The Corpus ms (Corpus Christi coll., Oxford) of Chaucer's Canterbury tales. Ed. by Frederick J. Furnivall.

[6-text p 473]

1. END OF THE MERCHANT'S TALE.

[for soth I wol no lenger yow contrarie now lete vs turne ageyne to Ianuarie Line 2320 that in the gardeyne / with his fresshe May syngeth ful meryere / than the popyngay ¶ yow loue I beste / and shal and other noon so longe aboute the aleyis / is he goon Line 2324 til he was comyn / ageyns the Perye where as this Damyan / sitteth ful merye an high amonge the fresshe levis grene this fresshe May / that is so bright and shene Line 2328 gan for to sike / and seide allas my side now sir quod she / for aught that may bitide I moste haue of the perys / that I se or I mot dye / so sore longeth me Line 2332 to eten of the smale peris grene helpe for hir loue / that is of heuen quene I telle yow wel / a woman in my plighte may haue to fruyte / so grete an appetite Line 2336 that she may dye / but she hit haue allas quod he / that I nad here a knaue that coude clymbe / allas allas quod he that I am blynde / ye sir no fors quod she Line 2340 but wolde ye vouchesaff / for godis sake the pery with-inne youre armes to take for wel I woot / that ye mystrute me than shulde I clymbe / wel I-now quod she Line 2344 so I my fote myght sette / vppon youre bak for soth quod he / in me shal be no lak myght I yow helpen / with myn herte bloode he stoupith down / and on his bak she stoode Line 2348 and caughte hir bi a twiste / and vp she goothe ladyes I pray yow / be ye not wroothe I can not glose / I am a rude man [MS Arch. Seld. B. 14 folio 130b] and sodeynly / anoon this Damyan Line 2352

[6-text p 474] Line 2352 gan pulle vp the smok / and in he thronge [[MS Arch. Seld. B. 14]] and whan that Pluto saw / that grete wronge to Ianuarie he gaff ageyne / his sight and made him se / as wel as euer he myght Line 2356 and whan that he / had his sight agayne ther was neuer man of thing / so fayne but on his wiff / his thought was euermo vp to the tre / he caste his eyghen two Line 2360 and saw how Damyan / his wiff had dressed in suche manere / hit may not ben expressed but if I wolde speke / vncurteysly and vp he gaff / a roryng and a cry Line 2364 as doth the moder / whan the childe shal dye oowte helpe allas / harrow he gan crye o stronge lady stoure / what doist thow and she answerde / sir what eylith yow Line 2368 haue pacience and resoun / in youre mynde I haue yow holpen / on bothe youre eyghen blynde vp perel of my soule / I shal not lyen as me was tavght / to hele with youre eyghen Line 2372 was nothing bet / to make yow se than strogle with a man / vppon a tre god woot I did hit / in ful good entente stride quod he / ye algate in hit wente Line 2376 god yeve yow both / on shames deth to dien he did the so / I sigh it with myn eyghen and ellis be I honged / by the hals than is quod she / my medicyne al fals Line 2380 for certeynly if that ye myghten see ye wolde not seye / tho wordis vn-to me ye han som glymsyng / and no parfite sight I se quod he as wel / as euer I myght Line 2384 thonked be god / with both myn eyghen two and bi my trouthe me thoughte he did the so ye mase mase goode sir / quod she [MS Arch. Seld. B. 14 folio 131a] this thanke haue I / for I haue made yow se Line 2388

[6-text p 475] Line 2388 allas quod she / that euer I was so kynde [[MS Arch. Seld. B. 14]] now dame quod he / lete al passe out of mynde com down my lef / and if I haue myssaide god helpe me so / as I am euel apaide Line 2392 but bi my fader soule / I wende haue seyne how that this Damyan / had bi the leyne and that thi smok / had leyne vppon thi brest ye sir quod she / ye may wene as yow lest Line 2396 but sir a man / that wakith out of his slepe he may not sodeynly / ne wel taken kepe vppon a thing / ne sen hit parfitly til that he ben a-dawed / verrily Line 2400 right so a man / that longe hath blynde I-be ne may not sodeynly / so wel I-se first whan his sight / is newe com ageyne as he that hath / a day or two I-seyne Line 2404 til that youre sight / I-stabled be a while ther may ful many a sight / yow bigile beth war I pray yow / for bi heuen kyng ful many a man wenyth / to se a thing Line 2408 and hit is al another / than hit semeth he that mysconceivith / mys demeth and with that worde / she lepe doun fro the tre this Ianuarie / who is glad but he Line 2412 he kissith hir / and clippith hir / ful ofte and on hir wombe / he stroketh hir ful softe and to his paleys hoom / he hath hir lad now goode men I pray yow / to be glad Line 2416 thus endith here my tale / of Ianuarie god blesse vs / and his moder seynt Marie. Amen. Line 2418

Here endith the Marchauntis tale of Ianuarie and May.]