The Corpus ms (Corpus Christi coll., Oxford) of Chaucer's Canterbury tales. Ed. by Frederick J. Furnivall.

[6-text p 580]

Incipit fabula

Whan phebus dwelde heer in þis erþe adoun As olde booke maken mencioun Line 106 he was þe moste lusty bachiler Of/ alle þe world and eek þe best archeer he slough Phyton þe serpent/ as he lay Slepyng agayn þe sonne vpon a day And many anoþer noble worþy dede / He wiþ his bowe brought as men nowe rede Line 112 Pleyen he couþe of euery menstralcye And syngen þat it was a melodye To heeren of his cleere voys þe soun Certes þe king of Thebes amphyoun Line 116 That wiþ his syngyng walled þat Cite Cowde neuer syngen half so wel as he Therto he was þe semlyeste man þat is or was siþen þe world bygan Line 120 What needeþ it his fetures to discryue ffor in þis world was non so fair on lyue he was þer-wiþ fulfild of gentilnesse Of honour and of parfyte worþinesse Line 124 This Phebus þat was flour of Bachelrye As wel in freedam as in Chiualrie ffor disporte in signe eek of victorie Of Phyton so as telleþ vs þe storye Line 128 Was worþy to beren in his hond a bowe / Now hadde þis Phebus in his hous a crowe Which in a cage he fostred many a day And taught it speke as þat men teche a Iay Line 132

[6-text p 581] Line 132 Whit was þis Crowe as is a snow whit swan Line 133 And countrefeted þe speche of euery man he cowde when he schulde telle a tale Ther-wiþ in al þe world no nightyngale Line 136 Ne couþe by an hundred þousend deel [folio 258a] Syngen so wonderly meryly and weel Now hadde þis Phebus in his hous a wyf Which þat he loued more þan his owne lyf Line 140 And night and day dyd euer his diligence Hir for to plese and don hire reuerence Saue oonly if þe soþ þat I schal sayn Gelous he was and wolde haue kept hire fayn Line 144 ffor him were loþ by-Iaped for to be And so euery wight in such degre But al for nouȝt for it auayleþ nouȝt A good wyff þat is clene of werk and þought Line 148 Schulde nought be kepte in non awayte certain And trewely þe labour is in vayn To kepe a schrewe for it wol nouȝt be This halde I for a verray nycete Line 152 To spille labour for to keepe wyues Thus writen olde Clerkes in here lyues But now to purpos as I first bigan This worþy Phebus doþ al þat he can Line 156 To plesen hyre wenyng by such plesance And for his manhode and his gouernance That no man schulde haue put him fro hir grace But god it woot/ þer may no man enbrace Line 160 As to distreyne a þing which þat nature Haþ naturelly sette in a creature Take eny bryd and put it in a kage And do al þin entent and þy corage Line 164 To fostre it tendrely wiþ mete and drinke Of alle deyntees þat þou canst byþinke And keepe it/ also clenly as þou may Al þough his cage of golde be neuer so gay Line 168

[6-text p 582] Line 168 ȝet haþ þis bridde by .xx. þousand folde Line 169 Leuer in a fforest þat is wilde and colde Gon ete wormes and such wrecchedenesse ffor euer þis bridde wol doon his busynesse Line 172 To eskape out of his cage when he may [folio 258b] his liberte þe bridde desireþ ay Let take a catte and fostre him wel wiþ melk An tendre fleissch and make his couche of selk Line 176 And let him seen a mous go by þe walle And anon he weyueþ milke fleissche and alle And euery deynte þat is in þat hous Such appetyt haþ sche to ete a mous Line 180 Lo he[re] haþ luste his dampnacion And appetyt flemyth discrecion As þe wolf haþ also a vyleyns kynde The lewedeste wolf þat sche may fynde Line 184 Of lest of reputacion þat wol sche take In tyme whan hire luste to haue a make Alle þise ensamples speke I by þese men That ben vntrewe and noþing by wommen Line 188 ffor men han euere a likerous appetyt On lowere þing to parforme here delyt Then on here wyfes ben þay neuer so fayre Ne neuer so trewe ne so debonaire Line 192 ffleissche is so newefongul wiþ meschance That we ne konne in no þing han plesance That sowneþ in to vertu eny while This Phebus which þat þought vpon no gile Line 196 Desceyued was for alle his Iolite ffor vnder him anoþer hadde sche A man of litel reputacion Nought worþ to Phebus in comparison Line 200 The more harm it is it happeþ ofte so Of which þer comeþ mochil harme and wo And so bifelle whan Phebus was absent His wif anon haþ for hir lemman sent Line 204

