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

¶ Here bygynneth the Somnours tale. [folio 79b]

LOrdynges / ther is in Yorkshire / as I gesse A Merssh contree / called Holdernesse In which / ther wente a lymytour aboute To preche / and eek to begge / it is no doubte Line 1712 And so bifel / that on a day this frere Hadde preched at a chirche / in his manere And specially / abouen euery thyng Excyted he the peple / in his prechyng Line 1716 To trentals / and to yeue for goddes sake Wher-with men myghte / holy houses make Ther as dyuyne seruice / is honoured Nat ther / as it is wasted and deuoured Line 1720 Ne ther / it nedeth nat to be yeue As to possessioners / that mowen lyue Thanked be god / in wele and habundance Trentals seyde he / deliuereth from penaunce Line 1724 Hir freendes soules / as wel olde as yonge Ye / whan that 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 flessh-hook/ or with oules To been y-clawed / or to brenne / or bake Now spede yow hastily / for cristes sake Line 1732 And whan this frere / hadde seyd al his entente With qui cum patre / forth his wey he wente Whan folk in chirche / hadde yeue hym / what hem leste He wente his wey / no lenger wolde he reste Line 1736

[6-text p 386] Line 1736 With scryppe and typped staf / y-tukked hye In euery hous / he gan to poure and prye And beggeth Mele / and chese / or ellis corn His felawe hadde a staf / typped with horn Line 1740 A peyre of tables / al of yuory And a poyntel / polysshed fetisly And wroot the names / alwey as he stood Of alle folk / that yaf hem any good Line 1744 Ascaunces / that he wolde for hem preye [folio 80a] Yif vs a busshel whete / Malt or Reye A goddes kechyl / or a trype of cheese Or ellis what yow lyst we may nat chese Line 1748 A goddes half peny / 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 boef / or swich thyng as ye fynde A sturdy harlot wente ay hem bihynde That was hir hostes man / and baar a sak And what men yaf hem / leyde it on his bak Line 1756 And whan that he was out at dore anon He planed awey / the names euerichon That he biforn / hadde writen in his tables He serued hem / with nyfles and with fables Line 1760 ¶ Nay ther thow lixt thow Somnour quod the frere ¶ Pees quod oure hoost for cristes moder deere Tel forth thy tale / and spare it nat at al ¶ So thryue I quod this Somnour / 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 Thomas quod he / god yelde yow ful ofte Line 1772

[6-text p 387] Line 1772 Haue I vp-on this bench / faren ful wel Heere haue I eten / many a murye mel 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 adown His felawe / was go walked in to town fforth with his knaue / in-to that hostelrye Wher as he shoope hym / thilke nyght to lye Line 1780 ¶ O deere maister / quod this syke man How han ye fare / sith that March bigan I say yow noght this fourtnyght or moore ¶ God woot quod he / laboured I haue ful soore Line 1784 And specially / for thy sauacion [folio 80b] 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 [[at messe is in a later hand]] And seyd a sermon / after my symple wit Nat al / after the text of holy writ ffor it is hard to yow / as I suppose And ther-fore / wol I teche yow al the glose Line 1792 Glosyng is a glorious thyng certeyn ffor lettre sleeth / so as we clerkes seyn Ther haue I taught hem / to be charitable And spende hir good / ther it is resonable Line 1796 And ther I say 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 hise armes narwe And kiste hir swete / and chirteth as a Sparwe Line 1804 With his lippes / Dame quod he / right wel As he / that is youre seruant euery del Thanked be god / that yow yaf soule and lyf Yet say 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 pray yow / that ye nat yow greue I wol 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 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 leeue / o deere sire quod she Chideth hym wel / for Seinte Trinitee Line 1824 He is as angry / as a Pissemyre [folio 81a] Thogh that he haue / al that he kan desire Thogh I hym wrye a nyght and make hym warm And on hym leye / my leg outher myn arm Line 1828 He groneth lyk oure boor / lyth in oure Sty Oother disport right noon of hym haue I I may nat please hym / in no maner cas ¶ O Thomas Ie vous dy / Thomas / Thomas Line 1832 This maketh the feend / this moste been 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 / now 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 þat I nolde / no beest for me were deed Thanne hadde I with yow / homly 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 pray yow dame / ye be nat anoyed Line 1848 Thogh 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 that ye wente / out of this town ¶ His deeth say I / by reuelacioun Seith this frere / at hom in oure dortour I dar wel seyn / that er þat half an hour Line 1856 After his deeth / I say hym born to blisse In myn avision / so god me wisse So dide oure Sexteyn / and oure ffermerer That han been trewe freres fifty yeer Line 1860 They may now / god be thanked / of his lone Maken hir Iubilee / and walke allone And vp I roos / and al oure Couent eke With many a teere / triklyng on my cheke Line 1864 With-outen noyse / or clateryng of belles [folio 81b] Te Deum was oure song and no thyng elles Saue that to crist / I seyde an orison Thankynge hym / of his reuelacion Line 1868 ffor sire and dame / trusteth me right wel Oure orisons / been wel moore effectuel And moore we seen / of cristes secree thynges Than burell folk al thogh þat they were kynges Line 1872 We lyue in pouerte / and in abstinence And burell folk in richesse and dispence 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 / hadde they ther-by Who so wol praye / he moot faste and be clene And fatte his soule / and make his body lene Line 1880

