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

[6-text p 334]

GROUP D. FRAGMENT V.

§ 1. WIFE OF BATH'S PREAMBLE.

ELLESMERE MS.

¶ The Prologe / of the Wyues tale of Bathe. [on leaf 67]

Experience / though noon Auctoritee Were in this world / were right ynogh to me To speke of wo / that is in mariage ffor lordynges / sith I .xij. yeer was of Age Line 4 Ythonked be god / that is eterne on lyue Housbondes at chirche dore I haue had fyue ffor I so ofte / haue ywedded bee And alle / were worthy men in hir degree Line 8 But me was toold certeyn / nat longe agoon is That sith that Crist ne wente neuere but onis To weddyng in the Cane of Galilee [¶ In Cana Galilee] By the same / ensample / thoughte me Line 12 That I ne sholde / wedded be but ones [¶ Qui enim semel iuit ad nupcias / doeuit semel esse nubendum] Herkne eek / which a sharpe word for the nones Beside a welle / Ihesus god and man Spak / in repreeue of the Samaritan Line 16 Thou hast yhad / fyue housbondes quod he And that man / the which þat hath now thee Is noght thyn housbonde / thus seyde he certeyn What that he mente ther by / I kan nat seyn Line 20 But þat I axe / why that the fifthe man Was noon housbonde to the samaritan How manye / myghte she haue in mariage [¶ Non est vxorum numerus diffinitus;] Yet herde I neuere tellen in myn age Line 24

[6-text p 335] Line 24 Vpon this nombre diffinicioun [quia secundum Paulum / Qui habent vxores sic sint tanquam non habentes] Men may deuyne / and glosen vp and doun But wel I woot expres with-oute lye God bad vs / for to wexe and multiplye [¶ Crescite & multiplicamini] Line 28 That gentil text kan I [wel] vnderstonde Eek wel I woot he seyde myn housbonde Sholde lete fader and mooder / and take me But of no nombre / mencion made he Line 32 Of bigamye / or of Octogamye [folio 67b] Why sholde men / speke of it vileynye ¶ Lo heere [audi] / the wise kyng dann salomon I trowe / he hadde wyues / mo than oon Line 36 As wolde god / it were leueful vn-to me To be refresshed / half so ofte as he Which yifte of God / hadde he / for alle hise wyuys No man hath swich / þat in this world alyue is Line 40 God woot / this noble kyng as to my wit The firste nyght had many a myrie fit With ech of hem / so wel was hym on lyue Yblessed be god / that I haue wedded fyue Line 44 Welcome the sixte / whan that euere he shal ffor sothe / I wol nat kepe me chaast in al [¶ Si autem non continent/ nubant/] Whan myn housbonde / is fro the world ygon Som cristen man / shal wedde me anon Line 48 ffor thanne / thapostle seith / I am free [¶ Quod si dormie|rit vir eius liberata est/ cui vult nubat in Domino] To wedde a goddes half where ¹it liketh¹ [[^1_1 on an erasure]] me He seith / to be wedded / is no synne [¶ Si acceperis vxorem non peccasti / et si nupserit virgo non peccauit/ set hij qui domino se vouerunt Ita idem &c] Bet is / to be wedded / than to brynne Line 52 What rekketh me / thogh folk seye vileynye Of shrewed lameth / and of bigamye I woot wel / Abraham / was an hooly man [¶ Melius est nubere quam vri] And Iacob eek /as ferforth as I kan [¶ Lameth qui primus intrauit bigamiam / sanguinarius & homicida est &c.] Line 56 And ech of hem / hadde wyues mo than two And many another man Also Whanne saugh ye euere / in [any] manere Age [¶ Abraham trigamus] That hye god / defended mariage [¶ Iacob quatri|gamus] Line 60

[6-text p 336] Line 60 By expres word / I pray you telleth me Or where / comanded he virginitee I woot as wel as ye / it is no drede Whan thapostel / speketh of maydenhede Line 64 He seyde / that precept ther-of hadde he noon Men may conseille / a womman to been oon But conseillyng is nat comandement He putte it in oure owene Iuggement Line 68 ffor hadde god / comanded maydenhede Thanne hadde he dampned weddyng with the dede And certein / if ther were / no seed y-sowe Virginitee / wher-of thanne sholde it growe Line 72 Poul / ne dorste nat / comanden atte leeste [¶ Paulus ‖ de virginibus / preceptum non habeo / consilium autem do &cetera] A thyng of which his maister yaf noon heeste The dart is set vp / of virginitee Cacche who so may / who renneth best lat see [¶ Inuitat ad cursum tenet in manu virginitatis brauium qui potest capere / capiat & cetera] Line 76 ¶ But this word / is nat taken of euery wight But ther / as god lust gyue it of his myght I woot wel / the Apostel was a mayde But nathelees / thogh / that he wroot and sayde Line 80 He wolde / þat euery wight / were swich as he [folio 68a] [¶ Volo autem omnes homines esse sicut me ipsum] Al nys / but conseil to virginitee And for to been a wyf / he yaf me leue Of Indulgence / so it is no repreue Line 84 To wedde me / if my make dye With outen / excepcion of Bigamye Al were it good / no womman for to touche [¶ Bonum est homini / mulierem non tangere] He mente / as in his bed / or in his couche Line 88 ffor peril is / bothe fyr and tow tassemble Ye knowe / what this ensample may resemble This is al and som / that virginitee Moore profiteth / than weddyng / in freletee Line 92 ffreeltee clepe I / but if that he and she Wolde lede / al hir lyf in chastitee ¶ I graunte it wel / I haue noon envie Thogh maydenhede preferre Bigamye Line 96

[6-text p 337] Line 96 Hem liketh to be clene / body and goost Of myn estaat I nyl nat make no boost ffor wel ye knowe / a lord in his houshold He nath nat euery vessel / al of gold Line 100 Somme been of tree / and doon hir lord seruyse God clepeth folk to hym / in sondry wyse And euerich hath of god a propre yifte [¶ Vnusquisque proprium habet donum ex deo; alius quidem sic/ alius autem sic/] Som this som that as hym liketh shifte Line 104 ¶ Virginitee / is greet perfeccion And continence eek with deuocion [¶ Qui cantant sequentur Agnum xliiij^or Millia] But crist/ that of perfeccion is welle Bad nat euery wight / sholde go selle Line 108 All that he hadde / and gyue it to the poore And in swich wise / folwe hym and his foore [.i. steppes] He spak to hem / that wolde lyue parfitly And lordynges by youre leue / that am nat I Line 112 I wol bistowe / the flour of myn age In the Actes and in fruyt of mariage ¶ Telle me also / to what conclusion Were membres ymaad / of generacion Line 116 And for what profit was a wight ywroght Trusteth right wel / they were nat maad for noght Glose who so wole / and seye bothe vp and doun That they were maad / for purgacioun Line 120 Of vryne bothe / and thynges smale And eek to knowe / a femele from a male And for noon oother cause / sey ye no? The experience / woot wel it is noght so Line 124 So that the clerkes / be nat with me wrothe I sey yis / that they beth maked for bothe This is to seye / for office and for ese Of engendrure / ther we nat god displese Line 128 Why sholde men elles / in hir bookes sette [folio 68b] That a man shal yelde / to his wyf hire dette Now wher with / sholde he make his paiement If he ne vsed / his sely Instrument Line 132

[6-text p 339] Line 132 ¶ Abyde quod she / my tale is nat bigonne [¶ Item viri diligite vxores verecundas] Nay / thou shalt drynken of another tonne Er that I go / shal sauoure wors than Ale And whan þat I / haue toold forth my tale Line 172 Of tribulacion / that is in mariage Of which / I am expert in al myn age This to seyn / my self haue been the whippe Than maystow chese / wheither thou wolt sippe Line 176 Of that tonne / that I shal abroche [folio 69a] Be war of it/ er thou to ny approche ffor I shal tell ensamples / mo than ten Who so / þat wol nat be war / by othere men Line 180 By hym / shul othere men corrected be The same wordes / writeth Protholomee Rede it in his Almageste / and take it there ¶ Dame / I wolde praye / if youre wyl it were Line 184 Seyde this Pardoner / as ye bigan Telle forth youre tale / spareth for no man And teche vs yonge men / of youre praktike ¶ Gladly sires / sith it may yow like Line 188 But yet I praye / to al this compaignye If that I speke / after my fantasye As taketh not agrief / that I seye ffor myn entente / is but for to pleye Line 192

NOw sire / now wol I telle forth my tale [¶ Bihoold how this goode wyf / serued hir .iij. firste housbondes whiche were goode olde men] As euere / moote I drynken wyn or Ale I shal seye sooth / of tho housbondes þat I hadde As thre of hem were goode / and two were badde Line 196 The thre men / were goode / and riche / and olde Vnnethe / myghte they / the statut holde In which / that they were / bounden vn-to me [¶ Ierephancias quoque Atheniencium / vsque hodie / cicute sorbicione castrari] Ye woot wel / what I meene of this pardee Line 200 As help me god / I laughe whan I thynke How pitously / anyght I made hem swynke And by my fey / I tolde of it no stoor They had me yeuen hir gold/ and hir tresoor Line 204

[6-text p 338] Line 204 Thanne were they maad / vp-on a creature To purge vryne / and for engendrure ¶ But I seye noght þat euery wight is holde That hath swich harneys / as I of tolde Line 136 To goon and vsen hem in engendrure They shul nat take / of chastitee no cure Crist was a mayde / and shapen as a man And many a seint sith the world bigan Line 140 Yet lyued they euere / in perfit chastitee I nyl nat enuye / no virginitee Lat hem be breed / of pured whete seed And lat vs wyues / hoten barly breed Line 144 And yet with barly breed / Mark telle kan Oure lord / refresshed many a man In swich estaat as god hath cleped vs [¶ Ea vocacione qua vooati estis & cetera] I wol perseuere / I nam nat precius Line 148 In wyfhode I wol vse myn Instrument/ As frely / as my makere hath it sent If I be daungerous / god yeue me sorwe Myn housbonde shal it haue / bothe eue and morwe Line 152 Whan þat hym list com forth and paye his dette An housbonde I wol haue / I nyl nat lette Which shal be / bothe my dettour / and my thral [¶ Qui vxorem habet & debitor dicitur. & esse i prepucio & seruu vxoris & qui malorum seruo|rum est alligatus] And haue / his tribulacion with al Line 156 Vp-on his flessh / whil that I am his wyf/ I haue the power / durynge al my lyf Vp-on his propre body / and noght he Right thus / the Apostel / tolde it vn-to me [¶ Et iterum seruus vxoris es / noli propter hoc habere tristiciam] Line 160 And bad oure housbondes / for to loue vs weel Al this sentence / me liketh euery deel [¶ Item si acceperis vxorem non peccasti tribula|cionem tamen carnis habebunt huiusmodi & cetera]

Vp stirte the Pardoner / and that anon Now dame quod he / by god and by seint Iohn Line 164 Ye been a noble prechour in this cas I was aboute / to wedde a wyf allas [¶ Item vir corporis sui non habet potestatem/ set vxor] What sholde I bye it on my flessh so deere Yet hadde I leuere / wedde no wyf to yeere Line 168

[6-text p 340] Line 168 Me neded nat / do lenger diligence To wynne hir loue / or doon hem reuerence They loued me so wel / by god aboue That I ne tolde / no deyntee of hir loue Line 208 A wys womman / wol sette hire euere in oon To gete hire loue / ther as she hath noon But sith I hadde hem / hoolly in myn hond And sith / they hadde / me yeuen all hir lond Line 212 What sholde I taken heede / hem for to plese But it were / for my profit and myn ese I sette hem so a werk / by my fey That many a nyght they songen weilawey Line 216 The bacon / was nat fet for hem I trowe That som men han / in Essexe at Dunmowe I gouerned hem / so wel after my lawe That ech of hem / was ful blisful and fawe Line 220 To brynge me / gaye thynges / fro the ffayre They were ful glad / whan I spak to hem faire ffor god it woot / I chidde hem spitously ¶ Now herkneth / hou I baar me proprely Line 224 Ye wise wyues / that kan vnderstonde [folio 69b] ¶ Thus shul ye speke / and beren hem on honde ffor half so boldely / kan ther no man Swere and lye / as kan a womman Line 228 I sey nat this / by wyues þat been wyse But if it be / whan they hem mysauyse A wys wyf / if that she kan hir good Shal bere hym on hond / the Cow is wood Line 232 And take witnesse / of hir owene mayde Of hir assent but herkneth how I sayde ¶ Sire olde kaynard / is this thyn array Why is / my neighebores wyf so gay Line 236 She is honoured / ouer al ther she gooth I sitte at hoom / I haue no thrifty clooth What dostow / at my neighebores hous Is she so fair / artow so amorous Line 240

[6-text p 341] Line 240 What rowne ye with oure mayde benedicite Sire olde lecchour / lat thy Iapes be And if I haue / a gossib or a freend With-outen gilt thou chidest as a feend Line 244 If that I walke / or pleye vn-to his hous Thou comest hoom / as dronken as a Mous And prechest on thy bench / with yuel preef Thou seist to me / it is a greet meschief Line 248 To wedde a poure womman for costage And if she be riche / and of heigh parage Thanne seistow / it is a tormentrie To soffren hire pride / and hire malencolie Line 252 And if that she be fair / thou verray knaue Thou seyst that euery holour wol hire haue She may no while / in chastitee abyde That is assailled / vp-on ech a syde Line 256 ¶ Thou seyst that som folk / desiren vs / for richesse Somme for oure shape / somme for oure fairnesse And som / for she kan synge and daunce And som for gentillesse / and som for daliaunce Line 260 Som for hir handes / and hir Armes smale Thus goth al to the deuel / by thy tale Thou seyst men may nat kepe a Castel wal It may so longe / assailled been ouer al Line 264 ¶ And if that she be foul / thou seist that she Coueiteth euery man / that she may se ffor as a spaynel / she wol on hym lepe Til þat she fynde / som man hire to chepe Line 268 Ne noon so grey goos gooth in the lake As seistow / wol been with-oute make And seyst it is an hard thyng for to welde A thyng þat no man wole his thankes helde Line 272 Thus seistow lorel / whan thow goost to bedde [folio 70a] And þat no wys man / nedeth for to wedde Ne no man / that entendeth vn-to heuene With wilde thonder dynt and firy leuene Line 276

