in this place Ouer the which day / they may nat pace Al mowe they yet / tho dayes abregge Ther nedeth / noon auctoritee to allegge Line 3000 ffor it is proued / by experience But þat me list declaren my sentence

Thanne may men wel / by this ordre discerne That thilke moeuere / stable is and eterne Line 3004 Wel may men knowe / but it be a fool That euery part . is diryued from his hool ffor nature / hath nat taken his bigynnyng Of no partie / or of cantel of a thyng Line 3008 But of a thyng . that parfit is and stable Descendynge so / til it be corrumpable And ther fore / for his wise purueiaunce He hath / so wel biset his ordinaunce Line 3012 That specis of thynges / and progressions Shullen enduren / by successions And noght eterne / with outen any lye This maistow vnderstonde / and seen at Iye Line 3016 ¶ Loo the ook / that hath so long a norisshynge [folio 40a] ffro the tyme / that it first gynneth sprynge And hath so long a lyf / as ye may see Yet at the laste / wasted is the tree Line 3020 ¶ Considreth eek / how þat the harde stoon Vnder oure foot on which we ryde and goon It wasteth / as it lyth by the weye The brode Ryuer / som tyme wexeth dreye Line 3024 The grete townes / se we wane and wende Thanne se ye / þat al this thyng hath ende Of man and womman / se we wel also That nedeth / in oon of thise termes two Line 3028 This is to seyn / in youthe / or ellis age He moot be deed / the kyng as shal a page Som in his bed / som in the depe see Som in the large feeld / as ye may se Line 3032 Ther helpeth noght al gooth that ilke weye Thanne may I seyn / þat al this thyng moot deye What maketh this? but Iuppiter the kyng That is Prince / and cause of alle thyng Line 3036 Conuertyng / al vn to his propre welle ffrom which he is diryued sooth to telle

And heer agayns / no creature on lyue Of no degree / auailleth for to stryue Line 3040 ¶ Thanne is it wisdom / as it thynketh me To maken vertu / of necessitee And take it wel / þat we may nat eschue And nameliche / that to vs alle is due Line 3044 And who so gruccheth oght he dooth folye And rebel is / to hym þat al may gye And certeinly / a man hath moost honour To dyen / in his excellence and flour Line 3048 Whan he is siker / of his goode name Thanne hath he doon / his freend ne hym no shame And gladder oghte / his freend been of his deeth Whan with honour / yolden is vp his breeth Line 3052 Than whan his name / apalled is for age ffor al forgeten is his vasselage Thanne is it best as for a worthy fame To dyen / whan he is best of name Line 3056 ¶ The contrarie of al this / is wilfulnesse Why grucchen we / why haue we heuynesse That goode Arcite / of chiualrie flour [folio 40b] Departed is / with duetee / and with honour Line 3060 Out of this foule prison / of this lyf Why gruccheth heere / his cosyn and his wyf/ Of his welfare / þat loueth hem so weel Kan he hem thank? nay good woot neuer a deel Line 3064 That bothe his soule / and eek hem self offende And yet they mowe / hir lustes nat amende ¶ What may I conclude / of this longe serye But after wo / I rede vs to be merye Line 3068 And thanken Iuppiter / of al his grace And er we / departen from this place I rede we make / of sorwes two O parfit Ioye / lastynge euere mo Line 3072 And loketh now / wher moost sorwe is her Inne Ther wol I first amenden and bigynne

¶ Suster quod he / this is my ful assent With al thauys / heer of my parlement Line 3076 That gentil Palamon / youre owene knyght That serueth yow / with wyl and herte myght And euere hath doon / syn ye first hym knewe That ye shal of youre grace vp on hym rewe Line 3080 And taken hym / for housbond and for lord Leen me youre hond / for this is oure acord Lat se now / of youre wommanly pitee He is / a kynges brother sone pardee Line 3084 And thogh he were / a poure Bachiler Syn he hath serued yow / so many a yeer And had for yow / so greet aduersitee It moste been considred / leueth me Line 3088 ffor gentil mercy / oghte to passen right ¶ Thanne seyde he thus / to Palamon the knyght I trowe / ther nedeth litel sermonyng To make yow / assente to this thyng Line 3092 Com neer / and taketh youre lady by the hond Bitwixe hem / was maad anon the bond That highte matrymoigne / or mariage By al the conseil / and the Baronage Line 3096 And thus / with alle blisse / and melodye Hath Palamon / ywedded Emelye And god / that al this world hath wroght [folio 41a] Sende hym his loue / that hath it deere aboght Line 3100 ffor now is Palamon / in alle wele Lyuynge in blisse / in richesse / and in heele And Emelye / hym loueth so tendrely And he / hir serueth so gentilly Line 3104 That was ther no word hem bitwene Of Ialousie / or any oother teene Thus endeth Palamon / and Emelye And god saue / al this faire compaignye Amen. Line 3108

¶ Here is ended the Knyghtes tale.

¶ The prologe of the Milleres tale.

WHan that the knyght hadde thus his tale ytoold In al the compaignie / nas ther yong ne oold That he ne seyde / it was a noble Storie And worthy / for to drawen to memorie Line 3112 And namely / the gentils euerichon ¶ Oure hoost lough / and swoor so moot I gon This gooth aright vnbokeled is the male Lat se now / who shal telle another tale Line 3116 ffor trewely / the game is wel bigonne Now telleth ye sire Monk / if þat ye konne Som what / to quite with the knyghtes tale ¶ The Millere / that for-dronken was a pale Line 3120 So that vnnethe / vp on his hors he sat He nolde aualen / neither hood ne hat Ne abiden no man / for his curteisye But in Pilates voys / he gan to crye Line 3124 And swoor by armes / and by blood and bones I kan a noble tale / for the nones With which / I wol now quite the knyghtes tale ¶ Oure Hoost saugh / þat he was dronke of ale Line 3128 ¶ And seyde / abyde Robyn leeue brother [folio 41b] Som bettre man / shal telle vs first another Abyde / and lat vs werken thriftily ¶ By goddes soule quod he / that wol nat I Line 3132 ffor I wol speke / or ellis go my wey ¶ Oure Hoost answerde / tel on a deuele wey Thow art a fool / thy wit is ouercome ¶ Now herkneth quod the Millere / alle and some Line 3136 But first I make a protestacioun That I am dronke / I knowe it by my sown And therfore / if þat I mysspeke / or seye Wite it / the ale of Southwerk I preye Line 3140

Line 3140 ffor I wol telle / a legende and a lyf Bothe of a Carpenter / and of his wyf How þat a clerk hath set the wrightes cappe ¶ The Reue answerde / and seyde stynt thy clappe Line 3144 Lat be / thy lewed dronken harlotrye It is a synne / and eek a greet folye To apeyren any man / or hym diffame And eek to bryngen wyues / in swich fame Line 3148 Thow mayst ynow / of othere thynges seyn ¶ This dronken Millere / spak ful soone ageyn And seyde / leeue brother Osewold Who hath no wyf / he is no Cokewold Line 3152 But I seye nat ther-fore / þat thow art oon Ther been ful goode wyues many oon . . . . . . . . . . [no gap in the MS.] Line 3156 Why artow angry / wit my tale now I haue a wyf pardee / as wel as thow Yet nolde I / for the oxen in my plough Take vp on me / moore than ynough Line 3160 As demen of my self / þat I were oon I wol bileeue wel / þat I am noon An housbonde / shal noght been Inquisityf/ Of goddes pryuetee / nor of his wyf Line 3164 So he may fynde / goddes foyson there Of the remenant nedeth noght enquere ¶ What sholde I moore seyn / but this Millere He nolde his wordes / for no man forbere But tolde his cherles tale / in his manere Me athynketh / that I shal reherce it heere And ther-fore / euery gentil wight I preye [folio 42a] Demeth noght for goddes loue / þat I seye Line 3172 Of yuel entente / but for I moot reherse Hir tales alle / be they bet or werse Or ellis falsen / som of my matere And ther-fore / who so list it noght yhere Line 3176

Line 3176 Turne ouer the leef / and chese another tale ffor he shal fynde ynowe / grete and smale Of storial thyng that toucheth gentilesse And eek moralitee / and holynesse Line 3180 Blameth noght me / if þat ye chese amys The Millere is a cherl / ye knowe wel this So was the Reue eek and othere mo And harlotrye / they tolden bothe two Line 3184 Auyseth yow / and put me out of blame And eek men shal noght maken ernest of game [[Slight break in the MS.]]