[6-text p 390] Line 1880 We fare as seith thapostle / clooth and foode Suffiseth vs / thogh they be nat ful goode The clennesse / and the fastyng of vs freres Maketh / that crist accepteth oure prayeres Line 1884 ¶ Lo Moyses / fourty dayes / and fourty nyght ffasted / er that the heighe god of myght Spak with hym / in the mountayne 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 that myghte hem dronke make But there in abstinence / preye and wake Line 1900 Lest that they deyden / tak hede what I seye But they be sobre / that for the peple preye War that I seye namoore / for it suffiseth Oure lord Ihesu / as holy writ deuyseth Line 1904 Yaf vs ensample / of fastyng/ and prayeres [folio 82a] Ther fore / we mendynantz / we sely freres Been wedded / to pouerte and continence To charitee / humblesse and abstinence Line 1908 To persecucion / for rightwisnesse To wepyng misericorde and clennesse And ther-fore may ye se / that oure prayeres I speke of vs / we mendinantz / we freres Line 1912 Be to the hye god / moore acceptable Than youres / with youre festes at the table ffro Paradys first if I shal nat lye 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 swete lord Ihesus Spak this by freres / whan he seyde thus Blessed be they / that poure in Spirit been And so forth / in the gospel / may ye seen Line 1924 Wher it be likker / oure profession Or hire / that swymmen in possession ffy on hir pompe / and hir glotonye And for hir lewednesse / I hem diffye Line 1928 Me thynketh / they been lyk Iouynyan ffat as a whale / and walkyng as a swan Al vynolent as Botel in the Spence Hir preyere is / of ful greet reuerence Line 1932 Whan they for soules / seye the psalm of Dauit Lo buf they seye / cor meum eructauit Who folweth cristes gospel / and his foore But we that humble been / and chaast/ and poore Line 1936 Werkers of goddes word / nat Auditours Ther fore / right as an hauk / vp at a sours Vp spryngeth in-to theyr / right so prayeres Of charitable / and chaste bisy freres Line 1940 Maken hir sours / to goddes erys two Thomas / Thomas / so mote I ryde or go And by that lord / that clepid is Seint yue Nere thow oure brother / sholdestow nat thryue Line 1944 [In [[Rats]] [folio 82b] ] oure chapitre / praye we day and nyght To crist that he thee sende / heele and myght Thy body / for to welden hastily ¶ God woot quod he / no thyng ther-of feele I Line 1948 As help me crist as I in fewe yeres Haue spended / vp-on diuerse manere freres fful many a pound / yet fare I neuere the bet Certeyn / my good haue I almoost biset Line 1952