[6-text p 342] Line 276 Moote / thy welked nekke be to-broke ¶ Thow seyst that droppyng houses / and eek smoke And chidyng wyues / maken men to flee Out of hir owene houses / a benedicitee Line 280 What eyleth / swich an old man for to chide ¶ Thow seyst þat we wyues / wol oure vices hide Til we be fast and thanne we wol hem shewe Wel may that be / a prouerbe of a shrewe Line 284 ¶ Thou seist þat Oxen / Asses / hors / and houndes They been assayd / at diuerse stoundes Bacyns / lauours / er that men hem bye Spoones and stooles / and al swich housbondrye Line 288 And so been / pottes clothes / and array But folk of wyues / maken noon assay Til they be wedded / olde dotard shrewe Thanne seistow / we wol oure vices shewe Line 292 ¶ Thou seist also / that it displeseth me But if that thou / wolt preyse my beautee And but thou poure alwey / vp-on my face And clepe me faire dame in euery place Line 296 And but thou make a feeste / on thilke day That I was born / and make me fressh and gay And but thou do / to my norice honour And to my chambrere / with-Inne my bour Line 300 And to my fadres folk / and hise allyes Thus seistow / olde barel ful of lyes ¶ And yet of oure Apprentice / Ianekyn [¶ Et procurator calamistratus & cetera] ffor his crispe heer / shynynge as gold so fyn Line 304 And for he squiereth me / bothe vp and doun Yet hastow caught a fals suspecioun I wol hym noght / thogh thou were deed tomorwe ¶ But tel me / why hydestow with sorwe Line 308 The keyes of my cheste / awey fro me It is my good / as wel as thyn pardee What wenestow / to make an ydiot of oure dame Now by that lord / that called is seint Iame Line 312

[6-text p 343] Line 312 Thou shalt nat bothe / thogh thou were wood Be maister / of my body / and of my good That oon thou shalt forgo / maugree thyne eyen What nedeth thee / of me / to enquere or spyen Line 316 I trowe / thou woldest loke me in thy chiste Thou sholdest seye / wyf go wher thee liste Taak youre disport I wol leue no talys I knowe yow / for a trewe wyf dame Alys Line 320 We loue no man / that taketh kepe / or charge [folio 70b] Wher that we goon / we wol ben at our large ¶ Of alle men / blessed moot he be The wise Astrologien / Daun Protholome Line 324 That seith this prouerbe / in his Almageste Of alle men / his wysdom is the hyeste That rekketh neuere / who hath the world in honde [¶ Intra omnes alcior existit/ qui non curat in cuius manu sit mundus] By this prouerbe / thou shalt vnderstonde Line 328 Haue thou ynogh / what thar thee recche or care How myrily / that othere folkes fare ffor certeyn / olde dotard by youre leue Ye shul haue queynte / right ynogh at eue Line 332 He is to greet a nygard / that wolde werne A man / to lighte his candle at his lanterne He shal haue / neuer the lasse light pardee Haue thou ynogh / thee thar nat pleyne thee Line 336 ¶ Thou seyst also / þat if we make vs gay With clothyng and with precious array That it is peril of oure chastitee And yet with sorwe / thou most enforce thee Line 340 And seye thise wordes / in the Apostles name [¶ similiter & mulieres in habitu ornato cum verecundia & castitate ornent se / non in tortis crinibus aut auro aut margaritis siue veste preciosa & cetera /. Hec Paulus] In habit maad / with chastitee and shame Ye wommen / shul apparaille yow quod he And noght in tressed heer / and gay perree Line 344 As perles / ne with gold / ne clothes riche After thy text ne after thy Rubriche I wol nat wirche / as muchel as a gnat ¶ Thou seydest this / that I was lyk a Cat Line 348

[6-text p 344] Line 348 ffor who so wolde / senge a Cattes skyn Thanne wolde the Cat wel dwellen in his In And if the Cattes skyn / be slyk and gay She wol nat dwelle in house / half a day Line 352 But forth she wole / er any day be dawed To shewe hir skyn / and goon a Caterwawed This is to seye / if I be gay sire shrewe I wol renne out / my borel for to shewe Line 356 ¶ Sire olde fool / what eyleth thee to spyen Thogh thou preye Argus / with hise hundred eyen To be my wardecors / as he kan best/ In feith / he shal nat kepe me but lest Line 360 Yet koude I make his berd / so moot I thee ¶ Thou seydest eek / that ther been thynges thre [¶ eciam odiosa vxor si habeat virum bonum & cetera] The whiche thynges / troublen al this erthe And þat no wight / may endure the ferthe Line 364 O leeue sire shrewe / Ihesu / shorte thy lyf / Yet prechestow / and seyst and hateful wyf Yrekened is / for oon of thise meschances Been ther none othere resemblances Line 368 That ye may likne / youre parables to [folio 71a] But if/ a sely wyf / be oon of tho ¶ Thou liknest wommenes loue to helle [¶ Amor illius inferno & arenti terre & incendio comparata ‖ Vnde illud & cetera] To bareyne lond / ther water may nat dwelle Line 372 ¶ Thou liknest it also / to wilde fyr [¶ Infernus & amor mulieris & terra que non saciatur aqua & ignis non dicent satis & cetera] The moore it brenneth / the moore it hath desir To consumen euery thyng þat brent wole be Thou seyst . right as wormes shendeth a tree Line 376 Right so a wyf/ destroyeth hire housbond [¶ Sicut in ligno vermis ita perdet virum suum vxor] This knowe they / that been to wyues bonde [¶ Nemo melius scire potest / quid sit vxor vel mulier / nisi ille qui passus est/]

LOrdynges / right thus / as ye haue vnderstonde Baar I stifly / myne olde housbondes on honde Line 380 That thus they seyden / in hir dronkenesse And al was fals / but that I took witnesse On Ianekyn / and on my Nece also O lord / the peyne I dide hem / and the wo Line 384

[6-text p 345] Line 384 fful giltlees / by goddes sweete pyne ffor as an hors / I koude byte and whyne I koude pleyne / thogh I were in the gilt Or elles / often tyme / hadde I been spilt Line 388 Who so comth first to Mille / first grynt I pleyned first / so was oure werre y-stynt They were ful glad / to excusen hem blyue Of thyng / of which they neuere agilte hir lyue Line 392 ¶ Of wenches / wolde I beren hym on honde Whan that for syk vnnethes myghte he stonde Yet tikled it his herte / for that he Wende / þat I hadde of hym so greet chiertee Line 396 I swoor / þat al my walkynge out by nyghte Was / for tespye wenches þat he dighte Vnder that colour / hadde I many a myrthe ffor al swich thyng was yeuen vs in oure byrthe Line 400 Deceite / wepyng spynnyng god hath yeue To wommen kyndely / whil that they may lyue And thus / of o thyng I auaunte me Atte ende / I hadde the bettre in ech degree Line 404 By sleighte / or force / or by som maner thyng As by continueel murmure or grucchyng Namely / abedde / hadden they meschaunce Ther wolde I chide / and do hem no plesaunce Line 408 I wolde / no lenger in the bed abyde If that I felte his Arm ouer my syde Til he / had maad / his raunson vn-to me Thanne wolde I suffre hym / do his nycetee Line 412 And ther-fore / euery man / this tale I telle Wynne who so may / for al is for to selle With empty hand / men may none haukes lure ffor wynnyng wolde I al his lust endure Line 416 And make me / a feyned appetit/ [folio 71b] And yet in bacon / hadde I neuere delit That made me / that euere I wolde hem chide ffor thogh the pope / hadde seten hem biside Line 420

[6-text p 346] Line 420 I wolde nat spare hem / at hir owene bord ffor by my trouthe / I quitte hem word for word As helpe me / verray god omnipotent Though I right now / sholde make my testament Line 424 I ne owe hem nat a word / þat it nys quit I broghte it so aboute by my wit/ That they moste yeue it vp / as for the beste Or elles / hadde we neuere been in rest Line 428 ffor thogh he looked / as a wood leon Yet sholde he faille / of his conclusion ¶ Thanne wolde I seye / goode lief taak keepe How mekely / looketh Wilkyn oure sheepe Line 432 Com neer my spouse / lat me ba thy cheke Ye sholde been / al pacient and meke And han / a sweete spiced conscience Sith ye so preche / of Iobes pacience Line 436 Suffreth alwey / syn ye so wel kan preche And but ye do / certein we shal yow teche That it is fair / to haue a wyf in pees Oon of vs two / moste bowen doutelees Line 440 And sith a man / is moore resonable Than womman is / ye moste been suffrable What eyleth yow / to grucche thus and grone Is it for ye wolde haue my queynte allone Line 444 Wy taak it al / lo haue it euery deel Peter I shrewe yow / but ye loue it weel ffor if I wolde / selle my bele chose I koude walke / as fressh as is a rose Line 448 But I wol kepe / it for youre owene tooth Ye be to blame / by god / I sey yow sooth ¶ Swiche manere wordes hadde we on honde Now wol I speken / of my fourthe housbonde Line 452

My fourthe housbonde / was a reuelour [¶ Of the con|dicione of the fourthe hous|bonde of this goode wyf/ And how she serued hym] This is to seyn / he hadde a paramour And I was yong and ful of ragerye Stibourne and strong and ioly as a pye Line 456

[6-text p 347] Line 456 Wel koude I daunce / to an harpe smale And synge ywis / as any nyghtyngale Whan I had dronke / a draughte of sweete wyn [¶ Valerius. libro. 6^o capitulo 3^o ‖ Metellius vxorem suam / eo quod vinum bibisset/ fuste percussam interemit/] Metellius / the foule cherl the swyn Line 460 That with a staf / birafte his wyf hire lyf ffor she drank wyn / thogh I hadde been his wyf / He sholde nat han daunted me fro drynke And after wyn / on Venus moste I thynke Line 464 ffor al so siker / as cold engendreth hayl [folio 72a] A likerous mouth / moste han a likerous tayl In wommen vinolent / is no defence This knowen lecchours by experience Line 468 ¶ But lord crist / whan that it remembreth me Vp-on my yowthe / and on my Iolitee It tikleth me / aboute myn herte roote Vn-to this day / it dooth myn herte boote Line 472 That I haue had my world / as in my tyme But Age allas / that al wole enuenyme Hath me biraft / my beautee / and my pith Lat go fare wel / the deuel go therwith Line 476 The flour is goon / ther is namoore to telle The bren as I best kan / now moste I selle But yet to be right myrie / wol I fonde Now wol I tellen / of my fourthe housbonde Line 480 ¶ I seye / I hadde in herte greet despit That he / of any oother had delit But he was quit by god / and by seint Ioce I made hym / of the same wode a croce Line 484 Nat of my body / in no foul manere But certein / I made folk swich cheere That in his owene grece / I made hym frye ffor Angre / and for verray Ialousye Line 488 By god / in erthe I was his purgatorie ffor which I hope / his soule be in glorie ffor god it woot he sat ful ofte and song / Whan þat his shoo / ful bitterly hym wrong Line 492

[6-text p 348] Line 492 Ther was no wight saue god and he þat wiste In many wise / how soore I hym twiste He deyde / whan I cam fro Ierusalem And lith ygraue / vnder the roode beem Line 496 Al is his tombe / noght so curyus As was the sepulcre / of hym Daryus Which that Appelles / wroghte subtilly [¶ Appelles / fecit mirabile opus in tumulo Darij / vnde in Alex|andro. libro. 6^o.] It nys but wast to burye hym preciously Line 500 Lat hym fare wel / god yeue his soule reste He is now / in his graue / and in his cheste

NOw / of my fifthe housbonde wol I telle [¶ Of the fifthe housbonde of this wyf / . and hou she bar hire ayens hym] God lete his soule / neuere come in helle Line 504 And yet was he to me / the mooste shrewe That feele I / on my ribbes al by rewe And euere shal / vn-to myn endyng day But in oure bed / he was / ful fressh and gay Line 508 And ther-with-al / so wel koude he me glose Whan that he wolde han my bele chose That thogh / he hadde me bet on euery bon He koude wynne / agayn my loue anon Line 512 I trowe I loued hym best for that he [folio 72b] Was of his loue / daungerous to me We wommen han / if that I shal nat lye In this matere / a queynte fantasye Line 516 Wayte what thyng we may nat lightly haue Ther after / wol we crie / al day and craue fforbede vs thyng and that desiren we Preesse on vs faste / and thanne wol we fle Line 520 With daunger / oute we al oure chaffare Greet prees at Market maketh deere ware And to greet cheepe / is holde at litel prys This knoweth / euery womman that is wys Line 524 ¶ My fifthe housbonde / god his soule blesse Which þat I took for loue / and no richesse He som tyme / was a clerk of Oxenford And hadde left scole / and wente at hom to bord Line 528

[6-text p 349] Line 528 With my gossib / dwellynge in oure toun God haue hir soule / hir name was Alisoun She knew myn herte / and eek my priuetee Bet than oure parisshe preest as moot I thee Line 532 To hire / biwreyed I / my conseil al ffor hadde myn housbonde / pissed on a wal Or doon a thyng þat sholde han cost his lyf / To hire / and to another worthy wyf / Line 536 And to my Nece / which þat I loued weel I wolde han toold / his conseil euery deel And so I dide / ful often god it woot That made his face / ful often reed and hoot Line 540 ffor verray shame / and blamed hym self for he? Had toold to me / so greet a pryuetee ¶ And so bifel / that ones in a lente So often tymes / I to my gossyb wente Line 544 ffor euere yet I loued to be gay And for to walke / in March / Auerill and May ffro hous to hous / to heere sondry talys That Iankyn Clerk and my gossyb dame Alys Line 548 And I my self / in-to the feeldes wente Myn housbonde / was at London al the lente I hadde / the bettre leyser for to pleye And for to se / and eek for to be seye Line 552 Of lusty folk what wiste I / wher my grace Was shapen for to be / or in what place Therfore / I made my visitacions To vigilies / and to processions Line 556 To prechyng eek and to thise pilgrimages To pleyes of myracles / and to mariages And wered vpon / my gaye scarlet gytes Thise wormes / ne thise Motthes / ne thise mytes Line 560 Vpon my peril / frete hem neuer a deel [folio 73a] And wostow why? for they were vsed weel