¶ Here bigynneth the Millerys tale.

Whilom ther was dwellyng at Oxenford A riche gnof that gestes heeld to bord Line 3188 And of his craft he was a Carpenter With hym ther was dwellynge a poure Scoler Hadde lerned art but al his fantasie Was turned / for to leere Astrologie Line 3192 And koude / a certeyn of conclusions To demen / by interrogacions If þat men axed hym / in certein houres Whan þat men sholde haue droghte / or ellis shoures Line 3196 Or if men axed hym / what shal bifalle Of euery thyng / I may nat rekene hem alle ¶ This clerk / was clepyd hende Nicholas Of derne loue he koude / and of solas Line 3200 And ther-to he was sleigh / and ful pryuee And lyk a mayde meke / for to see A chambre hadde he / in that hostelrie Allone / with-outen any compaignye Line 3204 fful fetisly dight / with herbes swoote And he hym self as sweete as is the roote Of lycorys / or any Cetuale [folio 42b] His Almageste / and bookes grete and smale Line 3208 His Astrelabye / longynge for his Art His Augrym stones / layen faire a part On shelues couched / at his beddes heed His presse / ycouered with a ffaldyng reed Line 3212 And al aboue / ther lay a gay Sautrye On which / he made a nyghtes melodye So swetely / þat al the chambre roong And Angelus ad virginem / he soong Line 3216 And after that he soong the kynges note fful often blissed was / his murye throte

And thus this swete clerk / his tyme spente After his freendes fyndyng and his rente Line 3220 ¶ This Carpenter / hadde wedded newe a wyf Which þat he louede / moore than his lyf Of .xviij. yeer / she was of age Ialous he was / and heeld hire narwe in Cage Line 3224 ffor she was wilde and yong / and he was old And demed hym self / been lyk a Cokewold He knew nat Caton / for his wit was rude That bad / man sholde wedde his similitude Line 3228 Men sholde wedden / after hir estaat ffor youthe and Elde / is often at debaat But sith þat he / was fallen in the snare He moste endure / as oother folk his care Line 3232 ¶ ffair was this yonge wyf / and ther with al As any wesele / hir body gent and smal A ceynt she werde / barred al of sylk/ A barmclooth / as whit as morne Mylk Line 3236 Vp on hir lendes / ful of many a goore Whit was hir smok and broyden al bifoore And eek bihynde / on hir coler aboute Of col blak silk / with-Inne and eek with-oute Line 3240 The tapes / of hir white voluper Were of the same sute / of hir coler Hir filet brood of sylk and set ful hye And sikerly / she hadde a likerous Iye Line 3244 fful smale ypulled / were hir browes two And tho were bent / and blake as is a slo She was ful moore / blisful on to see [folio 43a] Than is the newe / Pereionette tree Line 3248 And softer / than the wolle is of a wether And by hir girdel / heeng a purs of lether Tasseled with silk / and perled with latoun In al this world / to seken vp and doun Line 3252 Ther nys no man so wys / þat koude thenche So gay a Popelote / or swich a wenche

fful brighter was / the shynyng of hir hewe Than in the Tour / the noble yforged newe Line 3256 But of hir soong it was as loude and yerne As any swalwe / sittyng on a Berne Ther-to / she koude skippe / and make game As any kyde / or Calf / folwynge his dame Line 3260 Hir mouth was sweete / as Bragot or the meeth Or hoord of Apples / leyd in hey or heeth Wynsynge she was / as is a ioly Colt Loong as a Mast / and vprighte as a bolt Line 3264 A brooch she baar / vp on hir loue coler As brood / as is the boos of a Bokeler Hir shoes were laced / on hir legges hye She was a Prymerole / a piggesnye Line 3268 ffor any lord / to leggen in his bedde Or yet for any good yeman to wedde ¶ Now sire and eft sire / so bifel the cas That on a day / this hende Nicholas Line 3272 ffil with this yonge wyf / to rage and pleye Whil þat hir housbonde / was at Osneye As clerkes been / ful subtil and ful queynte And pryuely / he caughte hire by the queynte Line 3276 And seyde ywys / but if ich haue my wille ffor derne loue / of thee lemman I spille And heeld hire harde / by the haunche bones And seyde lemman / loue me al atones Line 3280 Or I wol dyen / al so god me saue And she sproong as a Colt dooth in the Traue And with hir heed / she wryed faste awey She seyde I wol nat kisse thee by my fey Line 3284 Wy lat be quod ich / lat be Nicholas Or I wol crye / out harrow and allas Do wey youre handes / for youre curteisye [folio 43b] ¶ This Nicholas / gan mercy for to crye Line 3288 And spak so faire / and profred hym so faste That she hir loue / hym graunted atte laste,

And swoor hir ooth / by Seint Thomas of Kent That she wolde been / at his comaundement Line 3292 Whan þat she may / hir leyser wel espie Myn housbonde / is so ful of Ialousie That but ye waite wel / and been pryuee I woot right wel / I nam but deed quod she Line 3296 Ye moste been ful derne / as in this cas ¶ Nay ther of / care thee noght quod Nicholas A clerc hadde lutherly / biset his while But if he koude / a Carpenter bigyle Line 3300 And thus they been acorded and y-sworn To waite a tyme / as I haue told biforn Whan Nicholas / hadde doon thus euerydel And thakked hire / vp on the lendes wel Line 3304 He kiste hir sweete / and taketh his sautrye And pleyeth faste / and maketh melodye ¶ Thanne fil it thus / þat to the parissh chirche Cristes owene werkes / for to wirche Line 3308 This goode wyf / wente on an haliday Hir forheed shoon / as bright as any day So was it wasshen / whan she leet hir werk ¶ Now was ther of that chirche a parissh clerk Line 3312 The which / þat was yclepid Absolon Crul was his heer / and as the gold it shoon And strouted as a ffanne / large and brode fful streight and euene / lay his ioly shode Line 3316 His rode was reed / hise eyen greye as goos With Poules wyndow / coruen on his shoos In hoses rede / he wente fetisly Yclad he was / ful smal and proprely Line 3320 Al in a kirtel / of a light waget fful faire and thikke / been the pointes set [[set later]] And ther vp on / he hadde a gay surplys As whit as is the blosme vp on the rys Line 3324 A murye child he was / so god me saue Wel koude he laten blood / and clippe and shaue

And maken a chartre of lond / or Aquitaunce [folio 44a] On twenty manere / koude he trippe and daunce Line 3328 After the scole / of Oxenford tho And with his legges / casten to and fro And pleyen songes / on a smal Rubible Ther-to he soong som tyme / a loud quynyble Line 3332 And as wel / koude he pleye on a gyterne In al the town / nas Brewhous ne Tauerne That he ne visited / with his solas Ther any gaylard tappestere was Line 3336 But sooth to seyn / he was som del squaymous Of fartyng / and of speche daungerous ¶ This Absolon / þat ioly was and gay Gooth with a sencer / on the haliday Line 3340 Sensynge the wyues / of the parisshe faste And many a louely look / on hem he caste And namely / on this Carpenters wyf To looke on hire / hym thoughte a murye lyf Line 3344 She was so propre and sweete and likerous I dar wel seyn / if she hadde been a Mous And he a cat he wolde hir hente anon This parisshe clerk this ioly Absolon Line 3348 Hath in his herte / swich a loue longynge That of no wyf / ne took he noon offrynge ffor curteisye / he seyde he wolde noon The Moone / whan it was nyght ful brighte shoon Line 3352 And Absolon / his gyterne / hath ytake ffor paramours / he thoghte for to wake And forth he gooth / iolyf and amorous Til he cam / to the Carpenters hous Line 3356 A litel after the cokkes hadde ycrowe And dressed hym vp / by a shot wyndowe That was / vp on the Carpenters wal He syngeth / in his voys / gentil and smal Line 3360 Now deere lady / if thy wille be I prey yow / þat ye wol rewe on me

