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

§ 4. THE SHIPMAN'S TALE.

¶ Here bigynneth the Shipmannes tale [Hengwrt MS, [folio 204a]

A Marchant whilom / dwelled at Seint Denys That riche was / for which men helde hym wys A.wyf he hadde / of excellent beautee And compaignable / and reuelous was she Which is a thyng that causeth moore dispence Than worth / is al the cheere and reuerence Line 1196 That men hem doon / at festes and at daunces Swich salutacions / and contenances Passen / as dooth a shadwe vp on the wal But wo is hym / that payen moot for al Line 1200 The sely housbonde / algate he moot paye He moot vs clothe / and he moot vs arraye Al for his owene worshipe / richely In which array / we dauncen iolily Line 1204 And if that he noght may / parauenture Or ellis / list no swich dispense endure But thynketh / it is wasted and y-lost Thanne moot another / payen for oure cost Line 1208 Or lene vs gold / and that is perilous This noble Marchant heeld a worthy hous ffor which / he hadde alday / so greet repair ffor his largesse / and for his wyf was fair Line 1212 What wonder is / but herkneth to my tale Amonges alle hise gestes / grete and smale ¶ Ther was a Monk a fair man and a bold I trowe / a thritty wynter / he was old Line 1216 That euere in oon / was drawyng to that place This yonge Monk that was so fair of face

[6-text p 169] Aqueynted was so / with the goode man Sith that hir firste knewliche bigan Line 1220 That in his hous / as famulier was he As it is possible / any freend to be And for as muchel / as this goode man And eek this Monk of which þat I bigan Line 1224 Were bothe two yborn / in o village The Monk hym claymeth / as for cosynage And he agayn / he seith nat ones nay [folio 204b] But was as glad ther of / as fowel of day Line 1228 ffor to his herte / it was a gret plesance Thus been they knyt with eterne alliance And ech of hem / gan oother / for tassure Of bretherhede / whil þat hir lyf may dure Line 1232 ¶ ffree was daun Iohn / and manly of dispence As in that hous / and ful of diligence To doon plesance / and also greet costage He nat forgat to yeue the leeste page Line 1236 In al that hous / but after hir degree He yaf the lord / and sith al his meynee Whan þat he cam / som manere honeste thyng ffor which / they were as glad of his comyng Line 1240 As fowel is fayn / whan þat the sonne vp riseth Namoore of this as now / for it suffiseth ¶ But so bifel / this Marchant on a day Shoope hym / to make redy his array Line 1244 Toward the town of Brugges / for to fare To byen there / a porcion of ware ffor which he hath / to Parys sent anon A messager / and preyed hath daun Iohn Line 1248 That he sholde come / to Seint Denys and pleye With hym / and with his wyf a day or tweye Er he to Brugges wente / in alle wise ¶ This noble Monk of which I yow deuyse Line 1252 Hath of his Abbot as hym list licence By cause he was a man / of heigh prudence

[6-text p 170] And eek an Officer / out for to ryde To seen hir granges / and hir bernes wyde Line 1256 And vn to Seint denys / he comth anon Who was so welcome / as my lord daun Iohn Oure deere cosyn / ful of curteisye With hym broghte he / a Iubbe of Maluesye Line 1260 And eek another / ful of fyn vernage And volatil / as ay was his vsage And thus I lete hem / ete and drynke and pleye This Marchant and this Monk / a day or tweye Line 1264 ¶ The thridde day / this Marchant vp ariseth And on his nedes / sadly hym auyseth And vp / in to his Countour hous goth he [folio 205a] To rekene with hym self / wel may be Line 1268 Of thilke yeer / how þat it with hym stood And how þat he / despended hadde his good And if that he / encressed were or noon Hise bokes / and his bagges / many oon Line 1272 He leyth biforn hym / on his Countyng bord fful riche was his tresor / and his hord ffor which ful faste / his Countour dore he shette And eek he nolde / þat no man sholde hym lette Line 1276 Of his acountes / for the mene tyme And thus he sit / til it was passed prime ¶ Daun Iohn was risen / in the morwe also And in the gardyns / walketh to and fro Line 1280 And hath his thynges seyd / ful curteisly ¶ This goode wyf / cam walkyng priuely In to the gardyn / ther he walketh softe And hym salueth / as she hath doon ofte Line 1284 A mayde child / cam in hir compaignye Which as hir list she may gouerne and gye ffor yet vnder the yerde was the mayde ¶ O deere cosyn myn / daun Iohn she sayde Line 1288 What eyleth yow / so rathe for to ryse ¶ Nece quod he / it oghte ynow suffise