NOw wol I tellen forth / what happed me I seye / that in the feeldes walked we Line 564

[6-text p 350] Line 564 Till trewely / we hadde swich daliance This clerk and I / that of my purueiance I spak to hym / and seyde hym / how þat he? If I were wydwe / sholde wedde me Line 568 ffor certeinly / I sey for no bobance Yet was I neuere / with-outen purueiance Of mariage / nof othere thynges eek I holde a Mouses herte / nat worth a leek/ Line 572 That hath but oon hole / for to sterte to And if þat faille / thanne is al ydo ¶ I bar hym on honde / he hadde enchanted me My dame taughte me that soutiltee Line 576 And eek I seyde / I mette of hym al nyght He wolde han slayn me / as I lay vp right And al my bed / was ful of verray blood But yet I hope / that he shal do me good Line 580 ffor blood / bitokeneth gold / as me was taught And al was fals / I dremed of it right naught But I folwed ay / my dammes loore As wel of this / as of othere thynges moore Line 584 ¶ But now sire / lat me se / what I shal seyn A / ha / by god / I haue my tale ageyn ¶ Whan þat my fourthe housbonde / was on beere I weepe algate / and made sory cheere Line 588 As wyues mooten / for it is vsage And with my couerchief / couered my visage But for þat I / was purueyed of a make I wepte but smal / and that I vndertake Line 592 ¶ To chirche / was myn housbonde / born a morwe With neighebores / that for hym maden sorwe And Iankyn oure Clerk / was oon of tho As help me god / whan þat I saugh hym go Line 596 After the beere / me thoughte he hadde a paire? Of legges / and of feet / so clene and faire That al myn herte / I yaf vn-to his hoold He was I trowe / a twenty wynter oold Line 600

[6-text p 351] Line 600 And I was fourty / if I shal seye sooth But yet I hadde alwey / a coltes tooth Gat tothed I was / and that bicam me weel I hadde the prente / of seint Venus seel Line 604 As help me god / I was a lusty oon And faire and riche / and yong and wel bigon And trewely / as myne housbondes tolde me I hadde the beste Quonyam myghte be Line 608 ffor certes / I am al Venerien [folio 73b] In feelynge / and myn herte is Marcien Venus me yaf my lust my likerousnesse [¶ Mansor Amphorison'.19.] And Mars yaf me / my sturdy hardynesse [¶ Cumque in ascendente fuerint infortune turpem notam in facie pacietur ‖ In natiuitatibus mulierum cum fuerit ascendens aliqua de domibus Veneris / Marte existente in eis / vel e contrario erit mulier inpudica ‖ Idem erit/ si habuerit capricornum in ascendente ‖ He[c] Hermes in libro fiducie Am|phoris^o. 24^o.] Line 612 Myn Ascendent was Taur and Mars ther-Inne Allas / allas / þat euere loue was synne I folwed ay / myn Inclinacion By vertu / of my constellacion Line 616 That made me / I koude noght withdrawe My chambre of Venus / from a good felawe Yet haue I / Martes Mark vp-on my face And also / in another priuee place Line 620 ffor god so wys / be my sauacion I ne loued neuere / by no discrecion But euere / folwed myn appetit Al were he / short or long or blak / or whit Line 624 I took no kepe / so that he liked me How poore he was / ne eek/ of what degree ¶ What sholde I seye / but at the Monthes ende This ioly clerk/ Iankyn þat was so hende Line 628 Hath wedded me / with greet solempnytee And to hym yaf I / al the lond and fee That euere / was me yeuen ther-bifoore But afterward / repented me ful soore Line 632 He nolde suffre / nothyng of my list By god / he smoot me ones on the lyst ffor þat I rente / out of his book a leef / That of the strook / myn ere wax al deef / Line 636

[6-text p 352] Line 636 Stibourne I was / as is a Leonesse And of my tonge / a verray Iangleresse And walke I wolde / as I had doon biforn ffrom hous to hous / al-though he had it sworn Line 640 ffor which / he often tymes wolde preche And me / of olde Romayn geestes teche How he symplicius Gallus / lefte his wyf [¶ Valerius. libro 6^o. folio. 19^o.] And hire forsok / for terme of al his lyf Line 644 Noght but for open-heueded / he hir say Lokynge out at his dore / vpon a day ¶ Another Romayn / tolde he me by name That for his wyf / was at a someres game Line 648 With-outen his wityng he forsook hire eke And thanne wolde he / vp-on his Bible seke That ilke prouerbe / of Ecclesiaste Where he comandeth / and forbedeth faste Line 652 Man shal nat suffre his wyf go roule aboute Thanne wolde he seye right/ thus / with-outen doute ¶ Who so / that buyldeth his hous / al of salwes [¶ Nota.] And priketh his blynde hors / ouer the falwes Line 656 ¶ And suffreth his wyf / to go seken halwes [folio 74a] [¶ Ne des mulieri nequam veniam prodeundi ecclesiastici .25^o. [verse 25-6]] Is worthy / to been hanged / on the galwes But al for noght I sette noght an hawe Of his prouerbes / nof his olde awe Line 660 Ne I wolde nat of hym corrected be I hate hym / that my vices telleth me And so doo mo / god woot of vs / than I This made hym / with me wood al outrely Line 664 I nolde noght / forbere hym in no cas ¶ Now wol I seye yow sooth / by seint Thomas Why þat I rente / out of his book a leef ffor which / he smoot me so / þat I was deef Line 668 ¶ He hadde a book / þat gladly nyght and day ffor his desport he wolde rede alway He cleped it Valerie / and Theofraste At which book/ he lough alwey ful faste Line 672

[6-text p 353] Line 672 ¶ And eek/ ther was som tyme / a clerk at Rome A Cardinal / that highte Seint Ierome That made a book agayn Iouinian In which book eek ther was Tertulan Line 676 Crisippus / Trotula / and Helowys That was Abbesse / nat fer fro Parys And eek the Parables of Salomon Ouides Art and bookes many on Line 680 And alle thise / were bounden / in o volume And euery nyght and day / was his custume Whan he hadde leyser / and vacacion ffrom oother / worldly / occupacion Line 684 To reden on this book / of wikked wyues He knew of hem / mo legendes and lyues Than been / of goode wyues in the Bible. ffor trusteth wel / it is an impossible Line 688 That any clerk wol speke good of wyues But if it be / of hooly seintes lyues Ne noon oother womman / neuer the mo Who peynted the leon / tel me who? [¶ Quis pinxit leonem] Line 692 By god / if wommen / hadde writen stories As clerkes han / with-Inne hire oratories They wolde han writen / of men moore wikkednesse Than all the mark/ of Adam may redresse Line 696 The children / of Mercurie and Venus Been in hir wirkyng ful contrarius Mercurie / loueth wysdam and science And Venus / loueth ryot and dispence Line 700 And for hire diuerse disposicion Ech falleth / in otheres exaltacion [¶ Vterque cadit vbi alia exaltatur] And thus god woot Mercurie is desolat In Pisces / wher Venus is exaltat Line 704 And Venus falleth / ther Mercurie is reysed [.i. in Virgine] [folio 74b] [¶ In libro Mansor primo ‖ Vniuscujusque planetarum. 4. ‖ Exaltacio illo in loco fore dicitur in quo subito patitur ab alio contrarium & cetera / Velut Mercurius in virgine que est casus veneris ‖. Alter. scilicet. Mercurius significat scientiam & philosophiam ‖. Alter vero cantus & alacritates & quicquid est sapiferum corpori] Therfore no womman / of no clerk is preysed The clerk whan he is oold / and may noght do Of Venus werkes / worth his olde sho Line 708

[6-text p 354] Line 708 Thanne sit he doun / and writ in his dotage That wommen / kan nat kepe hir mariage

But now to purpos / why I tolde thee That I was beten / for a book pardee Line 712 Vp-on a nyght Iankyn þat was oure sire Redde on his book / as he sat by the fire Of Eua first that for hir wikkednesse Was al mankynde / broght to wrecchednesse Line 716 ffor which crist hym self/ was slayn That boghte vs / with his herte blood agayn Lo heere expres / of womman may ye fynde That womman / was the los / of al mankynde Line 720 ¶ Tho redde he me / how Sampson loste hise heres Slepynge / his lemman / kitte it with hir sheres Thurgh which treson / loste he bothe hise eyen ¶ Tho redde he me / if that I shal nat lyen Line 724 Of Hercules / and of his Dianyre That caused hym / to sette hymself afyre ¶ No thyng forgat he / the sorwe and wo That Socrates / hadde with hise wyues two Line 728 How Xantippa / caste pisse vp-on his heed This sely man / sat stille as he were deed He wiped his heed / namoore dorste he seyn But er þat thonder stynte / comth a reyn Line 732 ¶ Of Phasifpha / that was the queene of Crete [¶ Quid referam Phasifphen / Clitermistram & Eriphilem /. quarum prima delicijs fluens quippe vt Regis vxor Tauri dicitu, adpetisse concubitus. Alla occidisse virum suum ob amorem Adulterij .‖ Tercia perdidisse Amphiorax & saluti viri monile Aureum pertulisse &c ‖ Hec Metellius Marrio secundum Valerium] ffor shrewednesse / hym thoughte the tale swete ffy speke namoore / it is a grisly thyng Of hire / horrible lust and hir likyng Line 736 ¶ Of Clitermystra / for hire lecherye That falsly / made hire housbonde for to dye He redde it/ with ful good deuocion ¶ He tolde me eek for what occasion Line 740 Amphiorax / at Thebes loste his lyf Myn housbonde / hadde a legende of his wyf / ¶ Eriphilem / that for an Ouche of gold Hath priuely / vn-to the grekes told Line 744

[6-text p 355] Line 744 Wher that hir housbonde / hidde hym in a place ffor which / he hadde at Thebes sory grace ¶ Of Lyma tolde he me / and of Lucye They bothe / made hir housbondes for to dye Line 748 That oon for loue / that oother was for hate Lyma hir housbonde / vp-on an euen late Empoysoned hath / for þat she was his fo Lucia likerous / loued hire housbonde so Line 752 That for he sholde / alwey vp-on hire thynke [folio 75a] She yaf hym / swich a manere loue drynke That he was deed / er it were by the morwe And thus algates / housbondes han sorw Line 756 ¶ Thanne tolde he me / how þat oon Latumyus Compleyned / vn-to his felawe Arrius That in his gardyn / growed swich a tree On which he seyde / how that hise wyues thre Line 760 Hanged hem self for herte despitus ¶ O leeue brother / quod this Arrius Yif me a plante / of thilke blissed tree And in my gardyn / planted it shal bee Line 764 ¶ Of latter date of wyues / hath he red That somme / han slayn hir housbondes in hir bed And lete hir lecchour / dighte hire al the nyght Whan that the corps / lay in the floor vp right Line 768 ¶ And somme / han dryue nayles / in hir brayn Whil þat they slepte / and thus they han hem slayn ¶ Somme han hem yeue / poysoun in hire drynke He spak moore harm / than herte may bithynke Line 772 And ther-with-al / he knew of mo prouerbes Than in this world / ther growen gras or herbes Bet is quod he / thyn habitacioun Be with a leoun / or a foul dragoun Line 776 Than with a womman / vsynge for to chyde Bet is quod he / hye in the roof abyde Than with an angry wyf / doun in the hous They been so wikked and contrarious Line 780

[6-text p 356] Line 780 They haten / that hir housbondes / loueth ay He seyde / a womman cast hir shame away Whan she cast of hir smok and forther mo A fair womman / but she be chaast also Line 784 Is lyk a gold ryng in a sowes nose [¶ Circulus aureus in naribus Suis Mulior formosa & fatua .i. impudica] Who wolde leeue / or who wolde suppose The wo / that in myn herte was and pyne ¶ And whan I saugh / he wolde neuere fyne Line 788 To reden on this cursed book al nyght Al sodeynly / thre leues haue I plyght Out of his book right as he radde / and eke, I with my fest so took hym on the cheke Line 792 That in oure fyr / he fil bakward adoun And he vp stirte / as dooth a wood leoun And with his fest he smoot me on the heed That in the floor / I lay / as I were deed Line 796 And whan he saugh / how stille þat I lay He was agast and wolde han fled his way Til atte laste / out of my swogh I breyde O hastow slayn me / false theef I seyde Line 800 And for my land / thus hastow mordred me [folio 75b] Er I be deed / yet wol I kisse thee ¶ And neer he cam / and kneled faire adoun And seyde / deere suster Alisoun Line 804 As help me god / I shal thee neuere smyte That I haue doon / it is thy self to wyte fforyeue it me / and that I thee biseke And yet eft soones / I hitte hym on the cheke Line 808 And seyde theef/ thus muchel am I wreke Now wol I dye / I may no lenger speke But atte laste / with muchel care and wo We fille acorded / by vs seluen two Line 812 He yaf me / al the bridel in myn hond To han the gouernance / of hous and lond And of his tonge / and his hond also And made hym brenne his book anon right tho Line 816

[6-text p 357] Line 816 And whan that I / hadde geten vn-to me By maistrie / al the soueraynetee And that he seyde / myn owene trewe wyf/ Do as thee lust to terme of al thy lyf Line 820 Keepe thyn honour / and keepe eek myn estaat/ After that day / we hadden neuer debaat God helpe me so / I was to hym as kynde As any wyf from Denmark vn-to Ynde Line 824 And also trewe / and so was he to me I prey to god / that sit in magestee So blesse his soule / for his mercy deere Now wol I seye my tale / if ye wol heere Line 828

¶ Biholde the wordes bitwene the Somonour / and the ffrere.