[6-text p 392] Line 1952 ffarwel my gold / for it is al ago ¶ The frere answerde / o Thomas doostow so What nedeth yow / diuerse freres seche What nedeth hym / that hath a parfit leche Line 1956 To sechen / othere leches in the town Youre inconstance / is youre confusioun Holde ye thanne me / or ellis oure Couent To preye 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 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 hym selue Line 1968 Is moore strong than whan it is to-scatered Thomas / of me / thow shalt nat been yflatered Thow 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 hire Thomas / noght of youre tresor I desire As for my self / but that al oure Couent To praye for yow / is ay so diligent Line 1976 And for to buylden / cristes owene chirche Thomas / if ye wol lernen for to wirche Of buyldyng vp of chirches / may ye fynde If it be good / in Thomas lyf of Inde Line 1980 Ye lye heere ful of Anger and of Ire With which / the deuel set youre herte afire And chiden heere / the sely Innocent/ Youre wyf/ that is so meke and pacient Line 1984 And ther-fore Thomas / trowe me if thee leste [folio 83a] Ne stryue nat with thy wyf/ as for thy beste And bere this word awey / now by thy feith Touchynge swich thyng lo what the wise man seith Line 1988

[6-text p 393] Line 1988 ¶ With-Inne thyn hous / ne be thow no leon To thy subgitz / do noon oppression Ne make thyne aqueyntances / nat for to flee And Thomas / yet eft soones I charge thee Line 1992 Be war from hire / that in thy bosom slepeth War fro the serpent that so sleighly 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 holy meke a wyf What nedeth yow Thomas / to maken stryf/ Line 2000 Their nys ywis / no serpent so cruel Whan 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 parson Line 2008 Kan seye / how Ire engendreth homicide Ire is in sooth / executour of pryde I koude of Ire / seye so muche sorwe My tale / sholde laste til to morwe Line 2012 And ther-fore praye I god / bothe day and nyght An Irous man / god sende hym litel myght It is greet harm / and certes greet pitee To sette an Irous man in heigh degree Line 2016

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

[6-text p 394] Line 2024 [ [Rats] [folio 83b] An]d to another knyght comanded he Go leed 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 thoghten they / it were the beste reed To lede hem bothe / to the Iuge agayn They seyden / lord / the knyght ne hath nat slayn Line 2032 His felawe / heere he stant hool alyue ¶ Ye shul be deed quod he / so moot I thryue This 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 thow also / most nedes lese thyn heed ffor thow art cause / why thy felawe deyth And to the thridde knyght right thus he seith Line 2040 Thow hast nat doon / that I comanded thee And thus he dide / do sleen hem alle thre ¶ Irous Cambyses / was eek dronkelewe And ay delited hym / to been a shrewe Line 2044 And so bifel / a lord of his meynee That louede / vertuous moralitee Seyde on a day / bitwix hem two right thus Line 2047 ¶ A lord is ²lost if he be vicius² [[^2_2 in a later hand]] And dronkenesse / is eek a foul record Of any man / and namely in a lord Ther is ful many an eighe / and many an ere Awaityng on a lord / he noot nat where Line 2052 ffor goddes loue / drynk moore attemprely Wyn maketh man / to lesen wrecchedly His mynde / and eek his lymes euerychon ¶ The reuers shaltow se / quod he anon Line 2056 And preue it by thyn owene experience That wyn ne dooth to folk no swich offence Ther is no wyn / bireueth me my myght Of hond ne foot ne of myne eyen sight Line 2060

