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

GROUP A. FRAGMENT I.

§ 1. GENERAL PROLOGUE.

ELLESMERE MS.

Here bygynneth the Book of the tales of Caunterbury.

WHan that Aprille with hise shoures soote [folio 5a] The droghte of March / hath perced to the roote And bathed euery veyne / in swich licour Of which vertu / engendred is the flour Line 4 Whan Zephirus eek / with his swete breeth Inspired hath / in euery holt and heeth The tendre croppes / and the yonge sonne Hath in the Ram / his half[e] cours yronne [¶ .i. sol in Arieto] And smale foweles / maken melodye That slepen al the nyght / with open eye So priketh hem nature in hir corages Thanne longen folk / to goon on pilgrimage Line 12 And Palmeres / for to seken straunge strondes To ferne halwes / kowthe in sondry londes And specially / from euery shires ende Of Engelond / to Caunturbury they wende Line 16 The hooly blisful martir for to seke That hem hath holpen / whan þat they were seeke

Bifil that / in that seson on a day In Southwerk / at the Tabard as I lay Line 20 Redy / to wenden on my pilgrymage To Caunterbury / with ful deuout corage At nyght / were come / in to that hostelrye Wel nyne and twenty in a compaignye Line 24 Of sondry folk / by aventure y-falle In felaweshipe / and pilgrimes were they alle That toward Caunterbury wolden ryde

The chambres and the stables weren wyde Line 28 And wel we weren esed atte beste And shortly / whan the sonne was to reste So hadde I spoken / with hem everychon That I was / of hir felaweshipe anon Line 32 And made forward / erly for to ryse To take oure wey / ther as I yow deuyse

But nathelees / whil I haue tyme and space Er that I ferther / in this tale pace Line 36 Me thynketh it acordaunt to reson To telle yow / al the condicion Of ech of hem / so as it semed me And whiche they were / and of what degree Line 40 And eek in what array / that they were Inne And at a knyght / than wol I first bigynne

Aknyght ther was / and that a worthy man [¶ Knyght] That fro the tyme / that he first bigan Line 44 To riden out / he loued chiualrie Trouthe and honour / fredom and curteisie fful worthy was he / in his lordes werre And therto / hadde he riden / no man ferre Line 48 As wel in cristendom / as in Hethenesse [folio 5b] And euere / honoured 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 Of Algezir /. and riden in Belmarye At Lyeys was he / and at Satalye Whan they were wonne / and in the grete See At many a noble Armee / hadde he be Line 60 At mortal batailles / hadde he been fiftene And foughten for oure feith at Tramyssene In lystes thries / 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 eueremoore / he hadde a souereyn prys And though þat he were worthy he was wys Line 68 And of his port / as meeke as is a mayde He neuere yet / no vileynye ne sayde In al his lyf / vn to no maner wight He was a verray parfit gentil knyght Line 72 ¶ But for to tellen yow / of his array His hors weren goode / but he was nat gay Of ffustian / he wered a gypon Al bismotered with his habergeon Line 76 ffor he was late / ycome from his viage And wente / for to doon his pilgrymage

With hym ther was his sone a yong Squier [¶ Squier] A louyere / and a lusty Bacheler Line 80 With lokkes crulle / as they were leyd in presse Of twenty yeer of Age / he was I gesse Of his stature / he was of euene lengthe And wonderly delyuere / and of greet strengthe Line 84 And he hadde been somtyme in chyuachie In fflaundres / in Artoys and Pycardie And born hym weel / as of so litel space In hope / to stonden in his lady grace Line 88 Embrouded was he / as it were a meede Al ful of fresshe floures / whyte and reede Syngynge he was / or floytynge al the day He was as fressh / as in the Monthe of May Line 92 Short was his gowne / with sleues longe and wyde Wel koude he sitte on hors and faire ryde He koude songes make / and wel endite Iuste and eek daunce / and weel purtreye and write Line 96 So hoote he louede / that by nyghtertale [folio 6a] He slepte namoore than dooth a nyghtyngale Curteis he was / lowely / and seruysable

And carf / biforn his fader at the table Line 100

A Yeman hadde he / and seruantz namo [¶ Yeman] At that tyme / for hym liste ride soo And he was clad / in cote and hood of grene A sheef of pecok arwes / bright and kene Line 104 Vnder his belt he bar ful thriftily Wel koude he / dresse his takel yemanly Hise arwes drouped noght with fetheres lowe And in his hand / he baar a myghty bowe Line 108 A not heed hadde he / with a broun visage Of woodecraft / wel koude he al the vsage Vp on his arm / he baar a gay bracer And by his syde / a swerd / and a bokeler/ Line 112 And on that oother syde / a gay daggere Harneised wel / and sharpe as point of spere A Cristophere on his brest of siluer sheene An horn he bar / the bawdryk was of grene 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 Hire gretteste ooth / was but by seint Loy Line 120 And she was cleped / madame Eglentyne fful weel she soong the seruice dyuyne, Entuned in hir nose / ful semeely And frenssh / she spak / ful faire and fetisly Line 124 After the scole of Stratford atte Bowe ffor frenssh of Parys / was to hire vnknowe At mete / wel ytaught was she with alle She leet no morsel / from hir lippes falle Line 128 Ne wette hir fyngres / in hir sauce depe Wel koude she carie a morsel / and wel kepe That no drope / ne fille vp on hire brist In curteisie was set ful muchel hir list/ Line 132 Hire ouer lippe / wyped she so clene That in hir coppe / ther was no ferthyng sene Of grece / whan she dronken hadde hir draughte

fful semely / after hir mete she raughte Line 136 And sikerly / she was of greet desport And ful plesaunt / and amyable of port And peyned hire to countrefete cheere Of Court and to been estatlich of manere Line 140 And to ben holden digne of reuerence But for to speken of hire conscience She was so charitable and so pitous She wolde wepe / if that she saugh a Mous Line 144 Kaught in a trappe / if it were deed or bledde [folio 6b] Of smale houndes / hadde she þat she fedde With rosted flessh / or Milk / and wastel breed But soore wepte she / if any of hem were deed Line 148 Or if men smoot it / with a yerde smerte And al was conscience and tendre herte fful semyly / hir wympul pynched was Hire nose tretys / hir eyen greye as glas Line 152 Hir mouth ful smal / and ther to softe and reed 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 hire Arm she bar A peire of bedes / gauded al with grene And ther on / heng a brooch of gold ful sheene Line 160 On which / ther was first write a crowned .A. And after / Amor vincit omnia. Another Nonne / with hire hadde she [¶ Nonne & .iij. preestes.] That was hire Chapeleyne and preestes thre Line 164

A Monk ther was / a fair for the maistrie [¶ Monk/] An outridere / that louede venerie A manly man / to been an Abbot able fful many a deyntee hors / hadde he in stable Line 168 And whan he rood / men myghte his brydel heere Gynglen / in a whistlynge wynd als cleere And cek as loude / as dooth þe Chapel belle

Ther as this lord / was kepere of the Celle Line 172 The reule of seint Maure / or of seint Beneit / By cause that it was old / and som del streit / This ilke Monk / leet olde thynges pace And heeld / after the newe world the space Line 176 He yaf nat of that text a pulled hen That seith / that hunters beth nat hooly men Ne that 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 opinion was good What sholde he studie / and make hym seluen wood Line 184 Vpon a book / in Cloystre alwey to poure Or swynken with his handes, and laboure As Austyn bit / how shal the world be serued Lat Austyn / haue his owene swynk / to him reserued Line 188 Therfore / he was a prikasour aright Grehoundes he hadde / as swift as fowel in flight Of prikyng and of huntyng for the hare Was al his lust . for no cost wolde he spare Line 192 I seigh his sleues / ypurfiled at the hond [folio 7a] With grys / and that the fyneste of a lond And for to festne his hood vnder his chyn He hadde of gold / ywroght / a ful curious pyn Line 196 A loue knotte / in the gretter ende ther was His heed was balled / þat shoon as any glas And eek his face / as it hadde been enoynt/ He was a lord ful fat / and in good poynt Line 200 Hise eyen stepe / and rollynge in his heed That stemed / as a forneys of a leed His bootes souple / his hors in greet estaat Now certeinly / he was a fair prelaat Line 204 He was nat pale / as a forpyned goost A fat swan loued he best of any roost His palfrey / was as broun as is a berye

Affrere 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 muchel of daliaunce / and fair langage He hadde maad / ful many a mariage Line 212 Of yonge wommen / at his owene cost Vn to his ordre / he was a noble post And wel biloued / and famulier was he With frankeleyns / ouer al in his contree Line 216 And [eek] with worthy wommen of the toun ffor he hadde power of confessioun As seyde hym self / moore than a Curat ffor of his ordre / he was licenciat Line 220 fful swetely / herde he confession And plesaunt was his absolucion He was an esy man / to yeue penaunce Ther as he wiste / to haue a good pitaunce Line 224 ffor vnto a poure ordre / for to yiue Is signe / þat a man is wel yshryue ffor if he yaf / he dorste make avaunt He wiste / that a man was repentaunt Line 228 ffor many a man / so harde is of his herte He may nat wepe / al thogh hym soore smerte Therfore in stede of wepynge and preyeres Men moote yeue siluer / to the poure freres Line 232 His typet was ay farsed ful of knyues And pynnes / for to yeuen yonge wyues And certeinly / he hadde a murye note Wel koude he synge / and pleyen on a rote Line 236 Of yeddynges / he baar outrely the pris His nekke / whit was / as the flour delys Ther to / he strong was as a Champion He knew the Tauernes wel in al the toun Line 240 And euerich Hostiler / and Tappestere [folio 7b] Bet than a lazar / or a beggestere ffor vn to swich a worthy man as he

Acorded nat / as by his facultee Line 244 To haue with sike lazars Aqueyntance It is nat honeste / it may nat avance ffor to deelen / with no swich poraille But al with riche / and selleres of vitaille Line 248 And ouer al / ther as profit sholde arise Curteis he was / and lowely of seruyse Ther nas no man / nowher so vertuous He was / the beste beggere in his hous Line 252 . . . . . [no gap in the MS.] sfor thogh a wydwe / hadde noght a sho So plesaunt / was his In principio Yet wolde he haue / a ferthyng er he wente His purchas / was wel bettre than his rente Line 256 And rage he koude / as it were right a whelpe In loue dayes / ther koude he muchel helpe ffor there he was nat lyk a Cloystrer With a thredbare cope / as is a poure scoler Line 260 But he was lyk / a maister / or a pope Of double worstede / was his semycope That rounded as a belle / out of the presse Somwhat he lipsed / for his wantownesse Line 264 To make his englissh / 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 [¶ Marchant] In Motlee and hye on horse he sat Vp on his heed a fflaundryssh Beuere hat / Line 272 His bootes clasped / faire and fetisly Hise resons he spak / ful solempnely Sownynge alway thencrees of his wynnyng He wolde the see were kept for any thing Line 276 Bitwixe Middelburgh and Orewelle

Wel koude he in eschaunge sheeldes selle This worthy man / ful wel his wit bisette Ther wiste no wight þat he was in dette Line 280 So estatly / was he of his gouernaunce With his bargaynes / and with his cheuyssaunce ffor sothe / he was a worthy man with alle But sooth to seyn / I noot how men hym calle Line 284

A Clerk ther was / of Oxenford also [¶ Clerk of Oxenford,] That vn to logyk / hadde longe ygo And leene was his hors as is a rake And he nas nat right fat, I vndertake Line 288 But looked holwe / and ther to sobrely [folio 8a] fful thredbare / was his ouereste courtepy ffor he hadde geten hym yet no benefice Ne was so worldly / for to haue office Line 292 ffor hym was leuere / haue at his beddes heed Twenty bookes / clad in blak or reed Of Aristotle / and his Philosophie Than robes riche / or fithele / or gay sautrie Line 296 But al be / that he was a Philosophre Yet hadde he / but litel gold in cofre But al þat he myghte / of his freendes hente On bookes / and his lernynge he it spente Line 300 And bisily / gan for the soules preye Of hem / þat yaf hym wher with to scoleye Of studie took he moost cure and moost heede Noght o word / spak he moore than was neede Line 304 And that was seyd / in forme and reuerence And short and quyk and ful of hy sentence Sownynge in moral vertu / was his speche And gladly wolde he lerne and gladly teche Line 308

A Sergeant of the Lawe / war and wys [¶ Sergeant of lawe] That often hadde been at the Parvys Ther was also / ful riche of excellence Discreet he was / and of greet reuerence Line 312 He semed swich / hise wordes weren so wise

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 semed / bisier than he was In termes hadde he caas and doomes alle That from the tyme / of kyng william were yfalle 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 rote He rood but hoomly / in a medlee cote Line 328 Girt with a ceint of silk / with barres smale Of his array telle I no lenger tale.

A ffrankeleyn / was in his compaignye [¶ ffrankeleyn] Whit was his heed / as is a dayesye Line 332 Of his complexion / he was sangwyn Wel loued he by the morwe a sope in wyn To lyuen in delit was euere his wone For he was / Epicurus owene sone Line 336 That heeld opinion that pleyn delit [folio 8b] Was verray felicitee parfit An housholdere / and that a greet was he Seint Iulian was he in his contree Line 340 His breed / his Ale / was alweys after oon A bettre envyned man / was neuere noon With oute bake mete / was neuere his hous Of fissh and flessh / and that so plenteuous Line 344 It snewed in his hous / of mete and drynke Of alle deyntees / that men koude thynke After the sondry sesons / of the yeer So chaunged he / his mete and his soper Line 348 fful many a fat partrich / hadde he in Muwe

And many a Breem / and many a luce in Stuwe Wo was his Cook / but if his sauce were Poynaunt / and sharpe / and redy al his geere Line 352 His table dormant 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 silk Heeng at his girdel / whit as morne Milk / A shirreue hadde he been and Countour Was nowher / such a worthy Vauasour Line 360

AN haberdasshere and a Carpenter [¶ Haberdasshere] [¶ Carpenter] A Webbe / a Dyere / and a Tapycer [¶ Webbe] [¶ Dyere] And they were clothed alle in o lyueree [¶ Tapicer] Of a solempne / and a greet fraternitee Line 364 fful fressh and newe / hir geere apiked was Hir knyues / were chaped noght with bras But al with siluer / wroght ful clene and weel Hire girdles and hir pouches euerydeel Line 368 Wel semed ech of hem / a fair burgeys To sitten in a yeldehalle / on a deys Euerich / 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 elles certeyn / were they to blame It is ful fair / to been ycleped ma Dame Line 376 And goon to vigilies / al bifore And haue a Mantel roialliche ybore

A Cook they hadde with hem for the nones [¶ Cook.] To boille the chiknes with the Marybones Line 380 And poudre Marchant tart and galyngale Wel koude he knowe / a draughte of London ale He koude rooste and sethe / and boille and frye Maken Mortreux / and wel bake a pye Line 384 But greet harm was it / as it thoughte me [folio 9a]

That on his shyne / a mormal hadde he ffor blankmanger / that made he with the beste

A Shipman was ther / wonynge 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 A daggere / hangynge on a laas hadde he Line 392 Aboute his nekke / vnder his Arm adoun The hoote somer / hadde maad his hewe al broun And certeinly / he was a good felawe fful many a draughte of wyn / had he [y-]drawe Line 396 ffro Burdeuxward / whil that the Chapman sleepe Of nyce conscience / took he no keepe If þat he faught and hadde the hyer hond By water / he sente hem hoom to euery lond Line 400 But of his craft / to rekene wel his tydes His stremes / and his daungers hym bisides His herberwe / and his moone / his lodemenage Ther nas noon swich / from Hulle to Cartage Line 404 Hardy he was and wys / to vndertake With many a tempest / hadde his berd been shake He knew alle the hauenes / as they were ffron Gootlond to the Cape of ffynystere Line 408 And euery cryke / in Britaigne and in Spayne His Barge / ycleped was the Maudelayne

With vs ther was a Doctour of Phisik [¶ Doctour of Phisik/] In al this world / ne was ther noon hym lik Line 412 To speke of phisik / and of Surgerye 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 euerich maladye Were it of hoot or cold / or moyste / or drye Line 420 And where they engendred / and of what humour

He was a verray parfit praktisour The cause yknowe / and of his harm the roote Anon he yaf / the sike man his boote Line 424 fful redy hadde he / hise Apothecaries To sende him drogges and his letuaries ffor ech of hem / made oother for to wynne Hir frendshipe / nas nat newe to bigynne Line 428 Wel knew he / the olde Esculapius And Deyscorides / and eek Risus Olde ypocras / Haly / and Galyen Serapion Razis / and Auycen Line 432 Auerrois / Damascien / and Constantyn [folio 9b] Bernard / and Gatesden / and Gilbertyn Of his diete / mesurable was he ffor it was / of no superfluitee Line 436 But of greet norissyng / and digestible His studie / 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 / that he wan in pestilence ffor gold in Phisik / is a cordial Therfore he louede gold in special Line 444

A good wif was ther of biside Bathe [¶ The goode Wif of] [¶ Bathe] But she was som del deef and þat was scathe Of clooth makyng she hadde swich an haunt She passed hem of ypres and of Gaunt Line 448 In al the parisshe / wif ne was ther noon That to the offrynge / bifore hire sholde goon And if ther dide / certeyn so wrooth was she That she was / out of alle charitee Line 452 Hir couerchiefs / ful fyne weren of ground I dorste swere / they weyeden ten pound That on a sonday / weren vpon hir heed Hir hosen weren / of fyn scarlet reed Line 456 fful streite yteyd / and shoes ful moyste and 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 Withouten oother compaignye in youthe But ther of / nedeth nat 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 Boloigne In Galice at Seint Iame / and at Coloigne She koude muchel / of wandrynge by the weye Gat tothed 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 A foot mantel / aboute hir hipes large Line 472 And on hire feet a paire of spores sharpe In felaweshipe / wel koude she laughe and carpe Of remedies of loue / she knew per chaunce For she koude of that Art the olde daunce Line 476

A good man was ther of Religioun And was / a poure Person of a toun [¶ Person of a toun.] But riche he was / of hooly thoght and werk/ He was also / a lerned man a clerk Line 480 That cristes gospel / trewely wolde preche [folio 10a] Hise parisshens / deuoutly wolde he teche Benygne he was / and wonder diligent And in Aduersitee ful pacient Line 484 And swich / he was [y-]preued ofte sithes fful looth were hym / to cursen for hise tithes But rather wolde he yeuen out of doute Vn to his poure parisshens aboute Line 488 Of his offryng 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 nat for reyn ne thonder Line 492 In siknesse nor in meschief / to visite

The ferreste in his parisshe muche and lite Vp on his feet and in his hand a staf This noble ensample to his sheepe he yaf Line 496 That firste he wroghte / and afterward that he taughte Out of the gospel / he tho wordes caughte And this figure / he added eek ther to That if gold ruste / what shal Iren doo Line 500 For if a preest be foul / on whom we truste No wonder is / a lewed man to ruste And shame it is / if [that] a prest take keepe A shiten shepherde / and a clene sheepe Line 504 Wel oghte a preest / ensample for to yeue By his clennesse / how þat his sheepe sholde lyue He sette nat his benefice to hyre And leet his sheepe / encombred in the Myre Line 508 And ran to London / vn to seint Poules To seken hym a chauntrie for soules Or with a bretherhed / to been withholde But dwelleth at hoom and kepeth wel his folde Line 512 So that the wolf / ne made it nat myscarie He was a shepherde / and noght a Mercenarie And though he hooly were / and vertuous He was nat to synful man despitous Line 516 Ne of his speche / daungerous ne digne But in his techyng discreet and benygne To drawen folk to heuene by fairnesse By good ensample / this was his bisynesse Line 520 But it were any persone obstinat What so he were / of heigh or lough estat Hym wolde he snybben sharply for the nonys A bettre preest I trowe / þat nowher noon ys Line 524 He waiteth / after no pompe and reuerence Ne maked him a spiced 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 brother [folio 10b] [¶ Plowman.]