The frere lough / whan he hadde herd al this Now dame quod he / so haue I ioye or blis This is / a long preamble of a tale And whan the Somonour / herde the frere gale Line 832 ¶ Lo quod the Somonour / goddes Armes two A frere / wol entremette him euere-mo Lo goode men / a flye and eek a frere Wol falle / in euery dyssh and mateere Line 836 What spekestow / of preambulacioun What amble / or trotte / or pees / or go sit doun Thou lettest oure disport in this manere ¶ Ye woltow so / sire Somonour quod the frere Line 840 Now by my feith / I shal er that I go Telle of a Somonour / swich a tale or two That alle the folk/ shal laughen in this place ¶ Now elles frere / I bishrewe thy face Line 844 Quod this Somonour and I bishrewe me [folio 76a] But if I telle tales / two or thre Of freres / er I come to Sidyngborne That I shal make / thyn herte for to morne Line 848

[6-text p 358] Line 848 ffor wel I woot thy pacience is gon ¶ Oure hoost cride pees / and that anon And seyde / lat the womman telle hire tale Ye fare as folk / that dronken were of Ale Line 852 Do dame / telle forth youre tale / and that is best ¶ Al redy sire quod she / right as yow lest If I haue licence / of this worthy frere ¶ Yis dame quod he / tel forth / and I wol heere Line 856

¶ Heere endeth the Wyf of Bathe hir Prologe /

[6-text p 359]

And bigynneth hir tale [on leaf 76]

IN tholde dayes / of Kyng Arthour Of which that Britons / speken greet honour All was this land / fulfild of ffairye The Elf queene / with hir ioly compaignye Line 860 Daunced ful ofte / in many a grene mede [[Painting of the Wife of Balh astride her horse]] This was the olde opinion as I rede I speke / of manye hundred yeres ago But now kan no man / se none Elues mo Line 864 ffor now the grete charitee / and prayeres Of lymytours / and othere hooly freres That serchen / euery lond / and euery streem As thikke / as motes / in the sonne beem Line 868 Blessynge halles / chambres / kichenes / boures Citees / Burghes / Castels / hye Toures Thropes / Bernes / Shipnes / dayeryes This maketh / that ther been no ffairyes Line 872 ffor ther as wont to walken was an Elf Ther walketh now / the lymytour hym self In vndermeles / and in morwenynges And seyth his matyns / and his hooly thynges Line 876 As he gooth / in his lymytacioun Wommen / may go saufly vp and doun In euery bussh / or vnder euery tree Ther is / noon oother Incubus / but he Line 880 And he / ne wol doon hem / but dishonour ¶ And so bifel / that this kyng Arthour Hadde in hous / a lusty Bacheler That on a day / cam ridynge fro Ryuer Line 884

[6-text p 360] Line 884 And happed that allone / as he was born He saugh a mayde / walkynge hym biforn Of which mayde / anon maugree hir heed [folio 76b] By verray force / birafte hire maydenhed Line 888 ffor which oppression / was swich clamour And swich pursute / vn-to the kyng Arthour That dampned was this knyght for to be deed By cours of lawe / and sholde han lost his heed Line 892 Parauenture / swich was the statut tho But that the queene / and othere ladyes mo So longe preyden / the kyng of grace Til he / his lyf / hym graunted in the place Line 896 And yaf hym to the queene / al at hir wille To chese / wheither / she wolde hym saue or spille ¶ The queene / thanketh the kyng with al hir myght And after this / thus spak she to the knyght Line 900 Whan þat she saugh hir tyme vp-on a day Thou standest yet quod she / in swich array That of thy lyf / yet hastow no suretee I grante thee lyf / if thou kanst tellen me Line 904 What thyng is it that wommen moost desiren Be war / and keepe thy nekke boon from Iren And if thou / kanst nat tellen it anon Yet shal I yeue thee leue / for to gon Line 908 A twelf-month and a day / to seche and leere An answere suffisant in this mateere And suretee wol I han / er þat thou pace Thy body / for to yelden in this place Line 912

WO was this knyght and sorwefully he siketh But he may nat do / al as hym liketh And at the laste / he chees hym for to wende And come agayn / right at the yeres ende Line 916 With swich answere / as god wolde hym purueye And taketh his leue / and wendeth forth his weye ¶ He seketh / euery hous / and euery place Where as he hopeth / for to fynde grace Line 920

[6-text p 361] Line 920 To lerne / what thyng wommen louen moost But he ne koude / arryuen in no coost Wher as he myghte fynde / in this mateere Two creatures / accordynge in feere Line 924 ¶ Somme seyde / wommen / louen best richesse Somme seyde honour / somme seyde Iolynesse Somme riche array / somme seyden lust abedd And ofte tyme / to be wydwe and wedde Line 928 ¶ Somme seyde / þat oure hertes / been moost esed Whan that we been / yflatered and yplesed ¶ He gooth ful ny the sothe / I wol nat lye A man / shal wynne vs best with flaterye Line 932 And with attendance / and with bisynesse Been we ylymed / bothe moore and lesse ¶ And somme seyn / that we louen best [folio 77a] ffor to be free / and do right as vs lest Line 936 And that no man / repreue vs of oure vice But seye þat we be wise / and no thyng nyce ffor trewely / ther is noon of vs alle If any wight / wol clawe vs on the galle Line 940 That we nel kike / for he seith vs sooth Assay / and he shal fynde it þat so dooth ffor be we / neuer so vicious with-Inne We wol been holden wise / and clene of synne Line 944 ¶ And somme seyn / that greet delit han we ffor to been holden stable / and eke secree And in o purpos / stedefastly to dwelle And nat biwreye thyng that men vs telle Line 948 But that tale / is nat worth a rake stele Pardee we wommen / konne no thyng hele Witnesse on Myda / wol ye heere the tale ¶ Ouyde / amonges othere thynges smale Line 952 Seyde / Myda hadde vnder his longe heres Growynge vp-on his heed / two Asses eres The which vice he hydde / as he best myghte fful subtilly / from euery mannes sighte Line 956

[6-text p 362] Line 956 That saue his wyf / ther wiste of it namo He loued hire moost and triste hire also He preyde hire / that to no creature She sholde tellen / of his disfigure Line 960 ¶ She swoor him nay / for al this world to wynne She nolde do / that vileynye or synne To make hir housbonde / han so foul a name She nolde nat telle it for hir owene shame Line 964 But nathelees / hir thoughte þat she dyde That she so longe / sholde a conseil hyde Hir thoughte / it swal so soore / aboute hir herte That nedely / som word hire moste asterte Line 968 And sith she dorste / telle it to no man Doun to a Mareys / faste by she ran Til she came there / her herte was a fyre And as a Bitore / bombleth in the Myre Line 972 She leyde hir mouth / vn-to the water doun Biwreye me nat thou water with thy soun Quod she / to thee I telle it and namo Myn housbonde / hath longe Asses erys two Line 976 Now is myn herte all hool / now is it oute I myghte no lenger / kepe it out of doute Heere may ye se / thogh we a tyme abyde Yet out it moot we kan no conseil hyde Line 980 The remenant of the tale / if ye wol heere Redeth Ouyde / and ther ye may it leere

THis knyght / of which / my tale is specially [folio 77b] Whan that he saugh / he myghte nat come therby This is to seye / what wommen loue moost Line 985 With-Inne his brest ful sorweful was the goost But hoom he gooth / he myghte nat soiourne The day was come / þat homward moste he tourne Line 988 And in his wey / it happed hym to ryde In al this care / vnder a fforest syde Wher as he saugh / vp-on a daunce go Of ladyes / foure and twenty / and yet mo Line 992

[6-text p 363] Line 992 Toward the which daunce / he drow ful yerne In hope / that som wysdom / sholde he lerne But certeinly / er he came fully there Vanysshed was this daunce / he nyste where Line 996 No creature saugh he / that bar lyf Saue on the grene / he saugh sittynge a wyf A fouler wight ther may no man deuyse Agayn the knyght this olde wyf gan ryse Line 1000 And seyde sire knyght / heer forth ne lith no wey Tel me / what that ye seken / by youre fey Parauenture / it may the bettre be Thise olde folk kan muchel thyng quod she Line 1004 ¶ My leeue mooder/ quod this knyght certeyn I nam but deed / but if that I kan seyn What thyng it is / that wommen moost desire Koude ye me wisse / I wolde wel quite youre hire Line 1008 ¶ Plight me thy trouthe / heere in myn hand quod she The nexte thyng that I requere thee Thou shalt it do / if it lye in thy myght And I wol telle it yow / er it be nyght Line 1012 ¶ Haue heer my trouthe / quod the knyght I grante ¶ Thanne quod she / I dar me wel auante Thy lyf is sauf / for I wol stonde therby Vp-on my lyf/ the queene wol seye as I Line 1016 Lat se / which is the proudeste of hem alle That wereth on / a couerchief/ or a calle That dar seye nay / of that I shal thee teche Lat vs go forth / with-outen lenger speche Line 1020 Tho rowned she / a pistel in his ere And bad hym to be glad / and haue no fere ¶ Whan they be comen to the court / this knyght Seyde / he had holde his day / as he hadde hight Line 1024 And redy was his answere / as he sayde fful many a noble wyf / and many a mayde And many a wydwe / for þat they been wise The queene hir-self sittynge as Iustise Line 1028

[6-text p 364] Line 1028 Assembled been / his answere for to heere And afterward / this knyght was bode appeere ¶ To euery wight / comanded was silence [folio 78a] And that the knyght / sholde telle in Audience Line 1032 What thyng that worldly wommen louen best This knyght ne stood nat stille / as doth a best But to his questioun / anon answerde With manly voys / that al the court it herde Line 1036 ¶ My lige lady / generally / quod he Wommen desiren haue souereynetee As wel / ouer hir housbond as hir loue And for to been / in maistrie hym aboue Line 1040 This is youre mooste desir / thogh ye me kille Dooth as yow list I am at youre wille ¶ In al the court ne was ther wyf ne mayde Ne wydwe / that contraried that he sayde Line 1044 But seyden / he was worthy han his lyf ¶ And with that word / vp stirte the olde wyf Which that the knyght / saugh sittynge in the grene Mercy quod she my souereyn lady queene Line 1048 Er that youre court departe / do me right I taughte this answere / vn-to the knyght ffor which / he plighte me his trouthe there The firste thyng I wolde hym requere Line 1052 He wolde it do / if it lay in his myght Bifore the court / thanne preye I thee sir knyght Quod she / that thou me take vn-to thy wyf/ ffor wel thou woost that I haue kept thy lyf Line 1056 If I sey fals / sey nay vp-on thy fey ¶ This knyght answerde / allas and weylawey I woot right wel / that swich was my biheste ffor goddes loue / as chees a newe requeste Line 1060 Taak al my good / and lat my body go ¶ Nay thanne quod she / I shrewe vs bothe two ffor thogh that I be foul / oold and poore I nolde for al the metal / ne for oore Line 1064

[6-text p 365] Line 1064 That vnder erthe is graue / or lith aboue But if thy wyf I were / and eek thy loue ¶ My loue quod he? nay my dampnacion Allas / that any of my nacion Line 1068 Sholde euere so foule / disparaged be But al for noght thende is this / that he Constreyned was / he nedes moste hire wedde And taketh his olde wyf / and gooth to bedde Line 1072 ¶ Now wolden som men / seye parauenture That for my necligence / I do no cure To tellen yow / the ioye / and al tharray That at the feeste was / that ilke day Line 1076 To which thyng shortly answere I shal I seye / ther nas no ioye / ne feeste at al Ther nas but heuynesse / and muche sorwe [folio 78b] ffor priuely / he wedded hire on a morwe Line 1080 And al day after / hidde hym as an Owle So wo was hym / his wyf looked so foule ¶ Greet was the wo / the knyght hadde in his thoght Whan he was with his wyf abedde ybroght/ Line 1084 He walweth / and he turneth to and fro His olde wyf / lay smylynge eueremo And seyde / o deere housbonde benedicitee ffareth euery knyght / thus with his wyf / as ye? Line 1088 Is this the lawe / of kyng Arthures hous? Is euery knyght of his so dangerous? I am youre owene loue / and youre wyf/ I am she / which þat saued hath youre lyf/ Line 1092 And certes / yet ne dide I yow neuere vnright/ Why fare ye thus with me / this firste nyght/? Ye faren lyk a man / had lost his wit What is my gilt? for goddes loue tel it Line 1096 And it shal been amended / if I may ¶ Amended quod this knyght? allas / nay / nay / It wol nat been amended neuere mo Thou art so loothly / and so oold also Line 1100

[6-text p 366] Line 1100 And ther-to comen / of so lough a kynde That litel wonder is / thogh I walwe and wynde So wolde god / myn herte wolde breste ¶ Is this quod she / the cause of youre vnreste? Line 1104 ¶ Ye certeinly quod he / no wonder is ¶ Now sire quod she / I koude amende al this If that me liste / er it were dayes thre So wel ye myghte / bere yow vn-to me Line 1108

