The Cambridge ms (University library, Gg. 4.27) of Chaucer's Canterbury tales / edited by Frederick J. Furnivall.

[6-text p 552]

and be-gynneþe þe tale [THE PREAMBLE.]

[Sloane 1685 folio 167]

Wyth þis Chanon dwellyd haue I seuen ȝeere And of hys science neuere þe nere Line 721 And þat I hade I haue loste þerby And god woote so hathe mony mo þan I There I was wonte to be riȝt fresshe & gay Of cloþinge and of gode array Line 725 Nowe may I were an hose vpon myne hede And where my coloure was bothe fressh & reede Nowe it ys wan and of a len hewe Who so hit vseþe sore shalle he rewe Line 729 And of my swynke blered ys myn eyee Lo whiche avauntage hit ys to multiply þat slydynge science hathe me made so bare That I haue no gode where þat euere I fare Line 733 And ȝit / I am endetted so þer by Of golde þat I haue borowed truly þat whyle I lyue hit/ shalle I quyte nevere lat euery man by ware by me for euere Line 737 what manere man þat casteth hym þer to yf/ he contynewe I holde hys thryfte y-do. [But so helpe me god ther/-by schall he noght wynne. But empten his/ purs/ & make his/ wittis/ thynne. Line 741 And whan he thorough his/ madnesse & folye/. Hath lost his/ owne good thorough iopardye. Than he exitith other/ men therto. Line 744 To lese her/ good as/ hym self haþ do. [Harl. 1758 folio 145a] ] ffor vnto shrewes Ioye hit ys and ese [Sloane MS 1685 folio 168a] To haue hir/ felawes in peyne and dissese

[6-text p 553] Thys was I oones lerned of a Clerke Of þat no Charge I wolle speke of oure werke Line 749 whan we bene þere as we shall exercise Oure Eluysshe crafte we seem wonder/ wyse Oure termes ben so clergial and so queynte I blowe þe fyre tylle þat myn hert/ feynte Line 753 what/ shulde I telle ecche proporcioun Of/ þenges whiche þat we worchen vppoun As on fyue or sixe vnces may wele be Line 756 Of siluere or of som oþere quantite] And besye me to telle ȝow the namys [folio 384a] Of orpemynt brend bonys / Iren squamys That in to poudere grounde been ful smal And in an erthene pot how put is al Line 761 And salt I-put in & also papeer By-fore these pouderis that I speke of heer And weel I-keuered with a laumpe of glas And of muche othir thyng whiche there was Line 765 And of the pot & glasis enlutynge That of the ayr myghte passe out nothynge And of the esy fuyr & smert also Whiche that was mad & the care & wo Line 769 That we hadde in oure mateeris sublymyng And in a-malgamynge & calcenyng Of quik siluyr I-clepede Mercurye Crude ffor alle oure slytis we cunne not conclude Line 773 Of oure orpemynt & sublimyd mercurye Oure groundyn lytarge ek & the porphurye Of eche of these / of ounces a certeyn Noght helpith vs oure labour is in veyn Line 777 Ne ek oure spiritis ascencioun Ne oure matieris that lyn al fyx a-doun Mowe in oure werkynge no thyng vs avayle ffor lost is al oure labour & trauayle Line 781 And al the cost a twenty deuelleweye Is lost also which we on it leye

