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

[6-text p 560]

[5c. THE TALE.]

Ther is a Chanon / of Religioun Amonges vs / wolde enfecte al a toun Line 973 Thogh it as greet ware / as was Niniue Rome Alisaundre / Troye and other thre His sleightes / and his infinite falsnesse Ther cowthe no man / writen as I gesse Line 977 Thogh that he myghte / lyven a þousand yeer In al this world / of falsnesse nis his peer [Lichfield MS folio 177b] ffor in his termes / he wol him so wynde And speke his wordes / in so sligh a kynde Line 981 Whan he commune shal / with eny wight What. he wol make him / dote anon right But it the feend be / as him self is fful many a man / hath he begiled er this Line 985 And wole ȝif that he may / lyuen a while And ȝit men riden / and goon ful many a myle Him for to seke / and haue aqueyntance Nought knowynge / of his fals gouernance Line 989 And ȝif ȝe lust / to ȝeue me audience I wol it telle / here in ȝoure presence But worschipeful Chanon / Religious Ne demeth not / þat I sclaundre ȝoure hous Line 993 Al thogh my tale / of a chanon be Of euery ordre / som shrewe is parde And god forbede / that al a companye Shulde rewe / a singuler mannes folie Line 997 To sclaundre ȝow / is not myn entent But to correcten / þat is wis ywent

[6-text p 561] This tale was not oonly / told for ȝow But eke for other mo / ȝe woot wel how Line 1001 That amonges / cristes aposteles twelue Ther was no traitour / but Iudas him selue Than why sholde þe remenant / alle haue blame That gilteles were / by ȝow sey I the same Line 1005 Sauf only this / ȝif ȝe wole herkne me Ȝif any Iudas / in ȝoure couent be Remeweth him by tyme / I ȝow rede Ȝif shame or losse / may causen any drede Line 1009 And beth no þing displesed / I ȝow pray But in this caas / herkeneth what I say IN london was a preest / an aunueler That þerynne dwelled / had many a ȝeer Line 1013 which was so plesant / and so seruisable Vn to the wyf / where he was at table That she wolde suffre him / no þing for to paie ffor bord noþer clothing wente he neuere so gaye Line 1017 And spending siluer / hadde he right ynowȝ [Lichfield MS folio 178a] Ther-of no force / I wol procede as now And telle forth my tale / of the Chanon That broghte þis preest/ to confusion Line 1021 ¶ This false Chanon / com vpon a day Vn-to the prestes chambre / there he lay Besechinge him / to lene him a certeyn Of gold / and he wolde. quit him a-geyn Line 1025 Leneth me a marc / quod he but dayes thre And at my day / I wol it quite the And ȝif so be / þou fynde me fals Another day / hange me by the hals Line 1029 This prest him toke / a marc & þat as swithe And this Chanon / him thanked ofte sithe And toke his leue / and wente forth his weye And atte thridde day / brouȝte his moneye Line 1033 And to the preest / he took þis gold ageyn Ther-of þis preest / was glad and fayn

[6-text p 562] Certes quod he / no þing anoyeth me To lene a man a noble / or two or þre Line 1037 Or what thing were / in my possession whan he so trewe is / of condicion That in no wise / he breke wol his day To swich a man / I can neuere say nay Line 1041 What quod þis Chanon / shulde I be vntrewe Nay that were þing / fallen al of newe Truthe is a thing / that I wol euere kepe Vn to the day / in which þat I shal crepe Line 1045 In to my graue / and ellis god forbede Beleeueth þis / as siker as the crede God thanke I / and in good tyme be it sayd That ther was neuere man ȝit euel appayd Line 1049 ffor gold ne siluer / that he to me lente Ne neuere falshede / in myn herte I mente And sire quod he / now of my priuite Syn ȝe so goodly / haue ben to me Line 1053 And kythed to me / so gret gentilnesse Somwhat to quiten with / ȝoure kyndenesse I wol ȝow shewe / and ȝif ȝow lust to lere [Lichfield MS folio 178b] I shal it shewe / to ȝow anon right here Line 1057 How I can worchen / in philosophie Taketh good heede / ȝe schul wel seen at yȝe That I wol done / a maystrie or I goo Ȝee quod the preest / ȝee sire and wol ȝe so Line 1061 Marie ther of / I pray ȝow hertely At ȝoure commaundement/ sire trewely Quod the Chanon / and ellis god forbede Loo how þis theef / couthe his seruice bede Line 1065 fful soth it is / þat such profred seruice Stinketh / as witnessen thise olde wise And that ful sone / I wol it verifie In this Chanon that is / roote of al treccherie Line 1069 That eueremore / delite hath and gladnesse Suche feendly thouȝtes / in his herte empresse