Bvt for ye speken / of swich gentillesse [¶ De generositate] As is descended / out of old richesse That therfore / sholden ye be gentil men Swich arrogance / is nat worth an hen Line 1112 Looke / who that is / moost vertuous alway Pryuee and apert and moost entendeth ay To do / the gentil dedes that he kan Taak hym / for the grettest ¹gentil man¹ [[^1_1 later]] Line 1116 Crist wole / we clayme of hym oure gentillesse Nat of oure eldres / for hire old richesse ffor thogh they yeue vs / al hir heritage ffor which we clayme / to been of heigh parage Line 1120 Yet may they nat biquethe / for no thyng To noon of vs / hir vertuous lyuyng That made hem / gentil men ycalled be And bad vs / folwen hem in swich degree Line 1124 ¶ Wel kan / the wise Poete of fflorence That highte Dant speken in this sentence ¶ Lo / in swich maner rym / is Dantes tale [folio 79a] fful selde vp riseth / by his branches smale Line 1128 Prowesse of man / for god of his goodnesse Wole / that of hym / we clayme oure gentillesse ffor of oure eldres / may we no thyng clayme But temporel thyng þat man may hurte and mayme Line 1132 ¶ Eek euery wight woot this as wel as I If gentillesse / were planted natureelly Vn-to a certeyn lynage / doun the lyne Pryuee nor apert thanne wolde they neuere fyne Line 1136

[6-text p 367] Line 1136 To doon of gentillesse / the faire office They myghte do / no vileynye or vice ¶ Taak fyr / and ber it in the derkeste hous Bitwix this / and the mount of Kaukasous Line 1140 And lat men / shette the dores and go thenne Yet wole the fyr / as faire lye and brenne As twenty thousand men / myghte it biholde His office natureel / ay wol it holde Line 1144 Vp peril of my lyf / til that it dye ¶ Heere may ye se wel / how þat genterye [¶ exemplum] Is nat annexed to possession Sith folk / ne doon hir operacion Line 1148 Alwey as dooth the fyr / lo in his kynde ffor god it woot men may wel often fynde A lordes sone / do shame and vileynye And he þat wole / han pris of his gentrye Line 1152 ffor he was born / of a gentil hous And hadde hise eldres / nobel and vertuous And nel hym seluen / do no gentil dedis Ne folwen his gentil Auncestre þat deed is Line 1156 He nys nat gentil / be he duc or Erl ffor vileyns synful dedes / make a cherl ffor gentillesse / nys but renomee Of thyne auncestres / for hire heigh bountee Line 1160 Which is a strange thyng to thy persone Thy gentillesse / cometh fro god allone Thanne comth / oure verray gentillesse of grace It was no thyng / biquethe vs with oure place Line 1164 ¶ Thenketh hou noble / as seith Valerius Was thilke / Tullius Hostillius That out of pouerte / roos to heigh noblesse Reed senek / and redeth eek Boece Line 1168 Ther shul ye seen expres / þat no drede is That he is gentil / that dooth gentil dedis And therfore leeue housbonde / I thus conclude Al were it / that myne Auncestres weren rude Line 1172

[6-text p 368] Line 1172 Yet may the hye god / and so hope .I. Grante me grace / to lyuen vertuously Thanne am I gentil / whan that I bigynne [folio 79b] To lyuen vertuously / and weyue synne Line 1176

ANd ther as ye / of pouerte me repreeue [¶ De paupertate] The hye god / on whom þat we bileeue In wilful pouerte / chees to lyue his lyf And certes / euery man / mayden or wyf/ Line 1180 May vnderstonde / that Ihesus heuene kyng Ne wolde nat chesen vicious lyuyng [¶ Seneca in epistola] Glad pouerte / is an honeste thyng certeyn [¶ Honesta res est leta paupertas] This wole Senec and othere clerkes seyn Line 1184 Who so þat halt hym payd of his pouerte I holde hym riche / al hadde he nat a sherte [¶ Pauper est qui eget/ eo quod non habet/ sed qu non habet nec appetit habere ille diues est/ de quo intelligitur id/ Apocalypsis .3^o. dicis quia diues sum] He þat coueiteth / is a pouere wight ffor he wolde han / that is nat in his myght Line 1188 But he þat noght hath / ne coueiteth haue Is riche / al-though ye holde hym but a knaue ¶ Verray pouerte / it syngeth proprely Iuuenal / seith of pouerte myrily Line 1192 The poure man / whan he goth by the weye [¶ Cantabit vacuus coram latrone viator / et nocte ad lumen trepi|dabit Arundinis vmbram] Bifore the theues / he may synge and pleye Pouerte is hateful good / and as I gesse A ful greet bryngere / out of bisynesse [¶ 2^us Philosophus] Line 1196 A greet amendere eek of sapience [¶ Paupertas est odibile bonum / sanitatis mater / curarum remocio / sapientie repara|trix / possessio sine calumpnia] To hym / that taketh it in pacience Pouerte is this / al-though it seme alenge Possession / that no wight wol chalenge Line 1200 Pouerte ful ofte / whan a man is lowe Maketh his god / and eek hym self to knowe [¶ Vnde & Crates ille Thebanus ‖] Pouerte / a spectacle is / as thynketh me [¶ Proiecto in mari non perno auri pondere ‖ Abite inquit pessime male cupiditates / ego vos mergam / ne ipse mergar a vobis] Thurgh which he may / hise verray freendes see Line 1204 And therfore sire / syn þat I noght yow greue Of my pouerte / namoore ye me repreue

NOw sire / of elde / ye repreue me And certes sire / thogh noon Auctoritee [¶ De senectute] Line 1208

[6-text p 369] Line 1208 Were in no book / ye gentils of honour Seyn / þat men sholde / an oold wight doon fauour And clepe hym fader / for youre gentillesse And Auctours / shal I fynden as I gesse Line 1212

NOw ther ye seye / þat I am foul and old [¶ De turpitudine] Than drede you noght / to been a Cokewold ffor filthe and eelde / al so moot I thee Been grete wardeyns / vp-on chastitee Line 1216 But nathelees / syn I knowe youre delit I shal fulfille / youre worldly appetit ¶ Chese now quod she / oon of thise thynges tweye To han me foul and old / til that I deye Line 1220 And be to yow / a trewe humble wyf And neuere yow displese / in al my lyf Or elles / ye wol han me yong and fair [folio 80a] And take youre auenture / of the repair Line 1224 That shal be to youre hous / by cause of me Or in som oother place / may wel be Now chese your seluen / wheither þat yow liketh ¶ This knyght auyseth hym and sore siketh Line 1228 But atte laste / he seyde in this manere My lady and my loue / and wyf so deere I put me / in youre wise gouernance Cheseth youre self / which may be moost plesance Line 1232 And moost honour / to yow and me also I do no fors / the wheither/ of the two ffor as yow liketh / it suffiseth me ¶ Thanne haue I gete of yow / maistrie quod she Line 1236 Syn I may chese / and gouerne as me lest ¶ Ye certes wyf quod he / I holde it best ¶ Kys me quod she / we be no lenger wrothe ffor by my trouthe / I wol be to yow bothe Line 1240 This is to seyn / ye bothe fair and good I prey to god / þat I moote steruen wood But I to yow / be al so good and trewe As euere was wyf / syn þat the world was newe Line 1244

[6-text p 370] Line 1244 And but I be tomorn / as fair to seene As any lady / Emperice or queene That is bitwixe the Est and eke the West Dooth with my lyf / and deth / right as yow lest Line 1248 Cast vp the curtyn / looke how that it is ¶ And whan the knyght saugh verraily al this That she so fair was / and so yong ther-to ffor ioye / he hente hire / in hise armes two Line 1252 His herte bathed / in a bath of blisse A thousand tyme arewe / he gan hire kisse And she obeyed hym in euery thyng That myghte doon hym plesance or likyng Line 1256 ¶ And thus they lyue / vn-to hir lyues ende In parfit ioye / and Ihesu crist vs sende Housbondes meeke / yonge / fressh a bedde And grace / touerbyde hem þat we wedde Line 1260 And eek / I pray Ihesu shorte hir lyues That nat wol be gouerned by hir wyues And olde and angry nygardes of dispence God sende hem soone / verray pestilence Line 1264

¶ Heere endeth / the Wyues tale of Bathe .

[6-text p 371]

¶ The prologe of the freres tale . [folio 80b]

THis worthy lymytour / this noble frere He made alwey / a maner louryng chiere Vpon the Somonour / but for honestee No vileyns word / as yet to hym spak he Line 1268 But atte laste / he seyde vn-to the wyf Dame quod he / god yeue yow right good lyf Ye han heer touched / al so moot I thee In scole matere / greet difficultee Line 1272 Ye han seyd muche thyng right wel I seye But dame / heere as we ryde by the weye Vs nedeth nat. to speken but of game And lete / auctoritees / on goddes name Line 1276 To prechyng and to scole of clergye And if it lyke / to this compaignye I wol yow / of a somonour telle a game Pardee / ye may wel knowe by the name Line 1280 That of a Somonour / may no good be sayd I praye / þat noon of you / be yuele apayd A Somonour / is a rennere vp and doun With mandementz / for fornicacioun Line 1284 And is y-bet at euery townes ende ¶ Oure hoost tho spak / a sire ye sholde be hende And curteys / as a man of youre estaat In compaignye / we wol haue no debaat Line 1288 Telleth youre tale / and lat the Somonour be ¶ Nay quod the Somonour / lat hym seye to me What so hym list whan it comth to my lot By god / I shal hym quiten euery grot Line 1292 I shal hym tellen / which a greet honour It is / to be a flaterynge lymytour And of many another manere cryme Which nedeth nat rehercen for this tyme Line 1296 And his office / I shal hym telle ywis ¶ Oure hoost answerde / pees namoore of this And after this / he seyde vn-to the frere Tel forth youre tale / leeue maister deere Line 1300

[6-text p 372]

¶ Heere bigynneth the ffreres tale .

WHilom ther was dwellynge / in my contree [[Painting of the Friar.]] An Erchedekene / a man of heigh degree That boldely / dide execucioun In punysshynge / of fornicacioun Line 1304 Of wicchecraft and eek of bawderye [folio 81a] Of diffamacioun / and Auowtrye Of chirche Reues / and of testamentz Of contractes / and eek of lakke of sacramentz Line 1308 Of vsure / and of Symonye also But certes / lecchours dide he grettest wo They sholde syngen / if þat they were hent And smale tytheres / weren foule yshent Line 1312 If any persone / wolde vp-on hem pleyne Ther myghte asterte hym / no pecunyal peyne ffor smale tithes / and smal offrynge He made the peple / pitously to synge Line 1316 ffor er the bisshope / caughte hym with his hook They were in the Erchedeknes book/ And thanne / hadde he / thurgh his Iurisdiccion Power / to doon on hem correccion Line 1320 He hadde a Somonour / redy to his hond A slyer boye / was noon in Engelond ffor subtilly / he hadde his espiaille That taughte hym / wher hym myghte auaille Line 1324 He koude spare of lecchours / oon or two To techen hym / to foure and twenty mo ffor thogh this somonour / wood was as an hare To telle his harlotrye / I wol nat spare Line 1328

[6-text p 373] Line 1328 ffor we been / out of his correccion They han of vs no Iurisdiccion Ne neuere shullen / terme of hir lyues ¶ Peter / so been / wommen of the styves Line 1332 Quod the Somonour / yput out of my cure ¶ Pees with myschance / and with mysauenture Thus seyde oure hoost and lat hym telle his tale Now telleth forth / thogh þat the somonour gale Line 1336 Ne spareth nat / myn owene maister deere ¶ This false theef this Somonour quod the frere Hadde alwey / bawdes redy to his hond As any hauk to lure in Engelond Line 1340 That tolde hym / al the secree þat they knewe ffor hire acqueyntance / was nat come of newe They weren / hise approwours priuely He took hym self / a greet profit therby Line 1344 His maister knew nat / alwey / what he wan With-outen mandement / a lewed man He koude somne / on peyne of Cristes curs And they were glade / for to fille his purs Line 1348 And make hym / grete feestes atte nale And right as Iudas / hadde purses smale And was a theef right swich a theef was he His maister/ hadde / but half his duetee Line 1352 He was / if I shal yeuen hym his laude [folio 81b] A theef / and eek / a Somnour / and a baude He hadde eek wenches / at his retenue That wheither / þat sir Robert or sir Huwe Line 1356 Or Iakke / or Rauf / or who so þat it were That lay by hem / they tolde it in his ere ¶ Thus was the wenche and he / of oon assent And he wolde fecche / a feyned mandement Line 1360 And somne hem to the Chapitre bothe two And pile the man / and lete the wenche go ¶ Thanne wolde he seye / freend I shal for thy sake Do striken hire / out of oure lettres blake Line 1364

[6-text p 374] Line 1364 Thee thar namoore / as in this cas trauaille I am thy freend / ther I thee may auaille Certeyn / he knew of bribryes mo Than possible is / to telle in yeres two Line 1368 ffor in this world / nys dogge for the bowe That kan an hurt deer / from an hool knowe Bet / than this Somnour / knew a sly lecchour Or an Auowtier / or a paramour Line 1372 And for that was / the fruyt of al his rente Therfore on it he sette al his entente ¶ And so bifel / that ones on a day This Somnour / euere waityng on his pray Line 1376 ffor to somne an old wydwe a Ribibe ffeynynge a cause / for he wolde brybe Happed / that he saugh bifore hym ryde A gay yeman / vnder a fforest syde Line 1380 A bowe he bar / and Arwes brighte and kene He hadde vp-on / a courtepy of grene An hat vp-on his heed / with frenges blake ¶ Sire quod this Somnour / hayl and wel atake Line 1384 Wel come quod he / and euery good felawe Wher rydestow / vnder this grene wode shawe? Seyde this yeman / wiltow fer to day? ¶ This Somnour hym answerde / and seyde nay Line 1388 Heere faste by quod he / is myn entente To ryden / for to reysen vp a rente That longeth / to my lordes duetee ¶ Artow thanne a bailly? Ye quod he / Line 1392 He dorste nat for verray filthe and shame Seye þat he was a somonour / for the name ¶ Depardieux quod this yeman / deere broother Thou art a bailly / and I am another Line 1396 I am vnknowen / as in this contree Of thyn aqueyntance / I wolde praye thee And eek of bretherhede / if þat yow leste I haue gold / and siluer in my cheste Line 1400