That hadde ylad of dong ful many a fother A trewe swynkere / and a good was he Lyuynge in pees / and parfit charitee Line 532 God loued he best / with al his hoole herte At alle tymes / thogh he gamed or smerte And thanne his neighebore / right as hym selue He wolde thresshe / and ther to dyke and delue Line 536 For cristes sake / for euery poure wight Withouten hire / if it lay in his myght Hise tithes / payde he ful faire and wel Bothe of his propre swynk and his catel Line 540 In a Tabard he rood / vpon a Mere

Ther was also / a Reue and a Millere [¶ Millere.] A Somnour / and a Pardoner also A Maunciple / and my self ther were namo Line 544 ¶ The Millere was a stout carl for the nones Ful byg he was / of brawn / and eek of bones That proued wel / for ouer al ther he cam At wrastlynge / he wolde haue alwey the Ram Line 548 He was short sholdred / brood / a thikke knarre Ther nas no dore / þat he ne wolde heue of harre Or breke it / at a rennyng with his heed His berd / as any sowe / or fox was reed Line 552 And ther to brood / as though it were a spade Vp on the cope / right of his nose he hade A werte / and ther on stood a toft of herys Reed / as the brustles / of a sowes erys Line 556 Hise nosethirles / blake were and wyde A swerd and a bokeler / bar he by his syde His mouth as greet was / as a greet forneys He was a Ianglere and a goliardeys Line 560 And that was moost / of synne and harlotries Wel koude he stelen corn / and tollen thries And yet he hadde / a thombe of gold pardee A whit cote / and a blew hood wered he 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 be wise / in byynge of vitaille ffor wheither that 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 fair grace That swich a lewed mannes wit shal pace The wisdom / of an heepe of lerned men Of maistres hadde he / mo than thries ten Line 576 That weren of lawe / expert and curious [folio 11a] Of whiche / þer weren a duszeyne in that hous Worthy to been stywardes / of rente and lond Of any lord / that is in Engelond Line 580 To maken hym lyue / by his propre good In honour dettelees / but if he were wood Or lyue as scarsly / as hym list desire And able / for to helpen al a shire Line 584 In any caas / þat myghte falle or happe And yet this manciple / sette hir aller cappe

The Reue was / a sclendre colerik man [¶ Reue.] His berd was shaue / as ny as euer he kan Line 588 His heer was by his erys / ful round yshorn His tope was doked / lyk a preest biforn fful longe were his legges / and ful lene ylyk a staf / ther was no calf ysene Line 592 Wel koude he kepe a gerner / and a bynne Ther was noon Auditour / koude of him 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 hoolly / in this Reues gouernyng / And by his couenant yaf the rekenyng Line 600 Syn that his lord / was twenty yeer of age

Ther koude no man / brynge hym in Arrerage Ther nas baillif ne hierde / nor oother hyne That he [ne] knew his sleighte and his couyne Line 604 They were adrad of hym / as of the deeth His wonyng was ful faire vp on an heeth With grene trees / shadwed was his place He koude bettre than his lord purchace Line 608 fful riche he was astored pryuely His lord / wel koude he plesen subtilly To yeue and lene hym / of his owene good And haue a thank / yet a gowne and hood Line 612 In youthe he hadde lerned a good myster He was a wel good wrighte a Carpenter This Reue sat vp on a ful good stot That was al pomely grey / and highte Scot Line 616 A long surcote of pers / vp on he hade And by his syde / he baar a rusty blade Of Northfolk was this Reue / of which I telle Biside a toun / men clepen Baldeswelle Line 620 Tukked he was / as is a frere 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 sawcefleem he was with eyen narwe [folio 11b] As hoot he was / and lecherous as a sparwe With scaled browes blake and piled berd Of his visage / children were aferd Line 628 Ther nas quyk siluer / lytarge ne brymstoon Boras / Ceruce / ne oille of Tartre noon Ne oynement that wolde clense and byte That hym myghte helpen / of the whelkes white Line 632 Nor of the knobbes / sittynge on his chekes Wel loued he garleek / oynons / and eek lekes And for to drynken strong wyn / reed as blood Thanne wolde he speke / and crie as he were wood Line 636 And whan þat he / wel dronken hadde the wyn

Than wolde he speke no word but latyn A fewe termes hadde he / two or thre That he had lerned / out of som decree Line 640 No wonder is / he herde it al the day And eek ye knowen 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 crie 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 excuse hym atte fulle And priuely / a fynch eek koude he pulle Line 652 And if he foond owher / a good felawe He wolde techen him / to have noon Awe In swich caas / of the Ercedekenes curs But if a mannes soule / were in his purs Line 656 ffor in his purs / he sholde ypunysshed be Purs / is the Ercedekenes 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 slee / right as assoillyng sauith And also / war him of a Significauit/ In daunger hadde he / at his owene gise The yonge girles / 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 bokeleer / hadde he maad him of a Cake Line 668

With hym ther was / a gentil Pardoner [¶ Pardoner.] Of Rounciuale / his freend and his compeer That streight was comen / fro the court of Rome. fful loude he soong com hider loue to me Line 672 This Somonour / bar to hym a stif burdoun [folio 12a]

Was neuere trompe / of half so greet a soun This Pardoner hadde heer / as yelow as wex But smothe it heeng as dooth a strike of flex Line 676 By ounces / henge hise lokkes þat he hadde And ther with / he hise shuldres ouerspradde But thynne it lay / by colpons oon and oon But hood for Iolitee / wered he noon Line 680 For it was trussed / vp in his walet Hym thoughte / he rood / al of the newe Iet Discheuelee 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 Bret ful 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 shaue 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 croys of laton / ful of stones And in a glas / he hadde pigges bones Line 700 But with thise relikes / whan þat he fond A poure person / dwellynge vp on lond Vp on a day / he gat hym moore moneye Than þat the person gat / in Monthes tweye Line 704 And thus / with feyned flaterye and Iapes He made the person and the peple his Apes But trewely / to tellen atte laste He was in chirche a noble ecclesiaste Line 708 Wel koude he rede / a lesson or a storie

But alderbest / he song an Offertorie ffor wel he wiste / whan þat song was songe He moste preche / and wel affile his tonge Line 712 To wynne siluer / as he ful wel koude Therefore he song / the murierly and loude

NOw haue I toold you shortly in a clause The staat tharray / the nombre and eek the cause Line 716 Why þat assembled was this compaignye In Southwerk / at [[MS. as]] this gentil hostelrye That highte the Tabard / faste by the belle But now is tyme / to yow for to telle Line 720 How that we baren vs that ilke nyght [folio 12b] Whan we were / in that hostelrie alyght And after wol I telle / of our viage And al the remenaunt of oure pilgrimage Line 724 But first I pray yow / of youre curteisye That ye narette it nat my vileynye Thogh þat I pleynly speke in this mateere To telle yow / hir wordes and hir cheere Line 728 Ne thogh I speke hir wordes proprely ffor this ye knowen / al so wel as I Who so shal telle a tale / after a man He moote reherce / as ny as euere he kan Euerich a word / if it be in his charge Al speke he / neuer so rudeliche or large Or ellis / he moot telle his tale vntrewe Or feyne thyng . or fynde wordes newe Line 736 He may nat spare / al thogh he were his brother He moot as wel / seye o word as another Crist spak hym self / ful brode in hooly writ And wel ye woot no vileynye is it Line 740 Eek Plato seith / who so kan hym rede The wordes / moote be cosyn to the dede Also I prey yow / to foryeue it me Al haue I nat set folk in hir degree Line 744 Heere in this tale / as þat they sholde stonde

My wit is short ye may wel vnderstonde ¶ Greet chiere made oure hoost vs euerichon And to the soper / sette he vs anon Line 748 And 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 A fairer Burgeys / was ther noon in Chepe Boold of his speche / and wys and well ytaught And of manhod / hym lakked[e] right naught Line 756 Eek therto / he was right a myrie man And after soper / pleyen he bigan And spak of myrthe / amonges othere thynges Whan that we / hadde maad our rekenynges Line 760 And seyde thus / now lordynges trewely Ye been to me / right welcome hertely ffor by my trouthe / if that I shal nat lye I saugh nat this yeer / so myrie a compaignye Line 764 Atones in this herberwe as is now ffayn wolde I doon yow myrthe / wiste I how And of a myrthe / I am right now bythoght To doon yow ese / and it shal coste noght Line 768 ¶ Ye goon to Caunterbury / god yow speede [folio 13a] The blisful martir / quite yow youre meede And wel I woot / as ye goon by the weye Ye shapen yow / to talen and to pleye Line 772 ffor trewely / confort ne myrthe is noon To ride by the weye doumb as the stoon And therfore / wol I maken yow disport 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 To morwe / whan ye riden by the weye Line 780 Now by my fader soule that is deed

But if ye be myrie / I wol yeue yow myn heed ¶ Hoold vp youre hond withouten moore speche Oure conseil / was nat longe for to seche Line 784 Vs thoughte / it was noght worth / to make it wys And graunted hym / wit outen moore auys And bad him seye his voirdit as hym leste ¶ Lordynges quod he / now herkneth for the beste Line 788 But taak it nought / I prey 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 telle tales tweye Line 792 To Caunterburyward / I mene it so And homward / he shal tellen othere two Of auentures / that whilom han bifalle And which of yow / that bereth hym best of alle Line 796 That is to seyn / that telleth in this caas Tales of best sentence / and moost solaas Shal haue a soper / at oure aller cost Heere 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 with yow ryde Right at myn owene cost and be youre gyde Line 804 And who so wole / my Iuggement withseye Shal paye / al that we spenden by the weye And if ye vouche sauf / that it be so Tel me anon / with outen wordes mo Line 808 And I wol erly / shape me therfore ¶ This thyng was graunted and oure othes swore With ful glad herte / and preyden hym also That he would vouche sauf / for to do so Line 812 And that he / wolde been oure gouernour And of our tales / Iuge and Reportour And sette a soper / at a certeyn pris And we / wol reuled been at his deuys Line 816 ¶ In heigh and lough / and thus by oon assent [folio 13b]

We been acorded / to his Iuggement And ther vp on / the wyn was fet anon We dronken / and to reste wente echon Line 820 With outen / any lenger taryynge Amorwe / whan þat day / gan for to sprynge Vp roos oure hoost and was oure aller cok And gadrede vs togidre / alle in a flok Line 824 And forth we riden / a litel moore than paas Vn to the wateryng of Seint Thomas And there oure hoost bigan his hors areste And seyde lordynges / herkneth if yow leste Line 828 ¶ Ye woot youre foreward / and [I] it yow recorde If euen song / and morwe song accorde 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 Shal paye / for al þat 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 accord Cometh neer quod he / my lady Prioresse And ye sire clerk / lat be your shamefastnesse Line 840 Ne studieth noght / ley hond to euery man Anon 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 every wyght And telle he moste his tale / as was reson By foreward / and by composicion Line 848 As ye han herd / what nedeth wordes mo An whan this goode man / saugh þat it was so As he / that wys was and obedient To kepe his foreward / by his free assent Line 852 He seyde / syn I shal bigynne the game

What welcome be the cut / a goddes name Now lat us ryde / and herkneth what I seye And with that word / we ryden forth oure weye Line 856 And he bigan / with right a myrie cheere His tale anon / and seyde in this manere

[folio 14a]

¶ Heere bigynneth the knyghtes tale

Iamque domos patrias Sithice post aspera gentis presia laurigero &c.

WHilom / as olde stories / tellen vs [[Painting of the Knight in the margin.]] Ther was a duc þat highte Theseus Of Atthenes / he was lord and gouernour Line 861 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 That with his wysdom / and his chiualrie He conquered / al the regne of ffemenye That whilom / was ycleped Scithia And wedded[e] the queene ypolita Line 868 And broghte hire hoom with hym in his contree With muchel glorie / and greet solempnytee And eek hir faire suster Emelye And thus / with victorie and with melodye Line 872 Lete I this noble duc / to Atthenes ryde An al his hoost in Armes hym bisyde ¶ And certes / if it nere / to long to heere I wolde yow 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 asseged was ypolita The faire hardy queene of Scithia And of the feste / þat was at hir weddynge And of the tempest / at hir hoom 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 Plough The remenant of the tale / is long ynough 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 soper wynne And ther I lefte / I wol ayeyn bigynne Line 892

This duc / of whom I make mencioun [¶ Narratio] Whan he was come / almoost vn to the toun In al his wele / and in his mooste pride He was war / as he caste his eye aside Line 896 Where that ther kneled in the weye A compaignye of ladyes / tweye and tweye Ech after oother / clad in clothes blake [folio 14b] 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 Til they / the reynes of his brydel henten Line 904 ¶ What folk been ye / that at myn hom comynge Perturben so my feste / with criynge Quod Theseus / haue ye so greet enuye Of myn honour / þat 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 And seyde lord / to whom ffortune hath yeuen Victorie / and as a Conqueror to lyuen Line 916 Nat 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 thou 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 hire false wheel

That noon estat assureth to be weel And certes lord / to abyden youre presence Heere in the temple / of the goddesse clemence Line 928 We han ben waitynge / al this fourtenyght Now help vs lord / sith it is in thy myght ¶ I wrecche / which þat wepe and crie thus Was whilom wyf / to kyng Cappaneus Line 932 That starf at Thebes / cursed be that day And alle we that been in this array And maken / al this lamentacioun We losten / alle oure housbondes at that toun Line 936 Whil that the seege / 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 tirannye To do the dede bodyes vileynye Of alle oure lordes / whiche that been slawe He hath alle the bodyes / on an heepe ydrawe Line 944 And wol nat suffren hem / by noon assent Neither to been yburyed nor ybrent But maketh houndes / ete hem in despit [folio 15a] And with that word / with outen moore respit Line 948 They fillen gruf / and criden 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 his 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 all the peple of Grece / sholde speke How Creon / was of Theseus yserued As he þat hadde / his deeth ful wel deserued Line 964 And right anoon / with outen moore abood His Baner he desplayeth and forth rood To Thebesward / and al his hoost biside No neer Atthenes / wolde he go ne ride Line 968 Ne take his ese / fully half a day But onward on his wey / that nyght he lay And sente anon / ypolita the queene And Emelye / hir yonge suster sheene Line 972 Vn to the toun of Atthenes to dwelle And forth he rit ther is 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 / glyteren vp and doun And by his Baner / born is his penoun Of gold ful riche / in which ther was ybete The Mynotaur / which þat he slough in Crete Line 980 ¶ Thus rit this duc thus rit this Conquerour And in his hoost of Chiualrie the flour Til þat he cam to Thebes and alighte ffaire in a feeld / ther as he thoughte fighte Line 984 But shortly / for to speken of this thyng With Creon / which þat was of Thebes kyng He faught / and slough 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 wall and sparre and rafter And to the ladyes / he restored agayn The bones / of hir housbondes that weren slayn Line 992 To doon obsequies / as was tho the gyse But it were al to longe / for to deuyse The grete clamour / and the waymentynge [folio 15b] That the ladyes made / at the brennynge Line 996 Of the bodies / and the grete honour

That Theseus / the noble Conquerour Dooth to the ladyes / 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 the bodyes 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 / þat in the taas they founde Thurgh girt with many a greuous blody wounde 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 quyke / ne fully dede they were But by here Cote Armures / and by hir gere 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 caried / softe vn to the tente Of Theseus / and ful soone he hem sente To Atthenes / to dwellen in prison Perpetuelly / he nolde no raunson Line 1024 And whan this worthy duc hath thus ydon He took his hoost and hoom he rood anon With laurer crowned / as a Conquerour And ther he lyueth / in ioye and in honour Line 1028 Terme of [his] lyue / what nedeth wordes mo And in a tour / in angwissh and in wo This Palamon / and his felawe Arcite ffor eueremoore / ther may no gold hem quite Line 1032 ¶ This passeth / yeer by yeer / and day by day

Till it fil ones / in a morwe of May That Emelye / þat fairer was to sene Than is the lylie / vpon his stalke grene Line 1036 And fressher than the May / with floures newe ffor with the Rose colour stroof hire hewe I noot which was the fyner of hem two Er it were day / as was hir wone to do Line 1040 She was arisen / and al redy dight ffor May wole haue / no slogardrie a nyght The seson / priketh / euery gentil herte [folio 16a] And maketh hym / out of his slepe to sterte Line 1044 And seith arys / and do thyn obseruance This maked 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 hire liste Line 1052 She gadereth floures party / white and rede To make a subtil gerland for hire hede And as an Aungel / heuenysshly she soong The grete tour / þat was so thikke and stroong 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 pleyynge Bright was the sonne / and cleer that morwenynge And this Palamon / this woful prisoner As was his wone / bi leue of his gayler 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 grene Ther as this fresshe Emelye the sheene Line 1068 Was in hire walk and romed vp and doun

This sorweful prisoner / this Palamoun Goth in the chambre / romynge to and fro And to hym self / compleynynge 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 cast his eye / vpon Emelya And ther with al he bleynte and cride .A. As though he stongen were vn to the herte And with that cry / Arcite anon 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 love / taak al in pacience Line 1084 Oure prison / for it may noon oother be Fortune / hath yeuen vs this Aduersitee Som wikke aspect / or disposicion Of Saturne / by sum constellacion Line 1088 Hath yeuen vs this / al though we hadde it sworn So stood the heuene / whan þat we were born We moste endure / this is the short and playn [folio 16b] ¶ This Palamon answerde / and seyde agayn Line 1092 Cosyn for sothe / of this opinion Thow hast a veyn ymaginacion This prison caused me nat for to crye But I was hurt right now thurgh out myn eye Line 1096 In to myn herte / that wol my bane be The fairnesse / of that lady þat I see Yond in the gardyn / romen to and fro Is cause / of al my criyng 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 doun he fil And seyde Venus / if it be thy wil Line 1104 Yow in this gardyn / thus to transfigure