fful wel acordant to his giternynge This Carpenter awook and herde hym synge Line 3364 And spak vn to his wyf / and seyde anon What Alison / herestow noght Absolon That chaunteth thus / vnder oure boures wal [folio 44b] ¶ And she / answerde hir housbonde / ther with al Line 3368 Yis god woot Iohn / I here it euerydel This passeth forth / what wol ye bet than wel ffro day to day / this ioly Absolon So woweth hire / þat hym is wo bigon Line 3372 He waketh al the nyght and al the day He kembed his lokkes brode / and made hym gay He woweth hire by meenes / and brocage And swoor / he wolde been hir owene page Line 3376 He syngeth brokkyng as a nyghtyngale He sente hir pyment Meeth / and spiced Ale And wafres pipyng hoot / out of the gleede And for she was of towne / he profred meede Line 3380 ffor som folk / wol be wonnen for richesse And som for strokes / and som for gentilesse [Vnde Ouidius Ictibus Agrestis.] Som tyme to shewe / his lightnesse and maistrye He pleyeth Herodes / vp on a scaffold hye Line 3384 But what auailleth hym / as in this cas She loueth so / this hende Nicholas That Absolon / may blowe the Bukkes horn He ne hadde for his labour / but a scorn Line 3388 And thus she maketh / Absolon hir Ape And al his ernest / turneth til a Iape fful sooth is this prouerbe / it is no lye Men seith right thus / alwey the neighe slye Line 3392 Maketh / the ferre leeue to be looth ffor thogh þat Absolon / be wood or wrooth By cause / þat he fer was from hir sighte This neighe Nicholas / stood in his lighte Line 3396 ¶ Now bere thee wel / thow hende Nicholas ffor Absolon / may waille / and synge allas

¶ And so bifel it on a Saterday This Carpenter / was goon til Osenay Line 3400 And hende Nicholas / and Alison Acorded been / to this conclusion That Nicholas / shal shapen hem a wile This sely Ialous housbonde / to bigile Line 3404 And if so be / this game wente aright She sholde slepen / in his arm al nyght ffor this was hir desir / and his also [folio 45a] And right anoon / with-outen wordes mo Line 3408 This Nicholas / no lenger wolde tarie But dooth ful softe / vn to his chambre carie Bothe mete and drynke / for a day or tweye And to hir housbonde / bad hir for to seye Line 3412 If þat he axed / after Nicholas She sholde seye / she nyste wher he was Of al that day / she seigh hym nought with Iye She trowed / þat he was in maladye Line 3416 ffor / for no cry / hir mayde koude hym calle He nolde answere / for no thyng þat myghte falle ¶ This passeth forth / al thilke Saterday That Nicholas / stille in his chambre lay Line 3420 And eet and sleepe / or dide what hym leste Til Sonday / þat sonne gooth to reste ¶ This sely Carpenter / hath greet meruaille Of Nicholas / or what thyng myghte hym aille Line 3424 And seyde / I am adrad / by Seint Thomas It stondeth nat aright with Nicholas God shilde / þat he deyde sodeynly This world is now / ful tikel sikerly Line 3428 I seigh to day a corps / born to chirche That now a monday last I seigh hym wirche Go vp quod he / vn to his knaue anoon Clepe at his dore / or knokke with a stoon Line 3432 Looke how it is / and tel me boldely ¶ This knaue gooth hym vp / ful sturdily

And at the chambre dore / whil þat he stood He cryde and knokked / as þat he were wood Line 3436 What how / what do ye maister Nicholay How may ye slepen / al the longe day But al for noght he herde nat a word An hole he foond / ful lowe vp on a bord Line 3440 Ther as the Cat / was wont In for to crepe And at that hole / he looked In ful depe And atte laste / he hadde of hym a sighte ¶ This Nicholas / sat euere capyng vp-righte Line 3444 As he hadde kiked / on the newe moone Adown he gooth / and tolde his maister soone In what array / he saw this ilke man [folio 45b] ¶ This Carpenter / to blessen hym bigan Line 3448 And seyde / help vs seinte ffrideswyde A man woot litel / what hym shal bityde This man is falle / with his Astromye In som woodnesse / or in som Agonye Line 3452 I thoghte ay wel / how þat it sholde be Men sholde noght knowe / of goddes priuetee Ye blissed be alwey / a lewed man That noght but oonly his bileue kan Line 3456 So ferde another clerk with Astromye He walked in the feeldes / for to prye Vp on the sterres / what ther sholde bifalle Til he was / in a Marle pit yfalle Line 3460 He saw nat that but yet by Seint Thomas Me reweth sore / for hende Nicholas He shal be rated / of his studiyng If þat I may / by Ihesus heuene kyng Line 3464 Get me a staf / þat I may vnder-spore Whil þat thow Robyn / heuest vp the dore He shal out of his studyyng as I gesse And to the chambre dore / he gan hym dresse Line 3468 His knaue / was a strong carl / for the nones And by the haspe / he haaf it vp atones

In to the floor / the dore fil anoon This Nicholas / sat ay as stille as stoon Line 3472 And euere caped vp / in to the Eyr This Carpenter / wende he were in despeyr And hente hym / by the sholdres myghtily And shook hym harde / and cryde spitously Line 3476 What Nicholay / what how looke adoun Awake / and thenk on Cristes passioun I crouche thee / from Elues and fro wightes Ther-with the nyght spel / seyde he anon rightes Line 3480 On foure halues / of the hous aboute And on the thresshfold / on the dore with-oute Ihesu crist and Seint Benedight Blesse this hous / from euery wikked wight Line 3484 ffor the nyghtesuerye / the white Pater noster Where wentestow / seinte Petres suster And at the laste / this hende Nicholas [folio 46a] Gan for to sike soore / and seyde allas Line 3488 Shal al the world / be lost eft soones now ¶ This Carpenter answerde / what seistow What thenk / on god / as we doon men þat swynke ¶ This Nicholas answerde / fecche me drynke Line 3492 And after / wol I speke in pryuetee Of certein thyng / þat toucheth me and thee I wol telle it / noon oother man certayn ¶ This Carpenter gooth doun / and comth agayn Line 3496 And broghte of myghty ale / a large quart And whan þat eech of hem / hadde dronke his part This Nicholas / his dore faste shette And doun the Carpenter / by hym he sette Line 3500 And seyde / Iohn / myn hoost lief and deere Thou shalt vp on thy trouthe / swere me heere That to no wight thou shalt this conseil wreye ffor it is cristes conseil / that I seye Line 3504 And if thou telle it man thou art forlore ffor this vengeaunce / thow shalt haue ther fore

That if thow wreye me / thow shalt be wood ¶ Nay Crist forbede it / for his holy blood Line 3508 Quod tho this sely man / I nam no labbe And thogh I seye / I nam nat lief to gabbe Sey what thow wolt I shal it neuere telle To child ne wyf / by hym that harwed helle Line 3512 ¶ Now Iohn quod Nicholas / I wol noght lye I haue yfounde / in myn Astrologye As I haue looked / in the moone bright That now a monday next at quarter nyght Line 3516 Shal falle a reyn / and that so wilde and wood That half so greet was neuere Nowels flood This world he seyde / in lasse than in an hour Shal al be dreynt so hidous is the shour Line 3520 Thus shal man-kynde drenche / and lese hir lyf ¶ This Carpenter answerde / allas my wyf And shal she drenche / allas myn Alisoun ffor sorwe of this / he fil almoost adoun Line 3524 And seyde / is ther no remedie in this cas ¶ Why yis for gode / quod hende Nicholas If thow wolt werken / after loore and reed [folio 46b] Thow mayst noght werken / after thyn owene heed Line 3528 ffor thus seith Salomon / þat was ful trewe Werk al by conseil / and thow shalt noght rewe And if thow werken wolt by good consayl I vndertake / with-outen mast or sayl Line 3532 Yit shal I saue hire / and thee and me Hastow nat herd / how saued was Noe Whan þat oure lord / hadde warned hym biforn That al the world / with water sholde be lorn Line 3536 ¶ Yis quod this Carpenter / ful yore ago ¶ Hastow nat herd / quod Nicholas also The sorwe of Noe / with his felaweshipe Er þat he myghte / gete his wyf to shipe Line 3540 Hym hadde leuere / I dar wel vndertake At thilke tyme / than alle hise wetheres blake