[6-text p 583] Line 204 Hire lemman certes þis is a kauissch speche Line 205 fforȝiueþ it me and þat I ȝou beseche The wyse Plato saiþ as ȝe may rede þe worde moot need acorde wiþ þe dede Line 208 ȝif men schal telle proprely a þing [folio 259a] The word moot/ cosyn be to þe workyng I am a boystous man riht þus say I Ther is no difference trewely Line 212 Betwix a wyf þat is of heih degre If of hire body dishoneste sche be And a pouere wenche othir þan þis If it so be þey werke boþe amys Line 216 But þat þe gentil is in staat aboue Sche schal be cleped his lady as in loue And for þat oþer is a pouer womman Sche schal be cleped his wenche or his lemman Line 220 And god it woot myn owne deere broþer Men leyn þat oon as lowe as liþ þat oþer Right so betwixe a titles tyraunt And an outlawe or a þeef erraunt Line 224 The same I say þer is no difference / To alisaundre was tolde þis sentence / That for þe tyraunt is of grettere might By force of meyne for to sleen doun right Line 228 And brenne hous and home and make al playn Lo þerfore is he cleped a Capitayn ¶ And for þe outlawe haþ but smal meigne And may not doon so gret an harm as he Line 232 Ne bringe a Contre to so gret mescheef Men clepen him an outlawe or a þeef But for I am a man not texted wel I wol not telle of Tytus neuer a deel Line 236 I wol go to my tale as I began Whan Phebus [wyf] hadde sent for hire lemman Anon þey wroughten alle here lust volage This white crowe þat heng ay in þe kage Line 240

[6-text p 584] Line 240 Bihelde hire werk and seyde neuer a word Line 241 And whan þat home was come Phebus þe lord This crowe sange cokkow cokkow cokkow What bryd quoþ Phebus what song syngest þou Line 244 Ne were þou wont so meryly to synge [folio 259b] þat to myn herte it was a reioisschinge To here þi voys allas what song is þis By god quod he I synge nought amys Line 248 Phebus quod he for al þi worþinesse ffor alle þy beaute and þyn gentilnesse ffor alle þi song and al þi menstralcye ffor al þi waytyng blered is þin ye Line 252 Wiþ on of litel reputacion Nought worþ to þe as in comparison þe mountance of a gnatte so mote I þriue ffor on þy bed þy wyff / I say him swyue Line 256 What wole ȝe more þe crowe anon him tolde By sadde tokenes and by wordes bolde How þat his wyf hadde doon hire leccherie him to gret schame and to gret vilanye Line 260 And tolde him ofte he say it wiþ his eyen þis Phebus gan awayward for to wryen him þought his sorwful herte brast a tuo / His bowe he bente and sette þer-Inne a floo Line 264 And in his Ire þan haþ he his wif y-slayn This is þeffecte þer is nomore to sayn ffor sorwe of which he brak his mynstralcye Boþe harpe and lewte gyterne and Sawterye Line 268 And eek he brak his arwes and his bowe And after þat þus spak he to þe crowe Traytour quod he wiþ tonge of Scorpion Thou hast me brought to my confusion Line 272 Allas þat I was wrought why nere I ded O deere wyf o gemme of lustyhed That were to me so sadde and eek so trewe Now lyes þou deed wiþ face pale of hewe / Line 276