[6-text p 171] ffyue houres / for to slepe / vp on a nyght But it were / for an old apalled wight Line 1292 As been thise wedded men / þat lye and dare As in a forme / sit a wery hare Were al forstraught with houndes grete & smale But deere Nece / why be ye so pale Line 1296 I trowe certes / that oure goode man Hath yow laboured / sith the nyght bigan That yow were nede / to resten hastily And with that word / he lough ful myrily Line 1300 And of his owene thoght he weex al reed ¶ This faire wyf / gan for to shake hir heed And seyde thus / ye god woot al quod she Nay cosyn myn / it stant nat so with me Line 1304 ffor by that god / that yaf me soule and lyf In al the Reawme of ffrance / is ther no wyf That lasse lust hath / to that sory pley [folio 205b] ffor I may synge / allas and weilawey Line 1308 That I was born / but to no wight quod she Dar I nat telle / how þat it stant with me Wher fore I thynke / out of this land to wende Or ellis / of my self / to make an ende Line 1312 So ful am I / of drede / and eek of care ¶ This Monk bigan / vp on this wyf to stare And seyde / allas / my Nece god forbede That ye / for any sorwe / or any drede Line 1316 ffordo your self / but telleth me youre grief Parauenture / I may in youre meschief Conseille / or helpe / and therfore telleth me Al youre anoy / for it shal been secree Line 1320 ffor on my Porthors / I make an oth That neuere in my lif / for lief / or loth Ne shal I / of no conseil / yow biwreye ¶ The same agayn to yow / quod she I seye Line 1324 By god / and by this Porthors / I swere Thogh men me wolde / al in to peces tere

[6-text p 172] Ne shal I neuere / for to gon to helle Biwreye a word / of thyng þat ye me telle Line 1328 Nat for no cosynage / ne alliance But verraily / for loue and affiance Thus been they sworn / and her vp on they keste And ech of hem / tolde oother what hem leste Line 1332 ¶ Cosyn quod she / if þat I hadde a space As I haue noon / and namely in this place Thanne wolde I telle / a legende of my lyf What I haue suffred / sith I was a wyf Line 1336 With myn housbonde / al be he youre cosyn ¶ Nay quod this Monk by god and Seint Martin He is namore / cosyn vn to me Than is this leef þat hangeth on the tree Line 1340 I clepe hym so / by Seint Denys of ffrance To han / the moore cause of aqueyntance Of yow / which I haue loued specially Abouen alle wommen / sikerly Line 1344 This swere I yow / on my profession Telleth youre grief / lest þat he come adoun And hasteth yow / and goth awey anon [folio 206a] ¶ My deere loue quod she / o my daun Iohn Line 1348 fful lief were me / this conseil for to hyde But out it moot I may namoore abyde ¶ Myn housbonde is to me / the worste man That euere was / sith þat the world bigan Line 1352 But sith I am a wyf / it sit nat me To tellen no wight of oure priuetee Neither abedde / ne in noon oother place God shilde / I sholde it tellen for his grace Line 1356 A wyf ne shal nat seyn / of hir housbonde But al honour / as I kan vnderstonde Saue vn to yow / thus muche I tellen shal As help me god / he is noght worth at al Line 1360 In no degree / the value of a flye But yet me greueth moost his nygardye