[6-text p 563] How cristes peple / he may to mescheef bringe God kepe vs / from his fals dissimulinge Line 1073 What wiste this preest / with whom þat he delte Ne of his harme comynge / no thing he felte O sely preest / o sely Innocent With couetise anoon / þou shalt be blent Line 1077 O graceles / ful blynd is þi conceyt No þing artow war / of the deceyt Which that þis fox / shapen hath to the His wily wrenches / þou mayst not flee Line 1081 Wherfore to go / to the conclusion That referreth / to þi confusion Vnhappy man / anoon I wol me hie To telle thyn vnwitte / and þi folie Line 1085 And eke the falsnes / of þat other wrecche As ferforth / as my connynge wol strecche This Chanon was my lord / ȝe wolde wene Sire ofte in feith / and by the heuene quene Line 1089 It was a nother Chanon / and nouȝt he That can an hundred fold more sotiltee He hath betrayed folc many tyme Of his falsnesse / it dulleth me to Ryme Line 1093 Euere whan I speke of his falshede ffor shame of him / my chekes wexe rede Algates þei begonne / for to glowe [Lichfield MS folio 179a] ffor reednesse haue I now / right wel y-knowe Line 1097 In my visage / for fumes diuerse Of metalles whiche / ȝe han herd me reherse Consumed and wasted / han my reednesse Now take heede of this / Chanons cursednesse Line 1101 ¶ Sire quod he to the preest / lat ȝoure man goon ffor quicsiluer / that we it hadde anoon And lat him bringe / vnces two or three And whan he cometh / as faste shull ȝe see Line 1105 A wonder þing / which ȝe say neuere ar this Sire quod the preest / it shal be done ywis

[6-text p 564] He bad his seruant / fecchen him þis þing And he al redy / was at his bidding Line 1109 And wente him forth / and com anoon ageyn with this quicsiluer / shortly for to seyn And toke thise vnces thre / to the Chanoun And he it leide / fayre and wel adoun Line 1113 And bad the seruaunt / coles for to bringe That he anoon / myghte go to his worchinge The coles right anoon / were yfette And this Chanon / toke out a crosselette Line 1117 Of his bosome / and shewed it the preest This Instrument quod he / which þat þou seest Tak in thin hond / and put þi self þerynne Of þis quic siluer an vnce / and here begynne Line 1121 In the name of crist to wexe a philosophre Ther ben ful fewe / whiche þat I wolde profre To shewe hem thus moche / of my science ffor ȝe shull see / here by experience Line 1125 That þis quicsiluer / I wol mortefie Right in ȝoure sight / anon withoute lie And make it as good siluer / and as fyn As ther is eny in ȝoure purs / or in myn Line 1129 Or elliswhere / and make it malleable And ellis hold me / fals and vnable Amonges folc / euere to appere I haue a powder here / þat coste me dere Line 1133 Shal make al gold / for it is cause of all My cunnynge / which that I ȝow shewe shall [Lichfield MS folio 179b] Voydeth ȝoure man / and lat him be þer oute And shitte the dore / whiles we ben aboute Line 1137 Oure priuete / that no man // vs espie ¹whiles we werken / in this philosophie¹ [[^1_1 over an erasure]] Al as he bad / fulfilled was in dede This ilke seruaunt / anoon right out ȝede Line 1141 And his mayster / shette the dore anoon And to her labour / speedly they goon

