The Harleian ms. 7334 of Chaucer's Canterbury tales. Ed. by Frederick J. Furnivall.

[6-text p 580]

Whan phebus duelt her in þis erþe a doun As olde bookes maken mencioun He was þe moste lusty bachiler Of al þis world and eek þe best archer Line 108 He slough phiton þe serpent as he lay Slepyng agayn þe sonne vpon a day And many another noble worþy dede He with his bowe wrought as men may rede / Line 112 Pleyen he couþe on euery mynstralcye And syngen þat it was a melodye To heren of his cleere vois þe soun Certes þe kyng of Thebes amphioun Line 116 That with his singyng wallid þat citee Couþe neuer synge half so wel as he / Ther-to he was þe semlieste man That is or was siþþen þe world bigan [folio 248a] Line 120 what nediþ it his fortune to descriue For in þis worlde is noon such on lyue he was þer with fulfild of gentilesce Of honour and of parfyt worþinesse Line 124 This phebus þat was flour of bachilerie Als wel in fredom as in chiualrie For to disport in signe of victorie Of phiton so as telleþ vs þe storie Line 128 was wont to bere in his hond a bowe Now had þis phebus in his hous a crowe which in a cage he fostred many a day And taught it speken as men doon a iay Line 132

[6-text p 581] Line 132 whit was þis crowe as is a snow-whyt swan And countrefete the speche of euery man he couþe whan he schulde telle a tale Ther is wiþinne þis world no nightingale Line 136 Ne couþe by an hundred þousend del Singe so wonder merily and wel Now had þis phebus in his hous a wyf which þat he loued. more þan his lif Line 140 And night and day. did euermor diligence / hir for to please. and doon hir reuerence Sauf oonly if þe soþ þat I schal sayn Ialous he was and wold haue kept hir fayn Line 144 For him were loth biiaped for to be / And so is euery wight in such degre But al for nought for it auaileth nouȝt A good wyf þat is clene of werk and thought Line 148 Schuld not be kept in noon awayt certayn And trewely þe labour is in vayn To kepe a schrewe for it wil nought be This hold I for a verray nycete Line 152 To spille labour for to kepe wyues Thus olde clerkes writen in her lyues But now to purpos as I first bigan This worþi phebus doþ al þat he can Line 156 To pleasen hir wenyng by such plesaunce / And for his manhod and his gouernaunce [folio 248b] That no man schuld han put him fro hir grace But god it woot. þer may no man embrace Line 160 As to destroy a þing. þe which nature haþ naturelly. set in a creature Tak any brid and put him in a cage And do al þin entent and þy corrage Line 164 To foster it tenderly wiþ mete and drynk And wiþ alle þe deyntees þou canst þink And keep it al so kyndly as þou may Al þough his cage of gold be neuer so gay Line 168

[6-text p 582] Line 168 Ȝit haþ þis brid by twenty þousand fold Leuer to be. in forest wyd and cold Gon ete wormes and such wrecchidnes For euer þis brid wil doon his busynes Line 172 To scape out of his cage whan he may his liberte þe brid desireth ay let take a cat and foster him wel wiþ mylk/ And tender fleisch and mak his bed of silk/ Line 176 And let him see a mous go by þe wal Anoon he wayueth mylk and fleisch and al And euery deynte which is in þat hous Such appetit haþ he to ete þe mous Line 180 lo heer haþ lust his dominacioun And appetit. flemeth discr[e]scioun Also a sche wolf haþ a vilayns kynde / The lewidest. wolf þat sche may fynde Line 184 Or lest of reputacioun him wol sche take In tyme whan hir lust/ to haue a make/ Alle þis ensamples. tel I by þis men That ben vntrewe and no þing by wommen Line 188 For men han euer a licorous appetit On lower þing to parforme her delit Than on her wyues ben þay neuer so faire Ne neuer so trewe ne so debonaire Line 192 Fleissch is so newfangil with meschaunce That we can in no þinge haue plesaunce That souneþ in to vertu eny while This phebus which þat þought vpon no gile [folio 249a] Line 196 Deceyued was for al his iolite For vnder him anoþer hadde sche/ A man of litil reputacioun Nought worþ to phebus in comparisoun Line 200 Mor harm it is it happeth ofte so Of which þer comeþ boþe harm and woo And so bifel whan phebus was absent His wif anoon hath for hir lemman sent Line 204

[6-text p 583] Line 204 hir lemman certes. þis is a knauisch speche Forȝiueþ it me and þat I ȝow biseche The wise plato saith as ȝe may rede þe word mot neede accorde wiþ þe dede Line 208 If men schal telle propurly a þing The word mot corde wiþ þe þing werkyng I am a boystous [man] right thus say I There is no difference trewely Line 212 Bytwix a wyf þat is of heigh degre / If of hir body dishonest sche be And a pore wenche oþer þen þis If so be þay werke boþe amys Line 216 But the gentil in estat aboue Sche schal be cleped his lady as in loue And for þat oþer is a pore womman Sche schal be cleped his wenche and his lemman Line 220 And god it wot my goode lieue broþer Men layn þat oon as lowe as þat oþer Right so betwixe atticles tirant And an outlawe or a þef erraunt Line 224 The same I say þer is no difference To alisaunder told was þis sentence þat for þe tiraunt is of gretter might Bi force of meyne for to sle doun right Line 228 And brenne hous and home and make al playn Lo þerfor is he cleped a Captayn And for an outlawe haþ so smal meyne And may not doon so gret an harm as he Line 232 Ne bringe a contre to so gret meschief / Men clepen him an outlawe or a þeef [folio 249b] But for I am a man not texted wel I wil not telle of textes neuer a del Line 236 I wol go to my tale as I bigan whan phebus wyf had sent for hir lemman Anon þay wrouȝten al her wil volage This white crow / þat heng alway in cage Line 240