Bifore me / sorweful wrecche creature Out of this prison / helpe þat we may scapen And if so be / my destynee be shapen 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 Wher as this lady / romed to and fro And with that sighte / hir beautee hurte hym so That if that Palamon / [was] wounded sore Arcite is hurt as moche as he / or moore Line 1116 And with a sigh / he seyde pitously The fresshe beautee / sleeth me sodeynly Of hire / that rometh / in the yonder place And but I haue / hir mercy and hir grace Line 1120 That I may seen hire / atte leeste weye I nam but deed / ther is namoore to seye ¶ This Palamon / whan he tho wordes herde Dispitously / he looked and answerde Line 1124 Wheither seistow this / in ernest or in pley? ¶ Nay quod Arcite / in ernest by my fey God helpe me so / me list ful yuele pleye ¶ This Palamon / gan knytte his browes tweye Line 1128 It nere quod he to thee / no greet honour ffor to be fals / ne for to be traitour To me / þat 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 deeth / departe shal vs tweyne Neither of vs / in loue to hyndre oother Ne in noon oother cas / my leeue brother Line 1136 But þat thou sholdest trewely forthren me In euery cas / as I shal forthren thee This was thyn ooth / and myn also certeyn [folio 17a] I woot right wel / thou 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 And euere shal / til þat myn herte sterue Line 1144 Nay certes false Arcite / thow shalt nat so I loued hire first / and tolde thee my wo As to my conseil / and to my brother sworn To forthre me / as I haue toold biforn Line 1148 ffor which / thou art ybounden as a knyght To helpen me / if it lay in thy myght Or elles artow fals / I dar wel seyn ¶ This Arcite / ful proudly spak ageyn Line 1152 Thow shalt quod he / be rather fals than I And thou art fals / I telle thee outrely ffor paramour I loued hire first er thow What wiltow seyn / thou wistest nat yet now Line 1156 Wheither she be / a womman or goddesse Thyn is / affeccion of hoolynesse 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 / of any erthely man And therfore / positif lawe and swich decree Is broken al day for loue in ech degree Line 1168 A man moot nedes loue / maugree his heed He may nat flee it thogh he sholde be deed Al be she mayde / or wydwe / or elles wyf And eek it is nat likly al thy lyf Line 1172 To stonden in hir grace / namoore shal I ffor wel thou woost thy seluen verraily That thou and I / be dampned to prison Perpetuelly / vs gayneth no raunson Line 1176 We stryuen / as dide / the houndes for the boon

They foughte al day / and yet hir part was noon Ther cam a kyte / whil they weren so wrothe And baar awey the boon / bitwixe hem bothe Line 1180 And therfore / at the kynges court my brother Ech man for hym self / ther is noon oother Loue if thee list for I loue and ay shal And soothly / leeue brother this is al Line 1184 Heere in this prison / moote we endure And euerich of vs / take his auenture

GReet was the strif / and long / bitwix hem tweye [folio 17b] If that 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 that highte Perotheus That felawe was / to duc Theseus Line 1192 Syn thilke day / that they were children lite Was come to Atthenes / his felawe to visite And for to pleye / as he was won[t] to do ffor in this world / he loued no man so Line 1196 And he loued hym / als tendrely agayn So wel they louede / as olde bookes sayn That whan þat oon was deed / soothly to telle His felawe wente / and soughte hym doun in helle Line 1200 But of that storie / list me nat to write Duc Perotheus / loued wel Arcite And hadde hym knowe at Thebes yeer by yere And finally / at requeste and preyere 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 you tellen shal Line 1208 ¶ This was the forward / pleynly for tendite Bitwixen Theseus / and hym Arcite That if so were / þat Arcite were yfounde Euere in his lif / by day / or nyght or stounde Line 1212 In any contree / of this Theseus

And he were caught it was acorded thus That with a swerd / he sholde lese his heed Ther nas / noon oother remedie ne reed Line 1216 But taketh his leue / and homward he him spedde Lat hym be war / his nekke lith to wedde ¶ How greet a sorwe / suffreth now Arcite The deeth he feeleth / thurgh his herte smyte Line 1220 He wepeth / wayleth / crieth pitously To sleen hym self / he waiteth priuely He seyde allas / that day þat he was born Now is my prison / worse than biforn Line 1224 Now is me shape / eternally to dwelle Nat in my purgatorie / but in helle Allas / þat euere knew I Perotheus ffor elles / hadde I. dwelled with Theseus Line 1228 Yfetered in his prison eueremo Thanne hadde I been in blisse and nat in wo Oonly / the sighte of hire / whom þat I serue Though þat I neuere / hir grace may deserue Line 1232 Wolde han suffised / right ynough for me O deere cosyn / Palamon quod he Thyn is the victorie / of this auenture [folio 18a] fful blisfully in prison maistow dure Line 1236 In prison? certes nay / but in Paradys Wel hath ffortune / y-turned thee the dys That hast the sighte of hire / and I thabsence ffor possible is / syn thou hast hire presence Line 1240 And art a knyght a worthy and an able That som cas / syn ffortune is chaungeable Thow maist to thy desir / som tyme atteyne But I / þat am exiled and bareyne Line 1244 Of alle grace / and in so greet dispeir That ther nys erthe / water / fir / ne eir Ne creature / þat of hem maked is That may me heele / or doon confort in this Line 1248 Wel oughte I sterue / in wanhope and distresse

ffarwel / my lif / my lust and my gladnesse ¶ Allas / why pleynen folk so in commune Of puruieaunce 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 han richesse That cause is of his moerdre / or greet 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 mateere We witen nat what [thing] we preyen heere Line 1260 We faren / as he that dronke is as a Mous A dronke man woot wel / þat he hath an hous But he noot which the righte wey is thider 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 often trewely Thus may we seyn alle / and namely I Line 1268 That wende / and hadde a greet opinion That if I myghte / escapen from prison Thanne hadde I been in ioye / and perfit heele That now / I am exiled fro my wele Line 1272 Syn þat I may nat seen you Emelye I nam but deed / ther nys no remedye ¶ Vp on that oother syde / Palamon Whan þat he wiste / Arcite was agon Line 1276 Swich sorwe he maketh / þat the grete tour Resouned / of his youlyng and clamour The pure fettres / on his shynes grete Weren / of his bittre salte teeres wete Line 1280 Allas quod he / Arcita cosyn myn Of al oure strif / god woot the fruyt is thyn Thow walkest now in Thebes at thy large [folio 18b] And of my wo / thow yeuest litel charge Line 1284 Thou mayst / syn thou hast wysdom and manhede

Assemblen / alle the folk / of oure kynrede And make a werre / so sharpe 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 thou art at thy large / of prison free Line 1292 And art a lord / greet is thyn auauntage Moore than is myn / þat sterue here in a cage ffor I moot wepe / and wayle 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 him by the herte Line 1300 So woodly / that he lyk was to biholde The Boxtree / or the Asshen dede and colde ¶ Thanne seyde he / o crueel gooddes þat gouerne This world / with byndyng of youre word eterne Line 1304 And writen in the table of Atthamaunt Youre parlement and youre eterne graunt What is mankynde / moore vn to you holde Than is the sheepe / þat rouketh in the folde Line 1308 ffor slayn is man / right as another beest And dwelleth eek / in prison and arreest And hath siknesse / and greet aduersitee And ofte tymes / gilt[e]lees pardee Line 1312 ¶ What gouernance / is in this prescience That gilt[e]lees / tormenteth Innocence And yet encresseth this / al my penaunce That man is bounden / to his observaunce 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 / he hath no peyne But after his deeth / man moot wepe and pleyne Line 1320 Though in this world / he haue care and wo

With outen doute / it may stonden so The answere of this / lete I to dyuynys But well I woot þat in this world greet pyne ys 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 list may turne But I moot been in prison / thurgh Saturne Line 1328 And eek thurgh Juno / Ialous and eek wood That hath destroyed / wel ny al the blood Of Thebes / with hise waste walles wyde [folio 19a] And venus / sleeth me on that oother syde Line 1332 ffor Ialousie / and fere of hym Arcite ¶ Now wol I stynte of Palamon a lite And lete hym / in his prison stille dwelle And of Arcita / forth I wol yow telle Line 1336 ¶ The sonne passeth / and the nyghtes longe Encressen double wise / the peynes stronge Bothe / of the louere / and the prisoner I noot which hath the wofuller mester Line 1340 ffor shortly for to seyn / this Palamon Perpetuelly / is dampned to prison In cheynes and in fettres / to been deed And Arcite / is exiled vpon his heed Line 1344 ffor euere mo / as out of that contree Ne neuere mo / he shal his lady see

NOw loueres / 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 / he moot dwelle alway That oother / wher hym list may ride or go But seen his lady / shal he neuere mo Line 1352 Now demeth as yow list ye that kan ffor I wol telle forth / as I bigan.

¶ Explicit prima Pars.

¶ Sequitur pars secunda.

Whan that 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 muche sorwe / hadde neuere creature That is / or shal / whil þat the world may dure Line 1360 His slepe / his mete / his drynke / is hym biraft That lene he wexeth / 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 allone And waillynge al the nyght makynge his mone And if he herde / song or Instrument Thanne wolde he wepe / he myghte nat be stent Line 1368 So feble eek were hise spiritz and so lowe And chaunged so / that no man koude knowe His speche nor his voys / though men it herde And in his geere / for al the world he ferde Line 1372 Nat oonly / lik the loueris maladye [folio 19b] Of Hereos / but rather lyk Manye [¶ Mania] Engendred / of humour malencolik Biforn his owene Celle fantastik Line 1376 And shortly / turned was al vp so doun Bothe habit / and eek disposicioun Of hym this woful louere daun Arcite ¶ What sholde I / al day of his wo endite Line 1380 Whan he endured hadde / a yeer or two This crueel torment and this peyne and woo At Thebes in his contree / as I seyde Vp on a nyght / in sleepe as he hym leyde Line 1384 Hym thoughte / how that the wynged god Mercurie Biforn hym stood / and bad hym to be murie His slepy yerde / in hond he bar vprighte An hat he werede / vp hise heris brighte Line 1388

Line 1388 Arrayed was this god / as I took keepe As he was / whan þat Argus took his sleepe And seyde hym thus / to Atthenes shaltou wende Ther is thee shapen / of thy wo an ende Line 1392 And with that word / Arcite wook and sterte Now trewely / hou soore 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 / that I loue and serue In hire 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 anon / it ran hym in his mynde That sith his face / was so disfigured Of maladye / 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 anon / he chaunged his array Line 1408 And cladde hym / as a poure laborer And al allone / saue oonly a Squier That knew his priuetee / 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 Chamberleyn The which þat dwellynge was with Emelye ffor he was wys / and koude soone espye Line 1420 Of euery seruant which that serueth here [folio 20a] Wel koude he / hewen wode / and water bere ffor he was yong / and myghty for the nones And ther to / he was long / and big of bones Line 1424

Line 1424 To doon / that any wight / kan hym deuyse A yeer or two / he was in this seruyse Page of the chambre / of Emelye 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 his condicioun That thurghout al the Court was his renoun Line 1432 They seyden / that it were a charitee That Theseus / wolde enhauncen his degree And putten hym / in worshipful seruyse Ther as he myghte / his vertu excercise Line 1436 And thus / with Inne a while / his name is spronge Bothe of hise dedes / and his goode tonge That Theseus / hath taken hym so neer That of his chambre / he made hym a Squier Line 1440 And gaf him gold / to mayntene his degree And eek men broghte hym / out of his contree ffrom yeer to yeer / ful pryuely his rente But honestly / and slyly he it spente Line 1444 That no man wondred / how þat he it hadde And thre yeer in this wise / his lif he ladde And bar hym so / in pees / and eek in werre Ther was no man / þat Theseus hath derre Line 1448 And in this blisse / lete I now Arcite And speke I wole / of Palamon a lite

IN derknesse and horrible / and strong prison Thise seuen yeer / hath seten Palamon Line 1452 fforpyned / what for wo / and for distresse Who feeleth / double soor heuynesse But Palamon / that loue destreyneth so That wood out of his wit he goth for wo Line 1456 And eek ther to / he is a prisoner Perpetuelly / noght oonly / for a yer ¶ Who koude ryme in englyssh proprely His martirdom / for sothe it am nat I. Line 1460

Line 1460 Therfore I passe / as lightly as I may ¶ It fel / that in the seuenthe yer in May The thridde nyght as olde bookes seyn 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 [folio 20b] ffor he hade yeue / his gayler drynke so Of a Clarree maad / of a certeyn wyn Of Nercotikes / and Opie of Thebes fyn [¶ Opium Thebaicum.] That al that nyght thogh þat men wolde him shake The gayler sleepe / he myghte nat 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 moot hym seluen hyde And til a groue / faste ther bisyde With dredeful foot thanne stalketh Palamon ffor shortly / this was his opinion · Line 1480 That in that groue / he wolde hym hyde al day And in the nyght / thanne wolde he take his way To Thebes ward / his freendes for to preye On Theseus / to helpe him to werreye Line 1484 And shortly / outher he wolde lese his lif Or wynnen Emelye / vn to his wyf This is theffect and his entente pleyn ¶ Now wol I turne / to Arcite ageyn Line 1488 That litel wiste / how ny þat was his care Til þat ffortune / had broght him 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 hise stremes / dryeth in the greues The siluer dropes / hangynge on the leues Line 1496

Line 1496 And Arcita / that is in the court Roial With Theseus / his Squier principal Is risen / and looketh on the myrie day And for to doon / his obseruaunce to May Line 1500 Remembrynge / on the poynt of his desir He on a Courser / startlynge as the fir Is riden in to the feeldes / hym to pleye 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 song ayeyn the sonne shene May / with alle thy floures and thy grene Wel come be thou / faire fresshe May In hope / þat I som grene gete may Line 1512 And from his courser / with a lusty herte In to a 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 / that no man myghte hym se [folio 21a] ffor soore aferd of his deeth / thanne was he No thyng ne knew he / that it was Arcite God woot he wolde haue trowed it ful lite Line 1520 But sooth is seyd / go sithen many yeres That feeld hath eyen / and the wode hath eres It is ful fair / a man to bere hym euene ffor al day / meeteth men at vnset steuene Line 1524 fful litel woot Arcite of his felawe That was so ny / 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 al sodeynly As doon thise loueres / in hir queynte geres Now in the crope / now doun in the breres Line 1532

Line 1532 Now vp / now doun / as boket in a welle Right as the friday / soothly for to telle Now it shyneth / now it reyneth faste Right so / kan geery Venus ouer caste Line 1536 The hertes of hir folk / right as hir day Is gereful / right so chaungeth she array Selde is the friday / al the wowke ylike ¶ Whan þat Arcite had songe / he gan to sike Line 1540 And sette hym doun / with outen any moore Allas quod he / that day þat I was bore How longe Iuno / thurgh thy crueltee Woltow werreyen Thebes the Citee Line 1544 Allas / ybroght is to confusion The blood roial / of Cadme and Amphion [¶ Cadmus] Of Cadmus / which þat was the firste man That Thebes bulte / or first the toun bigan Line 1548 And of the Citee / first was crouned 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 / that is my mortal enemy I serue hym / as his squier pourely And yet / dooth Iuno me / wel moore shame ffor I dar noght biknowe myn owene name Line 1556 But ther as I / was wont to highte Arcite Now highte I Philostrate / noght worth a myte Allas thou felle Mars / allas Iuno Thus hath youre Ire / oure kynrede al fordo Line 1560 Saue oonly me / and wrecched 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 [folio 21b] 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 nat the montance of a tare So þat I koude / doon aught to youre plesaunce And with that word / he fil doun in a traunce Line 1572 A longe tyme / and after he vp sterte ¶ This Palamon / þat thoughte þat thurgh his herte He felte a coold swerd / sodeynliche 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 seide 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 As I ful ofte / haue seyd thee heer biforn Line 1584 And hast byiaped heere / duc Theseus And falsly / chaunged hast / thy name thus I wol be deed / or elles thou shalt dye Thou shalt nat / loue my lady Emelye Line 1588 But I wol loue hire oonly / and namo ffor I am Palamon / thy mortal foo And though þat I no wepene 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 nat louen Emelye Chees which thou wolt or thou shalt nat 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 sit aboue Nere it / þat thou art sik and wood for loue Line 1600 And eek þat thow no wepne hast in this place Thou sholdest neuere / out of this groue pace That thou ne sholdest dyen of myn hond ffor I defye / the seurete and the bond Line 1604

Line 1604 Which that thou seist þat I haue maad to thee What verray fool / thynk wel / þat loue is fre And I wol loue hire / mawgree al thy myght But for as muche / thou art a worthy knyght Line 1608 And wilnest to darreyne hire by bataille Haue heer my trouthe / tomorwe I wol nat faile With oute wityng of any oother wight That heere / I wol be founden as a knyght Line 1612 And bryngen harneys / right ynough for thee [folio 22a] And chese the beste / and leue the worste for me And mete and drynke / this nyght wol I brynge Ynough for thee / and clothes for thy beddynge Line 1616 And if so be / that thou 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 / had leyd his feith to borwe

O Cupide / out of alle charitee O regne / þat wolt no felawe haue with thee Line 1624 fful sooth is seyd / þat loue ne lordshipe Wol noght hir thankes / haue no felaweshipe Wel fynden that Arcite and Palamon Arcite is riden anon / vn to the toun Line 1628 And on the morwe / er it were dayes light fful priuely / two harneys hath he dight 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 the harneys / hym biforn And in the groue / at tyme and place yset This Arcite / and this Palamon ben met Line 1636 To chaungen / gan the colour in hir face Right as the hunters / in the regne of Trace That stondeth at the gappe with a spere Whan hunted is / the leon and the bere Line 1640

Line 1640 And hereth hym / come russhyng in the greues And breketh / bothe bowes / and the leues And thynketh / heere cometh my mortal enemy With oute faile / he moot be deed / or I Line 1644 ffor outher / I moot sleen hym at the gappe Or he moot sleen me / if þat me myshappe So ferden they / in chaungyng of hir hewe As fer / as euerich of hem oother knewe Line 1648 ¶ Ther nas no good day ne no saluyng But streight with outen word / or rehersyng Euerich of hem / heelpe for to armen oother As freenly / as he were his owene brother Line 1652 And after that with sharpe speres stronge They foynen ech at oother wonder longe Thou myghtest wene / that this Palamon In his fightyng were [as] a wood leon Line 1656 And as a crueel Tigre was Arcite As wilde bores / gonne they to smyte That frothen whit as foom / for Ire wood Vp to the Anclee / foghte they in hir blood Line 1660 ¶ And in this wise / I lete hem fightyng dwelle [folio 22b] And forth I wole / of Theseus yow telle

The destinee / Ministre general That executeth / in the world ouer al Line 1664 The purueiaunce / that god hath seyn biforn So strong it is / þat though the world had sworn The contrarie of a thyng by ye or nay Yet somtyme / it shal fallen on a day Line 1668 That falleth nat eft with Inne a thousand yeere ffor certeinly / oure appetites heere Be it of werre / or pees / or hate / or loue Al is this reuled / 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 dyane ¶ Cleer was the day / as I haue toold er this And Theseus / with alle ioye and blis Line 1684 With his ypolita / the faire queene And Emelye / clothed al in grene 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 in his weye This duc . wol han a cours at hym or tweye With houndes / swiche as 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 foughten breme / as it were bores two The brighte swerdes / wenten to and fro Line 1700 So hidously / that with the leeste strook It semed / as it wolde fille an ook But what they were / no thyng he ne woot This duc his courser / with his spores smoot Line 1704 And at a stert he was bitwix hem two And pulled out a swerd / and cride hoo Namoore / vp on peyne of lesynge of youre heed By myghty Mars / he shal anon be deed Line 1708 That smyteth any strook . that I may seen [folio 23a] But telleth me / what mystiers men ye been That been so hardy / for to fighten heere With outen Iuge / or oother Officere Line 1712