[6-text p 375] Line 1400 If that thee happe / to comen in oure shire [folio 82a] Al shal be thyn / right as thou wolt desire ¶ Grantmercy quod this Somonour / by my feith Euerych in ootheres hand / his trouthe leith Line 1404 ffor to be sworn bretheren / til they deye In daliance / they ryden forth hir weye ¶ This Somonour / that was as ful of Iangles As ful of venym been thise waryangles Line 1408 And euere enqueryng vp-on euery thyng Brother quod he / where is now youre dwellyng Another day / if þat I sholde yow seche This yeman hym answerde / in softe speche Line 1412 ¶ Brother quod he / fer in the North contree Where as I hope / som tyme I shal thee see Er we departe / I shal thee so wel wisse That of myn hous / ne shaltow neuere mysse Line 1416 ¶ Now brother quod this Somonour / I yow preye Teche me / whil þat we ryden by the weye Syn þat ye been / a baillif as am I Som subtiltee / and tel me feithfully Line 1420 In myn office / how I may moost wynne And spareth nat for conscience ne synne But as my brother / tel me / how do ye ¶ Now by my trouthe / brother deere seyde he Line 1424 As I shal tellen thee / a feithful tale My wages / been ful streite and ful smale My lord is hard to me / and daungerous And myn office / is ful laborous Line 1428 And therfore / by extorcions I lyue ffor sothe / I take all that men wol me yeue Algate / by sleyghte / or by violence ffro yeer to yeer / I wynne al my dispence Line 1432 I kan no bettre telle / feithfully ¶ Now certes quod this Somonour / so fare I I spare nat to taken / god it woot But if it be / to heuy or to hoot Line 1436

[6-text p 376] Line 1436 What I may gete / in conseil priuely No maner conscience / of that haue I Nere myn extorcioun / I myghte nat lyuer Nor of swiche Iapes / wol I nat be shryuen Line 1440 Stomak / ne conscience / ne knowe I noon I shrewe thise shrifte-fadres euerychoon Wel be we met by god / and by seint Iame But leeue brother / tel me thanne thy name Line 1444 Quod this somonour / in this meene while This yeman / gan a litel for to smyle ¶ Brother quod he / wiltow / þat I thee telle I am a feend / my dwellyng is in helle Line 1448 And heere I ryde / aboute my purchasyng [folio 82b] To wite / wher men wolde me yeuen any thyng My purchas / is theffect of al my rente Looke / how thou rydest for the same entente Line 1452 To wynne good / thou rekkest neuere how Right so fare I / for ryde I wolde right now Vn-to the worldes ende / for a preye ¶ A quod this Somonour / benedicite what sey ye? Line 1456 I wende / ye were a yeman trewely Ye han a mannes shape / as wel as I Han ye figure thanne determinat In helle / ther ye been in youre estat? Line 1460 ¶ Nay certeinly quod he / ther haue we noon But whan vs liketh / we kan take vs oon Or elles make yow seme / we been shape Som tyme / lyk a man or lyk an Ape Line 1464 Or lyk an Angel / kan I ryde or go It is no wonder thyng thogh it be so A lowsy Iogelour / kan deceyue thee And pardee / yet kan I moore craft than he Line 1468 ¶ Why quod the Somonour / ryde ye thanne or goon In sondry shape / and nat alwey in oon? ¶ ffor we quod he / wol vs swiche formes make As moost able is / oure preyes for to take Line 1472

[6-text p 377] Line 1472 ¶ What maketh yow / to han al this labour ¶ fful many a cause / leeue sire Somonour Seyde this feend / but alle thyng hath tyme The day is short and it is passed pryme Line 1476 And yet ne wan I no-thyng in this day I wol entende / to wynnen if I may And nat entende / hir wittes to declare ffor brother myn / thy wit is al to bare Line 1480 To vnderstonde / al-thogh I tolde hem thee But for thou axest why labouren we ffor som tyme / we been goddes Instrumentz And meenes / to doon hise comandementz Line 1484 Whan that hym list vp-on his creatures In diuers art and in diuerse figures With-outen hym / we haue no myght certayn If that hym list to stonden ther agayn Line 1488 And som tyme / at oure prayere / han we leue Oonly the body / and nat the soule greue Witnesse on Iob / whom that we diden wo And som tyme / han we myght of bothe two Line 1492 This is to seyn / of soule and body eke And somtyme / be we suffred for to seke Vp-on a man / and doon his soule vnreste And nat his soule / and al is for the beste Line 1496 Whan he withstandeth oure temptacioun [folio 83a] It is / cause / of his sauacioun Al be it that it was nat oure entente He sholde be sauf but þat we wolde hym hente Line 1500 And som tyme / be we seruant vn-to man As to the Bisshope / Seint Dunstan And to the Apostles / seruant eek was .I. ¶ Yet tel me / quod the Somonour feithfully Line 1504 Make ye yow newe bodies / thus alway Of Elementz? the feend answerde nay / Som tyme we feyne / and som tyme we aryse With dede bodyes / in ful sondry wyse Line 1508

[6-text p 378] Line 1508 And speke as renably / and faire and wel As to the Phitonissa / dide Samuel And yet wol som men seye / it was nat he I do no fors / of youre dyuynytee Line 1512 But o thyng warne I thee / I wol nat Iape Thou wolt algates / wite how we been shape Thou shalt herafterwardes / my brother deere Come there / thee nedeth nat of me to leere Line 1516 ffor thou shalt by thyn owene experience Konne in a chayer / rede of this sentence Bet than Virgile / while he was on lyue Or Dant also / now lat vs ryde blyue Line 1520 ffor I wole / holde compaignye with thee Til it be so / that thou forsake me ¶ Nay quod this Somonour / that shal nat bityde I am a yeman / knowen is ful wyde Line 1524 My trouthe wol I holde / as in this cas ffor though thou were / the deuel Sathanas My trouthe wol I holde / to my brother As I am sworn / and ech of vs til oother Line 1528 ffor to be trewe brother / in this cas And bothe we goon / abouten oure purchas Taak thou thy part what þat men wol thee yeue And I shal myn / thus may we bothe lyue Line 1532 And if þat any of vs / haue moore than oother Lat hym be trewe / and parte it with his brother ¶ I graunte quod the deuel / by my fey And with that word / they ryden forth hir wey Line 1536 And right at the entryng of the townes ende To which this Somonour / shoope hym for to wende They saugh a Cart that charged was with hey Which þat a Cartere / droof forth in his wey Line 1540 Deepe was the wey / for which the Carte stood The Cartere smoot and cryde / as he were wood Hayt Brok / hayt Scot what spare ye for the stones The feend quod he / yow fecche body and bones Line 1544

[6-text p 379] Line 1544 As ferforthly / as euere were ye foled [folio 83b] So muche wo / as I haue with yow tholed The deuel haue al / bothe hors and Cart and hey ¶ This Somonour seyde / heere shal we haue a pley Line 1548 And neer the feend he drough / as noght ne were fful priuely / and rowned in his ere Herkne my brother / herkne by thy feith Herestow nat how þat the Cartere seith Line 1552 Hent it anon / for he hath yeue it thee Bothe hey and Cart and eek hise caples thre ¶ Nay quod the deuel / god woot neuer a deel It is nat his entente / trust thou me weel Line 1556 Axe hym thy self if thou nat trowest me Or elles stynt a while / and thou shalt see ¶ This Cartere / taketh his hors on the croupe And they bigonne drawen and to stoupe Line 1560 Heyt now quod he / ther Ihesu crist yow blesse And al his handwerk bothe moore and lesse That was wel twight myn owene lyard boy I pray to god saue thee / and seint loy Line 1564 Now is my Cart out of the slow pardee ¶ Lo brother quod the feend / what tolde I thee Heere may ye se / myn owene deere brother The carl spak oon / but he thoghte another Line 1568 Lat vs go forth / abouten oure viage Heere / wynne I no thyng vp-on cariage ¶ Whan that they coomen / som-what out of towne This Somonour / to his brother gan to rowne Line 1572 Brother quod he / heere woneth an old rebekke That hadde almoost as lief to lese hire nekke As for to yeue / a peny of hir good I wole han .xij. pens / though þat she be wood Line 1576 Or I wol sompne hire / vn-to oure office And yet god woot of hire knowe I no vice But for thou kanst nat as in this contree Wynne thy cost taak heer ensample of me Line 1580

[6-text p 380] Line 1580 ¶ This Somonour / clappeth at the wydwes gate Com out quod he / thou olde virytrate I trowe thou hast som frere / or preest with thee ¶ Who clappeth seyde this wyf benedicitee Line 1584 God saue you sire / what is youre sweete wille? ¶ I haue quod he / of somonce a bille Vp-on peyne of cursyng looke þat thou be Tomorn / bifore the Erchedeknes knee Line 1588 Tanswere to the court of certeyn thynges ¶ Now lord quod she / crist Ihesu kyng of kynges So wisly helpe me / as I ne may I haue been syk / and that ful many a day Line 1592 I may nat go so fer quod she ne ryde [folio 84a] But I be deed / so priketh it in my syde May I nat axe a libel / sire Somonour And answere there / by my procutour Line 1596 To swich thyng as men wole opposen me? ¶ Yis quod this Somonour / pay anon lat se Twelf pens to me / and I wol thee acquite I shal no profit han ther-by / but lite Line 1600 My maister hath the profit and nat I Com of / and lat me ryden hastily Yif me .xij. pens / I may no lenger tarye ¶ Twelf pens quod she /? now lady Seinte Marie Line 1604 So wisly help me god / out of care and synne This wyde world / thogh þat I sholde wynne Ne haue I nat .xij. pens with-Inne myn hoold Ye knowen wel / that I am poure and oold Line 1608 Kithe youre Almesse / on me poure wrecche ¶ Nay thanne quod he / the foule feend me fecche If I thexcuse / though thou shul be spilt ¶ Allas quod she / god woot I haue no gilt Line 1612 ¶ Pay me quod he / or by the sweete seinte Anne As I / wol bere awey thy newe panne ffor dette / which that thou owest me of old Whan þat thou madest thyn housbonde cokewold Line 1616

[6-text p 381] Line 1616 I payde at hoom / for thy correccioun ¶ Thou lixt quod she / by my sauacioun Ne was I neuere er now / wydwe ne wyf Somoned vn-to youre court in al my lyf Line 1620 Ne neuere I nas / but of my body trewe Vn-to the deuel / blak and rough of hewe Yeue I thy body / and my panne also ¶ And whan the deuel / herde hire cursen so Line 1624 Vp-on hir knees / he seyde in this manere Now Mabely / myn owene moder deere Is this youre wyl / in ernest þat ye seye? ¶ The deuel quod she / so fecche hym er he deye Line 1628 And panne and al / but he wol hym repente ¶ Nay olde Stot that is nat myn entente Quod this Somonour / for to repente me ffor any thyng that I haue had of thee Line 1632 I wolde I hadde thy smok and euery clooth ¶ Now brother quod the deuel / be nat wrooth Thy body and this panne / been myne by right Thou shalt with me to helle / yet to-nyght Line 1636 Where / thou shalt knowen / of oure priuetee Moore / than a maister of dyuynytee And with that word / this foule feend hym hente Body and soule / he with the deuel wente Line 1640 Where as that Somonours / han hir heritage [folio 84b] And god / þat made / after his ymage Mankynde / saue and gyde vs alle and some And leue thise Somonours / goode men bicome Line 1644

LOrdynges / I koude han toold yow quod this frere Hadde I had leyser / for this Somnour heere After the text of Crist/ Poul / and Iohn And of oure othere doctours many oon Line 1648 Swiche peynes / that youre herte myghte agryse Al be it so / no tonge may it deuyse Thogh þat I myghte / a thousand wynter telle The peynes / of thilke cursed hous of helle Line 1652

[6-text p 382] Line 1652 But for to kepe vs / fro that cursed place Waketh / and preyeth Ihesu for his grace So kepe vs / fro the temptour Sathanas Herketh this word / beth war/ as in this cas Line 1656 The leoun sit in his awayt alway To sle the Innocent/ if that he may Disposeth ay / youre hertes to withstonde The feend / þat yow wolde make / thral and bonde Line 1660 He may nat tempte yow / ouer youre myght ffor crist wol be / youre champion and knyght And prayeth / þat thise Somonours hem repente Of hir mysdedes / er þat the feend hem hente? Line 1664

¶ Heere endeth the ffreres tale .