[6-text p 584] Line 240 Bihild her werk and sayde neuer a word And whan þat hom was come phebus þe lord This Crowe song. Cuckow. Cockow. Cuckow what bird quod phebus what song syngistow Line 244 Ne were þou wont so merily to synge That to myn hert it was a reioysynge To here þi vois. allas what song is þis By god quod he I synge not amys Line 248 Phebus quod he for al þy worþynes For al þy beaute and þy gentiles For alle þy songes and þy menstralcie / For al þy waytyng blered is þin ye / Line 252 with oon of litel reputacioun Nought worth to þe as in comparisoun The mountauns of a gnat so mot I þriue For on þy bed þy wif I saugh him swyue Line 256 what wol ȝe more þe crowe anoon him tolde / By sadde toknes and by wordes bolde how þat his wyf had doon hir leccherie him to gret schame and to gret vilonye Line 260 And told him oft/ he saugh it wiþ his yen This phebus gan awayward for to wryen him þought his sorwful herte brast on tuo his bowe he bent and sett þer-In a flo Line 264 And in his ire he haþ his wif I-slayn þis is þeffect þer is no more to sayn For sorw of which he brak his menstralcye Boþe harp. gitern. and sauterie Line 268 And eek he brak his arwes and his bowe And after þat þus spak he to þe crowe Traytour quod he wiþ tunge of scorpioun Thow hast me brought to my confusioun [folio 250a] Line 272 Allas þat I was born why nere I deed O dere wyf O gemme of lustyhed That were to me so sad and eek so trewe Now list þou deed with face pale of hewe Line 276

[6-text p 585] Line 276 Ful gulteles þat dorst I swere I-wis O racle hond to do so foule amys O trouble wit O Ire recheles That vnauysed smytest gulteles Line 280 O wantrust ful of fals suspeccioun wher was þy wit and þy discrecioun O euery man be war of raclenesse Ne trowe no þing wiþoute gret witnesse Line 284 Smyt nouȝt to soone. er þat þou wite why / And be auysed wel and sobrely Er ȝe doon eny execucioun Vpon ȝour Ire for suspeccioun Line 288 Allas a þousand folk haþ racle Ire Fordoon. or dun hath brouȝt hem in þe myre Allas for sorw / I wil my seluen sle And to þe crowe o false þeef sayd he Line 292 I wyl þe quyt anoon þy false tale / Thow songe whilom as any nightyngale / Now schaltow false þef þy song forgoon And eek þy white fetheres euerich oon Line 296 Ne neuer in al þy lyf ne schaltow speke Thus schal men on a fals þeef ben a-wreke Thou and þin o[f]spring euer schuln be blake Ne neuer sweete noyse schul ȝe make Line 300 But euer crye agayn tempest and rayn In tokenyng þat þurgh þe my wyf was slayn And to þe crowe he stert and þat anoon And puld his white feþeres euerychoon Line 304 And made him blak and raft him al his song And eek his speche and out at dore him slong vnto þe deuel which I him bytake And for þis cause ben alle crowes blake Line 308 Lordyngs by þis ensample I ȝow pray Beth war and takeþ kepe what ȝe say / [folio 250b] Ne tellith neuer man in al ȝoure lif how þat anoþer man haþ dight his wyf Line 312

[6-text p 586] Line 312 he wol ȝou hatin mortelly certeyn Daun Salamon as wise clerkes seyn Techeþ a man to kepe his tonge wel But as I sayd. I am nought tixted wel Line 316 But/ naþeles þus taughte me my dame My sone thenk on þe crowe in goddes name My son keep wel þy tonge and kep þy frend A wicked tonge. is worse þan a feend Line 320 My sone fro a feend men may hem blesse My sone god of his endeles goodnesse wallid a tonge wiþ teeþ and lippes eek For man schal him auyse what he speek Line 324 My sone ful ofte for to mochil speche / haþ many a man be spilt as clerkes teche But for a litil speche auisily Is no man schent to speke generally Line 328 My sone þy tonge scholdest þou restreigne At alle tyme but whan þou dost þy peyne / To speke of god in honour and prayere The firste vertu sone if þou wilt lere Line 332 Is to restreigne and kepe wel þy tonge Thus lerne clerkes whan þat þay ben ȝonge My sone of mochil speking euel auised Ther lasse speking had ynough suffised Line 336 Comeþ mochil harm þus was me told and taught In mochel speche synne wantiþ nought wost wher of a racle tonge serueþ Right a swerd for-kutteþ and kerueþ Line 340 An arm a tuo my dere sone right so A tonge cutteth frendschip al a tuo A iangler is to god abhominable Red Salamon so wys and honurable Line 344 Red Dauid in his psalmes reed Senek My sone spek not. but wiþ þy heed þu bek Dissimul as þou were deed if þat þou heere A iangler speke of perilous mateere [folio 251a] Line 348

[6-text p 587] Line 348 The flemyng saiþ and lere it if þe lest / That litil iangling causeþ mochil rest My sone if þou no wikked word hast sayd The thar not drede for to be bywrayd Line 352 But he þat haþ mys sayd I dar wel sayn he may by no way clepe his word agayn Thing þat is sayd. is sayd. and forþ it goþ Though him repent or be him neuer so loþ Line 356 He is his þral to whom þat/ he haþ sayd A tale of which he is now yuel a payd My sone be war and be noon auctour newe / Of tydyngs wheþer þay ben fals or trewe / Line 360 wher-so þou comest amonges heih or lowe / kep wel þy tonge / and thenk vpon þe crowe

¶ Here endith þe tale of þe crowe

Notes

• [No break in the MS.]