That she hadde had a shipe / hir self allone And ther-fore / wostow what is best to done Line 3544 This axeth haste / and of any hastyf thyng Men may noght preche / or maken tariyng Anoon go gete vs faste / in to this In A knedyng trogh / or ellis a kymelyn Line 3548 ffor eech of vs / but looke þat they be large In whiche we mowen swymme / as in a barge And han ther-Inne / vitaille suffisaunt But for a day / fy on the remenaunt Line 3552 The water shal aslake / and goon away Aboute pryme / vp on the nexte day But Robyn may nat wite of this / thy knaue Ne eek thy mayde Gille / I may nat saue Line 3556 Axe noght why / for thogh thou axe me I wol noght tellen goddes pryuetee Suffiseth thee / but if thy wittes madde To han as greet a grace / as Noe hadde Line 3560 Thy wif shal I wel sauen / out of doute Go now thy wey / and speed thee heer aboute But whan thou hast / for hire and thee and me Ygeten vs / thise knedyng tubbes thre Line 3564 Thanne shaltow hangen hem / in the roof ful hye That no man / of oure purueiance espye And whan thow thus hast doon / as I haue seyd [folio 47a] And hast oure vitaille / faire in hem yleyd Line 3568 And eek an Ax / to smyte the corde atwo Whan þat the water cometh / þat we may go And breke an hole / an heigh vp on the gable Vn to the gardynward / ouer the stable Line 3572 That we may frely / passen forth oure wey Whan þat the grete shour / is goon awey Thanne shaltow swymme / as murye I vndertake As dooth the white doke / after his drake Line 3576 Thanne woltow clepe / how Alison / how Iohn Be murye / for the flood wol passe anon

And thou wolt seyn / hail maister Nicholay Good morwe / I see thee wel / for it is day Line 3580 And thanne shal we be lordes al oure lyf/ Of al the world / as Noe and his wyf/ But of o thyng / I warne thee ful right Be wel auysed / on that ilke nyght Line 3584 That we been entred / in to shippes bord That noon of vs / ne speke noght a word Ne clepe ne crye / but been in his prayere ffor it is / goddes owene heste deere Line 3588 Thy wyf and thow / mote hange fer atwynne ffor þat bitwix yow / shal be no synne Namoore in lookyng / than ther shal in dede This ordinaunce is seyd / go god thee spede Line 3592 Tomorwe at nyght whan men been alle aslepe In to oure knedyng tubbes / wol we crepe And sitten there / abidyng goddes grace Go now thy wey / I haue no lenger space Line 3596 To make of this / no lenger sermonyng Men seyn thus / seend the wise and sey no thyng Thow art so wys / it nedeth thee nat teche Go saue oure lyf and that I thee biseche Line 3600 ¶ This sely Carpenter / gooth forth his wey fful ofte he seyde / allas and weylaway And to his wyf / he tolde his priuetee And she was war / and knew it bet than he Line 3604 What al this queynte cast was for to seye But nathelees / she ferde as she wolde deye And seyde allas / go forth thy wey anon [folio 47b] Help vs to scape / or we been dede echon Line 3608 I am thy trewe / verray wedded wyf Go deere spouse / and help to saue oure lyf ¶ Lo which a greet thyng / is affeccion Men may dyen / of ymaginacion Line 3612 So depe / may impression be take This sely Carpenter / bigynneth quake

Hym thynketh verrailiche / þat he may se Noes flood / come walwyng as the see Line 3616 To drenchen Alison / his hony deere He wepeth / waileth / maketh sory cheere He siketh / with ful many a sory swogh And gooth / and geteth hym a knedyng trogh Line 3620 And after / a tubbe and a kymelyn And pryuely / he sente hem to his In And heeng hem / in the roof in priuetee His owene hand / he made laddres thre Line 3624 To clymben / by the ronges and the stalkes Vn to the tubbes / hangyng in the balkes And hem vitailed / bothe trogh and tubbe With breed and chese / and good ale in a Iubbe Line 3628 Suffisynge right ynogh / as for a day But er þat he hadde maad / al this array He sente his knaue and / eek his wenche also Vp on his nede / to london for to go Line 3632 And on the monday / whan it drogh to nyght He shette his dore / with-outen candel lyght And dressed alle thyng as it sholde be And shortly / vp they clomben alle thre Line 3636 They seten stille / wel a furlong way Now Pater noster / clom seyde Nicholay And clum quod Iohn / and clum seyde Alison This Carpenter / seyde his deuocion Line 3640 And stille he sit and biddeth his prayere Awaitynge on the reyn / if he it heere ¶ The dede sleepe / for wery bisynesse ffil on this Carpenter / right as I gesse Line 3644 Aboute corfew tyme / or litel moore ffor trauaillyng of his goost he groneth soore And eft he routeth / for his heed myslay [folio 48a] ¶ Doun of the laddre / stalketh Nicholay Line 3648 And Alison / ful softe adoun she spedde With-outen wordes mo / they goon to bedde

Ther as the Carpenter / is wont to lye Ther was the reuel / and the melodye Line 3652 And thus lyth Alison / and Nicholas In busynesse of myrthe / and in solas Til that the belle of laudees / gan to rynge And freres in the chauncel / gonne synge Line 3656 ¶ This parissh clerk this amorous Absolon That is for loue / alwey so wo bigon Vp on the monday / was at Osneye With compaignye / hym to disporte and pleye Line 3660 And axed vp on caas / a Cloistrer fful pryuely / after Iohn the Carpenter And he drogh hym a part out of the cherche And seyde I noot I saugh hym here noght werche Line 3664 Sith Saterday / I trowe þat he be went ffor tymber / ther oure Abbot hath hym sent ffor he is wont for tymber for to go And dwellen atte graunge / a day or two Line 3668 Or ellis / he is at his hous certeyn Where þat he be / I kan noght soothly seyn ¶ This Absolon / ful iolyf was and lyght And thoghte / now is tyme to wake al nyght Line 3672 ffor sikerly / I saugh hym noght stirynge Aboute his dore / syn day bigan to sprynge So mote I thryue / I shal at Cokkes crowe fful priuely / knokken at hys wyndowe Line 3676 That stant ful lowe / vp on his boures wal To Alison / now wol I tellen al My loue longyng . for yit I shal nat mysse That at the leeste wey / I shal hir kisse Line 3680 Som manere confort / shal I haue parfay My mouth hath icched / al this longe day That is a signe of kissyng at the leeste Al nyght me mette eek / I was at a feeste Line 3684 Ther-fore I wol go slepe / an houre or tweye And al the nyght than wol I wake and pleye

¶ Whan þat the firste cok hath crowe anon [folio 48b] Vp rist / this ioly louere Absolon Line 3688 And hym arrayeth gay / at point deuys But first / he cheweth grayn and likorys To smellen swete / er he hadde kembd his heer Vnder his tonge / a trewe loue he beer Line 3692 ffor ther by / wende he to be gracious He rometh / to the Carpenters hous And stille he stant vnder the shot wyndowe Vn to his brest it raughte / it was so lowe Line 3696 And ofte he cogheth / with a semy sown What do ye hony comb / swete Alisoun My faire bryd / my swete cynamone Awaketh lemman myn / and speketh to me Line 3700 Wel litel thynken ye / vp on my wo That for youre loue / I swete ther I go No wonder is / thogh þat I swelte and swete I moorne / as dooth a lamb / after the tete Line 3704 Ywis lemman / I haue swich loue longyng That lyk a turtle trewe / is my moornyng I may nat ete / namoore than a mayde ¶ Go fro the wyndow / Iakke fool she sayde Line 3708 As help me god / it wol nat be com pa me I loue another / and ellis I were to blame Wel bet than thee / by Ihesu Absolon Go forth thy wey / or I wol caste a stoon Line 3712 And lat me slepe / a twenty deuele wey ¶ Allas quod Absolon / and weilawey That trewe loue / was euere so yuel biset Thanne kys me / syn þat it may be no bet Line 3716 ffor Ihesus loue / and for the loue of me ¶ Woltow thanne / go thy wey ther-with quod she ¶ Ye certes lemman / quod this Absolon ¶ Thanne make thee redy quod she / I come anon Line 3720 . . . . . . . . . . [no gap in the MS.] ] ¶ This Absolon / doun sette hym on his knees