[6-text p 565] This preest/ at this cursed chanons biddyng Vpon the fire / anoon sette this thyng Line 1145 And blewe þe fire / and besied him ful faste And þis chanon / in to the crosselet caste A powder not I wher of / that it was Ymade / outher of chalk / or of glas Line 1149 Or somwhat ellis / was not worth a flie To blynde with þis preest / and bad him hie The coles for to cowche / al aboue The crosselet / for in tokene that I the loue Line 1153 Quod this Chanon / thyn hondes two Shull werke al þinge / which as shall be do Grauntmercy quod the preest / and was ful glad And couched coles / as the Chanon bad Line 1157 And whiles he besy was / þis feendly wrecche This fals Chanon / þe foule feend him fecche Out of his bosome / took a bechen cole In which ful sotilly / was maad an hole Line 1161 And ther Inne put was / of siluer lymayle An ounce / and stopped was withoute fayle This hole with wex / to kepe the lymayle in And vnderstondeth / þat þis false gin Line 1165 Was not maad there/. but it was maad bifore And oþere thinges / as I shall telle more Here afterward / which þat he with him brouȝte Ar he com there / to begile him he thouȝte Line 1169 And so dide / or þey wente a twynne Til he had torned him / coude he not blynne It dulleth me / whan þat I of him speke On his falshede I fayn wolde me awreke Line 1173 Ȝif I wiste how / but he is here and there [Lichfield MS folio 180a] He is so variant / he abideth nowhere But taketh heede / now sires for goddes loue He toke his cole / of which I spak aboue Line 1177 And in his hond / he bar it priuely And whiles þe preest/ couched besily

[6-text p 566] The coles / as I tolde ȝow er this This chanon seide / freend ȝe done amis Line 1181 This is not couched / as it ouȝte be But sone I shal / amenden it quod he Now lat me medle with it / but a while ffor of ȝow haue I pite / by seint Gile Line 1185 Ȝe be right hoot / .I see wel how ȝe swete haue here a cloth / and wype a-wey the wete And whiles þe preest / him wyped haas This Chanon toke his cole / I shrewe his faas Line 1189 And leyde it vpon / aboue the midward Of the crosselet / and blewe wel afterward Til that the coles / gonne faste brenne Now ȝeue vs drynke / quod the Chanon thenne Line 1193 As swithe / al shal be wel I vndertake Sitte we doun / and lat vs mery make And whan the Chanons / bechen cole was brent / al þe lymayle out at þe hole Line 1197 In to the crosselet / anoon fil adoun And so it muste / nedes by resoun Syn it so euene / aboue couched was But ther-of wiste / no þing þe preest allas Line 1201 He demede alle the coles lyche goode ffor of the sleighte / no þing he vnderstoode And whan þis Alkamystre / sagh his tyme Riseth vp sire prest / and stondeth by me Line 1205 And for I woot wel / Ingot haue ȝe noon Goth walketh forth / and bring a chalk stoon ffor I wol make it / of the same shappe That is an Ingot / ȝif I may haue happe Line 1209 And bringe with ȝow / a bolle or a panne fful of water / and see shull ȝe thanne How þat oure besynesse / shal happe & preue And ȝit for ȝe shul haue / no misbileue [Lichfield MS folio 180b] Line 1213 Ne wrong conceyt of me / in ȝoure absence I wol not ben / out of ȝoure presence