[6-text p 585] Line 276 fful gulteles þat durst I swere ywys Line 277 O rakel hound to don so foule amys O trouble witte .O. Ire recheles That vnauysed smytest gulteles / Line 280 O wan-truste ful of fals suspecion [folio 260a] Where was þy witte and þi discrecion O euery man be war of rekelnesse Ne trowe noþing wiþouten strong witnesse Line 284 Smyt nouȝt to sone er þat þou wite why And be auysed wel and soburly Or ȝe doon eny execucion Vpon ȝoure Ire for suspecion Line 288 Allas a þousand folk han rakel Ire ffully fordoon or brought hem in þe myre Allas for sorwe I wil my selue slee And to þe crowe O false þeef sayde he Line 292 I wol þe quyte anon þy false tale þou songe whilom lyk a nightyngale Now schalt þou false þeef þi song forgon Eeke þin white feþeres euerichon Line 296 Ne neuer in alle þi lyue schalt þou speke Thus schal men on a traitour ben awreke Thou and þin hospreinge euere schuln be blake Ne neuere swete noyse schul ȝe make / Line 300 But euer crye agayn tempest and reyn In toknyng þat þurgh þe my wyf was slayn And to þe crowe he sterte and þat anon And pulled his white feþeres euerychon Line 304 and made him blak and reft him alle his song And eek his speche and out at þe dore him slong vnto þe deuel which I him betake / And for þis caas ben alle crowes blake Line 308 Lordynges by þis ensample I ȝou preye Beþ war and takeþ keepe what þat ȝe seye Ne telleþ neuer no man in ȝour lyff/ how þat anoþer man haþ dight his wyf Line 312

[6-text p 586] Line 312 He wole ȝow haten mortelly certein Line 313 Daun Salomon as wise clerkes sein Techeþ a man to kepe his tonge wel But as I sayde I am nought text wel Line 316 But naþeles þus taughte me my dame [folio 260b] My sone þenk on þe crowe a goddes name My sone keepe wel þi tonge and kepe þy frende A wikked tonge is worse þan a feende Line 320 My sone ffrom a feend men may hem blesse My sone god of his endeles goodnesse / Walled a tonge wiþ teeþ and lippes eeke ffor man schulde him auyse what he speeke Line 324 My sone ful ofte for to mochel speche haþ many a man be spilt as clerkes teche But for litel speche auysily Is no man schent to speke generally Line 328 My sone þy tonge schuldest þou restreigne At alle tyme but whan þou dost þy peyne To speke of god in honour and preyere The ferste vertu sone if þou wolt lere Line 332 Is to restreyne and kepe wel þi tunge þus lernen children whanne þey ben ȝonge My sone of mochel spekyng euel auysed Ther lasse spekyng hadde ynough suffised Line 336 Comeþ mochil harm þus was me told and taught In mochil speche synne wanteþ naught Wostow wher-of a rakil tonge serueþ Right as a swerd forkutteþ and forkerueþ Line 340 An arm a tuo my deere sone right so A tunge kutteþ frendschipe al a tuo A ianglere is to god abhominable / Rede Salamon so wys and honorable / Line 344 Rede Dauyd and his psalmys red senekke My sone speek nought but wiþ þin heed þou bekke Dissimule as þou were defe if þat þou heere A Iangler speke of perilous mateere / Line 348

[6-text p 587] Line 348 þe flemyng saiþ and lerne it if þe leste Line 349 þat lytel Iangelynge causeþ mechel reste My sone if þou no wickede word hast seyd þe þar nouȝt drede for to be bywreyd Line 352 But he þat haþ myssayd I dar wel sayn [folio 261a] he may by no way clepe his word agayn Thing þat is sayde is sayde and forþ it goþ Though him repente or be him neuer so loþ Line 356 he is his þralle to whom þat he haþ sayd A tale of which he is now yuele payd My sone be war and be nouȝt auctour newe Of tydynges wheþer þay ben fals or trewe Line 360 Wher so þou come amonges heihe or lowe Kepe wel þy tunge and þenk vpon þe crowe

Explicit fabula mancipii

Notes

• on leaf 257, back