And seyde / I am a lord / at alle degrees Line 3724 ffor after this / I hope ther cometh moore Lemman thy grace / and swete bryd thyn oore ¶ The wyndow she vndooth / and that in haste Haue do quod she / com of and speed thee faste Line 3728 Lest þat oure neghebores / thee espye [folio 49a] ¶ This Absolon / gan wipe his mouth ful drye Derk was the nyght as pych / or as the cole And at the wyndow / out she putte hir hole Line 3732 And Absolon / hym fil no bet ne wers But with his mouth / he kiste hir naked ers [. Nota malum quid] fful sauourly / er he were war of this Abak he sterte / and thoghte it was amys Line 3736 ffor wel he wiste / a womman hath no berd He felte a thyng al rogh / and longe y-herd And seyde fy allas / what haue I do ¶ Te hee quod she / and clapte the wyndow to Line 3740 And Absolon / gooth forth a sory paas ¶ A berd / a berd / quod hende Nicholas By goddes corpus / this gooth faire and wel ¶ This sely Absolon / herde euery del Line 3744 And on his lippe / he gan for anger byte And to hym self / he seyde I shal thee quyte ¶ Who rubbeth now / who froteth now his lippes With dust with sond / with straw / with clooth / with chippes But Absolon / þat seith ful ofte allas My soule / bitake vn to Sathanas But me were leuere / than al this town quod he Of this despit awreken for to be Line 3752 Allas quod he / allas I ne hadde ybleynt His hote loue was coold / and al yqueynt ffor fro that tyme / þat he hadde kist hir ers Of paramours / he sette noght a kers Line 3756 ffor he was heelyd / of his maladye fful ofte paramours / he gan defye And weep / as dooth a child þat is ybete A softe paas / he went ouer the strete Line 3760

Line 3760 Vn til a smyth / men clepen daun Gerueys That in his forge / smythed plogh harneys He sharpeth shaar / and cultour bisily This Absolon / knokketh al esily Line 3764 And seyde / vndo Gerueys and that anoon ¶ What who artow?/ it am I Absolon What Absolon / what Cristes swete tree Why rise ye so rathe / ey benedicitee Line 3768 What eyleth yow / som gay gerl / god it woot [folio 49b] Hath broght yow thus / vp on the viritoot By Seinte note / ye woot wel what I mene ¶ This Absolon / ne roghte nat a bene Line 3772 Of al his pley / no word agayn he yaf He hadde moore tow / on his dystaf Than Gerueys knew / and seyde freend so deere That hoote cultour / in the chymenee heere Line 3776 As lene it me / I haue ther-with to doone I wol brynge it thee / agayn ful soone ¶ Gerueys answerde / certes were it gold Or in a poke / nobles al vntold Line 3780 Thow sholdest haue / as I am trewe Smyth Ey Cristes foo / what wol ye do ther-with ¶ Ther-of quod Absolon / be as be may I shal wel telle it thee / another day Line 3784 And caughte the cultour / by the colde stele fful softe / out at the dore he gan to stele And wente / vn to the Carpenters wal He cogheth first and knokketh ther with al Line 3788 Vp on the wyndow / right as he dide er ¶ This Alison answerde / Who is ther? That knokketh so / I warante it a theef ¶ Wy nay quod he god woot my swete lief Line 3792 I am thyn Absolon / my derelyng Of gold quod he / I haue thee broght a ryng My moder yaf it me / so god me saue fful fyn it is / and ther-to wel ygraue Line 3796

Line 3796 This wol I yeuen thee / if thow me kisse ¶ This Nicholas / was risen for to pisse And thoghte / he wolde amenden al the Iape He sholde kisse his ers / er þat he scape Line 3800 And vp the wyndow / dide he hastely And out his ers / he putteth pryuely Ouer the buttok / to the haunche bon ¶ And ther-with / spak this clerk this Absolon Line 3804 Spek swete herte / I noot noght wher thow art This Nicholas / anoon leet fle a fart As greet as it hadde been a thonder dent That with the strook he was almoost yblent Line 3808 And he was redy / with his Iren hoot [folio 50a] And Nicholas / in the ers he smoot Of gooth the skyn / an handbrede aboute The hoote cultour / brende so his toute Line 3812 That for the smert he wende for to dye As he were wood / for wo he gan to crye Help water / water / help for goddes herte ¶ This Carpenter / out of his slomber sterte Line 3816 And herde oon cryen water / as he were wood And thoghte allas / now cometh Nowelys flood He sette hym vp / with-oute wordes mo And with his ax / he smoot the corde atwo Line 3820 And down gooth al / he foond neither to selle Ne breed ne ale / til he cam to the Celle Vp on the floor / and there aswowne he lay ¶ Vp stirte hire / Alison and Nicholay Line 3824 And cryden out and harrow / in the Strete The neghebores / bothe smale and grete In ronnen / for to gauren on this man That aswowne lay / bothe pale and wan Line 3828 ffor with the fal / he brosten hadde his arm But stonde he moste / vn to his owene harm ffor whan he spak / he was anon bore doun With hende Nicholas and Alisoun Line 3832

Line 3832 They tolden euery man / þat he was wood He was agast so / of Nowelys flood Thurgh fantasie / þat of his vanytee He hadde yboght hym / knedyng tubbes thre Line 3836 And hadde hem hanged / in the roof aboue And þat he preyde hem / for goddes loue To sitten in the roof / par compaignye ¶ The folk gan laughen / at his fantasye Line 3840 In to the roof / they kiken and they cape And turned al his harm / vn to a Iape ffor what so / þat this Carpenter answerde It was for noght no man his reson herde Line 3844 With othes grete / he was so sworn adoun That he was holden wood / in al the toun ffor euery clerk / anon right heeld with oother They seyde / the man was wood / my leeue brother Line 3848 And euery wight gan laughen at this stryf [folio 50b] Thus swyued / was the Carpenters wyf ffor al his kepyng and his Ialousye And Absolon / hath kist hir nether Iye Line 3852 And Nicholas / is scalded in the toute This tale is doon / and god saue al the route

. ¶ Here is ended / the Millerys tale. [[No gap in the MS.]]

. ¶ The prologe / of the Reues tale

WHan folk hadde laughen / at this nyce cas Of Absolon / and hende Nicholas Line 3856 Diuerse folk / diuersely they seyde But for the moore part they lowe and pleyde Ne at his tale I seigh no man hym greue But it were oonly / Osewold the Reue Line 3860 By-cause he was / of Carpenters craft A litel Ire / is in his herte ylaft He gan to grucche / and blamed it a lite So the ik quod he / ful wel koude I thee quyte Line 3864 With bleryng of a proud Millerys Iye If þat me liste / speke of rybaudye But ik am oold / me list no pleye for age Gras tyme is doon / my fodder is now forage Line 3868 This white tope / writeth myne olde yerys Myn herte / is also mowled / as myne herys But if ik fare / as dooth an Openers That ilke fruyt is euer lenger the wers Line 3872 Til it be roten / in Mollok / or in stree We olde men / I drede so fare we Til we be roten / kan we noght be rype We hoppe alwey / whil þat the world wol pipe Line 3876 ffor in oure wil / ther stiketh ever a nayl To haue an hoor heer / and a grene tayl As hath a leek / for thogh oure myght be goon Oure wil desireth folie / euere in oon Line 3880 ffor whan we may noght doon / than wol we speke Yet in oure asshen olde / is fyr yreke ffoure gleedes haue we / whiche I shal deuyse [folio 51a] Auauntyng lyyng Anger Coueitise Line 3884 Thise foure sparkles / longen vn to eelde Oure lymes / mowe wel been vnweelde