Line 1712 As it were / 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 thou art a rightful lord and Iuge Ne yeue vs / neither mercy ne refuge Line 1720 But sle me first for seinte charitee But sle my felawe eek as wel as me Or sle hym first . for though thow knowest 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 gate And seyde / þat he highte Philostrate Line 1728 Thus hath he iaped thee / ful many a yer And thou hast maked hym thy chief Squier And this is he / that 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 dye / present in hir sighte Therfore I axe deeth / and my Iuwise But sle my felawe / in the same wise Line 1740 ffor bothe / han we deserued to be slayn ¶ This worthy duc answerde anon agayn And seyde / this is a short conclusion 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 shal be deed / by myghty Mars the rede ¶ The queene anon / for verray wommanhede Line 1748

Line 1748 Gan for to wepe / and so dide Emelye And alle the ladyes / 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 were / of greet estaat And no thyng but for loue was this debaat And saugh hir blody woundes / wyde and soore And alle crieden / bothe lasse and moore Line 1756 Haue mercy Lord / vp on vs wommen alle [folio 23b] And on hir bare knees / adoun 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 though / he first for Ire quook and sterte He hath considered / shortly in a clause The trespas of hem bothe / and eek the cause Line 1764 And al though þat his Ire / hir gilt accused Yet in his reson / he hem bothe excused And thus / he thoghte wel þat euery man Wol helpe hym self in loue / if that he kan Line 1768 And eek deliuere hym self / out of prison And eek his herte hadde compassion Of wommen / for they wepen euere in oon And / in his gentil herte / he thoughte anon Line 1772 And softe vn to hym self / he seyde fy s Vp on a lord / that wol haue no mercy [¶ Notate domini.] But been a leon / bothe in word and dede To hem / þat been in repentance and drede Line 1776 As wel / as to a proud despitous man That wol maynteyne / that he first bigan That lord / hath litel of discrecion That in swich cas / kan no diuision Line 1780 But weyeth / pride and humblesse after oon And shortly / whan his Ire / is thus agoon He gan to looken vp / with eyen lighte And spak thise same wordes / al on highte Line 1784

Line 1784 ¶ The god of loue / A benedicite How myghty / and how greet a lord is he Ayeyns his myght ther gayneth none obstacles He may be cleped a god / for hise myracles Line 1788 ffor he kan maken / at his owene gyse Of euerich herte / as þat hym list diuyse Lo heere this Arcite / and this Palamon That quitly weren / out of my prison Line 1792 And myghte / han lyued in Thebes roially And witen / I am hir mortal enemy And þat hir deth / lith in my myght also And yet hath loue / maugree hir eyen two Line 1796 [Y-]Broght hem hyder / bothe for to dye Now looketh / is nat that an heigh folye ¶ Who may [nat] been a fole / 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 / for to been ful wyse Line 1804 That seruen loue / for aught that may bifalle [folio 24a] But this is yet the beste game of alle That she / for whom they han 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 all moot ben assayed / hoot and coold A man moot ben a fool / or yong or oold Line 1812 I woot it by my self / ful yore agon ffor in my tyme / a seruant was I oon And therfore / syn I knowe of loues peyne And woot hou soore / it kan a man distreyne Line 1816 As he / þat hath / ben caught ofte in his laas I yow foryeue / al hoolly this trespaas At requeste of the queene / þat kneleth heere And eek of Emelye / my suster deere Line 1820

Line 1820 And ye shul bothe / anon vn to me swere That neuere mo / ye shal my contree dere Ne make werre vp on me nyght ne day But been my freendes / in al that ye may Line 1824 I yow foryeue / this trespas euery deel And they him sworen / his axyng faire and weel And hym of lordshipe / and of mercy preyde And he hem graunteth grace / and thus he seyde Line 1828

TO speke / of roial lynage and richesse Though þat she were a queene or a princesse Ech of you bothe / is worthy doutelees To wedden whan tyme is doutelees Line 1832 I speke / as for my suster Emelye ffor whom ye haue / this strif and Ialousye Ye woot your self she may nat wedden two Atones / though ye fighten eueremo Line 1836 That oon of you / al be hym looth or lief/ He moot[e] pipen / in an yuy leef This is to seyn / she may nat now han bothe Al be ye neuer so Ialouse / 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 heere your ende / of that I shal deuyse Line 1844

My wyl is this / for plat conclusion With outen / any repplicacion If that you liketh / take it for the beste That euerich of you / shal goon where hym leste Line 1848 ffrely / with outen raunson / or daunger And this day fifty wykes / fer ne ner Euerich of you / shal brynge an hundred knyghtes Armed for lystes / vp at alle rightes Line 1852 ¶ Al redy / to darreyne hire by bataille [folio 24b] And this bihote 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 / that wheither he or thow May with his hundred / as I spak of now Sleen his contrarie / or out of lystes dryue Thanne shal I yeue / Emelya to wyue Line 1860 To whom þat ffortune / yeueth so fair a grace Tho lystes / shal I maken in this place And god so wisly / on my soule rewe As I shal euene Iuge been and trewe Line 1864 Ye shul noon oother ende / with me maken That oon of yow / ne shal be deed or taken And if yow thynketh / this is weel ysayd Seyeth youre auys / and holdeth you apayd Line 1868 This is youre ende / and youre conclusion ¶ Who looketh lightly now / but Palamon Who spryngeth vp for ioye / but Arcite Who kouthe telle / or who kouthe endite Line 1872 The ioye / þat is maked in the place Whan Theseus / hath doon so fair a grace But doun on knees / wente every maner wight And thonken hym / with al hir herte and myght Line 1876 And namely the Thebans often sithe And thus with good hope / and with herte blithe They taken hir leue / and homward gonne they ride To Thebes / with hise olde walles wyde Line 1880

¶ Explicit secunda pars

¶ Sequitur pars tercia

I trowe / men wolde deme it necligence If I foryete / to tellen the dispence 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 compaas

fful of degrees / the heighte of sixty pas That whan a man / was set / on o degree He lette nat his felawe for to see Line 1892 ¶ Estward / ther stood a gate of Marbul whit/ Westward right swich another in the opposit ¶ And shortly to concluden / swich a place [folio 25a] Was noon in erthe / as in so litel space Line 1896 ffor in the lond / ther was no crafty man That geometrie or Ars Metrik kan Ne portreitour / ne keruere of ymages That Theseus / ne yaf [hem] 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 worshipe of Venus goddesse of loue Line 1904 Doon make 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 Dyane of Chastitee Line 1912 Hath Theseus doon wroght in noble wyse ¶ But yet hadde I foryeten to deuyse The noble keruyng and the portreitures The shape / the contenaunce 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 sikes colde Line 1920 The sacred teeris / and the waymentynge The firy strokes / and the desirynge That loues seruauntz / in this lyf enduren The othes / that her couenantz assuren Line 1924 Plesaunce and hope / desir foolhardynesse

Beautee and youthe / bauderie richesse Charmes and force / lesynges flaterye Despense / bisynesse and Ialousye Line 1928 That wered of yelewe gooldes a gerland And a Cokkow / sittynge on hir hand ffestes / Instrumentz / caroles daunces Lust and array / and alle the circumstaunces Line 1932 Of loue / whiche þat I rekned haue / 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 Was shewed on the wal / in portreyynge With al the gardyn / and the lustynesse Nat was foryeten / the Porter ydelnesse Line 1940 Ne Narcisus the faire / of yore agon And yet the folye / of kyng Salamon ¶ And eek the grete strengthe of Ercules [folio 25b] Thenchauntementz of Medea and Circes Line 1944 Ne of Turnus / with the hardy fiers corage The riche Cresus / kaytyf / in seruage Thus may ye seen / þat wysdom ne richesse Beautee ne sleighte / strengthe hardynesse Line 1948 Ne may with Venus / holde champartie ffor as hir list the world than may she gye Lo alle thise folk so caught were in hir las Til they for wo / ful ofte seyde allas Line 1952 Suffiseth heere / ensamples oon or two And though / I koude rekene a thousand mo

The statue of Venus / glorious for to se Was naked / fletynge in the large see 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 was often seene A bowe he bar / and Arwes brighte and kene ¶ Why sholde I noght / as wel eek telle yow al The portreiture / that 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 estres / 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 forest In which ther dwelleth / neither man ne best Line 1976 With knotty knarry / bareyne trees olde Of stubbes sharpe / and hidouse to biholde In which ther ran / a rumbel and a swough As though a storm / sholde bresten euery bough Line 1980 And dounward from an hille / vnder a bente Ther stood the temple of Mars Armypotente Wroght al of burned steel / of which the entree Was long and streit and gastly for to see [.i. impetus] Line 1984 And ther out came a rage / and suche a veze That it made / al the gate for to rese The Northren lyght in at the dores shoon ffor wyndowe / on the wal ne was ther noon Line 1988 Thurgh which men myghten / any light discerne The dore was al / of Adamant eterne Yclenched / ouerthwart and endelong [folio 26a] With Iren tough / and for to make it strong Line 1992 Euery pyler the temple to sustene Was tonne greet of Iren bright and shene ¶ Ther saugh I first the dirke ymaginyng Of felonye / and the compassyng Line 1996 The crueel Ire / reed as any gleede

The pykepurs / and the pale drede The smylere / with the knyfe vnder the cloke The shepne / brennynge / with the blake smoke Line 2000 The treson / of the mordrynge in the bedde The open werre / with woundes al bibledde 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 / laughynge in his rage Armed compleint out hees / and fiers outrage Line 2012 The careyne in the busk with throte ycorue A thousand slayn / and nat oon of qualm ystorue The tiraunt with the pray by force yraft The toun destroyed / ther was no thy[ng laft [[in a later hand]] ] ¶ Yet saugh I brent the shippes hoppesteres 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 ¶ Noght was foryeten / by the Infortune of Marte The Cartere / ouer ryden with his Carte Vnder the wheel / ful lowe / he lay adoun ¶ Ther were also / of Martes diuisioun Line 2024 The laborer / and the Bocher and the Smyth That forgeth sharpe swerdes on his Styth ¶ And al aboue / depeynted in a tour Saugh I Conquest sittynge in greet honour Line 2028 With the sharpe swerd / ouer his heed Hangynge / by a soutil twynes threed ¶ Depeynted was / the slaughtre of Iulius Of grete Nero / and of Antonius Line 2032 Al be þat thilke tyme / they were vnborn

Yet was hir deth / depeynted ther biforn By manasynge of Mars / right by figure So was it shewed in that portreiture Line 2036 As is depeynted / in the Certres aboue Who shal be slayn / or elles deed for loue Suffiseth oon ensample in stories olde [folio 26b] I may nat rekene hem alle though I wolde Line 2040

The Statue of Mars / vp vn a Carte stood Armed / and looked grym as he were wood And ouer his heed / ther shynen two figures Of sterres / that been cleped in scriptures Line 2044 That oon Puella / that oother Rubeus This god of Armes / was arrayed thus A wolf ther stood / biforn hym at his feet With eyen rede / and of a man he eet Line 2048 With soutil pencel / was depeynted this storie In redoutynge / of Mars and of his glorie

NOw / to the temple / of Dyane the chaste As shortly as I kan I wol me haste Line 2052 To telle yow / al the descripsioun Depeynted been the walles vp and doun Of huntyng / and of shamefast chastitee ¶ Ther saugh I / how woful Calistopee Line 2056 Whan þat Diane / agreued was with here Was turned / from a womman to a Bere And after was she maad the loode sterre [¶ Vrsa maior] Thus was it peynted / I kan sey yow no ferre Line 2060 Hir sone is eek a sterre as men may see ¶ Ther saugh I Dane / yturned til a tree I mene nat the goddesse Diane But Penneus doughter / which þat highte Dane Line 2064 ¶ Ther saugh I Attheon / an hert ymaked ffor vengeance / þat he saugh Diane al naked I saugh / how þat hise houndes / haue hym caught And freeten hym / for þat they knewe hym naught Line 2068 ¶ Yet peynted / [was] a litel forther moor

How Atthalante / hunted the wilde boor And Meleagree / and many another mo ffor which Dyane / wroghte hym care and wo Line 2072 ¶ Ther saugh I / many another wonder storie The whiche / me list nat drawen to memorie ¶ This goddesse on an hert ful wel hye seet With smale houndes / al aboute hir feet Line 2076 And vndernethe hir feet she hadde a moone Wexynge it was / and sholde wanye soone In gaude grene / hir statue clothed was With bowe in honde / and Arwes in a cas Line 2080 Hir eyen caste she / ful lowe adoun Ther Pluto / hath his derke regioun ¶ A womman trauaillynge / was hire biforn But for hir child / so longe was vnborn Line 2084 fful pitously / Lucyna / gan she calle And seyde helpe / for thou mayst best of alle Wel koude he peynten lifly / that it wroghte [folio 27a] With many a floryn / he the hewes boghte Line 2088

NOw been the lystes maad / and Theseus That at his grete cost / arrayed thus The temples / and the Theatre euery deel Whan it was doon / hym lyked wonder weel Line 2092 But stynte I wole / of Theseus a lite 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 And til Atthenes / hir couenantz for to holde Hath euerich of hem / broght an hundred knyghtes Wel armed for the werre / at alle rightes Line 2100 And sikerly / ther trowed many a man That neuere sithen / that the world bigan As for to speke / of knyghthod of hir hond As fer / as god hath maked see or lond Line 2104 Nas of so fewe / so noble a compaignye

ffor euery wight that louede chiualrye And wolde his thankes / han a passant name Hath preyd / þat he myghte been of that game Line 2108 And wel was hym / that ther to chosen was ffor if ther fille tomorwe swich a caas Ye knowen wel / þat euery lusty knyght That loueth paramours / and hath his myght Line 2112 Were it in Engelond / or elles where They wolde hir thankes / wilnen to be there To fighte 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 on Som wol ben armed in an haubergeon And in bristplate / and in a light gypon Line 2120 And somme woln haue / a paire plates large And somme woln haue / a Pruce sheeld / or a targe Somme woln ben armed / on hir legges weel And haue an Ax / and somme a Mace of steel Line 2124 Ther is no newe gyse / that it nas old Armed were they / as I haue yow told Everych / after his opinion Ther maistow seen / comynge with Palamon Line 2128 Lygurge hym self the grete kyng of Trace Blak was his berd / and manly was his face The cercles / of hise eyen in his heed They gloweden / bitwyxen yelow and reed Line 2132 And lik a grifphon / looked he aboute With kempe heeris / on hise browes stoute Hise lymes grete / hise brawnes harde and stronge [folio 27b] Hise shuldres brode / hise armes rounde and longe Line 2136 And as the gyse was in his contree fful hye / vpon a Chaar of gold / stood [he [[in a later hand]] ] With foure white boles in the trays In stede of Cote Armure / ouer his harnays Line 2140 With nayles yelewe / and brighte as any gold

He hadde a Beres skyn / colblak / for old His longe heer / was kembd / bihynde his bak As any Rauenes fethere / it shoon for blak Line 2144 A wrethe of gold arm greet / of huge wighte Vpon his heed / set ful of stones brighte Of fyne Rubyes / and of dyamauntz Aboute his Chaar / ther wenten white Alauntz Line 2148 Twenty and mo / as grete as any steer To hunten at the leon or [[MS. or / or]] / the deer And folwed hym / with mosel faste ybounde Colered of gold / and tourettes fyled rounde Line 2152 An hundred lordes / hadde he in his route Armed ful wel / with hertes stierne and stoute

With Arcite / in stories as men fynde The grete Emetreus / the kyng of Inde Line 2156 Vp on a steede bay / trapped in steel Couered in 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 perles / white and rounde and grete His sadel / was of brend gold newe ybete A Mantel [was] / vp on his shulder hangynge Brat ful of Rubyes rede / as fyr sparklynge Line 2164 His crispe heer / lyk rynges was yronne And that was yelow / and glytered as the sonne His nose was heigh / hise eyen bright citryn Hise lippes rounde / his colour was sangwyn Line 2168 A fewe frakenes / in his face yspreynd Bitwixen yelow / and somdel blak ymeynd And as a leon / he his lookyng caste Of fyue and twenty yeer / his age I caste Line 2172 His berd was wel bigonne for to sprynge His voys / was as a trompe thondrynge Vp on his heed / he wered of laurer grene A gerland / fressh / and lusty for to sene Line 2176 Vp on his hand / he bar for his deduyt

An Egle tame / as any lilye whyt An hundred lordes / hadde he with hym there Al armed saue hir heddes / in al hir gere Line 2180 fful richely / in alle maner thynges ffor trusteth wel / þat dukes / Erles kynges Were gadered / in this noble compaignye [folio 28a] ffor loue / and for encrees of chiualrye Line 2184 Aboute this kyng ther ran on euery part fful many a tame leon / and leopard And in this wise / thise lordes alle and some Been on the Sonday to the Citee come Line 2188 Aboute pryme / and in the toun alight ¶ This Theseus / this duc this worthy knyght Whan he had broght hem / in to his Citee And Inned hem / euerich in his degree Line 2192 He festeth hem / and dooth so greet labour To esen hem / and doon hem al honour That yet men weneth / þat no maner wit Of noon estaat ne koude amenden it Line 2196 ¶ The Mynstralcye / the seruice / at the feeste The grete yiftes / to the meeste and leeste The riche array / of Theseus paleys Ne who sat first ne last vp on the deys Line 2200 What ladyes fairest been / or best daunsynge Or which of hem / kan dauncen best and synge Ne who moost felyngly speketh of loue What haukes / sitten on the perche aboue Line 2204 What houndes / liggen in the floor adoun Of al this / make I now no mencioun But al theffect that thynketh me the beste Now cometh the point and herkneth if yow leste Line 2208

The sonday nyght er day bigan to sprynge Whan Palamon / the larke herde synge Al though it nere nat day / by houres two Yet song the larke / and Palamon also Line 2212 With hooly herte / and with an heigh corage

He roos / to wenden on his pilgrymage Vn to the blisful Citherea benigne I mene Venus / honurable and digne Line 2216 And in hir houre / he walketh forth a paas Vn to the lystes / ther hire temple was And doun he kneleth / with ful humble cheer And herte soor / and seyde in this manere Line 2220