[6-text p 567] But go with ȝow / and come with ȝow a-geyn The chambre dore / shortly for to seyn Line 1217 They opened and shette / and wente forth her weye And forth with hem / þei caried the keye And comen ageyn / withoute eny delay What sholde I tarie / al þe longe day Line 1221 He took þe chalk / and shoop it in the wise Of an Ingot / as .I shal ȝow deuise I say he took out / of his owne sleue A teyne of siluer / euele mote he cheue Line 1225 which þat was / but an ounce of weighte And taketh heede now / of þis cursed sleighte he shoop his Ingot / in lengthe and brede Of the teyne / withoute eny drede Line 1229 So slighly / þat þe prest it not espide And [in] his sleue / ageyn he gan it hide And from þe fire / took vp þe matere And in to the Ingot / it putte with mery chere Line 1233 And in to the water vessel he it caste whan þat him liste / and bad the preest as faste loke what there is / put in thyn hand and grope Thou shalt fynde there / siluer as I hope Line 1237 what deuel of helle / shulde it ellis be Shauyng of siluer / siluer is parde he putte in his hond / and toke vp a teyne Of siluer fyn / and glad euery veyne Line 1241 [glad] was þis preest / whan he sagh it was so Goddes blessing / and his modres also And alle halwes / haue ȝe sire Chanon Seide the preest / and I her malison Line 1245 But and ȝe vouchesauf/ to teche me This noble craft / and þis sotilte I wol be ȝoure in al þat euere I may Quod the Chanon / ȝit wol I make assay Line 1249 The secounde tyme / that ȝe may take hede And ben expert of this / and in ȝoure nede

[6-text p 568] Another day / in myn absence [Lichfield MS folio 181a] This discipline / and þis crafty science Line 1253 ¶ Lat take anoþer ounce quod he tho Of quik siluer / withoute wordes mo And do therwith / as ȝe haue done er þis With þat other / þat now siluer is Line 1257 This preest him besieth / in al þat he can To done as þis Chanon / þis cursed man Commaundeth him / an faste blew þe fire ffor to come to the effecte / of his desire Line 1261 And this chanon / right in þe mene while Al redy was / þis preest eft to begile And for a countenance / in his hond he bar An holgh stikke / take hede and be war Line 1265 In þe ende of which / an ounce and no more Of siluer lymayle / put was al bifore As was his cole / and stopped with wax wel ffor to kepe in / his lymayle euerydeel Line 1269 And whiles þis preest/ was in his besynesse This Chanon with his stikke / gan him dresse To him anoon . and his pouder cast In As he dide er / þe deuel out of his skyn Line 1273 him torne / I pray to god / for his falshede ffor he was euere fals / in word and dede And with his stikke / aboue þe crosse[le]tte That was ordeined / with þat false gette Line 1277 He stereth the coles / til relente gan The wax a-geyn the fire / as euery man But it a fool be / woot wel and moot nede And al that in the hole was / out ȝede Line 1281 And in to the crosselet / hastely it fel The preest supposed / no þing but wel But besied him faste / and was wonder fayn Supposinge noght but trouthe / sothe for to sayn Line 1285 He was so glad / I can it not expresse In no manere / his merthe and his gladnesse

[6-text p 569] And to the Chanon / he profred eft sone Body and good / ȝe quod the Chanon sone Line 1289 Thogh pouere I be / crafty þou shalt me fynde I warne the / ȝit is ther more behynde [Lichfield MS folio 181b] Is ther ony coper / here-ynne seide he Ȝe sire quod the preest / I trowe ther be Line 1293 Ellis go bye som / and þat asswithe Now sire go forth þi way / and hythe He wente his way / and with þis coper he cam And this chanon / in hand it nam Line 1297 And of þat coper / weyed out but an ounce Al to symple is my tunge / to pronounce his monstre / and his witte . þe doublenesse Of this chanon / rote of cursednesse Line 1301 He semede freendly / to hem that knewe him noght But he was feendly / bothe in werk and thoght It werieth me to telle / of his falsnesse And natheles / ȝit wole I it expresse Line 1305 To that entente / þat men may be war þer by And for noon other cause trewely He putte this ounce of coper / in þe crosselet And on the fire / asswithe he hath it set Line 1309 And caste in pouder / and made þe preest to blowe And in his worching / for to stoupe lowe As he dide erst / and al was but a iape Right as him liste / þe preest he made his ape Line 1313 And afterward / in to the Ingot he it caste And in the panne / putte it atte laste Of water / and in he putte his owne hand And in his sleue / as ȝe bifore hand Line 1317 herde me telle / he had a siluer teyne he slighly toke it out/ þis cursed heyne Vnwetinge þis preest of his false craft And in the pannes botme / he hath it laft Line 1321 And in the water/ rombleth to and fro And wonder priuely / took it vp also