But wil ne shal noght faillen / that is sooth And yet I haue alwey / a coltes tooth Line 3888 As many a yeer / as it is passed henne Syn þat my tappe of lyf / bigan to renne ffor sikerlik whan ik was bore anon Deeth drogh the tappe of lyf / and leet it goon Line 3892 And euere sith / hath so the tappe yronne Til þat almoost / al empty is the tonne The streem of lyf / now droppeth on the chymbe The sely tonge / may wel rynge and chymbe Line 3896 Of wrecchednesse / þat passed is ful yoore With olde folk / saue dotage is namoore ¶ Whan þat oure hoost hadde herd this sermonyng He gan to speke / as lordly as a kyng Line 3900 He seyde / what amounteth al this wit What shal we speke al day / of holy writ The deuel made / a Reue for to preche Or of a Soutere / a Shipman / or a leche Line 3904 Sey forth thy tale / and tarie noght the tyme Lo Depeford / and it is half wey pryme Lo Grenewych / ther many a sherewe is Inne It were al tyme / thy tale to bigynne Line 3908 ¶ Now sires / quod this Osewold the Reue I pray yow alle / þat ye noght yow greue Thogh I answere / and som del sette his howue ffor leueful is / with force / force of showue Line 3912 This dronken Myllere / hath ytoold vs heer How þat / bigiled was a Carpenter Perauenture in scorn / for I am oon And by youre leue / I shal hym quyte anon Line 3916 Right / in his cherles termes / wol I speke I pray to god / his nekke mote to-breke He kan wel / in myn eye / seen a stalke But in his owene / he kan noght seen a balke [[No gap in the MS.]] Line 3920

Line 3920

AT Trompyngton / nat fer fro Cantebrygge [Narratio] Ther gooth a brook / and ouer that a brygge Vp on the which brook / ther stant a Melle [folio 51b] And this is verray soothe / þat I yow telle Line 3924 A Millere was ther dwellyng many a day As any Pecok he was proud and gay Pipen he koude / and fisshe / and nettes beete And torne coppes / and wel wrastle and sheete Line 3928 And by his belt he baar a long Panade And of a swerd / ful trenchaunt was the blade A ioly poppere / baar he in his pouche Ther was no man / for peril dorste hym touche Line 3932 A Sheffeld thwitel / baar he in his hose Round was his face / and camuse was his nose As piled as an Ape / was his skulle He was a Market betere / atte fulle Line 3936 Ther dorste no wight hand vp on hym legge That he ne swoor / he sholde anon abegge A theef he was for sothe / of corn and mele And þat a sleigh / and vsant for to stele Line 3940 His name was hoten / deynous Symkyn A wif he hadde / comen of noble kyn The person of the toun / hir fader was With hire he yaf / ful many a panne a bras Line 3944 ffor þat Symkyn / sholde in his blood allye She was yfostred / in a Nonnerye ffor Symkyn / wolde no wyf as he sayde But she were wel ynorissed and a mayde Line 3948 To sauen / his estaat of yemanrye And she was proud / and peert as is a pye A ful fair sighte / was it vp on hem two On halidayes / biforn hire wolde he go Line 3952

Line 3952 With his tipet wounden aboute his heed And she cam after / in a gyte of reed And Symkyn / hadde hosen of the same Ther dorste no wight clepen hire but dame Line 3956 Was noon so hardy / þat wente by the weye That with hire / dorste rage / or ones pleye But if he / wolde be slayn of Symkyn With panade / or with knyf or boydekyn Line 3960 ffor Ialous folk / been perilouse eueremo Algate / they wolde hir wyues wenden so And eek / for she was som del smoterlich [folio 52a] She was as diyne / as water in a dich Line 3964 And ful of hoker / and of bismare Hir thoghte / þat a lady sholde hir spare What for hir kynrede / and hir nortelrye That she hadde lerned / in the Nonnerye Line 3968 A doghter hadde they / bitwix hem two Of twenty yeer / with outen any mo Sauyng a child / þat was of hal[f] yeer age In Cradel it lay and was a propre page Line 3972 This wenche / thikke and wel ygrowen was With camuse nose / and eyen greye as glas With buttokes brode / and brestes rounde and hye But right fair was hir heer / I wol nat lye Line 3976 ¶ The person of the toun / for she was so feir In purpos was / to maken hire his heir Bothe of his catel / and his Mesuage. And straunge he made it of hir mariage Line 3980 His purpos was / for to bistowe hir hye In to som worthy blood of Auncetrye ffor holicherches good / moot been despended On holicherches blood / þat is descended Line 3984 Ther-fore he wolde his holy blood honoure Thogh þat he / holy chirche sholde deuoure ¶ Greet sokne / hath this Millere out of doute With whete and malt of al the lande aboute Line 3988

Line 3988 And nameliche / ther was a greet Collegge Men clepeth / the soler halle of Cantebregge Ther was hir whete / and eek hir malt ygrounde And on a day / it happed in a stounde Line 3992 Syk was this maunciple / on a maladie Men wenden wisly / þat he sholde dye ffor which this Millere / stal bothe mele and corn An hondred tyme / moore than biforn Line 3996 ffor ther biforn / he stal but curteisly But now / he was a theef outrageously ffor which the wardeyn / chidde and made fare But ther-of / sette the Millere noght a tare Line 4000 He craked boost / and swoor it was noght so Thanne were ther / yonge poure scolers two That dwelten in the halle / of which I seye [folio 52b] Testyf they were / and lusty for to pleye Line 4004 And oonly / for hir myrthe and reuerye Vp on the wardeyn / bisily they crye To yeue hem leue / but a litel stounde To go to Mille / and seen hir corn ygrounde Line 4008 And hardily / they dorste leye hir nekke The Millere / sholde noght stelen hem half a pekke Of corn by sleighte / ne by force hem reue And atte laste / the wardeyn yaf hem leue Line 4012 Iohn highte that oon / and Aleyn highte that oother Of oon town were they born / þat highte Strother ffer in the North / I kan noght telle where This Aleyn / maketh redy al his gere Line 4016 And on an hors / the sak he caste anon fforth gooth Aleyn the clerk/. and also Iohn With good swerd / and with bokeler by his syde Iohn knew the wey / hym neded no gyde Line 4020 And at the Mille / the sak adoun he layth ¶ Aleyn spak first al hayl Symkyn in fayth How fares thy faire doghter / and thy wyf ¶ Aleyn wel come / quod Symkyn by my lyf Line 4024

Line 4024 And Iohn also / how now / what do ye here ¶ By god quod Iohn·/ Symond nede has na peere Hym bihoues serue hym self / þat has na swayn Or ellis / he is a fool / as clerkes sayn Line 4028 Oure maunciple / I hope he wol be deed Swa werkes ay / the wanges in his heed And ther-fore is I come / and eek Alayn To grynde oure corn / and carie it heem agayn Line 4032 I pray yow / speed vs heythen / what ye may ¶ It shal be doon / quod Symkyn by my fay What wol ye doon / whil þat it is in hande By god / right by the hoper / wol I stande Line 4036 Quod Iohn / and se how the corn gas In Yet saw I neuere / by my fader kyn How þat the hoper / wagges til and fra ¶ Aleyn answerde / Iohan wiltow swa Line 4040 Thanne wol I be byneth / by my crown And se / how þat the mele falles down In to the trogh / that sal be my desport [folio 53a] ffor Iohn in faith / I may been of youre sort Line 4044 I is as ille a Millere / as ar ye ¶ This Millere / smyled of hir nycetee And thoghte / al this nys doon / but for a wyle They wene / þat no man may hem bigile Line 4048 But by my thrift / yet shal I blere hir Iye ffor al the sleighte / in hir Phislophye The moore queynte crekys / þat they make The moore wol I stele / whan I take Line 4052 In stede of flour / yet wol I yeue hem bren The grettest clerkes / been noght the wisest men As whilom to the wolf thus spak the mare Of al hir art counte I noght a tare Line 4056 Out of the dore / he gooth ful pryuely Whan þat he saugh his tyme / softely He looketh vp and doun / til he hath founde The clerkes hors / ther as it stood ybounde Line 4060