Faireste of faire / o lady myn Venus [¶ The preyere of Palamon.] Doughter to Ioue / and spouse of Vulcanus [¶ to Venus goddesse of loue.] Thow gladere / of the Mount of Citheron ffor thilke loue / thow haddest to Adoon Line 2224 Haue pitee / of my bittre teeris smerte And taak myn humble preyere at thyn herte Allas / I ne haue / no langage to telle Theffectes / ne the tormentz of myn helle Line 2228 Myn herte / may myne harmes nat biwreye I am so confus / that I kan noght seye But mercy lady bright that knowest weele [folio 28b] My thought and seest what harmes þat I feele Line 2232 Considere al this / and rewe vp on my soore As wisly / as I shal for eueremoore Emforth my myght thy trewe seruant be And holden werre / alwey with chastitee Line 2236 That make I myn auow / so ye me helpe I kepe noght of Armes for to yelpe Ne I ne axe nat tomorwe to haue victorie Ne renoun in this cas / ne veyne glorie Line 2240 Of pris of Armes / blowen vp and doun But I wolde haue / fully possessioun Of Emelye / and dye in thy seruyse ffynd thow the manere / hou and in what wyse Line 2244 I recche nat / but it may bettre be To haue victorie of hem / or they of me So that I haue / my lady in myne Armes ffor though so be / that 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 eueremo And on thyn Auter / where I ride or go Line 2252 I wol doon sacrifice / and fires beete And if ye wol nat so / my lady sweete Thanne preye I thee / tomorwe / with a spere That Arcita / me thurgh the herte bere Line 2256 Thanne rekke I noght / whan I haue lost my lyf Though that Arcita / wynne hire to his wyf This is theffect and ende of my preyere 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 circumstance Al telle I noght as now / his obseruance Line 2264 But atte laste / the statue of Venus shook / And made a signe / wher by þat he took That his preyere / 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 houre in-equal that Palamon Bigan / to Venus temple for to gon Line 2272 Vp roos the sonne / and vp roos Emelye And to the temple of Dyane gan hye Hir maydens / þat she thider with hire ladde fful redily / with hem the fyr they ladde Line 2276 Thencens / the clothes / and the remenant al That to the sacrifice / longen shal The hornes fulle of Meeth / as was the gyse [folio 29a] 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 thing in general

And yet it were a game / to heeren al To hym þat meneth wel / it were no charge But it is good / a man been at his large Line 2288 ¶ Hir brighte heer was kempd vntressed al A coroune / 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 thise bookes olde Whan kyndled was the fyr / with pitous cheere Vn to Dyane / she spak as ye may heere Line 2296

Ochaste goddesse / of the wodes grene [¶ The preyere of Emelye / to] To whom bothe heuene and erthe and see is sene Queene of the regne of Pluto derk / and lowe [dyane goddesse of Maydens.] Goddesse of maydens / that 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 / aboughte cruelly Chaste goddesse / wel wostow þat I Line 2304 Desire / to ben 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 huntynge and venerye Line 2308 And for to walken / in the wodes wilde And noght to ben a wyf / and be with childe Noght wol I knowe / the compaignye of man Now helpe me lady / sith ye may and kan Line 2312 ffor tho thre formes / þat thou hast in thee And Palamon / that hath swich loue to me And eek Arcite / that loueth me so soore This grace I preye thee with oute moore Line 2316 And sende loue and pees / bitwixe hem two And fro me / turne awey hir hertes so That al hire hoote loue / and hir desir And al hir bisy torment and hir fir Line 2320 Be queynt or turned / in another place

And if so be / thou wolt do me no grace And if my destynee / be shapen so That I shal nedes haue oon of hem two Line 2324 As sende me hym / þat moost desireth me Bihoold goddesse / of clene chastitee The bittre teeris / that on my chekes falle [folio 29b] Syn thou art mayde / and kepere of vs alle Line 2328 My maydenhede thou kepe and wel conserue And whil I lyue / a mayde I wol thee serue ¶ The fires brenne / vp on the Auter cleere Whil Emelye / was thus in hir preyere Line 2332 But sodeynly / she saugh 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 As doon thise wete brondes in hir brennynge And at the brondes ende / out ran anon As it were / blody dropes many oon Line 2340 ffor which / so soore agast was Emelye That she was wel ny mad and gan to crye ffor she ne wiste / what it signyfied But oonly for the feere / thus hath she cried Line 2344 And weepe / that it was pitee for to heere And ther with al / Dyane 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 [¶ The answere of Dyane] And by eterne word / writen and confermed [¶ to Emelye.] Thou shalt ben wedded vn to oon of tho That han for thee / so muchel care and wo Line 2352 But vn to which of hem / I may nat telle ffarwel / for I ne may no lenger dwelle The fires / whiche that on myn Auter brenne Shulle thee declare / er that thou 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 Dyane / and in thy disposicion Line 2364 And hoom she goth anon the nexte weye This is theffect ther is 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 wyse With pitous herte / and heigh deuocion Right thus to Mars / he seyde his orison Line 2372

Ostronge god / that in the regnes colde [¶ The orison of Arcite] Of Trace / honoured art and lord yholde [¶ to Mars god of Armes] ¶ And hast in euery regne / and euery lond [folio 30a] Of armes / al the brydel in thyn hond Line 2376 And hem fortunest as thee lyst deuyse Accepte of me / my pitous sacrifise If so be that my youthe may deserue And þat my myght be worthy for to serue Line 2380 Thy godhede / þat I may been oon of thyne Thanne preye I thee / to rewe vp on my pyne ffor thilke peyne / and thilke hoote fir In which / thou 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 las And foond thee liggynge / by his wyf allas ffor thilke sorwe / that was in thyn herte Haue routhe as wel / vp on my peynes smerte Line 2392 I am yong and vnkonnynge 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 withouten helpe or grace Line 2400 Of thee / ne may my strengthe noght auaille Thanne helpe me lord / tomorwe in my bataille For thilke fyr / that whilom brente thee As wel / as thilke fyr / now brenneth me Line 2404 And do / that I tomorwe 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 plesance / 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 to that day I dye Line 2412 Eterne fir / I wol biforn thee fynde And eek to this auow / I wol me bynde My beerd / myn heer / that hongeth long adoun That neuere yet / ne felte offensioun Line 2416 Of rasour / nor of shere / I wol thee yeue And ben thy trewe seruant whil I lyue Now lord haue routhe vp on my sorwes soore Yif me the victorie / I aske thee namoore Line 2420

The preyere stynt of Arcita the stronge The rynges / on the temple dore that honge And eek the dores / clatereden ful faste [folio 30b] Of which Arcita / som what hym agaste Line 2424 The fyres brenden / vp on the Auter brighte That it gan / al the temple for to lighte And sweete smel / the ground anon vp yaf And Arcita / anon his hand vp haf Line 2428 And moore encens / in to the fyr he caste

With othere rytes mo / and atte last The Statue of Mars / bigan his hauberk rynge And with that soun / 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 anon / vn to his In is fare Line 2436 As fayn as fowel / is of the brighte sonne ¶ And right anon / swich strif / ther is bigonne For thilke grauntyng in the heuene aboue Bitwixe Venus / the goddesse of love Line 2440 And Mars / the stierne god Armypotente That Iuppiter / was bisy it to stente Til that the pale / Saturnus the colde That knew so manye / of auentures olde Line 2444 ffoond / in his olde experience and art That he ful soone / hath plesed euery part As sooth is seyd / elde hath greet auantage In elde / is bothe wysdom and vsage Line 2448 Men may the olde at renne / and noght at rede Saturne anon / to stynten strif and drede Al be it that it is / agayn his kynde Of al this strif / he gan 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 Myn is the stranglyng and hangyng by the throte The murmure and the cherles rebellyng The groynynge / and the pryuee empoysonyng Line 2460 I do vengeance / and pleyn correccion Whil[es] I dwelle / in signe of the leon Myn is the ruyne / of the hye halles The fallynge / of the toures / and of the walles Line 2464 Vp on the Mynour / or the Carpenter

I slow Sampson / shakynge the piler And myne be / the maladyes colde The derke tresons / and the castes olde Line 2468 My lookyng is the fader of pestilence Now weepe namoore / I shal doon diligence That Palamon / that is thyn owene knyght [folio 31a] Shal haue his lady / as thou hast him hight Line 2472 Though Mars shal helpe his knyght yet nathelees Bitwixe yow / ther moot be som tyme pees Al be ye noght of o compleccion That causeth al day swich diusion 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 above Of Mars / and of Venus goddesse of love Line 2480 And telle yow / as pleynly as I kan The grete effect for which that I bygan

¶ Explicit tercia pars

¶ Sequitur pars quarta

GReet was the feeste / in Atthenes that day And eek / the lusty seson of that May Line 2484 Made euery wight / to been in such plesaunce That al that Monday / Iusten they and daunce And spenten it in Venus heigh seruyse But by the cause / that they sholde ryse Line 2488 Eerly / for to seen the grete fight Vn to hir reste / wenten they at nyght And on the morwe / whan þat day gan sprynge Of hors and harneys / noyse and claterynge Line 2492 Ther was in the hostelryes al aboute And to the paleys / rood ther many a route Of lordes / vp on steedes and palfreys Ther maystow seen diuisynge of harneys Line 2496 So vnkouth and so riche / and wroght so weel Of goldsmythrye / of browdynge / and of steel

The sheeldes brighte / testeres / and trappures Gold hewen helmes / hauberkes / Cote Armures Line 2500 Lordes in paramentz / on hir courseres Knyghtes of retenue / and eek Squieres Nailynge the speres / and helmes bokelynge Giggynge of sheeldes / with layneres lacynge Line 2504 There as nede is / they weren no thyng ydel The fomy steedes / on the golden brydel Gnawynge / and faste the Armurers also With fyle and hamer prikynge to and fro Line 2508 Yemen on foyte / and communes many oon With shorte staues / thikke as they may goon Pypes / trompes / Nakerers / Clariounes That in the bataille / blowen blody sounes Line 2512 The paleys / ful of peples vp and doun [folio 31b] Heere thre / ther ten / holdynge hir question Dyuynynge / of thise Thebane knyghtes two Somme seyden thus / somme seyde 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 grymme / and he wolde fighte He hath a sparth / of twenty pound of wighte Line 2520 Thus was the halle / ful of diuynynge Longe after / that the sonne gan to sprynge

The grete Theseus / that of his sleepe awaked With Mynstralcie / and noyse þat was maked Line 2524 Heeld yet the chambre / of his Paleys riche Til that the Thebane knyghtes / bothe yliche Honured / were / in to the paleys fet Duc Theseus / was at a wyndow set Line 2528 Arrayed / right as he were a god in Trone The peple / preesseth 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 peple was ydo

And whan he saugh / the noyse of peple al stille Tho shewed he / the myghty dukes wille Line 2536 ¶ The lord / hath of his heih discrecion Considered / that it were destruccion To gentil blood / to fighten in the gyse Of mortal bataille / now in this emprise Line 2540 Wherfore / to shapen / þat they shal nat dye He wolde / his firste purpos modifye ¶ No man ther fore vp peyne of los of lyf No maner shot polax ne short[e] knyf Line 2544 In to the lystes sende / ne thider brynge Ne short swerd for to stoke / with poynt bitynge No man ne drawe / ne bere by his syde Ne no man shal / vn to his felawe ryde Line 2548 But o cours / with a sharpe ygrounde spere ffoyne if hym list on foote / hym self to were And he / that is at meschief shal be take And noght slayn / but be broght vn to the stake Line 2552 That shal ben ordeyned / on either syde But thider he shal by force / and there abyde ¶ And if so be / the [[chi-ef-]] chieftayn be take On outher syde / or elles sleen his make Line 2556 No lenger/ shal the turneiynge laste God spede you / gooth forth / and ley on faste With long swerd / and with Maces / fighteth youre fille Gooth now youre wey / this is the lordes will Line 2560

The voys of peple / touched the heuene [folio 32a] So loude cride they / with murie 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 / rit the compaignye By ordinance / thurgh out the Citee large Hanged with clooth of gold and nat with sarge Line 2568 ¶ fful lik a lord / this noble duc gan ryde Thise two Thebans / vp on either side

And after rood / the queene and Emelye And after that another compaignye Line 2572 Of oon and oother / after hir degre And thus they passen / thurgh out the Citee And to the lystes / come they by tyme It nas not of the day / yet fully pryme Line 2576 Whan set was Theseus / ful riche and hye Ypolita the queene and Emelye And othere ladys / in degrees aboute Vn to the seettes preesseth al the route Line 2580 And westward / thurgh the gates vnder Marte [.i. sub Marte] Arcite / and eek the hondred of his parte With baner reed / is entred right anon ¶ And in that selue moment Palamon Line 2584 Is vnder Venus / Estward in the place With Baner whyt / and hardy chiere and face In al the world / to seken vp and doun 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 auauntage 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 cried was loude Do now youre deuoir / yonge knyghtes proude ¶ The heraudes / lefte hir prikyng vp and doun Now ryngen trompes loude and clarioun Line 2600 Ther is namoore to seyn / but west and Est In goon the speres / ful sadly in arrest 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 prikke

Vp spryngen speres / twenty foot on highte Out gooth the swerdes / as the siluer brighte Line 2608 The helmes they tohewen / and toshrede [folio 32b] Out brest the blood / with stierne stremes rede With myghty maces / the bones they tobreste He thurgh the thikkeste / of the throng gan threste Line 2612 Ther semblen steedes stronge / and doun gooth al He rolleth vnder foot as dooth a bal He foyneth on his feet with his tronchon And he hym hurtleth / with his hors adoun Line 2616 He thurgh the body is hurt and sithen ytake Maugree his heed / and broght vn to the stake As forward was right ther he moste abyde Another lad is / on that oother syde Line 2620 ¶ And som tyme / dooth hem Theseus to reste Hem to fresshen / and drynken if hem leste fful ofte a day / han thise Thebanes 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 whelpe is stole / whan it is lite So crueel on the hunte / as is Arcite Line 2628 ffor Ielous herte / vpon 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 Ielous 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 Emetreus / 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 ydrawe vnto the stake

And in the rescus / of this Palamon The stronge kyng lygurge / is born adoun Line 2644 And kyng Emetreus / for al his strengthe Is born out of his sadel / a swerdes lengthe So hitte him 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 that 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 seyn this sighte Vn to the folk / þat foghten thus echon He cryde / hoo namoore / for it is doon Line 2656 ¶ I wol be trewe Iuge / and no partie [folio 33a] Arcite of Thebes / shal haue Emelie 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 heighe with alle It semed / that the lystes sholde falle

What kan now faire venus doon aboue What seith she now / what dooth this queene of loue But wepeth so / for wantynge of hir wille Til that hir teeres / in the lystes fille She seyde / I am ashamed doutelees ¶ Saturnus seyde / doghter hoold thy pees Line 2668 Mars hath his wille / his knyght hath al his boone And by myn heed / thow shalt been esed soone

The trompes / with the loude Mynstralcie The heraudes / that ful loude yolle and crie Line 2672 Been in hire wele / for Ioye of Daun Arcite But herkneth me / and stynteth now 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

Lokynge vpward vp on Emelye And she agayn / hym caste a freendlich eye Line 2680 . . . . . . . . . . [no gap in the MS.] And was al his [in] chiere / as in his herte ¶ Out of the ground / a furie Infernal sterte Line 2684 ffrom Pluto sent at requeste of Saturne ffor which his hors / for fere gan to turne And leepe aside / and foundred as he leepe And er that Arcite / may taken keepe Line 2688 He pighte hym / on the pomel of his heed [¶ Nota periculum.] That in the place he lay / as he were deed His brest tobrosten / with his sadel bowe As blak he lay / as any cole 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 koruen / out of his harneys Line 2696 And in a bed ybrought / ful faire and blyve ffor he was yet in memorie / and alyue And alwey / criynge after Emelye ¶ Duc Theseus / with al his compaignye Line 2700 Is comen hoom / to Atthenes his Citee With alle blisse / and greet solempnitee Al be it that this Auenture was falle He nolde noght disconforten hem alle Line 2704 Men seyde eek that Arcite shal nat dye He shal been heeled / of his maladye ¶ And of another/ thyng / they weren as fayn [folio 33b] That of hem alle / was ther noon yslayn Line 2708 Al were they soore yhurt and namely oon That with a spere / was thirled his brest boon To othere woundes / and to broken armes Somme hadden salues / and somme hadden charmes Line 2712 ffermacies 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 / no disconfitynge But as a Iustes / or a tourneiynge Line 2720 ffor soothly / ther was no disconfiture ffor fallyng / nys nat but an Auenture Ne to be lad by force / vn to the stake Vnyolden / and with twenty knyghtes take Line 2724 O persone allone with outen mo And haryed forth / by Arm[e] / foot and too And eke his steede / dryuen forth with staues With footmen / bothe yemen and eek knaues Line 2728 It nas aretted hym no vileynye Ther may no man / clepen it cowardye ¶ ffor which anon / duc Theseus leet crye To stynten / alle rancour and enuye Line 2732 The gree / as wel of o syde as of oother And eyther syde ylik as ootheres brother And yaf hem yiftes / after hir degree And fully / heeld a feeste / dayes three Line 2736 And conuoyed / the kynges worthily Out of his toun / a Iournee largely And hoom wente euery man the righte way Ther was namoore / but fare wel / haue good day Line 2740 Of this bataille / I wol namoore endite But speke of Palamon and of Arcyte

Swelleth the brest of arcite / and the soore Encreesseth at his herte / moore and moore Line 2744 The clothered blood / for any lechecraft Corrupteth / and is in his bouk ylaft That neither veyne blood / ne ventusynge Ne drynke of herbes / may ben his helpynge Line 2748 The vertu expulsif / or Animal ffro thilke vertu / cleped natural

Ne may the venym / voyden ne expelle The pipes of his longes / gonne to swelle Line 2752 And euery lacerte / in his brest adoun Is shent with venym and corrupcion Hym gayneth neither for to gete his lif [folio 34a] Vomyt vpward / ne dounward laxatif Line 2756 Al is tobrosten / thilke Regioun Nature hath now / no dominacioun And certeinly / ther Nature wol nat wirche ffare wel Phisik go ber the man to chirche Line 2760 This al and som / that Arcita moot dye ffor which / he sendeth / after Emelye And Palamon / that was his cosyn deere Thanne seyde he thus / as ye shal after heere Line 2764 ¶ Naught may / the woful spirit in myn herte Declare o point of alle my sorwes smerte To yow my lady / that I loue moost But I biquethe / the seruyce of my goost Line 2768 To yow / abouen euery creature Syn þat my lyf / [it] 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 Allas / departynge of our compaignye Allas myn hertes queene / allas my wyf Myn hertes lady / endere of my lyf/ Line 2776 What is this world / what asketh men to haue Now with his loue / now in his colde graue Allone / with outen any compaignye ffare wel / my swete foo / myn Emelye Line 2780 And softe taak me / in youre Armes tweye ffor loue of god / and herkneth what I seye

I haue heer / with my cosyn Palamon Had strif and rancour/ many a day agon Line 2784 ffor loue of yow / and for my Ialousye And Iuppiter / so wys my soule gye

To speken / of a seruant proprely With alle circumstances trewely Line 2788 That is to seyn / trouthe / honour knyghthede Wysdom / 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 ben loued as Palamon That serueth yow / and wol doon al his lyf And if that euere / ye shul ben a wyf Line 2796 fforyet nat Palamon / the gentil man And with that word / his speche faille gan And from his herte / vp to his brest was come The coold of deeth / that hadde hym ouercome Line 2800 And yet moore ouer / for in hise Armes two The vital strengthe is lost / and al ago Oonly / the intellect with outen moore [folio 34b] That dwelled in his herte / syk and soore Line 2804 Gan faillen / when the herte felte deeth Dusked hise eyen two / and failled 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 diuinistre Of soules / fynde I nat in this Registre Line 2812 Ne me ne list thilke opinions to telle Of hem / though 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 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 cas / wommen haue swich sorwe