[6-text p 395] Line 2060 And for despit he drank ful muchel moore An hundred part than he hadde doon bifore And right anon / this Irous cursed wrecche bifore hym Leet this knyghtes sone / fecche Line 2064 Comandynge hym / he sholde bifore hym stonde [folio 84a] 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 agoon Hath wyn byreued me / myn eye sight ¶ What sholde I telle / thanswere of the knyght Line 2072 His sone was slayn / ther is namoore to seye Beth war ther fore / 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 his vices telle But nat to a lord / thogh he sholde go to helle ¶ Lo Irous Syrus / thilke Percien How he destroyed / the ryuer of Gysen Line 2080 ffor that an hors of his / was dreynt ther-Inne Whan that he wente / Babiloyne 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 / I wol no ferther seye Line 2088 ¶ Now Thomas leeue brother / lef thyn Ire Thow 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 speke 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 been ful wel at eyse Hath been oure foode / oure Cloystre for to reyse And yet god woot vnnethe the fundement/ Parfourned is / ne of oure pauement Line 2104 [ [Rats.] [folio 84b] N]ys nat a tyle / yet with-Inne oure wones By god / we owen fourty pound for stones Now help Thomas / for hym þat harwed helle Or ellis mote we / oure bookes selle Line 2108 And if yow lakke / oure predicacion Thanne gooth the world / al to destruccion ffor who so / fro this world / wolde vs bireue So god me saue / Thomas by youre leue Line 2112 He wolde bireue / out of the world the sonne ffor who kan teche / and werchen as we konne And that is nat of litel tyme quod he But sith Elie was / or Elize Line 2116 Han freres been / that fynde I of record In charitee / thonked be oure lord Now Thomas / help for Seinte charitee And down anon / he set hym on his knee Line 2120 ¶ This sike man / weex wel neigh wood for Ire He wolde / that the frere / hadde been afire With his false dissimulacion Swich thyng/ as is in my possession Line 2124 Quod he / that may I yeue and noon oother Ye sey me thus / how that I am youre brother ¶ Ye certes quod the frere / trusteth wel I took oure dame / oure lettre with oure sel Line 2128 ¶ Now wel quod he / and som what shal I yeue Vn-to youre holy Couent whil I lyue And in thyn hand / thow shalt it han anon On this condicion / and oother noon Line 2132

[6-text p 397] Line 2132 That thow departe it so / my deere brother That euery frere / haue as muche as oother This shaltow swere / on thy profession With-outen fraude / or cauelacion Line 2136 ¶ I swere it quod this frere / vp-on my feith And ther with al / his hand in his he leith Lo here my feith / in me / shal be no lak ¶ Now thanne put thyn hand / down by my bak Line 2140 Seyde this man / and grope wel bihynde Bynethe my buttok there shaltow fynde A thyng that I haue hyd in pryuetee ¶ A thoghte this frere / that shal go with me Line 2144 And down his hand / he launcheth to the clifte [folio 85a] 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 is no capul / drawyng in a Cart That myghte han late a fart of swich a sown ¶ The frere vp stirte / as dooth a wood leoun Line 2152 A false cherl quod he / for goddes bones This hastow for despit doon for the nones Thow shalt abye this fart if þat I may His meynee / which that herden this affray Line 2156 Cam lepyng 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 he were a wilde boor Line 2160 He grynt with his teeth / so was he wrooth A sturdy paas / doun to the court he gooth Wher as ther 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 boord Vnnethe / myghte the frere speke a woord Line 2168

[6-text p 398] Line 2168 Til atte laste / he seyde / god yow see ¶ This lord gan looke / and seyde benedicitee What frere Iohn / what manere world is this I se wel / that som 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 I may ¶ I haue quod he / had a despit to day Line 2176 God yelde yow / adown in youre village That in this world / ther nys so poure a page That he nolde haue / abhomynacioun Of that I haue receyued in youre toun Line 2180 And yet/ ne 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 sire quod he / but seruytour [folio 85b] Thogh I haue had in scole / that honour God liketh nat that Raby men vs calle Neither in Market nyn youre large halle Line 2188 ¶ No force quod he / but tel me al youre grief ¶ Sire quod this frere / an odious meschief This day bityd is / to myn ordre and me And so par consequens / to ech degree Line 2192 Of holy 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 therthe / and the sauour 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 / ay stille sat Line 2200 Til she hadde herd / what the frere sayde ¶ Ey goddes moder quod she / blisful mayde Is ther aught ellis / tel me feithfully ¶ Ma dame quod he / how thynketh yow ther by Line 2204