[6-text p 383]

¶ The prologe / of the Somonours tale . [on leaf 84, back]

THis Somonour / in his Styropes hye stood Vp-on this frere / his herte was so wood That lyk an Aspen leef / he quook for Ire ¶ Lordynges quod he / but o thyng I desire Line 1668 I yow biseke / that of youre curteisye Syn ye han herd / this false frere lye As suffereth me / I may my tale telle This frere bosteth / that he knoweth helle Line 1672 And god it woot that it is litel wonder ffreres and feendes / been but lyte a-sonder ffor pardee / ye han ofte tyme herd telle How that a frere / vanysshed was to helle Line 1676 In spirit ones / by a visioun And as an Angel / ladde hym vp and doun To shewen hym / the peynes þat ther were In al the place / saugh he nat a frere Line 1680 Of oother/ folk / he saugh ynowe in wo [folio 85a] Vn-to this Angel / spak the frere tho ¶ Now sire quod he / han freres swich a grace That noon of hem / shal come to this place? Line 1684 ¶ Yis quod this Angel / many a Millioun And vn-to Sathanas / he ladde hym doun And now hath Sathanas / seith he a tayl Brodder/ than of a Carryk/ is the sayl Line 1688 Hold vp thy tayl / thou Sathanas quod he Shewe forth thyn ers / and lat the frere se Where is the nest of freres / in this place And er/ þat half a furlong wey of space Line 1692

[6-text p 384] Line 1692 Right so as bees / out swarmen from an hyue Out of the deueles ers / ther gonne dryue Twenty thousand freres / in a route And thurgh-out helle / swarmeden aboute Line 1696 And comen agayn / as faste as they may gon And in his ers / they crepten euerychon He clapte his tayl agayn / and lay ful stille This frere / whan he hadde looke al his fille Line 1700 Vpon the tormentz / of this sory place His spirit god restored of his grace Vn-to his body agayn / and he awook But natheles / for fere yet he quook Line 1704 So was the deueles ers / ay in his mynde That is his heritage / of verray kynde God saue yow alle / saue this cursed frere My prologe / wol I ende / in this manere Line 1708

[6-text p 385]

¶ Heere bigynneth the Somonour his tale . [on leaf 85]

LOrdynges / ther is in yorkshire / as I gesse A merssh contree / called Holdernesse [[Painting of the Summoner]] In which / ther wente a lymytour aboute To preche / and eek to begge / it is no doute Line 1712 And so bifel / that on a day / this frere Hadde preched at a chirche in his manere And specially / abouen euery thyng/ Excited he the peple / in his prechyng Line 1716 To trentals / and to yeue for goddes sake Wher-with / men myghte hooly houses make Ther as diuine seruyce is honoured Nat ther as it is wasted and deuoured Line 1720 Ne ther it nedeth nat/ for to be yeue As to possessioners / that mowen lyue Thanked be god / in wele and habundaunce [folio 85b] Trentals seyde he / deliueren fro penaunce Line 1724 Hir freendes soules / as wel olde as yonge Ye / whan þat they been hastily ysonge Nat for to holde a preest Ioly and gay He syngeth nat but o masse in a day Line 1728 Deliuereth out quod he / anon the soules fful hard it is / with flesshhook or with oules To been yclawed / or to brenne or bake Now spede yow hastily / for cristes sake Line 1732 And whan this frere / had seyd al his entente With / qui cum patre / forth his wey he wente ¶ Whan folk in chirche / had yeue him / what hem lest He went his wey / no lenger wolde he reste Line 1736

[6-text p 386] Line 1736 With scrippe and tipped staf/ ytukked hye In euery hous / he gan to poure and prye And beggeth mele / and chese / or elles corn His felawe hadde a staf / tipped with horn Line 1740 A peyre of tables / al of yuory And a poyntel / polysshed fetisly And wroote the names / alwey as he stood Of alle folk/ that yaf hym any good Line 1744 Asaunces / that he wolde for hem prey Yif hym a busshel whete / Malt or Reye A goddes kechyl / or a trype of chese Or elles what yow lyst we may nat cheese Line 1748 A goddes halfpeny / or a masse peny Or yif vs of youre brawn / if ye haue eny A dagon of youre blanket leeue dame Oure suster deere / lo heere I write youre name Line 1752 Bacon or beef/ or swich thyng as ye fynde ¶ A sturdy harlot/ wente ay hem bihynde That was hir hostes man / and bar a sak And what men yaf hem / leyde it on his bak Line 1756 And whan þat he / was out at dore anon He planed awey / the names euerichon That he biforn / had writen in his tables He serued hem / with nyfles and with fables Line 1760 ¶ Nay ther thou lixt thou Somonour quod the frere ¶ Pees quod oure Hoost for cristes mooder deere Tel forth thy tale / and spare it nat at al ¶ So thryue I quod this Somonour / so I shal Line 1764 ¶ So longe he wente hous by hous / til he Cam til an hous / ther he was wont to be Refresshed moore / than in an hundred placis Syk lay the goode man / whos the place is Line 1768 Bedrede vp-on a couche lowe he lay Deus hic/ quod he / o Thomas freend good day Seyde this frere / curteisly and softe [folio 86a] Thomas quod he / god yelde yow / ful ofte Line 1772

[6-text p 387] Line 1772 Haue I / vp-on this bench / faren ful weel Heere haue I eten / many a myrie meel And fro the bench / he droof awey the cat And leyde adoun / his potente and his hat Line 1776 And eek his scrippe / and sette hym softe adoun His felawe / was go walked in-to toun fforth with his knaue / in-to that hostelrye Where as he shoope hym / thilke nyght to lye Line 1780 ¶ O deere maister / quod this sike man How han ye fare / sith þat March bigan? I saugh yow noght/ this fourtnyght or moore God woot quod he / laboured I haue ful soore Line 1784 And specially / for thy sauacion Haue I seyd / many a precious orison And for oure othere freendes / god hem blesse I haue to day / been at youre chirche at messe / Line 1788 And seyd a sermon / after my symple wit Nat al after/ the text of hooly writ/ ffor it is hard to yow / as I suppose And therfore / wol I teche yow al the glose Line 1792 Glosynge / is a glorious thyng certeyn ffor lettre sleeth / so as thise clerkes seyn [¶ Litera oceidit & cetera] There haue I taught hem to be charitable And spende hir good / ther it is resonable Line 1796 And there I saugh oure dame / a where is she? ¶ Yond in the yerd / I trowe þat she be Seyde this man / and she wol come anon ¶ Ey maister / wel come be ye / by seint Iohn Line 1800 Seyde this wyf / how fare ye hertely? ¶ The frere ariseth vp ful curteisly And hire embraceth in his Armes narwe And kiste hire sweete / and chirteth as a sparwe Line 1804 With his lyppes /. dame quod he right weel? As he / that is youre seruant euery deel Thanked be god / þat yow yaf soule and lyf Yet saugh I nat this day / so fair a wyf Line 1808

[6-text p 388] Line 1808 In al the chirche / god so saue me ¶ Ye / god amende defautes / sire quod she Algates / wel come be ye / by my fey Graunt mercy dame / this haue I founde alwey Line 1812 But of youre grete goodnesse / by youre leue I wolde prey yow / þat ye nat yow greue I wole with Thomas speke a litel throwe Thise curatz / been ful necligent and slowe Line 1816 To grope tendrely a conscience In shrift in prechyng is my diligence And studie / in Petres wordes / and in Poules [folio 86b] I walke / and fisshe cristen mennes soules Line 1820 To yelden Ihesu crist / his propre rente To sprede his word / is set al myn entente ¶ Now by youre leue / o deere sire quod she Chideth him weel / for seinte Trinitee Line 1824 He is as angry / as a pissemyre Though þat he haue / al that he kan desire Though I him wrye a-nyght/ and make hym warm And on hym leye my leg outher myn Arm Line 1828 He groneth lyk oure boor / lith in oure sty Oother desport ryght noon of hym haue I I may nat plese hym / in no maner cas ¶ O Thomas / Ie vous dy / Thomas / Thomas Line 1832 This maketh the feend / this moste ben amended Ire is a thyng that hye god defended And ther-of/ wol I speke a word or two ¶ Now maister quod the wyf er þat I go Line 1836 What wol ye dyne /? I wol go ther-aboute ¶ Now dame quod he / Ie vous dy sanz doute Haue I nat of a capon / but the lyuere And of youre softe breed / nat but a shyuere Line 1840 And after that a rosted pigges heed But that I nolde / no beest for me were deed Thanne hadde I with yow hoomly suffisaunce I am a man / of litel sustenaunce Line 1844

[6-text p 389] Line 1844 My spirit hath his fostryng in the Bible The body is ay / so redy and penyble To wake / that my stomak is destroyed I prey yow dame / ye be nat anoyed Line 1848 Though I so freendly / yow my conseil shewe By god / I wolde nat telle it but a fewe ¶ Now sire quod she / but o word er I go My child is deed / with-Inne thise wykes two Line 1852 Soone after / þat ye wente out of this toun ¶ His deeth / saugh I by reuelacioun Seith this frere / at hoom in oure dortour I dar wel seyn / that er þat half an hour Line 1856 After his deeth / I saugh hym born to blisse In myn Avision / so god me wisse So dide our Sexteyn / and oure ffermerer That han been trewe freres / fifty yeer Line 1860 They may now / god be thanked of his loone Maken hir Iubilee / and walke allone And vp I roos / and al oure Couent eke With many a teare / triklyng on my cheke Line 1864 Withouten noyse / or claterynge of belles Te deum was oure song and no thyng elles Saue / that to crist I seyde an orison [folio 87a] Thankynge hym / of his reuelacion Line 1868 ffor sire and dame / trusteth me right weel Oure orisons / been wel moore effectueel And moore we seen / of cristes secree thynges Than burel folk/ al though they weren kynges Line 1872 We lyue in pouerte / and in abstinence And burell folk / in richesse and despence Of mete and drynke / and in hir foul delit We han this worldes lust al in despit/ Line 1876 Lazar and diues / lyueden diuersly And diuerse gerdon / hadden they ther-by Who so wol preye / he moot faste and be clene And fatte his soule / and make his body lene [Melius est animam saginare quam corpus]

[6-text p 390] We fare as seith thapostle / clooth and foode [¶ Victum & vesti|tum / hiis contenti sumus & cetera] Suffisen vs / though they be nat ful goode The clennesse and the fastynge of vs freres Maketh / þat crist accepteth oure preyeres Line 1884 ¶ Lo Moyses / fourty dayes / and fourty nyght [¶ de orationibus & Ieiunijs .] ffasted / er þat the heighe god of myght Spak with hym / in the mount of Synay With empty wombe / fastynge many a day Line 1888 Receyued he the lawe / that was writen With goddes fynger / and Elye wel ye witen In mount Oreb / er he hadde any speche With hye god / that is oure lyues leche Line 1892 He fasted longe / and was in contemplaunce ¶ Aaron / that hadde the temple in gouernaunce And eek/ that othere preestes euerichon In-to the temple / whan they sholde gon Line 1896 To preye for the peple / and do seruyse They nolden drynken / in no maner wyse No drynke / which þat myghte hem dronke make But there / in abstinence preye and wake Line 1900 Lest that they deyden / taak heede what I seye But they be sobre / that for the peple preye War that /· I seye namoore / for it suffiseth Oure lord Ihesu / as hooly writ deuyseth Line 1904 Yaf vs ensample / of fastynge and preyeres Therfore / we mendynantz / we sely freres Been wedded / to pouerte and continence To charite / humblesse / and abstinence Line 1908 To persecucion / for rightwisnesse To wepynge / Misericorde and clennesse And therfore may ye se / þat oure preyeres I speke of vs / we mendynantz we freres Line 1912 Been to the hye god / moore acceptable Than youres / with youre feestes at the table ffro Paradys first if I shal nat lye [folio 87b] Was man out chaced / for his glotonye Line 1916

[6-text p 391] Line 1916 And chaast was man / in Paradys certeyn ¶ But herkne Thomas / what I shal seyn I ne haue no text of it/ as I suppose But I shal fynde it/ in a maner glose Line 1920 That specially / oure sweete lord Ihesus Spak this by freres / whan he seyde thus ¶ Blessed be they / that pouere in spirit been And so forth / al the gospel / may ye seen Line 1924 Wher it be likker / oure professioun Or hirs / that swymmen in possessioun ffy on hire pompe / and hire glotonye And for hir lewednesse / I hem diffye Line 1928 ¶ Me thynketh / they been lyk Iovinyan ffat as a whale / and walkynge as a swan Al vinolent as Botel in the spence Hir preyere / is of ful greet reuerence Line 1932 Whan they for soules / seye the psalm of Dauit/ Lo / but they seye / cor meum eructauit/ Who folweth / cristes gospel / and his foore? But we þat humble been / and chaast and poore Line 1936 Werkeris of goddes word / not Auditours Therfore / right as an hauk vp at a sours Vp springeth in-to their / right so prayeres Of charitable / and chaste bisy freres Line 1940 Maken hir sours / to goddes eres two Thomas Thomas / so moote I ryde or go And by that lord / þat clepid is seint Yue Nere thou oure brother / sholdestou nat thryue Line 1944 In our Chapitre / praye we day and nyght To crist/ þat he thee sende / heele and myght Thy body / for to weelden hastily ¶ God woot quod he / no thyng ther-of feele I Line 1948 As help me crist as in a fewe yeres I han spent / vp-on diuerse manere freres fful many a pound / yet fare I neuer the bet Certeyn my good / I haue almoost biset Line 1952

[6-text p 392] Line 1952 ffarwel my gold / for it is al ago ¶ The frere answerde / o Thomas dostow so? What nedeth yow / diuerse freres seche What nedeth hym / þat hath a parfit leche Line 1956 To sechen / othere leches in the toun? Youre inconstance / is youre confusioun Holde ye thanne me / or elles oure Couent To praye for yow / been insufficient? Line 1960 Thomas that Iape / nys nat worth a myte Youre maladye / is for we han to lyte A yif that Couent/ half a quarter otes [folio 88a] A yif that Couent/ .xxiiij. grotes Line 1964 A yif that frere a peny / and lat hym go Nay nay Thomas / it may no thyng be so What is a ferthyng worth / parted in twelue Lo ech thyng that is oned / in it selue [Omnis virtus vnita / forcior est seipsa dispersa] Is moore strong than whan it is toscatered Thomas / of me / thou shalt nat been yflatered Thou woldest han oure labour al for noght The hye god / that al this world hath wroght Line 1972 Seith that the werkman / worthy is his hyre [¶ Dignus est operarius mercede & cetera] Thomas / noght of youre tresor I desire As for my self but that al oure Couent To preye for yow / is ay so diligent Line 1976 And for to buylden / cristes owene chirche Thomas / if ye wol lernen for to wirche Of buyldynge vp of chirches / may ye fynde If it be good / in Thomas lyf of Inde Line 1980 Ye lye heere / ful of Anger of Ire With which / the deuel set youre herte afyre And chiden heere / the sely Innocent Youre wyf/ that is so meke and pacient Line 1984 And therfore Thomas / trowe me if thee leste Ne stryue nat with thy wyf/ as for thy beste And ber this word awey / now by thy feith Touchynge this thyng lo what the wise seith Line 1988