Line 4060 Bihynde the Mille / vnder a leefsel And to the hors / he gooth hym faire and wel He strepeth of the bridel / right anon And whan the hors was laus / he gynneth gon Line 4064 Toward the fen / ther wilde mares renne And forth with wehe / thurgh thikke and thenne This Millere gooth ayein / no word he seyde But dooth his note / and with the clerkes pleyde Line 4068 Til þat hir corn / was faire and wel ygrounde And whan the mele / was sakked and ybounde ¶ This Iohn gooth out and fynt his hors away And gan to crye / harrow and weilaway Line 4072 Oure hors is lost. Alayn for goddes banes Step on thy feet / com of man al atanes Allas oure wardeyn / has his palfrey lorn ¶ This Alayn al forgat bothe mele and corn Line 4076 Al was out of his mynde / his housbondrye What whilk wey is he gane / he gan to crye ¶ The wyf cam lepyng Inward with a ren She seyde allas / youre hors gooth to the fen Line 4080 With wilde mares / as faste as he may go Vnthank come on his hand / þat boond hym so And he þat bettre / sholde haue knyt the reyne [folio 53b] ¶ Allas quod Iohn / Aleyn for Cristes peyne Line 4084 Lay doun thy swerd / and I wol myn alswa I is ful wight / God waat as is a ra By god hert he sal nat scape vs bathe Why ne had thow / pit the capil in the lathe Line 4088 Il hail / by god Alayn / thow is a fonne ¶ This sely clerkes / haan ful faste yronne Toward the fen / bothe Alayn and eek Iohn And whan the Millere seigh / þat they were gon Line 4092 He half a busshel / of hir flour hath take And bad his wyf / go knede it in a cake He seyde I trowe / the clerkes were aferd Yet kan a Millere / maken a clerkes berd Line 4096

Line 4096 ffor al his art ye lat hem goon hir weye Lo where he gooth / ye lat the children pleye They gete hym noght so lightly / by my croun ¶ Thise sely clerkes / rennen vp and doun Line 4100 With keep / keep / stand / stand / Iossa warderere Ga whistle thow / and I sal kepe hym heere But shortly / til þat it was verray nyght They koude noght thogh they dide al hir myght Line 4104 Hir capyl cacche / he ran alwey so faste Til in a dych / they caughte hym at the laste ¶ Wery and weet as beest is in the reyn Comth sely Iohn / and with hym comth Aleyn Line 4108 Allas quod Iohn / the day þat I was born Now ar we dryuen / til hethyng and til scorn Oure corn is stole / men wil vs foolis calle Bothe the wardeyn / and oure felawes alle Line 4112 And namely the Millere / weilawey ¶ Thus pleyneth Iohn / as he gooth by the wey Toward the Mille / and Bayard in his hond The Millere / sittyng by the fyr he fond Line 4116 ffor it was nyght and ferther myghte they noght But for the loue of god / they hym bisoght Of herberwe and of ese / as for hir peny ¶ The Millere seide agayn / if ther be eny Line 4120 Swich as it is / yet shal ye haue youre part Myn hous is streyt but ye han lerned art Ye kan by argumentz / make a place [folio 54a] A myle brood / of twenty foot of space Line 4124 Lat se now / if this place may suffise Or make it rowm with speche / as is youre gyse ¶ Now Symond seyde this Iohn / by seint Cutberd Ay is thou myrie / and that is faire answerd Line 4128 I haue herd seye / men sal tak of twa thynges Swilk as he fyndes / or tak swilk as he brynges But specialy / I pray thee hoost deere Get vs som mete and drynke / and make vs cheere Line 4132

Line 4132 And we wol payen / trewely atte fulle With empty hand / men may none haukes tulle Lo heere oure siluer / redy for to spende ¶ This Millere in to town / his doghter sende Line 4136 ffor ale and breed / and rosted hem a goos And boond hir hors / it sholde namoore go loos And in his owene chambre / hem made a bed With shetes and with chalons / faire yspred Line 4140 Noght from his owene bed / but ten foot or twelue His doghter hadde a bed / al by hir selue Right in the same chambre by and by It myghte be no bet and cause why Line 4144 Ther was no rowmer herberwe / in the place They soupen / and they speken / hem to solace And drynken euere stroong ale / at the beste Aboute mydnyght / wente they to reste Line 4148 Wel hath this Millere / vernysshed his heed fful pale he was for-dronke / and noght reed He yexeth / and he speketh thurgh the nose As he were / on the quakke / or on the pose Line 4152 To bedde he goth / and with hym goth his wyf As any Iay / she light was and iolyf So was hir ioly whistle / wel ywet The Cradel / at hir beddes feet is set Line 4156 To rokken / and to yeue the child to sowke And whan þat dronken / al was in the Crowke To bedde wente / the doghter right anon To bedde gooth Aleyn / and also Iohn Line 4160 Ther nas namoore / hem neded no dwale This Millere / hath so wisly bibbed ale That as an hors / he snorteth in his sleepe [folio 54b] Ne of his tayl bihynde / he took no keepe Line 4164 His wyf bar hym / a burdon / a ful strong Men myghten hir routyng heren a furlong The wenche / routeth eek par compaignye ¶ Aleyn the clerc that herde this melodye Line 4168

Line 4168 He poked Iohn / and seyde slepestow Herd thow euere / slyk a sang er now Lo swilk a conplyng / is ymel hem alle A wilde fyr / on thair bodyes falle Line 4172 Wha herkned euere / swilk a ferly thyng Ye they sal haue / the flour of il endyng This lang night ther tydes me na reste But yet na force / al sal be for the beste Line 4176 ffor Iohn seyde he / als euere moot I thryue If þat I may / yon wenche wol I swyue Som esement / has lawe shapen vs ffor Iohn / ther is a lawe / þat says thus Line 4180 That gif a man / in a point be agreued That in another / he sal be releued Oure corn is stoln / soothly it is na nay And we han had / an ille fit to day Line 4184 And syn I sal / haue naan amendement Agayn my los / I wil haue esement By goddes saule / it sal naan other be ¶ This Iohn answerde / Aleyn auyse thee Line 4188 The Millere / is a perilous man he sayde And if þat he / out of his sleep abrayde He mighte doon vs bathe / a vileynye ¶ Aleyn answerde / I counte hym noght a flye Line 4192 And vp he rist / and by the wenche he crepte This wenche lay vp righte / and faste slepte Til he so neigh was / er she myghte aspie That it hadde been / to late for to crie Line 4196 And shortly for to seyn / they were at oon Now pley Aleyn / for I wol speke of Iohn ¶ This Iohn lith stille / a furlang wey or two And to hym self he maketh routhe and wo Line 4200 Allas quod he / this is a wikked Iape Now may I seyn / þat I is but an ape Yet has my felawe / som what for his harm [folio 55a] He has the Milleris doghter / in his arm Line 4204

Line 4204 He auntred hym / and has his nedes sped And I lye / as a draf sak / in my bed And whan this iape / is told another day I sal ben halden / a daf a Cokenay Line 4208 I wil arise and auntre it by my fayth Vnhardy is vnsely / thus men sayth ¶ And vp he roos / and softely he wente Vn to the Cradel / and in his hand it hente Line 4212 And baar it softe / vn to his beddes feet Soone after this / the wyf hir routynt leet And gan awake / and wente hir out to pisse And cam agayn / and gan hir Cradel mysse Line 4216 And groped heer and ther / but she foond noon Allas quod she / I hadde almoost mysgoon I hadde almoost goon to the clerkes bed Ey benedicite / thanne had I foule ysped Line 4220 And forth she gooth / til she the Cradel fond She gropeth alwey / forther with hir hond And foond the bed / and thoghte noght but good By cause / þat the Cradel by it stood Line 4224 And nyste wher she was / for it was derk But faire and wel / she creep in to the clerk And lyth ful stille / and wolde haue caught a sleepe With-Inne a while / this Iohn the clerk vp leepe Line 4228 And on this goode wyf / he leyth on soore So murie a fyt ne hadde she nat ful yoore He priketh harde and depe / as he were mad This ioly lyf / han thise two clerkes lad Line 4232 Til þat / the thridde cok bigan to synge ¶ Aleyn wax wery / in the dawenynge ffor he hadde swonken / al the longe nyght And seyde / fare wel Malyn swete wight Line 4236 The day is come / I may no lenger byde But eueremo / wher so I go or ryde I is thyn awen clerk so haue I sel ¶ Now deere lemman quod she / go fare wel Line 4240

