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

[6-text p 547]

5. and now begynneth the prologe of the Chanons yoman.

[Lichfield MS, leaf 172, l. 3.]

Whan ended was / the tale of seint Cecyle Er we fully / had riden fif myle At Boughton . vnder the blee / vs gan a take A man that clothed was / in clothes blake Line 557 And vnder þat / he had a whit surplys His hakeney that was / al pomel grys So swette / that it wonder was to see Hit semed he had / priked myles three Line 561 The hors eke / that his yoman rood vpon So swette / þat vnnethe miȝte he goon Aboute the peytrel / stood the foom ful hiȝe He was of fome / al flekked as a pye Line 565 A male twifold / vpon his croper lay It semed þat he caried / litel aray Al light for somer / rood þis worthy man And in myn herte / wondren I bigan Line 569 what þat he was / til þat I vnderstood How þat his cloke / was swed to his hood ffor which whan I longe / had a-vised me I demed him / som chanon for to be Line 573 his hat heeng at his bak / doun by laas ffor he had riden / more than trot or paas He had ay priked / lyk as he were wood A clote leef / he had vnder his hood Line 577 ffor swoot / and for to kepe his hede fro hete But it was ioye / for to seen him swete His forhed dropped / as a stillatorie were ful of plannteyn / and of peritorie Line 581

[6-text p 548] Line 581 And whan þat he com / he gan to crie Line 582 God saue quod he / this ioly companie ffaste haue I priked / quod he for ȝoure sake Be cause þat I wolde / ȝow ouertake Line 585 To ryden / in þis mery companie His yoman eke / was ful of curtesie And sire now // in the morwe tyde Out of ȝoure Hostery / I saugh ȝow ryde [Lichfield MS folio 172b] Line 589 And warned here / my lord and my souerayn which þat to ride / with ȝow is ful fayn ffor his disport / he loueth daliaunce And for þi warnyng / god ȝeue þe good chaunce Line 593 Saide oure hoost / certes it wolde seme Thy lord were wys . and so I may wel deme He is ful iocunde / also dar I leye Can he ought telle / a mery tale or tweye Line 597 with whiche / he glade . may þis companye who sire my lord / ȝe ȝe withoute lye He can of merthe / and eek of iolyte Nouȝt but ynogh / also sire trusteth me Line 601 And ȝe him knewe / as wel as do I Ȝe wolde wondre / how wel and thriftily He couthe werke / and þat in sondry wise He hath taken on him / many greet apprise Line 605 Whiche were ful hard / for any þat is here To bringe aboute / but þei of him it lere As homely as he rit / amonges ȝow Ȝif ye him knewe / it wolde be ȝoure prow Line 609 Ȝe wolde not forgoon / his aqueyntance ffor moche good / I dar leye in balance Al þat I haue / in my possession he is a man / of high discrecion Line 613 I warne ȝow wel / he is a passinge man Wel quod oure hoost I pray þe tel me þan Is he clerk or noon / tel what he is Nay he is gretter / than a Clerk ywis Line 617

[6-text p 549] Line 617 Seide the ȝoman / and in wordes fewe Line 618 Hoost of his craft / somwhat I wol ȝow shewe I say my lord / can such a sotilte But al his craft / ȝe may not wite at me Line 621 And somwhat helpe I ȝit / to his worchyng That al þis grounde / þat we ben on ridyng Til þat we come / to Cauntebury toun He coude al clene / turne vp so doun Line 625 And paue it al / of siluer and of goold And whan þis Ȝoman / had þus y-toold ¶ Vn to oure hoost / he saide benedicite [Lichfield MS folio 173a] This þing / is wonder . meruaillous to me Line 629 Sitthe þi lord / is of so high prudence Be cause of which / men shulde him reuerence That of his worshipe / rekketh . he so lyte His ouer sloppe / is not worth a myte Line 633 As in effecte / to him so mote I go It is al baudy / and to-tore also Why is þi lord / so sluttish I the prey And is of power / better cloþes for to bey Line 637 Ȝif þat his dede / accorde with þi speche Tel me that / and þat I the beseche ¶ Whi quod þis ȝoman / wherto aske ȝe me God helpe me so / for he shal neuer ythe Line 641 But I wol not / avowe that I say And therfore kepe it secre / I yow pray He is to wys / in feith as I beleue That þat is ouerdone / it wol not preue Line 645 And right as clerkes seyn / it is a vice Wherfore in þat / I holde him lewed and nyce ffor whan a man / hath ouer greet a wit fful ofte him happeth / to misvsen it Line 649 So doth my lord / and that me greueth sore God it amende / I can say ȝow no more ¶ Ther-of no fors / goode yoman quod oure hoost Sitthen of the cunnynge / of þi lord þou woost Line 653