[6-text p 393] Line 1988 ¶ With-Inne thyn hous ne be thou no leoun [¶ Noli esse sicut leo in domo tua / euertens domesticos tuos op|primens subiectos tibi.] To thy subgitz / do noon oppressioun Ne make thyne aqueyntances / nat for to flee And Thomas / yet eft-soones I charge thee Line 1992 Be war from hire / þat in thy bosom slepeth Be war/ fro the serpent/ that so slily crepeth Vnder the gras / and styngeth subtilly Be war my sone / and herkne paciently Line 1996 That twenty thousand men / han lost hir lyues ffor stryuyng with hir lemmans and hir wyues Now sith ye han / so hooly meke a wyf What nedeth yow Thomas / to maken stryf Line 2000 Ther nys ywys / no serpent so cruel What man tret on his tayl / ne half so fel As womman is / whan she hath caught an Ire Vengeance is thanne / al that they desire Line 2004 Ire is a synne / oon of the grete of seuene Abhomynable / vn-to the god of heuene And to hym self/ it is destruccion This euery lewed viker or person Line 2008 Kan seye / how Ire engendreth homycide Ire is in sooth / executour of pryde I koude of Ire seye / so muche sorwe [folio 88b] My tale / sholde laste / til tomorwe Line 2012 And therfore / preye I god / bothe day and nyght An Irous man / god sende hym litel myght It is greet harm / and eek greet pitee To sette an Irous man / in heigh degree Line 2016

WHilom / ther was an Irous potestat/ [¶ de quodam potes|tate Iracundo] As seith Senek that durynge his estaat Vp-on a day / out ryden knyghtes two And as ffortune / wolde that it were so Line 2020 That oon of hem cam hoom/ that oother noght Anon the knyght bifore the Iuge is broght That seyde thus / thou hast thy felawe slayn ffor which / I deme thee to the deeth certayn Line 2024

[6-text p 394] Line 2024 And to another knyght comanded he Go lede hym to the deeth / I charge thee And happed / as they wente by the weye Toward the place / ther he sholde deye Line 2028 The knyght cam / which men wenden had be deed Thanne thoughte they / it was the beste reed To lede hem bothe / to the Iuge agayn They seiden lord / the knyght ne hath nat slayn Line 2032 His felawe / heere he standeth hool alyue Ye shul be deed quod he / so moot I thryue That is to seyn / bothe oon / and two / and thre And to the firste knyght right thus spak he Line 2036 I dampned thee / thou most algate be deed And thou also / most nedes lese thyn heed ffor thou art cause / why thy felawe deyth And to the thridde knyght right thus he seith Line 2040 Thou hast nat doon / that I comanded thee And thus / he dide doon sleen hem alle thre

Irous Cambises / was eek dronkelewe And ay delited hym / to been a shrewe Line 2044 And so bifel / a lord of his meynee That loued vertuous moralitee Seyde on a day / bitwene hem two right thus ¶ A lord is lost if he be vicius Line 2048 And dronkenesse / is eek/ a foul record Of any man / and namely in a lord Ther is ful many an eye and many an ere Awaityng on a lord / and he noot where Line 2052 ffor goddes loue / drynk moore attemprely Wyn maketh man / to lesen wrecchedly His mynde / and hise lymes euerichon ¶ The reuers shaltou se / quod he anon Line 2056 And preeue it by thyn owene experience That wyn / ne dooth to folk no swich offence Ther is no wyn / bireueth me my myght [folio 89a] Of hand ne foot/ ne of myne eyen sight Line 2060

[6-text p 395] Line 2060 And for despit/ he drank ful muchel moore And hondred part/ than he hadde bifoore And right anon / this Irous cursed wrecche Leet/ this knyghtes sone / bifore hym fecche Line 2064 Comandynge hym / he sholde bifore hym stonde And sodeynly / he took his bowe in honde And vp the streng he pulled to his ere And with an arwe / he slow the child right there Line 2068 Now / wheither haue I / a siker hand or noon Quod he / is al my myght and mynde agon Hath wyn bireft me myne eyen sight ¶ What sholde I telle / thanswere of the knyght Line 2072 His sone was slayn / ther is namoore to seye Beth war therfore / with lordes how ye pleye Syngeth Placebo / and I shal if I kan But if it be / vn-to a poure man Line 2076 To a poure man / men sholde hise vices telle But nat to a lord / thogh he sholde go to helle

LO Irous Cirus / thilke Percien How he destroyed / the ryuer of Gysen Line 2080 ffor that an hors of his was dreynt ther-Inne Whan þat he wente / Babiloigne to wynne He made / that the Ryuer / was so smal That wommen / myghte wade it ouer al Line 2084 Lo what seyde he / that so wel teche kan Ne be no felawe to an Irous man Ne with no wood man / walke by the weye Lest thee repente / ther is namoore to seye Line 2088

NOw Thomas leeue brother / lef thyn Ire Thou shalt me fynde / as Iust/ as is a squyre Hoold nat the deueles knyf ay at thyn herte Thyn angre dooth thee / al to soore smerte Line 2092 But shewe to me / al thy confession ¶ Nay quod the sike man / by Seint Symon I haue be shryuen this day / at my curat I haue hym toold hoolly al myn estat Line 2096

[6-text p 396] Line 2096 Nedeth namoore / to speken of it seith he But if me list/ of myn humylitee ¶ Yif me thanne of thy gold / to make oure cloystre Quod he / for many a Muscle / and many an oystre Line 2100 Whan othere men / han ben ful wel at eyse Hath been oure foode / our cloystre for to reyse And yet god woot vnnethe the fundement Parfourned is / ne of our pauement Line 2104 Nys nat a tyl yet/ with-Inne oure wones By god / we owen fourty pound for stones ¶ Now help Thomas / for hym that harwed helle [folio 89b] ffor elles / moste we oure bookes selle Line 2108 And if ye lakke / oure predicacion Thanne goth the world / al to destruccion ffor who so wolde / vs fro this world bireue So god me saue / Thomas by youre leue Line 2112 He wolde bireue / out of this world the sonne ffor who kan teche / and werchen as we konne And that is nat of litel tyme quod he But syn Ennok was / or Elise Line 2116 Han freres been / that fynde I of record In charitee / ythanked be oure lord Now Thomas / helpe for seinte charitee And doun anon / he sette hym on his knee Line 2120

THis sike man / wax wel ny wood for Ire He wolde / þat the frere / had been on fire With his false dissymulacion Swich thyng as is in my possession Line 2124 Quod he / that may I yeuen / and noon oother Ye sey me thus / that I am youre brother ¶ Ye certes quod the frere / trusteth weel I took oure dame / oure lettre and oure seel Line 2128 ¶ Now wel quod he / and som what shal I yeue Vn-to youre hooly Couent whil I lyue And in thyn hand / thou shalt it haue anon On this condicion / and oother noon Line 2132

[6-text p 397] Line 2132 That thou departe it so / my leeue brother That euery frere / haue also muche as oother This shaltou swere / on thy profession With-outen fraude / or cauillacion Line 2136 ¶ I swere it quod this frere / by my feith And ther-with-al / his hand in his he leith Lo heer my feith / in me shal be no lak ¶ Now thanne put In thyn hand doun by my bak Line 2140 Seyde this man / and grope wel bihynde Bynethe my buttok ther shaltow fynde A thyng that I haue hyd in pryuetee ¶ A thoghte this frere / this shal go with me Line 2144 And doun his hand / he launcheth to the clifte In hope / for to fynde there a yifte And whan this sike man / felte this frere Aboute his tuwel / grope there and heere Line 2148 Amydde his hand / he leet the frere a fart Ther nys no capul / drawynge in a Cart That myghte haue lete a fart of swich a soun ¶ The frere vp stirte / as dooth a wood leoun Line 2152 A fals cherl quod he / for goddes bones This hastow for despit doon for the nones Thou shalt abye this fart if that I may [folio 90a] ¶ His meynee / whiche that herden this affray Line 2156 Cam lepynge In / and chaced out the frere And forth he gooth / with a ful Angry cheere And fette his felawe / ther as lay his stoor He looked / as it were a wilde boor Line 2160 He grynte with his teeth / so was he wrooth A sturdy paas / doun to the lordes court he gooth Wher as woned a man / of greet honour To whom / that he was alwey confessour Line 2164 This worthy man / was lord of that village This frere cam / as he were in a rage Where as this lord / sat etyng at his bord Vnnethes / myghte the frere / speke a word Line 2168

[6-text p 398] Line 2168 Til atte laste / he seyde / god yow see ¶ This lord bigan to looke / and seide benedicitee What frere Iohn / what maner world is this? I trowe / som maner thyng ther is amys Line 2172 Ye looken / as the wode / were ful of theuys Sit doun anon / and tel me what youre grief is And it shal been amended / if that I may ¶ I haue quod he / had a despit this Day Line 2176 God yelde yow / adoun in youre village That in this world / is noon so poure a page That he nolde haue abhomynacioun Of that I haue receyued in youre toun Line 2180 And yet greueth me / no thyng so soore As that this olde cherl / with lokkes hoore Blasphemed hath / oure hooly Couent eke ¶ Now maister quod this lord / I yow biseke Line 2184 ¶ No maister quod he / but seruitour Thogh I haue had in scole swich honour God liketh nat that Raby men vs calle Neither in Market ne in youre large halle Line 2188 ¶ No fors quod he / but tel me al youre grief ¶ Sire quod he / an odious meschief/ This day bityd is / to myn ordre and me And so per consequens / in ech degree Line 2192 Of hooly chirche / god amende it soone ¶ Sire quod the lord / ye woot what is to doone Distempre yow noght / ye be my Confessour Ye been the salt of the erthe / and the savour Line 2196 ffor goddes loue / youre pacience ye holde Tel me youre grief/ and he anon hym tolde As ye han herd biforn / ye woot wel what ¶ The lady of the hous / al stille sat/ Line 2200 Til she had herd / what the frere sayde Ey goddes mooder quod she / blisful mayde Is ther oght elles / telle me feithfully [folio 90b] ¶ Madame quod he / how thynke ye her-by? Line 2204

[6-text p 399] Line 2204 ¶ How that me thynketh quod she? so god me speede I seye / a cherle hath doon / a cherles dede What shold I seye / god lat hym neuere thee His sike heed / is ful of vanytee Line 2208 I holde hym / in a manere frenesye ¶ Madame quod he / by god I shal nat lye But I on hym / oother weyes be wreke I shal disclaundre hym / ouer al ther I speke Line 2212 This false blasphemour / that charged me To parte / that wol nat departed be To euery man yliche / with meschaunce ¶ The lord sat stille / as he were in a traunce Line 2216 And in his herte / he rolled vp and doun How hadde the cherl / this ymaginacioun? To shewe swich a probleme / to the frere Neuere erst er now / herd I of swich mateere Line 2220 I trowe / the deuel / putte it in his mynde In Ars Metrik shal ther no man fynde Biforn this day / of swich a question Certes / it was a shrewed conclusion Line 2224 That euery man / sholde haue yliche his part As of the soun / or savour/ of a fart O vile proude cherl / I shrewe his face Lo sires quod the lord / with harde grace Line 2228 Who herd euere of swich a thyng er now To euery man ylike / tel me how? It is an inpossible / it may nat be Ey nyce cherl / god lete thee neuere thee Line 2232 The rumblynge of a fart/ and euery soun Nis but of Eir reuerberacioun And euere it wasteth / litel and litel awey Ther is no man / kan demen by my fey Line 2236 If that it were departed equally What lo my cherl / lo yet how shrewedly Vn-to my confessour / to day he spak I holde hym certeyn / a demonyak Line 2240

[6-text p 400] Line 2240 Now ete youre mete / and lat the cherl go pleye Lat hym go honge hymself a deuel weye

¶ The wordes of the lordes Squier and his keruere / for departynge of the fart on twelue .

NOW stood the lordes Squier at the bord That karf his mete / and herde word by word Line 2244 Of alle thynges / whiche that I haue sayd My lord quod he / beth nat yuele apayd ¶ I koude telle for a gowne clooth [folio 91a] To yow sire frere / so ye be nat wrooth Line 2248 How that this fart euene delt shal be Among youre Couent if it lyked me ¶ Tel quod the lord / and thou shalt haue anon A gowne clooth / by god / and by Seint Iohn Line 2252 ¶ My lord quod he / whan þat the weder is fair With-outen wynd / or perturbynge of Air Lat brynge a Cartwheel in-to this halle But looke / that it haue his spokes alle Line 2256 Twelue spokes / hath a Cartwheel comunly And bryng me thanne .xij. freres woot ye why? For twelue is a Couent/ as I gesse The Confessour heere / for his worthynesse Line 2260 Shal parfourne vp / the nombre of his Couent Thanne shal they knele doun / by oon assent And to euery spokes ende / in this manere fful sadly / leye his nose shal a frere Line 2264 Youre noble Confessour / there god hym saue Shal holde his nose / vpright / vnder the Naue Thanne shal this cherl / with bely stif and toght As any Tabour / been hyder ybroght Line 2268 And sette hym on the wheel / right of this Cart Vpon the Naue / and make hym lete a fart And ye shul seen / vp peril of my lyf/ By preeue / which that is demonstratif Line 2272

[6-text p 401] Line 2272 That equally / the soun of it wol wende And eke the stynk vn-to the spokes ende Saue þat this worthy man youre Confessour By cause / he is a man of greet honour Line 2276 Shal haue the firste fruyt / as reson is As yet the noble vsage / of freres is The worthy men of hem / shul first be serued And certeinly / he hath it weel disserued Line 2280 He hath to day taught vs so muche good With prechyng in the pulpit ther he stood That I may vouche sauf / I sey for me He hadde the firste smel / of fartes three Line 2284 And so wolde / al the Couent hardily He bereth hym / so faire and hoolily ¶ The lord / the lady / and alle men saue the frere Seyde / þat Iankyn spak/ in this matere Line 2288 As wel as Euclude / or Protholomee Touchynge this cherl / they seyde subtiltee And heigh wit made hym speke / as he spak/ He nys no fool / ne no demonyak Line 2292 And Iankyn / hath ywonne a newe gowne My tale is doon / we been almoost at towne

¶ Heere endeth the Somonours tale .