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.]

[6-text p 476]

2 [and bigynneth the Squyers prologe

[Arch. Seld. MS B 14 folio 131]

By godis mercy / seide oure ost tho now such a wiff / I pray god kepe vs fro Line 2420 lo whiche slighthis / & sotilteis [MS Arch. Seld. B. 14 folio 131b] in women ben / for thei be besy as beis to vs sely men / for to disseive and fro a soth / euer wol thei weive Line 2424 bi this marchauntis tale / hit previth wele but douteles as trewe as any stele I haue a wiff / though she pore be but of hir tonge / a labbyng shrewe is she Line 2428 and yit she hath an hepe / of vicis mo therof no force / lete al such thingis go but woot ye what / in consail be hit seide me rewith sore / I am to hir I-teyde Line 2432 for & I sholde reken / euery manere vise whiche that she hath / I-wis I were to nyse and cause whi / hit sholde reported be and tolde to hir / bi some of this mayne Line 2436 bi whom it nedith not / to declare syn women conne outere suche cheffare and eke my witt / suffisith not ther-to to tellen al / ther-fore my tale is do] Line 2440

[6-text p 442]

3. [And next folwith the Marchauntis prolog.

[MS. Arch. Seld. B. 14 folio 114b]

Weping and waylyng / care and other sorowe I knowe I-now on even / and on morowe quod the marchaunte / and so done other mo that wedded be / I trowe that hit be so Line 1216 for wel I woot / hit farith so bi me I haue a wiff / the worst that may be for though the fende / to hir coupled were she wolde him ouer-macche / I dar wel swere Line 1220 what shulde I yow rehers in special hir high malice / she is a shrewe at al ther is a longe / and a large difference bitwixe Gresildis grete pacience Line 1224 and of my wiff / the passing cruelte were I vnbounden / also mot y the I wolde neuer efte comyn / in the snare we wedded men liven / in sorowe and care Line 1228 a-say who so wol / and he shal fynde that I sey sothe / bi seint Thomas of ynde and for the more parte / I sey not alle god shilde that it sholde / so bi-falle Line 1232 a goode sir oste / I haue wedded be this monthes two / and more not parde and yit I trowe / he wolde al his live wiveles han ben / though men wolde him rive Line 1236 in-to the herte / ne coude in no manere [MS Arch. Seld. B. 14 folio 115a] tellen so meche sorowe / as I now here couthe telle / of my wivis cursidnesse now quod oure oste marchaunt / so god yow blesse Line 1240 syn ye so mechel knowen / of that arte ful hertely I pray yow / telle vs parte gladly quod he / but of myn owne sore for hevy herte / I telle may no more Line 1244

Here endith the Marchaunt is prolog

[6-text p 478]

4. THE SQUIRE'S HEAD-LINK.

[MS. Arch. Seld. B. 14 folio 131b]

[Squyer com nere / if that youre wille be and sey somwhat of loue / for certis ye konne theron / as mech as any man nay sir quod he / but I wol sey as I can with herty wil / for I wol not rebelle ageyne youre lust / a tale wol I telle haue me excused / if that I speke a-mys my wil is good / & lo my tale is this

Here endith the Squyers prolog]

[6-text p 498]

5. [Here begynneþ þe prolog of þe frankeleyn

[Laud MS 600 folio 171]

In faiþ squier þou hast þe wel I-quytt And gentilli I praise wel þi witt Quod þe frankeleyn considering þi youþe So felyngli þou spekest sir I alouþe Line 676 As to my dome þer is noon þat is here Of eloquence shal be þi pere [yf þat þou lyve / god yeve þe gode chaunce [[Haistwell MS]] And in vertue / send the contynuaunce] Line 680 ffor of þi speche I haue gret deynte I haue a sone and bi þe Trinite I had leuere þan xx^ti pounde worþ lond Þough it right now were fallen in my honde Line 684 Ye ar a man of suche discrecion As þat ye ben fy vpon possession But if a man be vertuous with-al I haue my sone snybbed and yut shal Line 688 ffor he to vertu listeþ not entende But for to pleie at dies and to despende And lese al þat he haþ is his vsage And he haþ leuere talke wiþ a page Line 692 Þan to commune wiþ any gentil wight Where he might lerne gentilnesse a-right Strawe for youre gentilnesse quod our host What frankeleyn parde wel þow wost [Frankeleyn] Line 696 Þat eche of of (sic) you mot tellen atte leste A tale or too / or breken his beheste [Laud MS 600 folio 171b] Þat knowe I wel quod þe ffrankeleyn certeyn [Frankeleyn] I praie you not haueþ me in desdeyn Line 700

[6-text p 499] Line 700 Þow to þis man I speke a worde or too Telle on þi tale wiþouten wordes moo Gladli sir host quod he I wol obeie Vn-to youre wille now herkeneþ what I seie Line 704 I wil you not contrarie in no wise As ferre as þat my wittes wil suffise I praie to god þat it mai plesen you Þan wot I wel þat it is good Inow] Line 708