[6-text p 173] And wel ye woo þat wommen naturelly [A woman wolld haue her husband / to be hardye / wyse / Ryche free / buxom / that is to saye gentell / and to be freshe in bed / these / syxe things a woman dothe desyre / as Mr Chaucer dothe wryte. [folio 206a] [In a late hand.]] Desiren thynges .vj. as wel as I Line 1364 They wolde / þat hir housbondes sholde be ¶ Hardy and wise / and riche / and ther-to free [¶ nota] And buxom vn to his wyf / and fressh abedde But by that ilke lord / that for vs bledde Line 1368 ffor his honour / my self for to arraye A sonday next I moot nedes paye An hundred frankes / or ellis am I lorn Yet were me leuere / þat I were vnborn Line 1372 Than me were doon / a sclaundre / or vileynye And if myn housbonde eek/ myghte it espye I nere but lost and ther fore I yow preye Lene me this somme / or ellis moot I deye Line 1376 Daun Iohn I seye / lene me thise hundred frankes Pardee I wil noght faile yow my thankes If þat yow list to doon / that I yow praye ffor at a certeyn day / I wol yow paye Line 1380 And doon to yow / what plesance and seruyse That I may doon / right as yow list deuyse And but .I. do / god take on me vengeance As foul / as euere hadde Genelon of ffrance Line 1384 ¶ This gentil Monk answerde in this manere Now trewely / myn owene lady deere I haue quod he / on yow so gret a routhe That I yow swere / and plighte yow my trouthe Line 1388 That whan youre housbonde / is to fflandres fare [folio 206b] I wol deliuere yow / out of this care ffor I wol brynge yow / an hundred frankes And with that word / he caughte hire by the flankes Line 1392 And hire embraceth harde / and kiste hire ofte Goth now youre wey quod he / al stille and softe And lat vs dyne / as soone / as þat ye may ffor by my chilyndre / it is Pryme of day Line 1396 Goth now / and beth as trewe as I shal be ¶ Now ellis / god forbede sire quod she

[6-text p 174] And forth she goth / as iolif as a pye And bad the Cokes / þat they sholde hem hye Line 1400 So þat men myghte dyne / and that anon Vp to hir housbonde / is his wyf ygon And knokketh at his Countour / boldely ¶ Who [[ys interlined by a late hand]] ther quod he / Peter it am I [.qi la.] Line 1404 Quod she / what sire / how longe wol ye faste How longe tyme / wol ye rekene and caste Youre sommes / and youre bokes / and youre thynges The deuel haue part on alle swiche rekenynges Line 1408 Ye haue ynogh pardee / of goddes sonde Com doun to day / and lat youre bagges stonde Ne be ye nat ashamed / that daun Iohn Shal fastynge / al this day elenge gon Line 1412 What lat vs here a masse / and go we dyne ¶ Wyf quod this man / litel kanstow deuyne The curious bisynesse / that we haue ffor of vs chapmen / also god me saue Line 1416 And by that lord / that clepid is Seint Yue Scarsly amonges .xij. x. shul thryue Continuelly / lastyng vn to oure age We may wel make cheere / and good visage Line 1420 And dryue forth the world / as it may be And kepen oure estat in pryuetee Til we be dede / or ellis that we pleye A pilgrymage / or goon out of the weye Line 1424 And ther fore / haue I gret necessitee Vp on this queynte world / tauyse me ffor euere mo / we mote stonde in drede Of hap and ffortune / in oure chapmanhede Line 1428 ¶ To fflandres wol I go / tomorwe at day [folio 207a] And come agayn / as soone as euere I may ffor which my deere wyf / I thee biseke As be to euery wight buxom and meke Line 1432 And for to kepe oure good / be curious And honestly / gouerne wel oure hous