[6-text p 554] Ther is also ful manye anothir thyng That is vnto oure craft aperteynynge Line 785 Thow I be ordere / hem nat reherce can By cause that I am a lewede man That wele I telle hem as they come in mynde Thow I ne can nat sette hem in hir kynde Line 789 As bole armonyak verdegres boras And sunderi vessellys mad of erthe & glas Oure vrynallis & oure discensories Violys / Crosletis / & sublymatories Line 793 Cucurbites / & alembikes eek And othere swiche / deere I-nogh a leek Not nedyth it for to reherse hem alle [folio 384b] Wateris rubifyinge & bolis galle Line 797 Arsenyk Salarmoniak & bronston And erbis coude I telle ek manyon Of Egremoyne Walerian & lunarye And othere sweche / If that me leste tarye Line 801 Oure laumpis brennynge bothe nygh^t & day To brynge aboute oure craft ȝif that we may Oure furneys ek of Calcinacioun And of oure wateris albifacacioun Line 805 Vnslekkid lym chalk & gleyer of an ey Pouderis dyuerce Aschis donge / pisse & cley Cerede pokettis Sal petyr vitriole And dyuerse feris mad of wode & cole Line 809 Sal tartere altaly / And Sal preparaat And combust matiers / & coagulaat Cley mad with hors heer or manis & oyle Of Tartere Alumglas. berme wort & argoyle Line 813 Rosealger & othere matieris enbibyng And ek of othere matieris / encorporyng And of oure siluyr citrynacioun Oure cymentynge / & formentacyoun Line 817 Oure ingotis testis & manyon mo I wele ȝow telle as was me taught also

[6-text p 555] //The foure spiritis & the bodyis seuene By ordere As ofte herde I myn lord hem nemene Line 821 The fyrste spirit quik siluys callid is The secunde orpemynt & the thredde I-wis Sal Armonyak & the fourte brunston The bodyis seuene lo hem ek here a-non Line 825 Sol gold is & luna syluyr whe treepe Mars yryn. Mercurie quik siluyr we clepe Saturnus led & Iupiter is tyn And Venus Copir be myn fadir kyn Line 829 This cursede craft who so wele excercyse He schal no good han that hym may suffyse ffor al the good he spendyth theere aboute He lese schal therof haue I no doute Line 833 Ho so that lystyth outyn his folye [folio 385a] Let hym come forth & lerne multeplye And euery man that hat ought in his cofere Lat hym apere & wexe a philysophere Line 837 Ascauns that craft is so lyght to lere Nay nay god wot al be he monk or frere Prest or chanoun or ony othir whit Thow he sete at his bok day or nygh[t] Line 841 In lernynge of this eluyssch nyce loore Al is in veyn & parde meche moore To lerne a lewede man this sotylete ffy spek nat therof for it wele nat be Line 845 And kunne he lettereure or cunne he non As in effect he schal fynde it al oon For bothe to be myn saluacioun Concludyn as in multiplicacyoun Line 849 I-lyche weel / whan they han al I-do This is to seyn they fayle bothe twe // ȝit forgat I to make rehersayle Of wateris coresif & of lemayle Line 853 And of bodyis mollyficacioun And also of here induracioun

[6-text p 556] Oyles absolucioun / & metal fusible To tellyn al wolde passyn any bible Line 857 That ower is / wherefore as for the beste Of alle these namys now wele I me reste ffor as I trowe I haue ȝow told I-nogh To reyse a fend al loke he neuere so rogh Line 861 // A nay lat be the philisopheris stoon Elixer clepid / we sekyn faste echon ffor hadde we hym we were sekyr I-nogh But on to god of heuene I make a wow Line 865 ffor al oure craft whan we han al I-do And al oure sleyghte he wele nat come vs to He hath I-mad vs spende mechil good ffor sorwe of whiche almost we wexe wood Line 869 But that good hope crepith in oure herte Supposynge euere thow we sore smerte To be releuyd by hym aftyrward / [folio 385b] Swich supposynge & hope is scharp & hard Line 873 I warne ȝow wel it is to sekyn euere That future temps that made men to disseuere In trust therof from al that euere they hadde ȝit of that art they can not wexe sadde Line 877 ffor vn-to hem it is a bittyr swete So semyth it for ne hadde they but a schete Whiche that they myghte wrappe hem in a nyght And a bakke for to walke in be day light Line 881 They wolde hem selue / & spendyn on this craft They can not stynte til no thyng be laft And euere more where that euere they goon Men may hem knowe by smel of bronston Line 885 ffor al the world they stynkyn as a got Here sauour is so rammysch & so hot That thow a man from hem a myle bee The sauour wele enfecte hem trustyth me Line 889 Lo thus be smellynge & thredbare aray ȝif that men lyste these folk knowe may