[6-text p 550] Line 653 Telle how he doth / I pray the hertely Line 654 Sitthen þat he is / so crafty . and so slyȝ where dwelle ȝe / ȝif it tolle be In the subarbe / of a toun quod [he] Line 657 Lurkynge in hernes / and in lanes blynde where thise robbers / and theefs be kynde Holden her priue / and ferful residence As þei þat dar not/ shewen her presence Line 661 So fare we / ȝif I shal say the sothe Ȝit quod oure hoost / lat me talke to the Why art þou / discoloured on thy face Petre quod he / god ȝeue it harde grace Line 665 I am so vsed / in the fyre to blowe That it hath chaunged / my colour as I trowe [Lichfield MS folio 173b] I am not wont in no myrour to prie But swynke sore / and lerne to multiplie Line 669 we bloundren euere / and pouren in the fyr And for al þat we faylen / of oure desyr ffor euere we lakken / oure conclusion To moche folk we be / but illusion Line 673 And borwe gold / be it a pound or two Or ten or twelue / or many sommes mo And make hem wene / atte leste weye That of a pound / we coude make tweye Line 677 Ȝit is it fals / and ay we han good hope It for to done / and after it we grope But þat science is / so fer vs biforn we may not / al þogh. we had it sworn Line 681 It ouertake / it slit awey so faste It wol vs make / beggers atte laste ¶ Whiles this ȝoman / was þus in his talkyng This chanon drow him nere / and herde al þyng Line 685 which þat þis ȝoman spak / for suspecion Of mennes speche / euere had this chanon ffor caton seith / he þat gilty is Demeth al þing / of him be spoke ywis Line 689

[6-text p 551] Line 689 By cause of that / he gan so nygh to drawe Line 690 his ȝoman / and herde al his sawe And thus he seide / vn to his ȝoma[n] tho Hold now thy pees / and spek wordes no mo Line 693 ffor ȝif þou doost / þou shalt it de[re] abye Thou sclaundrest me here / in this companye And eke discouerest þat þou shuldest hyde ȝe quod oure hoost / tel on what so be-tyde Line 697 Of al his thretenyng / recche þe nat a myte In feith quod he / no more I do but lyte And whan this chanon / saugh it wolde not be But þat his yoman / wolde telle his priuite Line 701 he fledde a wey / for verray sorwe and shame A quod þe ȝoman / here shal rise a game Al þat I can / anoon wol I telle Syn he is goon / þe foule feend him quelle Line 705 ffor neuere here after / wol I with him mete [Lichfield MS folio 174a] ffor peny ne for pound / I the beheete he that me brouȝte / first vn-to þat game Er þat he deye / sorwe haue he and shame Line 709 ffor it is ernest to me by my feith That fele I wel / what so eny man seith And ȝit for al my smert/ and al my greef ffor al my sorwe / labour and mescheef Line 713 I couthe neuere / leue it in no wise Now wolde god / my wit myght suffise To tellen al / that longeth to that art Line 716 [But natheles ȝit wol I telle ȝou part [Reg. 18 C ii folio 165a] ] Syn þat my lord is goon / I wol not spare Swich þing as I knowe / I wol declare [6-text p 552]

¶ Thus endeth þe prologe / and begynneth the tale [[on leaf 174]]