[6-text p 175] Thow hast ynow / in euery manere wise That to a thrifty houshold / may suffise Line 1436 Thee lakketh noon array / ne no vitaille Of siluer in thy purs / shaltow nat faille And with that word / his Countour dore he shette And doun he goth / no lenger wolde he lette Line 1440 But hastily / a masse was ther seyd And spedily / the tables were yleyd And to the dyner / faste they hem spedde And richely this Monk the chapman fedd Line 1444 ¶ At after dyner / daun Iohn sobrely This chapman took a part and priuely He seyde hym thus / cosyn it standeth so That wel I se / to Brugges wol ye go Line 1448 God and Seint Austyn / spede yow and gyde I pray yow cosyn / wysly þat ye ryde Gouerneth yow also / of youre diete Atemprely / and namely / in this hete Line 1452 Bitwix vs two / nedeth no strange fare ffarewel cosyn / god shilde yow fro care And if þat any thyng by day or nyght If it lye in my power / and my myght Line 1456 That ye me wol comande / in any wise It shal be doon / right as ye wol deuyse ¶ O thing er þat ye goon / if it may be I wold preye yow / for to lene me Line 1460 An hundred frankes / for a wyke or tweye ffor certeyn bestes / þat I moste beye To store with a place / that is oures God help me so / I wolde it were youres Line 1464 I shal nat faille / seurely of my day Nat for a thousand frankes / a myle way But lat this thyng be secree / I yow preye ffor yet to nyght thise bestes moot I beye Line 1468 And fare now wel / myn owene cosyn deere [folio 207b] Grant mercy / of youre cost and of youre cheere

[6-text p 176] ¶ This noble Marchant gentilly anon Answerde and seyde / o cosyn myn daun Iohn Line 1472 Now sikerly / this is a smal requeste My gold is youres / whan þat it yow leste And nat oonly my gold / but my chaffare Tak what yow list god shilde þat ye spare Line 1476 But o thyng is / ye knowe it wel ynow Of Chapmen / that hir moneye is hir plow We may creance / whil we han a name But goldlees for to been / it is no game Line 1480 Pay it agayn / whan it lyth in youre ese After my myght ful fayn wol I yow plese ¶ Thise hundred frankes / he fette forth anon And priuely / he took hem to daun Iohn Line 1484 No wight in al this world / wiste of this lone Sauyng this Marchant and daun Iohn allone They drynke / and speke / and rome a while & pleye Til that daun Iohn / rideth to his Abbeye Line 1488 ¶ The morwe cam / and forth this Marchant rydeth To fflandres ward / his Prentys wel hym gydeth Til he cam / in to Brugges murily Now goth this Marchant faste and bisily Line 1492 Aboute his nede / and byeth and creanceth He neither / pleyeth at the dees / ne daunceth But as a Marchant shortly for to telle He let his lyf / and ther I lete hym dwelle Line 1496 ¶ The sonday next / the Marchant was agon To Seint denys / ycomen is daun Iohn With crowne and berd / al fressh & newe shaue In al the hous / ther nas so litel a knaue Line 1500 Ne no wight ellis / þat he nas ful fayn That my lord daun Iohn / was come agayn And shortly / to the poynt right for to gon This faire wyf accorded with daun Iohn Line 1504 That for thise hundred frankes / he sholde al nyght Haue hire in his armes / bolt vpright

[6-text p 177] And this acord / parfourned was in dede In myrthe al nyght a bisy lyf they lede Line 1508 Til it was day / that daun Iohn wente his way [folio 208a] And bad the meynee / fare wel haue good day ffor noon of hem / ne no wight in the town Hath of daun Iohn / right no suspecioun Line 1512 And forth he rydeth hom / til his Abbeye Or where hym list namoore of hym I seye ¶ This Marchant whan þat ended was the faire To Seint Denys / he gan for to repaire Line 1516 And with his wyf / he maketh feste and cheere And telleth hire / that chaffare is so deere That nedes / moste he make a cheuyssance ffor he was bounden / in a reconyssance Line 1520 To paye / twenty thousand sheelde anon ffor which / this Marchant is to Parys gon To borwe / of certeyne freendes / that he hadde A certeyn frankes / and somme with hym he ladde Line 1524 And whan þat he was come / in to the town ffor greet chiertee / and greet affeccioun Vn to daun Iohn / he first goth / hym to pleye Nat for to axe / or borwe of hym moneye Line 1528 But for to wite / and seen of his welfare And for to tellen hym / of his chaffare As freendes doon / whan they been met yfeere Daun Iohn / hym maketh feste / and murye cheere Line 1532 And he hym tolde agayn / ful specially How he hadde / wel yboght and graciously Thanked be god / al hool his marchandise Saue þat he moste / in alle maner wyse Line 1536 Maken a cheuyssance / as for his beste And thanne he sholde been / in ioye and reste ¶ Daun Iohn answerde / certes I am fayn That ye in heele / ar comen hom agayn Line 1540 And if þat I were riche / as haue I blisse Of twenty thousand sheeld / sholde ye nat mysse