Line 4240 But er thow go / o thyng I wol thee telle Whan that thow wendest / homward by the Melle Right at the entree / of the dore bihynde [folio 55b] Thow shalt a Cake / of half a busshel fynde Line 4244 That was ymaked / of thyn owene mele Which þat I heelp / my sire for to stele And good lemman / god thee saue and kepe And with that word / almoost he gan to wepe Line 4248 ¶ Aleyn vp rist and thoghte er þat it dawe I wol go crepen In / by my felawe And fond the Cradel / with his hond anon By god thoghte he / al wrang I haue mysgon Line 4252 Myn heed is toty / of my swynk to nyght That maketh me / þat I go noght aright I woot wel by the Cradel / I haue mysgo Here lyth the Millere / and his wyf also Line 4256 And forth he gooth / on twenty deueleway Vn to the bed / ther as the Millere lay He wende haue cropen / by his felawe Iohn And by the Millere / In he creep anoon Line 4260 And caughte hym by the nekke / and softe he spak He seyde thou Iohn / thow Swyneshed awak ffor cristes saule / and here a noble game ffor by that lord / þat called is Seint Iame Line 4264 As I haue thries / in this shorte nyght Swyued the Milleris doghter / bolt vp-right Whil thow hast as a coward been agast ¶ Ye false harlot quod the Millere hast Line 4268 A false traytour / false clerk quod he Thou shalt be deed / by goddes dignytee Who dorste be so bold / to disparage My doghter / that is come of swich lynage Line 4272 And by the throte bolle / he caughte Alayn And he hente hym / despitously agayn And on the nose / he smoot hym with his fest Doun ran the blody streem / vp on his brest Line 4276

Line 4276 And on the floor / with nose and mouth tobroke They walwen / as doon two pigges in a poke And vp they goon / and doun agayn anoon Til þat the Millere / sporned on a stoon Line 4280 And doun he fil / bakward vp on his wyf That wiste no thyng of this nyce stryf ffor she was falle aslepe / a litel wight [folio 56a] With Iohn the clerk / that waked hadde al nyght Line 4284 And with the fal / out of hir sleepe she brayde Help holy cros of Bromholm / she sayde In manus tuas / lord to thee I calle Awake Symond / the feend is on me falle Line 4288 Myn herte is broken / help I nam but ded Ther lyth oon vp on my wombe / and vp myn hed Help Symkyn / for the false clerkes fighte ¶ This Iohn sterte vp / as faste as euere he myghte Line 4292 And graspeth by the walles / to and fro To fynde a staf / and she sterte vp also And knew the estres / bet than dide this Iohn And by the wal / a staf she foond anon Line 4296 And saugh / a litel shymeryng of a light ffor at an hole / in shoon the moone bright And by that light she saugh hem bothe two But sikerly / she nyste who was who Line 4300 But as she saugh / a whit thyng in hir Iye And whan she gan / this white thyng espye She wende the clerk hadde wered a voluper And with the staf / she drow ay ner and ner Line 4304 And wende han hit / this Aleyn atte fulle And smoot the Millere / on the piled skulle That doun he gooth / and cryde harrow I dye Thise clerkes bette hym wel / and lete hym lye Line 4308 And greithen hem / and tooke hir hors anon And eek hir mele / and on hir wey they gon And at the Mille / yet they toke hir cake Of half a busshel flour / ful wel ybake Line 4312

Line 4312 ¶ Thus is the proude Millere / wel ybete And hath ylost the gryndyng of the whete And payed for the souper / euerydel Of Aleyn / and of Iohn / that bette hym wel Line 4316 His wyf is swyued / and his doghter als Lo which it is / a Millere to be fals And ther-fore this prouerbe / is seyd ful sooth Hym thar nat wene wel / þat yuele dooth Line 4320 A gilour shal hym self / bigiled be And god / that sitteth heighe in magestee Saue al this compaignie / grete and smale [folio 56b] Thus haue I quyt the Millere / in my tale Line 4324

¶ Here endeth the Reues tale. . [[Small break in the MS.]]

¶ The prologe of the Cookes tale.

THe Cook of London / whil the Reue spak ffor ioye hym thoughte / he clawed hym on the bak Haha quod he / for Cristes passion This Millere / hadde a sharpe conclusion Line 4328 Vp on his argument of herbergage Wel seyde Salomon / in his langage Ne bryng nat euery man / in to thyn hous ffor herberwyng by nyghte is perilous Line 4332 Wel oghte a man / auysed for to be Whom þat he broghte / in to his priuetee I pray to god / so yeue me sorwe and care If euer sith / I highte Hogge of ware Line 4336 Herde I a Millere / bettre yset awerk/ He hadde a iape of malice / in the derk But god forbede / that we stynten heere [hic] ffor if ye / vouche sauf to heere [audire] Line 4340 A tale of me / that am a poure man I wol yow telle / as wel as euere I kan A litel iape / that fil in oure Citee ¶ Oure hoost answerde / and seyde I graunte it thee Line 4344 Now tel on Roger / looke that it be good ffor many a pastee / hastow laten blood And many a Iakke of Douere / hastow soold That hath been twies hoot and twies coold Line 4348 Of many a pilgrym / hastow Cristes curs ffor of thy persle / yet they fare the wors That they han eten / with thy stubbul goos ffor in thy shoppe / is many a flye loos Line 4352 Now tel on / gentil Roger / by thy name But yet I praye thee / be nat wrooth for game A man may seye ful sooth / in game and pley ¶ Thow seist ful sooth / quod Roger by my fey Line 4356

Line 4356 But sooth pley quade pley / as the fflemyng seith [folio 57a] And ther-fore herry Bailly / by thy feith Be thou nat wrooth / er we departen heer Thogh þat my tale / be of an hostiler Line 4360 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 [[Small break in the MS.]] Line 4364

¶ Here bigynneth the Cook his tale.

A 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 propre short felawe Line 4368 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 paramour Line 4372 As is the hyue / of hony swete Wel was the wenche / þat with hym myghte meete At euery bridale / wolde he synge and hoppe He loued bet the Tauerne / than the Shoppe Line 4376 ffor / whan ther any ridyng was in Chepe Out of the shoppe / thider wolde he lepe Til þat he hadde / al the sighte yseyn And daunced wel / he wolde noght come ageyn Line 4380 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 Line 4384 ffor 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 Line 4388 That foond his maister wel / in his chaffare ffor ofte tyme / he foond his box ful bare ffor sikerly / a prentys reuelour That haunteth dees / ryot or paramour Line 4392 His maister / shal it in his shoppe abye [folio 57b] Al haue he / no part of the Minstralcye ffor thefte and riot / they been conuertible Al konne he pleye / on Giterne / or Rubible Line 4396

Line 4396 Reuel and trouthe / as in a lowe degree They been ful wrothe al day / as men may see ¶ This ioly Prentys / with his Maister bood Til he were neigh / out of his prentishood Line 4400 Al were he snybbed / bothe erly and late And som tyme / lad with reuel to Newgate But atte laste / his maister hym bithoghte Vp on a day / whan he his papir soghte Line 4404 Of a prouerbe / that seith this same word Wel bet is roten appul / out of hoord Than þat it rotte / al the remenaunt So fareth it / by a riotous seruaunt Line 4408 It is ful lasse harm / to lete hym pace Than he shende / alle the seruantz in the place Ther fore / his maister gaf hym acquitaunce And bad hym go / with sorw / and with meschaunce Line 4412 And thus this ioly prentys / hadde his leeue Now lat hym riote / al the nyght or leeue And for ther nys no theef / with-oute a lowke That helpeth hym / to wasten and to sowke Line 4416 Of that he brybe kan / or borwe may Anon / he sente his bed / and his array Vn to a compeer / of his owene sort That loued dees / and reuel / and disport Line 4420 And hadde a wyf / that heeld for contenaunce A shoppe / and swyued for hir sustenaunce Of this Cokes tale maked Chaucer na moore [in the left margin] [[Rest of the page blank.]]