[6-text p 570] The coper teyne / not knowynge þis preest And hidde it / and hente him by the breest Line 1325 And to him spak / and thus seide in his game Stoupeth a doun / by god ȝe be to blame helpeth me now / as I dide ȝow whiler Put in ȝoure hand / and loketh what is ther Line 1329 This preest took vp / þis siluer teyne anoon [Lichfield MS folio 182a] And þan seide the chanon / lat vs goon And thise thre teynes / whiche as we haue wroght To som goldsmyth / to wete ȝif it be ouȝt Line 1333 ffor by my faith / I nolde for myn hood But ȝif þei were siluer fyn and good And þat asswithe / preued shall it be Line 1336 [Vnto þe goldsmyth with þise teynes þree [MS Reg. 18 C ii folio 172b] ] They wente and pitte þise teynes in assay To fyr and hamer myȝte no man sey nay But þei were as hem oghte be] This sottid preest / who was gladder þan he Line 1341 Was neuere brid / gladder ageyn the day Ne nightyngale / in þe seson of May Was neuere noon / that liste better synge Ne lady lustyer / in carolynge Line 1345 And for to speke of Loue / and womanhede Ne knyght in armes / to done an hardy dede To stonde in grace / of his lady dere Than hadde þis preest/ þis craft for to lere Line 1349 And to þe Chanon / þus he spak and seide ffor þe loue of god / þat for vs alle deyde And as I may / deserue it vn-to ȝow What shal þis Receyt coste / telleth now Line 1353 By oure lady quod the Chanon / it is dere I warne ȝow forsothe / sauf I and a frere In Engelond / ther can no man it make No fors quod he / now sire for goddes sake Line 1357 What shal I paye / telle me I þe pray ywis quod he / it is ful dere I say

[6-text p 571] Sire at oo word / ȝif þat ȝe lest it haue Ȝe shull paie fourty pound / so god me saue Line 1361 And ne were the frendshipe / þat ȝe dide er this To me / ȝe shulde paie more ywis This preest þe somme / of fourty pound anoon Of nobles fette / and toke hem euerychoon Line 1365 To þis Chanon / for this ilke receyt Al his worching was fraude and deceyt Sire preest he seide / I kepe to haue no loos Of my craft / for I wolde it were kept cloos Line 1369 And as ȝe loue me / kepeth it secree ffor and men knewe / al my sotilte By god men wolde haue so greet envie To me by cause / of my philosophie [Lichfield MS folio 182b] Line 1373 I shulde be ded / ther were noon oþer weye God forbede quod þe preest/ what seyȝe Ȝit had I leuere spenden al the good which þat I haue / and elles wexe I wood Line 1377 Than þat ȝe shulde / falle in such meschief ffor ȝoure good wil / sire haue ȝe right good preef Quod the Chanon / and sire fare wel graunt mercy He wente his way / and neuere þe preest him sey Line 1381 After þat day / and whan þis preest sholde Maken assay / at such tyme as he wolde Of þis Receyt/ fare wel it wolde not be Loo þus byiaped / and bygiled was he Line 1385 ¶ Thus maketh he / his introduction To bringe folk / to her destruction Considereth sires / how þat in eche astate Betwixe men and gold ther is debate Line 1389 So ferforth / þat vnnethes is þer oon This multiplying/ blendeth so many oon That in good feith / I trowe þat it be The cause grettest / of þis grete scarste Line 1393 Thise philosophres / speken so mistily In þis craft / þat men can not come þerby