[6-text p 178] ffor ye so kyndely / this oother day Lente me gold / and as I kan and may Line 1544 I thanke yow / by god / and by Seint Iame But nathelees / I took vn to oure dame Yowre wyf at hom / the same gold agayn Vp on youre bench / she woot it wel certayn Line 1548 By certeyn toknes / that I kan yow telle [folio 208b] Now by youre leue / I may no lenger dwelle Oure Abbot wol out of this town anon And in his compaignye / moot I gon Line 1552 Greet wel oure dame / myn owene Nece swete And fare wel deere cosyn / til we meete ¶ This Marchant which þat was ful war and wys Creanced hath / and payed eek in Parys Line 1556 To certeyn lombardes / redy in hir hond The somme of gold / and gat of hem his bond [¶ .i. obligacionem.] And hoom he gooth / murye as a Papyniay ffor wel he knew / he stood in swich array Line 1560 That nedes moste he wynne / in that viage A thousand frankes / abouen al his costage ¶ His wyf ful redy / mette hym at the gate As she was wont of old vsage algate Line 1564 And al that nyght in myrthe they bisette ffor he was riche / and cleerly out of dette ¶ Whan it was day / this Marchant gan embrace His wyf al newe / and kiste hire on hir face Line 1568 And vp he goth / and maketh it ful tough Namoore quod she / by god ye haue ynough And wantownely agayn / with hym she pleyde Til at the laste / this Marchant seyde Line 1572 ¶ By god quod he / I am a litel wroth With yow my wyf / al thogh it be me looth And woot ye why / by god as þat I gesse That ye han maad / a manere strangenesse Line 1576 Bitwixen me / and my cosyn daun Iohn Ye sholde han warned me / er I had gon

[6-text p 179] That he yow hadde / a hundred frankes payed By redy tokne / and heeld hym yuele apayed Line 1580 ffor that I to hym / spak of cheuyssance Me semed so / as by his contenance But nathelees / by god oure heuene kyng I thoghte nat to axe of hym no thyng Line 1584 I pray thee wyf ne do namoore so Tel me alwey / er that I fro thee go If any dettour / hath in myn absence Ypayed thee / lest thurgh thy necligence Line 1588 I myghte hym axe / a thyng þat he hath payed [folio 209a] ¶ This wyf / was nat afered ne afrayed But boldely she seyde / and that anon Marie I diffye / the false Monk daun Iohn Line 1592 I kepe nat of his toknes / neuer a del He took me certeyn gold / this woot I wel What yuel thedam / on his Monkes snowte ffor god it woot I wende with outen dowte Line 1596 That he hadde yeue it me / by cause of yow To doon ther with / myn honour and my prow ffor cosynage / and eek for bele cheere That he hath had / ful ofte tymes heere Line 1600 ¶ But sith I se / it stant in this disioynt I wole answere yow / shortly to the poynt Ye han mo slakker dettours / than am I ffor I wol paye yow / wel and redily Line 1604 ffro day to day / and if so be I fayle I am youre wyf / score it vp on my tayle And I shal paye / as soone as euere I may ffor by my trouthe / I haue on myn array Line 1608 And nat in wast bistowed euery del And for I haue / bistowed it so wel ffor youre honour / for goddes sake I seye As be nat wrooth / but lat vs laughe & pleye Line 1612 Ye shal / my ioly body han to wedde By god / I wol noght paye yow but a bedde

[6-text p 180] fforgyue it me / myn owene spouse deere Turn hiderward / and maketh bettre cheere Line 1616 ¶ This Marchant saugh / ther was no remedye And for to chide / it nere but folye Syn that the thyng may nat amended be Now wyf he seyde / and I foryeue it thee Line 1620 But by thy lyf / ne be namoore so large Keepe bet thy good / this yeue I thee in charge Thus endeth my tale / and god vs sende Taillynge ynough / vn to oure lyues ende. [6-text p 181] Line 1624

¶ Here endeth / the Shipmannes tale.