Whan þat hir housbond / is from hem ago That for the moore part they sorwen so Line 2824 Or ellis / fallen in swich maladye That at the laste / certeinly they dye ¶ Infinite / been the sorwes and the teeres Of olde folk / and eek of tendre yeeres Line 2828 In al the toun / for deeth of this Theban ffor hym ther wepeth / bothe child and man So greet a wepyng was ther noon certayn Whan Ector was ybroght / al fressh yslayn Line 2832 To Troye / allas the pitee þat was ther Cracchynge of chekes / rentynge eek of heer Why woldestow be deed / thise wommen crye And haddest gold ynough / and Emelye Line 2836 ¶ No man / myghte gladen Theseus Sauynge / his olde fader Egeus That knew / this worldes transmutacion As he hadde / seyn it / vp and doun Line 2840 Ioye after wo / and wo after gladnesse And shewed / hem ensamples and liknesse

Right as ther / dyed neuere man quod he [¶ Argumentum] That he ne lyuede in erthe / in som degree Line 2844 Right so / ther lyuede neuer 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 worldes soore And ouer al this / yet seyde he muchel moore To this effect ful wisely / to enhorte [folio 35a] The peple / that they sholde hem reconforte Line 2852

Duc Theseus / with al his bisy cure Cast 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 That ther as first Arcite and Palamon

Hadden for loue / the bataille hem bitwene That in that selue groue / swoote and grene Line 2860 Ther as he hadde / hise amorouse desires His compleynte / and for loue hise hoote fires He wolde make a fyr / in which the office ffuneral / he myghte al accomplice Line 2864 And leet comande anon / to hakke and hewe The okes olde / and leye hem on a rewe In colpons / wel arrayed for to brenne Hise Officers / with swifte feet they renne Line 2868 And ryden anon / at his comandement And after / this / Theseus hath ysent After a beere / and it al ouer spradde With clooth of gold / the richeste / þat he hadde Line 2872 And of the same suyte / he cladde Arcite Vp on his hondes / hadde he gloues white Eek on his heed / a coroune of laurer grene And in his hond / a swerd ful bright and kene Line 2876 He leyde hym bare the visage / on the beere Ther-with he weepe / that 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 criyng and the soun ¶ Tho cam this woful Theban Palamon With flotery berd / and rugged asshy heeres In clothes blake / ydropped al with teeres Line 2884 And passynge othere / of wepynge Emelye The rewefulleste / of al the compaignye [And] In as muche / as the seruyce sholde be The moore noble / and riche in his degree Line 2888 Duc Theseus / leet forth thre steedes brynge That trapped were in steel al gliterynge And couered with the armes of daun Arcite Vp on thise steedes / grete and white Line 2892 Ther sitten folk of whiche oon baar his sheeld Another his spere / in his hondes heeld

The thridde baar with hym / his bowe Turkeys Of brend gold / was the caas / and eek the harneys Line 2896 And riden forth a paas / with sorweful cheere Toward the groue / as ye shul after heere The nobleste of the grekes / that ther were [folio 35b] Vp on hir shuldres / caryeden the beere Line 2900 With slak paas / and eyen rede and wete Thurgh out the Citee / by the maister strete That sprad was al with blak / and wonder hye Right of the same / is the strete ywrye Line 2904 Vp on the right hond / wente olde Egeus And on that oother syde / duc Theseus With vessel in hir hand / of gold ful fyn Al ful of hony / Milk and blood and wyn Line 2908 Eek Palamon / with ful greet compaignye And after that / cam woful Emelye With fyr in honde / as was that tyme the gyse To do the office / of funeral seruyse Line 2912

Heigh labour/ and ful greet apparaillynge Was at the seruice / and the fyr makynge That with his grene tope / the heuen [raughte] And twenty fadme of brede / the armes straughte Line 2916 This is to seyn / the bowes weren so brode Of stree first ther was leyd ful many a lode But how the fyr / was maked vp on highte And eek the names / that the trees highte Line 2920 As ook / firre / birch / Aspe / Alder / holm / popeler Wylugh / Elm / plane / Assh / box / chasteyn / lynde / laurer Mapul / thorn / bech / hasel / Ew / whippeltre How they weren fild / shal nat be toold for me Line 2924 Ne hou the goddes ronnen vp and doun Disherited / of hire habitacioun In whiche they woneden / in reste and pees Nymphus / ffawnes / and Amadrides Line 2928 Ne hou the beestes / and the briddes alle ffledden for fere / whan the wode was falle

Ne how the ground / agast was of the light That was nat wont to seen the sonne bright Line 2932 Ne how the fyr / was couched first with stree And thanne with drye stokkes / clouen a thre And thanne with grene wode and spicerye And thanne with clooth of gold / and with perrye Line 2936 And gerlandes / hangynge / with ful many a flour The Mirre / thencens / with al so greet odour Ne how Arcite / lay among al this Ne what richesse / aboute his 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 fyr Ne what she spak ne what was hir desire Line 2944 Ne what Ieweles / men in the fyre caste Whan þat the fyr was greet and brente faste ¶ Ne how somme caste hir sheeld / and somme hir spere [folio 36a] And of hire vestimentz / whiche þat they were Line 2948 And coppes full of wyn / and Milk and blood In to the fyr / that brente / as it were wood Ne how the grekes / with an huge route Tries riden / al the place 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 lych wake / was yholde Al thilke nyght / ne how the grekes pleye The wake pleyes / ne kepe I nat to seye Line 2960 Who wrastleth best naked / with oille enoynt Ne who that baar hym best in no disioynt ¶ I wol nat tellen eek how that they goon Hoom til Atthenes / whan the pley is doon Line 2964 But shortly to the point thanne wol I wende And maken / of my longe tale an ende

By processe / and by lengthe of certeyn yeres Al styntyd is / the moornynge and the teres Line 2968 Of grekes / by oon general assent Thanne semed me / ther was a parlement At Atthenes / vpon certein poyntz and caas Among the whiche poyntz / yspoken was Line 2972 To haue with certein contrees alliance And have fully of Thebans obeissance ffor which / this noble Theseus anon Leet senden / after gentil Palamon Line 2976 Vnwist of hym / what was the cause and why But in hise 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 Thesens / abiden hadde a space Er any word / cam fram his wise brest Hise 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 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 bond The fyr / the eyr / the water and the lond Line 2992 In certeyn boundes / that they may nat flee That same prince / and that same moeuere quod he Hath stablissed / in this wrecched world adoun [folio 36b] Certeyne dayes / and duracioun Line 2996 To al / that is engendrid in this place Ouer the which[e] day / they may nat pace Al mowe they yet tho dayes wel abregge Ther nedeth noght noon Auctoritee allegge Line 3000 ffor it is preeued / by experience But that me list declaren my sentence

Thanne may men / by this ordre wel discerne That thilke moeuere / stable is and eterne Line 3004 Wel may men knowe / but it be a fool That euery part dirryueth from his hool ffor nature / hath 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 therfore / of his wise purueiaunce He hath / so wel biset his ordinaunce Line 3012 That speces of thynges / and progressions Shullen enduren / by successions And nat eterne / with outen any lye This maystow vnderstonde / and seen it eye Line 3016

Loo the ook / þat hath so long a norisshynge [¶ Exemplum] ffrom tyme / þat it first bigynneth sprynge And hath so long a lif / as we may see Yet at the laste / wasted is the tree Line 3020 ¶ Considereth eek how that the harde stoon [¶ Exemplum] Vnder oure feet on which we trede and goon Yit wasteth it as it lyth by the weye The brode Ryuer / somtyme wexeth dreye Line 3024 The grete toures / se we wane and wende Thanne may ye se / þat al this thyng hath ende ¶ Of man and womman / seen we wel also That nedeth / in oon of thise termes two Line 3028 This is to seyn / in youthe / or elles 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 men may se Line 3032 Ther helpeth noght al goth that ilke weye Thanne may I seyn [[se-yn]] / al this thyng moot deye ¶ What maketh this / but Iuppiter the kyng That is prince / and cause of alle thyng Line 3036 Conuertynge al / vn to his propre welle ffrom which it is dirryued / sooth to telle

And here agayns / no creature on lyue Of no degree / auailleth for to stryue Line 3040 ¶ Thanne is it wysdom / as it thynketh me To maken vertu of necessitee ¶ And take it weel / that we may nat eschue [folio 37a] And namely / that to vs alle is due Line 3044 And who so gruccheth ought he dooth folye And rebel is / to hym that 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 / vp yolden is his breeth Line 3052 Than whan his name / apalled is for age ffor al forgeten / is his vassellage Thanne is it best as for a worthy fame To dyen / whan þat he is best of name Line 3056 ¶ The contrarie of al this / is wilsulnesse Why grucchen we / why haue we heuynesse That goode Arcite / of Chiualrie flour Departed is / with duetee and honour Line 3060 Out of this foule prison of this lyf Why grucchen heere / his cosyn and his wyf Of his wel fare / that loued hem so weel Kan he hem thank? nay god 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 concluden / of this longe serye But after wo / I rede vs to be merye Line 3068 And thanken Iuppiter / of al his grace And er that we / departen from this place I rede [that] we make / of sorwes two O parfit ioye / lastynge eueremo Line 3072 And looketh now / wher moost sorwe is her Inne Ther wol we first amenden and bigynne

Suster quod he / this is my fulle assent With all thavys / heere of my parlement Line 3076 That gentil Palamon / thyn owene knyght That serueth yow / with wille / herte / and myght And euere hath doon / syn þat ye first hym knewe That ye shul of your grace / vp on hym rewe Line 3080 And taken hym / for housbonde and for lord Leue [[or Lene]] me youre hond / for this is oure accord Lat se now / of youre wommanly pitee He is a kynges brother sone pardee Line 3084 And though he were / a poure bacheler Syn he hath serued yow / so many a yeer And had for yow / so greet Aduersitee It moste been considered / leeueth me Line 3088 ffor gentil mercy / oghte to passen right ¶ Thanne seyde he thus / to Palamon ful right I trowe / ther nedeth litel sermonyng [folio 37b] To make yow / assente to this thyng Line 3092 Com neer / and taak youre lady by the hond Bitwixen hem / was maad anon the bond That highte matrimoigne / or mariage By al the conseil / and the Baronage Line 3096 ¶ And thus / with alle blisse and melodye Hath Palamon / ywedded Emelye And god / þat al this wyde world hath wroght Sende hym his loue / that 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 hire / serueth so gentilly Line 3104 That neuere / was ther no word hem bitwene Of Ialousie / or any oother tene Thus endeth Palamon and Emelye And God saue / al this faire compaignye Amen Line 3108

¶ Heere is ended the knyghtes tale.

¶ Heere folwen the wordes / bitwene the hoost and the Millere.

Whan that the knyght had thus his tale ytoold In al the route / ne was 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 on sire Monk / if that ye konne Sumwhat to quite with the knyghtes tale The Millere / that for-dronken was al pale Line 3120 So that vnnethe / vp on his hors he sat He nolde aualen / neither hood ne hat Ne abyde no man / for his curteisie But in Pilates voys / he gan to crie 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 / that he was dronke of ale Line 3128 And seyde / abyd Robyn my leeue brother Som bettre man / shal telle vs first another Abyde / and lat vs werken thriftily [folio 38a] ¶ By goddes soule quod he / that wol nat I Line 3132 ffor I wol speke / or elles go my wey Oure hoost answerde / tel on a deuele wey Thou 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 soun And therfore / if that I mysspeke or seye Wyte it the Ale of Southwerk I [you] preye Line 3140

Line 3140 ffor I wol telle / a legende and a lyf Bothe of a Carpenter / and of his wyf How that 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 defame And eek to bryngen wyues in swich fame Line 3148 Thou mayst ynogh / of othere thynges seyn ¶ This dronke Millere / spak ful soone ageyn And seyde / leue brother Osewold Who hath no wyf / he is no Cokewold Line 3152 But I sey nat therfore / that thou art oon Ther been ful goode wyues many oon And euere / a thousand goode / ayeyns oon badde That knowestow wel thy self / but if thou madde Line 3156 Why artow angry / with my tale now I haue a wyf pardee / as wel as thow Yet nolde I / for the oxen in my plogh Take vp on me / moore than ynogh Line 3160 As demen of my self / that I were oon I wol bileue wel / that I am noon An housbonde / shal nat been Inquisityf Of goddes pryuetee / nor of his wyf Line 3164 So he may fynde goddes foyson there Of the remenant nedeth nat enquere ¶ What sholde I moore seyn / but this Millere He nolde his wordes / for no man forbere Line 3168 But tolde his cherles tale in his manere Mathynketh / that I shal reherce it heere And ther-fore euery gentil wight I preye ffor goddes loue / demeth nat that I seye Line 3172 Of yuel entente / but that I moot reherce Hir tales alle / be they bettre or werse Or elles / falsen som of my mateere And therfore / who so list it nat yheere 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 gentillesse [folio 38b] And eek moralitee / and hoolynesse Line 3180 Blameth nat me / if that ye chese amys The Millere / is a cherl / ye knowe wel this So was the Reue / and othere manye mo And harlotrie // they tolden bothe two Line 3184 Auyseth yow / putteth me out of blame And eek men shal nat maken ernest of game [[Slight break in the MS.]]

¶ Heere bigynneth the Millere his tale.

WHilom / ther was dwellynge 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 fantasye [[painting of the Miller]] Was turned / for to lerne Astrologye Line 3192 And koude / a certeyn of conclusions To demen / by Interrogacions If þat men asked hym / in certein houres Whan þat men sholde haue droghte or elles shoures Line 3196 Or if men asked hym / what sholde bifalle Of euery thyng / I may nat rekene hem alle ¶ This clerk was cleped / hende Nicholas Of deerne loue he koude and of solas Line 3200 And ther-to / he was sleigh / and ful priuee And lyk a mayden / meke for to see A chambre hadde he in that hostelrye Allone / with-outen any compaignye Line 3204 fful fetisly ydight with herbes swoote And he hym self / as sweete as is the roote Of lycorys / or any Cetewale His Almageste / and bookes grete and smale Line 3208 His Astrelabie / longynge for his Art/ His Augrym stones / layen faire a part/ On shelues / couched at his beddes heed His presse ycovered / with a faldyng reed Line 3212 And all aboue / ther lay a gay Sautrie On which / he made a nyghtes melodie So swetely / that al the chambre rong And Angelus ad virginem / he song Line 3216 And after that he song the kynges noote fful often / blessed was his myrie throte

And thus / this sweete clerk his tyme spente After his freendes fyndyng and his rente Line 3220 ¶ This Carpenter / hadde wedded newe a wyf Which that he louede / moore than his lyf / Of xviij. yeer / she was of Age [folio 39a] Ialous he was / and heeld hire narwe in cage Line 3224 ffor she was yong and wylde / and he was old And demed hym self been lik / a Cokewold He knew nat Catoun / for his wit was rude That bad / man sholde wedde his simylitude Line 3228 Men sholde wedden after hire estaat ffor youthe and elde / is often at debaat But sith that 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 wezele / hir body / gent and smal A ceynt she werede / ybarred al of silk A barmclooth [eek] / as whit as morne Milk 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 colblak silk / with-Inne and eek with-oute Line 3240 The tapes / of hir white voluper Were of the same suyte of hir coler Hir filet brood of silk and set ful hye And sikerly / she hadde a likerous eye Line 3244 fful smale ypulled / were hire browes two And tho were bent / and blake as any sloo She was / ful moore blisful on to see 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 grene / and perled with latoun In al this world / to seken vp and doun Line 3252 There nas 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 song / it was / as loude and yerne As any swalwe / sittynge 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 Long as a Mast and vprighte as a bolt Line 3264 A brooch sche 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 [folio 39b] That on a day / this hende Nicholas Line 3272 ffil with this yonge wyf / to rage and pleye Whil that hir housbonde was at Oseneye As clerkes / ben ful subtile / and ful queynte And priuely / he caughte hire by the queynte Line 3276 And seyde ywis / but if ich haue my wille ffor deerne 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 / also god me saue And she sproong / as a colt doth in the traue And with hir heed / sche wryed faste awey And seyde / I wol nat kisse thee / by my fey Line 3284 Why lat be quod ich / lat be Nicholas Or I wol crie / out / harrow / and allas Do wey youre handes / for your curteisye ¶ This Nicholas / gan mercy for to crye Line 3288 And spak so faire / and profred hire so faste That she hir loue / hym graunted atte laste

And swoor hir ooth / by seint Thomas of Kent That she wol been / at his comandement Line 3292 Whan þat she may / hir leyser wel espie Myn housbonde / is so ful of Ialousie That but ye wayte wel / and been priuee I woot right wel / I nam but deed quod she Line 3296 Ye moste been ful deerne / as in this cas ¶ Nay ther of / care thee noght quod Nicholas A clerk hadde litherly / biset his whyle But if he koude / a Carpenter bigyle Line 3300 And thus they been / accorded and ysworn To wayte a tyme / as I haue told biforn ¶ Whan Nicholas / had doon thus euerideel And thakked hire / aboute the lendes weel Line 3304 He kist hire sweete / and taketh his sawtrie And pleyeth faste / and maketh melodie

Thanne fil it thus / þat to the paryssh chirche Cristes / owene werkes / for to wirche Line 3308 This goode wyf / went 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 / that was ycleped 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 Powles wyndow / coruen on his shoos In hoses rede / he wente fetisly [folio 40a] Yclad he was / ful smal and proprely Line 3320 Al in a kirtel / of a lyght waget fful faire and thikke / been the poyntes set And ther vp on / he hadde a gay surplys As whit as is / the blosme vp on the rys Line 3324 A myrie child he was / so god me saue Wel koude he laten blood / and clippe and shaue