[6-text p 557] And ȝif a man wele aske hem pryuyly Whi that they been clothid so vn-thriftyly Line 893 They righ a-non wele rounne in his ere And seyn ȝif that they espied were Men woldyn hem sle by cause of here science Lo thus these folk betrayen innocence Line 897 Passe ouer this I go myn tale vnto Er than the pot be on the fyre I-do Of metallis with a certeyn quantite Myn lord hem tempereth & no man but he Line 901 Now he is goon I dar say boldely ffor as men saye he can do craftyly Algate I wot wel he hath swich a name And ȝit ful ofte he rennyth in a blame Line 905 // And wete ȝe how ful oftyn it happith soo The pot to-brekith & farwel al is go These metallis been of so greet violence Oure wallis mowe not make hem resistence Line 909 But ȝif they were wrought of lym / & ston [folio 386a] They perce so & thour the wal they gon And some of hem synke in-to the ground Thus haue we lost be tymys manye a pound Line 913 And some are skaterede in the flor a-boute Some lepe in-to the rof / with-outyn doute Thow that the fend nat in the sight hym schewe I trowe he with vs be that ilke schrewe Line 917 In helle where as he is lord & syre Ne is there more wo ne more rancour ne yre Whan that oure pot as I haue sayd / Euery man chit / & halt hym euelle a-payed Line 921 //Some seyn it was a-long on the fyr makyng Some seydyn nay / it was on the blowyng Thanne was I aferid / for that was myn offis Straw quod the thredde / ȝe been lewede & nys Line 925 It was nat tempered as it aughte to be Nay quod the forte stynt & lestene to me

[6-text p 558] By cause oure fyr was not mad of bech That is the cause & othir noon so theech Line 929 I can not telle wheron it was long But wel I wot greet stryf is vs a-mong // What quod myn lord there is no more to done Of these perilis I wele be war eft sone Line 933 I am rygh sekyr that the pot was crased Be as be may be ȝe no thyng a-mased As vsage is lat swepe the flor aswythe Pluk vp ȝoure hertys & beth glad & blythe Line 937 The mullok on an hep I-swepid was And on the flor I-caste a canevas And al the mullok in a seue I-throwe And syftid & I-pikid manye a throwe Line 941 // Parde quod on / sumwhat of oure metal ȝit is ther heere they that we haue nat al And thow this thyng mys happe as now A-nothir tyme it may be weel I-now Line 945 Vs muste putte oure good in auenture A marchaunt parde may not al-wey endure Trustyth me wel in his prosperite [folio 386b] Sumtyme his good is drouned in the se Line 949 And sumtyme comyth it saf vn-to the londe Pes quod myn lord the nexte tyme wele I fonde To brynge oure craft al in a-nothir plit And but I do sere lat me han the wit Line 953 There was defaute in sumwhat wel I wot A-nothir seyde the fuyr was ouyr hot But be it hot or cold I dare seye this That we concludyn euere more amys Line 957 We fayle of that whiche that we woldyn haue And in oure madnesse eueremore we raue And whan we been to-gederis euerichon Euery man semyth a salamon Line 961 But alle thynge whiche that schynyth as the gold Nis nat gold / as I haue herd told

[6-text p 559] Ne eueri appil that is fayr at eye Ne is nat good / what so men clappe or crye Line 965 Righ so lo faryth it a-mongis vs He that semyth the wiseste be Iesus Is most fol whan it comyth to the pref And he that semyth treweste is a thef Line 969 That schal ȝe knowe er that I from ȝow wende By that I of myn tale haue mad an ende

Notes

• [Sloane 1685]
• [Sloane 1685 extract ends]
• Camb. MS Gg. 4. 27
• [h r altered]
• [word scratcht out]
• [word scratcht out]
• [some letters scratcht out]
• Non teneas aurum &c.
• [No break in the MS.]