[6-text p 572] ffor eny witte / þat men haue now a dayes They may wel chitren / and ianglen as done iayes Line 1397 And in her termes / sette lust and peyne But to her purpos / shul thei neuere atteyne A man may lightly lerne / ȝif he haue oght To multiplie / and bringe his good to noght Line 1401 Loo such a lucre / is in þis lusty game A mannes merthe / it wol torne al to grame And empten also / grete and heuy purses And make folk / to purchace curses Line 1405 Of hem þat han þer to / her good ylent O fy for shame / þei þat haue be brent Allas can þei not flee / þe fires hete Ȝe þat it vsen / I rede that ȝe lete Line 1409 Lest ȝe lesen al / for bet þan neuere is late Neuere to thryue / were to long a date Thogh ȝe prolle ay / ȝe shull it neuere fynde [Lichfield MS folio 183a] Ȝe ben as bolde / as is bayard the blynde Line 1413 That blundreth forth / and perile casteth he noon he is as bold / to renne ageyn a stoon As for to go besides / in the weye So fare ȝe / þat multiplie I seye Line 1417 Ȝif þat oure eyen / can not seen a-right Loke þat ȝoure mynde / lakke noght his sight ffor thogh ȝe loke / neuere so brode and stare Ȝe shull not wynne / a myte in þat chaffare Line 1421 But wasten al / þat ȝe may rappe and renne Withdrawe the fire / lest it to faste brenne Medleth no more / with þat art I mene ffor ȝif ȝe done / ȝoure thrifte is goon ful clene Line 1425 And as swithe / I wol ȝow telle here what þat the philosophres / seyn in þis matere Loo thus seith Arnold / of the newe toun As his Rosarie / maketh mencioun Line 1429 He seith right thus / without eny lye Ther may no man / mercurie mortifie

[6-text p 573] But it be with / his brotheres knowelechyng How þat he / which first seide this thyng Line 1433 Of philosophres / fader was hermes He seith how þat / the dragon douteles Ne dyeth not / but ȝif he be slayn With his brother / and þat is for to sayn Line 1437 By the dragon / mercurie and noon other He vnderstood / þat bremston were his brother That out of sol / and luna were y-drawe And þerfore seide he / take hede to my sawe Line 1441 lat no man besie him / this art for to seche But he / that the entencion and speche Of philosophres / vnderstonde can And ȝif he do / he is a lewed man Line 1445 ffor þis science / and þis cunnynge quod he Is of þe secre / of secrees parde Also þer was a disciple of plato That on a tyme / saide his maister to Line 1449 As his book sonier / wol bere witnesse And this was his demande / in sothfastnesse [Lichfield MS folio 183b] Tel me the name / of the priue stoon And plato answerde / vn to him anoon Line 1453 Tak the stoon / that titanos men name which is þat quod he / Magnesia is þe same His disciple seide / ȝe sire and is it thus This is ignotum / per ignotius Line 1457 What is magnesia / good sire I pray It is a water / that is mad I say Of elementes foure / quod plato Tel me the Roche / goode sire quod he tho Line 1461 Of that water / ȝif it be ȝoure wille Nay nay quod plato / certeyn þat I nylle The philosophres / were sworn ecchon That þei shulde discouere it/ to no mon Line 1465 Ne in no book / it write in no manere ffor vn to god / it was so leef and dere

[6-text p 574] That he wol not / þat it discouered be But where it liketh / to his deyte Line 1469 Man to enspire / and eke for to defende whom that him liketh / loo þis is þe ende ¶ Than conclude I thus / syn þat god of heuene wol not / that the philosophres nevene Line 1473 how that a man / shal come vn to þis stoon I rede as for the beste / lat it goon ffor who so maketh god his aduersarie And for to worche eny thing in contrarie Line 1477 Vn to his wil; certes neuere shal he thryve Thogh þat he multiplie / terme of his lyve And there a poynt for ended is my tale God sende euery trewe man bote of his bale Line 1481

Prologus ¶ Thus endeth the tale of the Chanons yoman /] [Lichfield extract ends]