And maken a chartre of lond / or Acquitaunce In twenty manere / koude he trippe and daunce Line 3328 After the scole / of Oxenford[e] tho And with his legges / casten to and fro And pleyen songes / on a small Rubible Ther to / he song som tyme / a loud quynyble Line 3332 And as wel / koude he pleye / on his giterne In al the toun / nas Brewhous ne Tauerne That he ne visited / with his solas Ther any gaylard Tappestere was Line 3336 But sooth to seyn / he was somdel squaymous Of fartyng / and of speche daungerous ¶ This Absolon / þat iolif 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 Carpenteris wyf To loke on hire / hym thoughte a myrie 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 wold hire hente anon ¶ This parissh clerk / this ioly Absolon Line 3348 Hath in his herte / swich a loue longynge That of no wyf / took he noon offrynge ffor curteisie / he seyde he wolde noon The Moone / whan it was nyght / ful brighte shoon Line 3352 And Absolon / his gyterne hath ytake ffor paramours / be thoghte for to wake And forth he gooth / iolif and amorous Til he cam / to the Carpenteres hous Line 3356 A litel / after Cokkes hadde ycrowe And dressed hym vp / by a shotwyndowe That was / vp on the Carpenteris wal He syngeth in his voys / gentil and smal Line 3360 Now deere lady / if thy wille be I pray yow / that ye wole thynke on me

fful wel acordaunt to his gyternynge This Carpenter awook / and herde synge Line 3364 And spak vn to his wyf / and seyde anon What Alison / herestow nat Absolon That chaunteth thus / vnder oure boures wal [folio 40b] And she answerde hir housbonde / ther with al Line 3368 Yis God woot Iohn / I heere it euery del ¶ This passeth forth / what wol ye bet than weel ffro day to day / to day / this ioly Absolon So woweth hire / that hym is wo bigon Line 3372 He waketh / al the nyght / and al the day He kembeth hise 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 brokkynge / as a nyghtyngale He sente hire pyment Meeth and spiced Ale And wafres / pipyng / hoot / out of the gleede And for she was of toune / he profreth meede Line 3380 ffor som folk wol ben wonnen for richesse And somme for strokes / and somme for gentillesse [¶ vnde Ouidius/ Ictibus Agrestis.] ¶ Somtyme / 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 hire Ape And al his ernest turneth til a Iape fful sooth is this prouerbe / it is no lye Men seyn right thus / alwey the nye slye Line 3392 Maketh / the ferre leeue to be looth ffor though that Absolon / be wood or wrooth By cause / that he fer was from hire sighte This nye Nicholas / stood in his lighte Line 3396

NOw bere thee wel / thou 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 Alisoun Acorded been / to this conclusioun That Nicholas / shal shapen hym a wyle This sely Ialous housbonde to bigyle Line 3404 And if so be / the game wente aright She sholde slepen / in his arm al nyght ffor this was / his desir / and hire also And right anon / 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 hire housbonde / bad hire for to seye Line 3412 If that he axed / after Nicholas She sholde seye / she nyste where he was Of al that day / she saugh hym nat with eye [folio 41a] She trowed / that he was in maladye Line 3416 ffor / for no cry / hir mayde koude hym calle He nolde answere / for thyng that 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 / that the sonne gooth to reste ¶ This sely Carpenter / hath greet merueyle Of Nicholas / or what thyng myghte hym eyle Line 3424 And seyde / I am adrad by Seint Thomas It stondeth nat aright with Nicholas God shilde / that he deyde sodeynly This world / is now ful tikel sikerly Line 3428 I saugh to day / a cors yborn to chirche That now / on monday last / I saugh 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 him vp ful sturdily

And at the chambre dore / whil that he stood He cride and knokked / as that 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 at the laste / he hadde of hym a sighte This Nicholas / sat capyng euere vp-righte Line 3444 As he had kiked / on the newe moone Adoun he gooth / and tolde his maister soone In what array / he saugh that ilke man ¶ This Carpenter / to blessen hym bigan Line 3448 And seyde / help vs seinte ffrydeswyde 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 that it sholde be Men sholde nat knowe / of goddes pryuetee Ye / blessed 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 Marleput yfalle Line 3460 He saugh nat that / but yet by seint [Thomas [[later hand]] ] Me reweth soore / of hende Nicholas He shal be rated / of his studiyng [folio 41b] If that I may / by Ihesus heuene kyng Line 3464 ¶ Get me a staf / that I may vnderspore Whil þat thou Robyn / heuest of the dore He shal / out of his studiyng as I gesse And to the chambre dore / he gan hym dresse Line 3468 His knaue / was a strong carl / for the noones And by the haspe / he haaf it of atones

In to the floor / the dore fil anon This Nicholas / sat ay as stille as stoon Line 3472 And euere caped vpward in to the Eir This Carpenter / wende he were in despeir And hente hym / by the sholdres myghtily And shook hym harde / and cride spitously Line 3476 What Nicholay / what how / what looke adoun Awake / and thenk on Cristes passioun I crouche thee / from Elues / and fro wightes Ther-with the nyghtspel / seyde he anonrightes Line 3480 On foure halues / of the hous aboute And on the thresshfold / of the dore with-oute Ihesu Crist and seint Benedight Blesse this hous / from euery wikked wight Line 3484 ffor nyghtes uerye / the white pater noster Where wentestow / seint Petres soster ¶ And atte laste / this hende Nicholas Gan for to sike soore / and seyde allas Line 3488 Shal al this world / be lost eftsoones now? ¶ This Carpenter / answerde / what seystow? What thynk on god / as we doon / men þat swynke ¶ This Nicholas answerde / fecche me drynke Line 3492 And after / wol I speke in pryuetee Of certeyn thyng that toucheth me and thee I wol telle it noon oother man certeyn ¶ This Carpenter / goth doun / and comth ageyn Line 3496 And broghte / of myghty Ale a large quart And whan þat ech of hem / had dronke his part This Nicholas / his dore faste shette And doun the Carpenter / by hym he sette Line 3500 ¶ He 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 man / thou art forlore ffor this vengaunce / thou shalt han therfore

That if thou wreye me / thou shalt be wood Nay Crist forbede it for his hooly blood Line 3508 Quod tho this sely man / I nam no labbe Ne though I seye / I am nat lief to gabbe Sey what thou wolt / I shal it neuere telle [folio 42a] To child ne wyf / by hym that harwed helle Line 3512

NOw Iohn quod Nicholas / I wol nat lye I have 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 Noees flood This world he seyde / in lasse than an hour Shal al be dreynt / so hidous is the shour Line 3520 Thus schal mankynde 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 thou wolt werken / aftir loore and reed Thou mayst nat werken / after thyn owene heed Line 3528 ffor thus seith Salomon / that was ful trewe Werk al by conseil / and thou shalt nat rewe And if thou werken wolt by good conseil I vndertake / with-outen Mast and seyl Line 3532 Yet shal I sauen / hire / and thee / and me Hastow nat herd / hou 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 yoore ago ¶ Hastou nat herd / quod Nicholas also The sorwe of Noe / with his felaweshipe Er þat he myghte / brynge his wyf to shipe Line 3540 Hym hadde be 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 / woostou what is best to doone Line 3544 This asketh haste / and of an hastif thyng Men may nat preche / or maken tariyng ¶ Anon go gete vs faste in to this In A knedyng trogh / or ellis a kymelyn Line 3548 ffor ech of vs / but loke þat they be large In whiche / we mowe swymme as in a barge And han ther-Inne / vitaille suffisant But for a day / fy on the remenant 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 nat why /. for though thou aske me I wol nat tellen goddes pryuetee Suffiseth thee / but if thy wittes madde [folio 42b] To han as greet a grace / as Noe hadde Line 3560 Thy wyf 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 hange hem / in the roof ful hye That no man / of oure purueiaunce spye And whan thou thus hast doon / as I haue seyd And hast oure vitaille / faire in hem yleyd Line 3568 And eek an Ax / to smyte the corde atwo Whan þat the water comth / that we may go And broke an hole / an heigh vp on the gable Vnto the gardynward / ouer the stable Line 3572 That we may frely / passen forth oure way Whan þat the grete shour / is goon away Thanne shal I swymme / as myrie I vndertake As dooth the white doke / after hire drake Line 3576 Thanne wol I clepe / how Alison / how Iohn Be myrie / for the flood wol passe anon

And thou wolt seyn / hayl maister Nicholay Good morwe / I se thee wel / for it is day Line 3580 And thanne / shul 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 ben entred / in to shippes bord That noon of vs / ne speke nat a word Ne clepe / ne crie / but been in his preyere ffor it is / goddes owene heeste deere Line 3588 ¶ Thy wyf and thou / moote hange fer atwynne ffor that bitwixe yow / shal be no synne Na moore in lookyng / than ther shal in deede This ordinance is seyd / so god thee speede Line 3592 Tomorwe at nyght whan folk ben alle aslepe In to our 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 / sende the wise / and sey no thyng Thou art so wys it needeth thee nat to preche Go saue oure lyf / and that I the biseche Line 3600 ¶ This sely Carpenter / goth forth his wey fful ofte / he seith allas and weylawey And to his wyf / he tolde his pryueetee 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 43a] Help vs to scape / or we been lost 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 [¶ Auctor] Men may dyen / of ymaginacion Line 3612 So depe / may impression be take This sely Carpenter / bigynneth quake

Hym thynketh verraily / that he may see Noees flood / come walwynge as the see Line 3616 To drenchen Alisoun / his hony deere He wepeth / weyleth / maketh sory cheere He siketh / with ful many a sory swogh He gooth / and geteth hym a knedyng trogh Line 3620 And after that / a tubbe and a kymelyn And pryuely / he sente hem to his In And heng hem / in the roof in pryuetee His owene hand made laddres thre Line 3624 To clymben / by the ronges and the stalkes In to the tubbes / hangynge in the balkes And hem vitailleth / 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 that 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 drow to nyght He shette his dore / with-oute candel lyght And dresseth alle thyng as it shal be And shortly / vp they clomben alle thre Line 3636 They sitten stille / wel a furlong way ¶ Now Pater noster / clom seyde Nicholay And clom quod Iohn / and clom seyde Alisoun This Carpenter / seyde his deuocioun Line 3640 And stille he sit / and biddeth his preyere 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 trauaille of his goost he groneth soore And eft he routeth / for his heed myslay Doun of the laddre / stalketh Nicholay Line 3648 And Alisoun / 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 [lith] Alison / and Nicholas In bisynesse / of myrthe and of solas Til that the belle of laudes gan to rynge [folio 43b] 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 Oseneye With a compaignye / hym to disporte and pleye Line 3660 And axed vp on cas a Cloistrer fful priuely / after Iohn the Carpenter And he drough hym a part out of the chirche And seyde I noot I saugh hym heere nat wirche Line 3664 Syn Saterday / I trow that he be went ffor tymber / ther our Abbot hath hym sent ffor he is wont for tymber for to go And dwellen at the grange / a day or two Line 3668 Or elles / he is at his hous certeyn Where that he be / I kan nat soothly seyn ¶ This Absolon / ful ioly was and light And thoghte / now is tyme wake al nyght Line 3672 ffor sikirly I saugh him nat stirynge Aboute his dore / syn day bigan to sprynge ¶ So moot I thryue / I shal at cokkes crowe fful pryuely / knokke at his wyndowe Line 3676 That stant ful lowe / vp on his boures wal To Alison / now wol I tellen al My loue longynge / for yet I shal nat mysse That at the leste wey / I shal hire kisse Line 3680 Som maner confort shal I haue parfay My mouth hath icched al this longe day That is a signe of kissyng atte leste Al nyght me mette eek / I was at a feeste Line 3684 Therfore I wol goon slepe / an houre or tweye And al the nyght thanne wol I wake and pleye

Whan that the firste cok hath crowe anon Vp rist this ioly louere Absolon Line 3688 And hym arraieth / gay at poynt deuys But first he cheweth greyn of lycorys To smellen sweete / er he hadde kembd his heer Vnder his tonge / a trewe loue he beer Line 3692 ffor ther-by / wende he to ben gracious He rometh / to the Carpenteres hous And stille he stant vnder the shot wyndowe Vn to his brist it raughte / it was so lowe Line 3696 And softe he knokketh / with a semy soun What do ye hony comb / sweete Alisoun My faire bryd / my sweete cynamome 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 that I swelte and swete [folio 44a] I moorne / as dooth a lamb after the tete Line 3704 Ywis lemman / I haue swich loue longynge That lik a turtel trewe / is my moornynge I may nat ete / na moore 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 elles I were to blame Wel bet than thee / by Ihesu Absolon Go forth thy wey / or I wol caste a ston Line 3712 And lat me slepe / a twenty deuel wey ¶ Allas quod Absolon / and weylawey That trewe loue / was euere so yuel biset Thanne kys me / syn it may be no bet Line 3716 ffor Ihesus loue / and for the loue of me ¶ Wiltow thanne / go thy wey quod she? ¶ Ye certes lemman / quod this Absolon ¶ Thanne make thee redy quod she I come anon Line 3720 And vn to Nicholas / she seyde stille Now hust and thou shalt laughen al thy fille ¶ This Absolon / doun sette hym on his knees

And seyde / I am lord at alle degrees Line 3724 ffor after this / I hope ther cometh moore Lemman thy grace / and sweete bryd thyn oore ¶ The wyndow / she vndoth / and that in haste Haue do quod she / com of and speed the faste Line 3728 Lest that oure Neighebores / thee espie ¶ This Absolon / gan wype his mouth ful drie Dirk was the nyght as pich / or as the cole And at the wyndow / out she pitte hir hole Line 3732 And Absolon / hym fil no bet ne wers But with his mouth / he kiste hir naked ers fful sauourly / er he was war of this ¶ Abak he stirte / and thoughte it was amys Line 3736 ffor wel he wiste / a womman hath no berd He felte a thyng al rough / and long yherd And seyde / fy allas what haue I do ¶ Tehee quod she / and clapte the wyndow to Line 3740 And Absolon / gooth forth a sory pas ¶ A berd a berd / quod hende Nicholas By goddes corpus / this goth faire and weel ¶ This sely Absolon / herde euery deel Line 3744 And on his lippe / he gan for Anger byte And to hym self / he seyde l shal thee quyte ¶ Who rubbeth now / who froteth now his lippes With dust with sond / with straw / with clooth / with chippes But Absolon / that seith ful ofte allas Line 3749 My soule / bitake I vn to Sathanas But me were leuere / than al this toun quod he [folio 44b] Of this despit awroken for to be Line 3752 Allas quod he / allas I ne hadde ybleynt His hoote loue / was coold and al yqueynt ffor fro that tyme / that he hadde kiste hir ers Of paramours / he sette nat a kers Line 3756 ffor he was / heeled of his maladie fful ofte / paramours he gan deffie And weepe / as dooth a child that is ybete A softe paas / he wente ouer the strete Line 3760

Line 3760 Vn til a smyth / men cleped daun Gerueys That in his forge / smythed plough harneys He sharpeth shaar / and kultour bisily This Absolon / knokketh al esily Line 3764 And seyde / vndo Gerueys / and that anon ¶ What who artow? I am heere Absolon What Absolon / for Cristes swete tree Why rise ye so rathe / ey benedicitee Line 3768 What eyleth yow / som gay gerl god it woot 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 distaf Than Gerueys knew / and seyde freend so deere That hoote kultour / in the chymenee heere Line 3776 As lene it me / I haue ther-with to doone And I wol / brynge it thee / agayn ful soone ¶ Gerueys answerde / certes were it gold Or in a poke / nobles alle vntold Line 3780 Thou sholdest have / 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 / to morwe day Line 3784 And caughte the kultour / by the colde stele fful softe / out at the dore he gan to stele And wente / vn to the Carpenteris wal He cogheth first / and knokketh ther with al Line 3788 Vp on the wyndowe / right as he dide er ¶ This Alison answerde / Who is ther? That knokketh so / I warante it a theef ¶ Why nay quod he / god woot my sweete leef Line 3792 I am thyn Absolon / my deerelyng Of gold quod he / I haue thee broght a ryng My mooder yaf it me / so god me saue fful fyn it is / and ther-to wel ygraue Line 3796

Line 3796 This wol I yeue thee / if thou me kisse ¶ This Nicholas / was risen for to pisse And thoughte / he wolde amenden al the Iape [folio 45a] He sholde kisse his [ers] er that he scape Line 3800 And vp the wyndowe / dide he hastily 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 sweete bryd / I noot nat where thou art ¶ This Nicholas / anon leet fle a fart/ As greet as it had been a thonder dent That with the strook he was almoost yblent Line 3808 And he was redy / with his Iren hoot And Nicholas / amydde ers he smoot ¶ Of gooth the skyn / an hande brede aboute The hoote kultour / brende so his toute Line 3812 And 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 crien water / as he were wood And thoughte / Allas / now comth Nowelis flood He sit hym vp / with-outen wordes mo And with his Ax / he smoot the corde atwo Line 3820 And doun gooth al / he foond neither to selle Ne breed ne Ale / til he cam to the Celle Vp on the floor / and ther aswowne he lay ¶ Vp stirte hire / Alison and Nicholay Line 3824 And criden / out and harrow in the strete The neighebores / bothe smale and grete In ronnen / for to gauren on this man That yet aswowne he 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 / that he was wood He was agast so / of Nowelis flood Thurgh fantasie / that of his vanytee He hadde yboght hym / knedyng tubbes thre Line 3836 And hadde hem hanged / in the roue 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 holde wood in al the toun ffor euery clerk / anonright / heeld with oother [folio 45b] They seyde / the man was wood / my leeue broother Line 3848 And euery wight / gan laughen of this stryf/ Thus / swyued was / this Carpenteris wyf/ ffor al his kepyng and his Ialousye And Absolon / hath kist hir nether eye Line 3852 And Nicholas / is scalded in the towte This tale is doon / and god saue al the rowte

¶ Heere endeth the Millere his tale [[Slight break 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 loughe and pleyde Ne at this tale / I saugh no man hym greue But it were oonly / Osewold the Reue Line 3860 By-cause / he was / of Carpenteris craft A litel Ire / in his herte ylaft He gan to grucche / and blamed it a lite ¶ So theek / quod he / ful wel koude I yow quite Line 3864 With bleryng of a proud Milleres eye If that me liste / speke of ribaudye But ik am oold / me list no pley for Age Gras tyme is doon / my fodder is now forage Line 3868 This white tope / writeth myne olde yeris Myn herte is mowled also as myne heris But if I fare / as dooth an Openers ¶ That ilke fruyt / is euer leng the wers Line 3872 Til it be roten / in Mullok or in stree We olde men / I drede so fare we Til we be roten / kan we nat be rype We hoppen ay / whil that the world wol pype Line 3876 ffor in oure wyl / ther stiketh euere a nayl To haue an hoor heed / and a grene tayl As hath a leek / for thogh oure myght be goon Oure wyl / desireth folie euere in oon Line 3880 ffor whan we may nat doon / than wol we speke Yet in oure Asshen olde / is fyr yreke ¶ ffoure gleedes han we / whiche I shal deuyse Avauntyng liyng Anger / Coueitise Line 3884 Thise foure sparkles / longen vn to eelde Oure olde lemes / mowe wel been vnweelde

But wyl ne shal nat faillen / that is sooth [folio 46a] And yet ik haue alwey a Coltes tooth Line 3888 As many a yeer / as it is passed henne Syn that my tappe of lif / bigan to renne ffor sikerly / whan I was bore / anon Deeth drough the tappe of lyf / and leet it gon Line 3892 And euer sithe / hath so the tappe yronne Til that 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 / that passed is ful yoore With olde folk saue dotage is namoore

Whan that oure hoost / hadde herd this sermonyng He gan to speke / as lordly as a kyng Line 3900 He seide / what amounteth al this wit What shul we speke alday of hooly writ The deuel / made a Reue for to preche And of a Soutere / Shipman or a leche Line 3904 Sey forth thy tale / and tarie nat the tyme Lo Depeford / and it is half wey pryme Lo Grenewych / ther many a shrewe is Inne It were al tyme / thy tale to bigynne Line 3908