[6-text p 399] Line 2204 ¶ How þat me thynketh quod she / so god me spede I seye / a cherl / hath doon a cherles dede What sholde 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 oother wise / may be wreke I shal diffame hym / ouer al wher I speke Line 2212 The 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 down How hadde this cherl / ymaginacioun To shewe swich a probleme / to the frere Neuere erst er now / herde I swich matere Line 2220 I trowe the deuel / putte it in his mynde In Arsmetrik shal ther no man fynde Bifore this day / of swich a question Who sholde / make a demonstracion Line 2224 That euery man sholde han / ylike his part/ [folio 86a] As of a soun / or sauour / of a fart O nyce prowde cherl / I shrewe his face ¶ Lo sires quod the lord / with harde grace Line 2228 Who euere herde / 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 lat hym neuere thee Line 2232 The rumblyng of a fart and euery soun Nys but of Eyr / reuerberacioun And there it wasteth / lite and lite awey Ther nys no man / kan deme 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 certeynly / demonyak Line 2240

[6-text p 400] Line 2240 Now ete youre mete / and lat the cherl go pleye Lat hym go hange hym self/ a deuel weye [[The Solution of the "Probleme" by the Lord's Squire|and-Carver. No break in the MS.]] ¶ Now stood / the lordes Squyer at the boord That carf his mete / and herde word by woord Line 2244 Of alle thyng of which I haue yow sayd ¶ My lord quod he / be ye nat yuele apayd I koude telle / for a gowne clooth To yow sire frere / so ye be nat wrooth Line 2248 How that this fart sholde euene ydeled be Among youre Couent if it liked me ¶ Tel quod the lord / and thow shalt haue anon A gowne clooth / by god and by Seint Iohn Line 2252 ¶ My lord quod he / whan that the weder is fair With-outen wynd / or perturbynge of Air Lat brynge a Cartwheel / heere in-to this halle But looke that it haue / his spokes alle Line 2256 Twelf spokes / hath a Cartwheel comunly And brynge me thanne twelf freres / woot ye why For thrittene / is a Couent / as I gesse Youre confessour heere / for his worthynesse Line 2260 Shal parfourne vp / the nombre of this Couent Thanne shal they knele adown / by oon assent And to euery spokes ende / in this manere fful sadly / leye his nose / shal a frere Line 2264 Youre noble Confessour / ther god hym saue [folio 86b] Shal holde his nose / vp right vnder the Naue Thanne shal this cherl / with baly / stif and toght As any tabour / hider been ybroght Line 2268 And sette hym on the wheel / right of this Cart Vp on the Naue / and make hym lete a fart And ye shal seen / on peril of my lyf By proue / which that is demonstratyf Line 2272

[6-text p 401] Line 2272 That equally / the soun of it wol wende And eek the stynk/ vn-to the spokes ende Saue / that this worthy man / youre Confessour By cause / he is a man of greet honour Line 2276 Shal han the firste fruyt as reson is The noble vsage of freres / yet is this The worthy men of hem / shul first be serued And certeynly / he hath it wel disserued Line 2280 He hath to day / taught vs so muchel good With prechyng in the pulput ther he stood That I may vouche sauf / I seye for me He hadde the firste smel / of fartes thre Line 2284 And so wolde / al his Couent hardily He bereth hym / so faire and holily ¶ The lord / the lady / ech man / saue the frere Seyden / that Iankyn spak in this matere Line 2288 As wel / as Euclyde / or Protholomee Touchynge the cherl / they seyde subtiltee And hy wit made hym speke / as he spak He nys no fool / ne no demonyak Line 2292 And Iankyn hath y-wonne / a newe gowne My tale is doon / we been almoost at towne [6-text p 253]

¶ Here endeth the Somnours tale. [[A blank leaf follows in the MS.]]