NOw sires / quod this Osewold the Reue I pray yow alle / that ye nat yow greue Thogh I answere / and somdeel sette his howue ffor leueful is / with force force of showue [¶ vim vi repellere] ¶ This dronke Millere hath ytoold vs heer Line 3913 How that bigyled was a Carpenteer Perauenture in scorn / for I am oon And by youre leue / I shal him quite anoon Line 3916 Right in his cherles termes wol I speke I pray to god / his nekke mote breke He kan wel / in myn eye seen a stalke But in his owene / he kan nat seen a balke Line 3920

¶ Heere bigynneth the Reues tale

AT Trumpyngton / nat fer fro Cantebrigge Ther gooth a brook / and ouer that a brigge Vp on the which[e] brook / ther stant a Melle And this is verray sooth / þat I yow telle [[painting of the Reve]] A Millere / was ther dwellynge many a day Line 3925 As eny pecok he was proud and gay Pipen he koude and fisshe / and nettes beete And turne coppes / and wel wrastle and sheete Line 3928 And by his belt he baar a long panade And of a swerd / ful trenchant was the blade A ioly poppere / baar he in his pouche [folio 46b] 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 / of corn and eek of Mele And that a sly / and vsaunt for to stele Line 3940 His name was hoote / deynous Symkyn A wyf he hadde / ycomen of noble kyn The person of the toun / hir fader was With hire he yaf / ful many a panne of bras Line 3944 ffor that Symkyn / sholde in his blood allye She was yfostred in a Nonnerye ffor Symkyn / wolde no wyf / as he sayde But if she were / wel ynorissed and a mayde Line 3948 To sauen his estaat of yomanrye And she was proud / and peert as is a pye A ful fair sighte / was it vp on hem two On haly dayes / biforn hire wolde he go Line 3952

Line 3952 With his typet / [y]bounde about 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 / that 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 boidekyn Line 3960 ffor Ialous folk / ben perilous eueremo Algate / they wolde hire wyues wenden so And eek / for she was somdel smoterlich She was as digne / as water in a dich Line 3964 As ful of hoker / and of bismare Hir thoughte / þat a lady sholde hire spare What for hire kynrede / and hir nortelrie That she hadde lerned in the Nonnerie Line 3968 ¶ A doghter hadde they bitwixe hem two Of twenty yeer / with-outen any mo Sauynge a child / þat was of half yeer age In Cradel it lay / and was a propre page Line 3972 This wenche thikke / and wel ygrowen was With kamuse nose / and eyen greye as glas Buttokes brode / and brestes rounde and hye But right fair was hire heer / I wol nat lye Line 3976 ¶ This person of the toun / for she was feir In purpos was / to maken hire his heir Bothe of his catel / and his Mesuage [folio 47a] And straunge / he made it of hir mariage Line 3980 His purpos was / for to bistowe hire hye In to som worthy blood of Auncetrye ffor hooly chirches good / moot been despended On hooly chirches blood / that is descended Line 3984 Therfore / he wolde his hooly blood honoure Though / that he hooly chirche sholde devoure

Gret sokene / hath this Millere / out of doute With whete and Malt of al the land aboute Line 3988

Line 3988 And nameliche / ther was a greet Collegge Men clepen the Soler halle at Cantebregge Ther was hir whete / and eek hir malt ygrounde And on a day / it happed in a stounde Line 3992 Sik lay the Maunciple / on a maladye Men wenden wisly / that he sholde dye ffor which / this Millere / stal bothe mele and corn An hundred 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 nat a tare Line 4000 He craketh boost / and swoor it was nat so ¶ Thanne were ther / yonge poure clerkes two That dwelten in this halle / of which I seye Testif they were / and lusty for to pleye Line 4004 And oonly / for hire myrthe and reuerye Vp on the wardeyn / bisily they crye To yeue hem leue / but a litel stounde To goon to Mille / and seen hir corn ygrounde Line 4008 And hardily / they dorste leye hir nekke The Millere shold nat stele hem / half a pekke Of corn by sleighte / ne by force hem reue And at the laste / the wardeyn yaf hem leue Line 4012 Iohn highte that oon / and Aleyn heet that oother Of o toun were they born / that highte Strother ffer in the North / I kan nat telle where ¶ This Aleyn / maketh redy al his gere Line 4016 And on an hors / the sak he caste anon fforth goth Aleyn the clerk / and also Iohn With good swerd / and bokeler by hir side Iohn knew the wey / hem neded no gyde Line 4020 And at the Mille / the sak adoun he layth Aleyn spak first / al hayl Symond yfayth Hou fares thy faire doghter / and thy wyf ¶ Aleyn welcome quod Symkyn / by my lyf Line 4024

Line 4024 And Iohn also / how now / what do ye heer ¶ Symond quod Iohn / by god nede has na peer Hym boes serue hym selne / that has na swayn [folio 47b] Or elles / he is a fool / as clerkes sayn Line 4028 Oure Manciple / I hope / he wil be deed Swa werkes ay / the wanges in his heed And forthy / is I come / and eek Alayn To grynde oure corn / and carie it ham agayn Line 4032 I pray yow / spede vs heythen that ye may ¶ It shal be doon / quod Symkyn by my fay What wol ye doon / whil that it is in hande ¶ By God / right by the hopur wil I stande Line 4036 Quod Iohn / and se / how that the corn gas In Yet saugh I neuere / by my fader kyn How that the hopur / wagges til and fra ¶ Aleyn answerde / Iohn wiltow swa Line 4040 Thanne wil I be bynethe / by my croun And se / how þat the Mele falles doun In to the trough / that sal be my disport ffor Iohn yfaith / I may been of youre sort Line 4044 I is / as ille a Millere / as are 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 eye ffor al the sleighte / in hir Philosophye The moore queynte crekes / that they make The moore wol I stele / whan I take Line 4052 In stide of flour / yet wol I yeue hem bren The gretteste clerkes / been noght wisest men As whilom to the wolf / thus spak the Mare Of al hir Art [ne] counte I noght a tare Line 4056 ¶ Out at 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 lefsel And to the hors / he goth hym faire and wel He strepeth of the brydel / right anon And whan the hors was laus / he gynneth gon Line 4064 Toward the fen / ther wilde Mares renne fforth with wehee / thurgh thikke and thurgh thenne ¶ This Millere gooth agayn / no word he seyde But dooth his note / and with the clerkes pleyde Line 4068 Til that hir corn / was faire and weel ygrounde And whan the Mele / is sakked and ybounde This Iohn goth out and fynt his hors away And gan to crie / harrow and weylaway Line 4072 Oure hors is lorn / Alayn for goddes banes Stepe on thy feet com out man al atanes Allas / our wardeyn / has his palfrey lorn [folio 48a] This Aleyn al forgat / bothe Mele and corn Line 4076 Al was out of his mynde / his housbondrie What whilk way is he geen / he gan to crie ¶ The wyf cam lepynge Inward with a ren She seyde allas / youre hors goth to the fen Line 4080 With wilde mares / as faste as he may go Vnthank come on his hand / that boond hym so And he þat bettre / sholde han knyt the reyne ¶ Allas quod Aleyn / for cristes peyne Line 4084 Lay doun thy swerd / and I wil myn alswa I is ful wight god waat as is a raa By god[des] herte / he sal nat scape vs bathe Why nadstow pit the Capul in the lathe Line 4088 Ilhayl / by god Aleyn / thou is a fonne ¶ This sely clerkes / han ful faste yronne To-ward the fen / bothe Aleyn and eek Iohn ¶ And whan the Millere / saugh 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 / make a clerkes berd Line 4096

Line 4096 ffor al his Art now lat hem goon hir weye Lo wher they goon / ye lat the children pleye They gete hym nat so lightly / by my croun ¶ Thise sely clerkes / rennen vp and doun Line 4100 With keepe / keepe / stand / stand / Iossa warderere Ga whistle thou / and I shal kepe hym heere But shortly / til that it was verray nyght They koude nat / though they do al hir myght Line 4104 Hir capul cacche / he ran alwey so faste Til in a dych / they caughte hym atte laste

Wery and weet as beest is in the reyn Comth sely Iohn / and with him comth Aleyn Line 4108 Allas quod Iohn / the day that I was born Now are we dryue / til hethyng and til scorn Oure corn is stoln / me wil vs fooles calle Bathe the wardeyn / and oure felawes alle Line 4112 And namely / the Millere weylaway ¶ Thus pleyneth Iohn / as he gooth by the way Toward the Mille / and bayard in his hond The Millere / sittynge / by the fyr he fond Line 4116 ffor it was nyght and forther myghte they noght But for the loue of god / they hym bisoght Of herberwe and of ese / as for hir peny ¶ The Millere seyde agayn / if ther be eny Line 4120 Swich as it is / yet shal ye haue youre part/ Myn hous is streit but ye han lerned Art Ye konne by Argumentz / make a place [folio 48b] 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 in youre gise

Now Symond / seyde Iohn / by seint Cutberd Ay is thou myrie / and this is faire answerd Line 4128 I haue herd seyd / man sal taa / of twa thynges Slyk as he fyndes / or taa slyk as he brynges But specially / I pray thee hoost deere Get vs som mete and drynke / and make vs cheere Line 4132

Line 4132 And we wil payen / trewely atte fulle With empty hand / men may none haukes tulle Loo heere our siluer / redy for to spende ¶ This Millere / in to toun his doghter sende Line 4136 ffor Ale and breed / and rosted hem a goos And boond hire hors / it sholde nat goon loos And in his owene chambre / hem made a bed With sheetes and with chalons / faire yspred Line 4140 Noght from his owene bed / 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 rommer herberwe in the place They soupen / and they speke hem to solace And drynke euere / strong ale atte beste Aboute mydnyght wente they to reste Line 4148 ¶ Wel hath this Millere vernysshed his heed fful pale he was for-dronken / and nat 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 y-wet 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 / went the doghter right anon To bedde wente Aleyn / and also Iohn Line 4160 Ther nas na moore / hem neded no dwale This Millere / hath so wisely bibbed Ale That as an hors / he snorteth in his sleepe Ne of his tayl bihynde / he took no keepe Line 4164 His wyf bar him a burdon a ful strong Men myghte hir rowtyng heere two furlong The wenche rowteth eek / par compaignye ¶ Aleyn the clerk / that herd this melodye Line 4168

Line 4168 He poked Iohn / and seyde slepestow Herdtow euere slyk / a sang er now Lo whilk a cowplyng is ymel hem alle [folio 49a] A wilde fyr / vp on thair bodyes falle Line 4172 Wha herkned euere / slyk a ferly thyng Ye they sal haue / the flour of il endyng This lange nyght / ther tydes me na reste But yet nafors / al sal be for the beste Line 4176 ffor Iohn seyde he / als euere moot I thryue If þat I may / yon wenche wil I swyue Som esement has lawe yshapen vs ffor Iohn / ther is a lawe / that says thus Line 4180 That gif a man / in a point be ygreued That in another / he sal be releued Oure corn is stoln / shortly is ne nay And we han had / an il fit al this day Line 4184 And syn I sal haue neen amendement Agayn my los / I wil haue esement By God sale / it sal neen other bee ¶ This Iohn answerde / Alayn auyse thee Line 4188 The Millere / is a perilous man he seyde And gif that he / out of his sleepe abreyde He myghte doon vs / bathe a vileynye ¶ Aleyn answerde / I count hym nat a flye Line 4192 And vp he rist / and by the wenche he crepte This wenche lay vprighte / and faste slepte Til he so ny was / er she myghte espie That it had been / to late for to crie Line 4196 And shortly for to seyn / they were aton Now pley Aleyn / for I wol speke of Iohn

This Iohn lith stille / a furlong 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 / that I is but an Ape Yet has my felawe / som what for his harm 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 sek / in my bed And when this Iape is tald another day I sal been halde a daf a cokenay Line 4208 I wil arise / and auntre it by my fayth Vnhardy is vnseely / 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 the beddes feet ¶ Soone after this / the wyf hir rowtyng leet And gan awake / and wente hire 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 [folio 49b] Ey benedicite / thanne hadde I foule y-sped 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 / that the Cradel by it stood Line 4224 And nyste wher she was / for it was derk But faire and wel / she creepe In to the clerk And lith ful stille / and wolde han caught a sleepe With-Inne a while / this Iohn the clerk vp leepe Line 4228 And on this goode wyf / he leith on soore So myrie a fit hadde she nat ful yoore He priketh harde and soore / as he were mad This ioly lyf / han thise two clerkes lad Line 4232 Til that the thridde cok / bigan to synge ¶ Aleyn wax wery / in the dawenynge ffor he had swonken / al the longe nyght And seyde / fare weel Malyne sweete 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 swa haue I seel ¶ Now deere lemman quod she / go fareweel Line 4240

Line 4240 But er thow go / o thyng I wol thee telle Whan that thou wendest homward by the Melle Right at the entree / of the dore bihynde Thou shalt a Cake / of half a busshel fynde Line 4244 That was ymaked / of thyn owene mele Which that I heelpe / my fader for to stele And goode lemman / god thee saue and kepe And with that word / almoost she gan to wepe Line 4248

Aleyn vp rist / and thoughte / er þat it dawe I wol go crepen In / by my felawe And fond the Cradel / with his hand anon By God thoughte he / al wrang I haue mysgon Line 4252 Myn heed is toty / of my swynk to nyght That maketh me / that I go nat aright I woot wel by the Cradel / I have mysgo Heere lith the Millere / and his wyf also Line 4256 And forth he goth / a twenty deuel way Vn to the bed / ther as the Millere lay He wende have cropen / by his felawe Iohn And by the Millere In he creepe anon Line 4260 And caughte hym by the nekke / and softe he spak He seyde / thou Iohn / thou swynesheed awak ffor cristes saule / and heer a noble game ffor by that lord / that called is seint Iame Line 4264 As I haue thries / in this shorte nyght/ Swyued the Milleres doghter bolt vpright Whil thow hast as a Coward been agast [folio 50a] ¶ Ye false harlot quod the Millere hast? Line 4268 A false traitour / false clerk / quod he Thow shalt be deed / by goddes dignitee Who dorste be so boold / 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 in the floor / with nose and mouth to-broke They walwe / as doon two pigges in a poke And vp they goon / and doun agayn anon Til that the Millere / sporned at 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 lite wight With Iohn the clerk / that waked hadde al nyght Line 4284 And with the fal / out of hir sleepe she breyde Help hooly croys of Bromholm / she seyde In manus tuas / lord to thee I calle Awak Symond / the feend is on vs falle Line 4288 Myn herte is broken / help I nam but deed Ther lyth oon / vp on my wombe / and on myn heed Helpe Symkyn / for the false clerkes fighte ¶ This Iohn stirte vp / as soone as euer he myghte Line 4292 And graspeth by the walles to and fro To fynde a staf / and she stirte vp also And knewe 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 eye And whan she gan / the white thyng espye She wende the clerk hadde wered a volupeer And with the staf / she drough ay neer and neer Line 4304 And wende han hit this Aleyn at the fulle And smoot the Millere / on the pyled skulle And doun he gooth / and cride harrow I dye Thise clerkes beete hym weel / and lete hym lye Line 4308 And greythen hem / and tooke hir hors anon And eek hire mele / and on hir wey they gon And at the Mille / yet they tooke 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 gryndynge of the whete And payed for the soper euerideel [folio 50b] Of Aleyn and of Iohn / þat bette hym weel Line 4316 His wyf is swyued / and his doghter als Lo swich it is / a Millere to be fals And therfore this prouerbe / is seyd ful sooth Hym thar nat wene wel / that yuele dooth Line 4320 A gylour / shal hym self bigyled be And god / þat sitteth heighe in Trinitee Saue al this compaignye / grete and smale Thus have I quyt the Millere in my tale Line 4324

¶ Heere is ended the Reues tale [[Slight break in the MS.]]

¶ The prologe of the Cokes Tale

The Cook of London / whil that the Reue spak ffor ioye him thoughte / he clawed him on the bak Ha . ha . quod he / for cristes passion This Millere / hadde a sharpe conclusion Line 4328 Vpon his argument / of herbergage Wel seyde Salomon / in his langage Ne brynge nat every man in-to thyn hous ffor herberwynge by nyghte is perilous Line 4332 Wel oghte a man / auysed for to be Whom that he broghte / in-to his pryuetee I pray to god / so yeue me sorwe and care If euere sitthe / I highte Hogge of Ware Line 4336 Herde I a Millere / bettre yset a werk He hadde a Iape of malice in the derk But god forbede / that we stynte heere [hic] And therfore / 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 seide I graunte it thee Line 4344 Now telle 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 percely / yet they fare the wors That they han eten / with thy stubbel goos ffor in thy shoppe / is many a flye loos Line 4352 Now telle on / gentil Roger by thy name But yet I pray thee / be nat wroth for game A man may seye ful sooth / in game and pley [folio 51a] ¶ Thou seist ful sooth / quod Roger by my fey Line 4356

Line 4356 But sooth pley quaad pley / as the flemyng seith And ther-fore / Herry Bailly / by thy feith Be thou na[t] wrooth / er we departen heer Though that my tale / be of an Hostileer Line 4360 But nathelees / I wol nat telle it yit But er we parte / ywis thou shalt be quit/ And ther with al / he lough and made cheere And seyde his tale / as ye shul after heere [[Slight break in the MS.]] Line 4364

¶ Heere bigynneth the Cookes tale

APrentys whilom dwelled / in oure Citee And of a craft of vitailliers was hee Gaillard he was / as Goldfynch in the shawe Broun as a berye / a propre short fel[a]we Line 4368 With lokkes blake / ykempd ful fetisly Dauncen he koude / so wel and iolily [[painting of the Cook]] That he was cleped Perkyn Reuelour He was / as ful of loue and paramour Line 4372 As is the hyve / ful of hony sweete Wel was the wenche / with hym myghte meete At euery bridale / wolde he synge and hoppe He loved 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 that he hadde / al the sighte yseyn And daunced wel / he wolde nat come ayeyn Line 4380 And gadered 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 dys in swich a streete Line 4384 ffor in the toun / 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 fond his maister wel in his chaffare ffor often tyme / he foond his box ful bare ffor sikerly / a prentys Reuelour That haunteth dys / Riot or paramour Line 4392 His maister / shal it in his shoppe abye Al haue he / no part of the Mynstralcye ffor thefte and Riot. they been conuertible Al konne he pleye on gyterne / or Ribible Line 4396

Line 4396 Reuel and trouthe / as in a lowe degree [folio 51b] They been ful wrothe al day / as men may see ¶ This ioly prentys / with his maister bood Til he were ny / out of his prentishood Line 4400 Al were he snybbed / bothe erly and late And somtyme / lad with reuel to Newegate 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 rotie al the remenaunt ¶ So fareth it by a riotous seruaunt Line 4408 It is wel lasse harm / to lete hym pace Than he shende / alle the seruantz in the place Therfore / his maister / yaf hym Acquitance And bad hym go / with sorwe and with meschance Line 4412 And thus this ioly prentys / hadde his leue Now lat hym riote al the nyght / or leue And for ther is 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 compier / of his owene [sort [[later hand]] ] That louede dys / and Reuel and disport Line 4420 And hadde a wyf / that heeld for contenance A shoppe / and swyued for hir sustenance [[22 lines & 1 leaf of the MS blank.]]