The Harleian ms. 7334 of Chaucer's Canterbury tales. Ed. by Frederick J. Furnivall.

§ 1. MAN OF LAW'S HEAD-LINK.

HARLEIAN MS. 7334 (British Museum).

Owre Hoste sawh þat þe brighte sonne [folio 71a] The arke of his artificial day haþ I-ronne The fourþe part of half an hour and more / And þough he were nat depe in lore Line 4 he wist it was þe þrettenþe day Of april þat is messanger to may And sawe wel þat þe schade of euery tree was in þe lengthe þe same quantite Line 8 That was þe body erecte þat caused it And þerfore by þe schadwe he took his wit That Phebus which þat schoon so fair and bright Degrees was .xlv. clombe on hight Line 12 And for þat day as in þat latitude Hit was ten of þe clokke he gan conclude / And sodeynly he plight his hors aboute

LOrdynges quod he I warne ȝou al þe route Line 16 The fourþe party of þis day is goon Now for þe loue of god and of seint Ion leseþ no tyme as forþe as ȝe may lordynges þe tyme passeþ night and day Line 20 And steliþ fro vs what pryuely slepyng And what þurgh necligence in oure wakyng As doþ þe streem þat torneþ neuer agayn Descendyng fro þe mounteyn in to playn Line 24 wel can senek and many philosopher Bywaylen tyme more þan gold in cofre For losse of catel may recouered be / But losse of tyme schendeth vs quod he Line 28

[6-text p 130] Line 28 It wil nat come agayn wiþoute drede Nomore þan wol malkyns maydenhede whan sche had lost it in hir wantownesse / let vs nat mowlen þus in ydelnesse Line 32

SIr man of lawe quod he so haue ȝe blisse Telle vs a tale anon as forward ys Ȝe be submitted þurgh our fre assent/ To stonden in þis cas at my Iuggement Line 36 Acquyteþ ȝow and holdeþ ȝoure byheste / Than haue ȝe doon ȝour deuour atte leste

HOst quod he depardeux I assent [folio 71b] To breke forward is nat myn entent/ Line 40 Byheste is dette and I wol holde fayn Al my byhest I can no better sayn For such lawe as a man ȝeueth anoþer wight he schuld him selue vsen hit by right Line 44 Thus wol oure text but naþeles certeyn I can right now non oþer tale seyn That Chaucer þey he can but lewedly On metres and on Rymyng certeynly Line 48 Haþ seyd hem in such englisch as he can Of olde tyme as knoweþ many man And ȝif he haue nouȝt sayd hem leeue brother In O bok he haþ seyd hem in anoþer Line 52 For he haþ told of louers vp and doun Moo þan Ovide made of mencioun In his Epistelles þat ben so olde what schuld I tellen hem syn þey be tolde / Line 56 In ȝouþe he made of Coys and alcioun And siþþe haþ he spoke of euerychon These noble wyfes and þese louers eeke who-so wole his large volume seeke Line 60 Cleped þe seintes legendes of Cupide Ther may he see þe large woundes wyde Of lucresse and of Babiloun Tysbee The sorwe of Dido for þe fals Enee Line 64

[6-text p 131] Line 64 The tree of philles for hir demephon The pleynt of Dyane and of Ermyon Of Adrian and of ysyphilee The barren yle stondyng in þe see / Line 68 The dreynt leander for hir Erro The teeres of Eleyn and eek þe woo Of bryxseyde and of ledomia The cruelte of þe queen Medea Line 72 The litel children hangyng by þe hals For þilke Iason þat was of loue so fals O ypermystre penollope and alceste / Ȝoure wyfhood he comendeth wiþ þe beste Line 76 But certeynly no worde writeþ he [folio 72a] Of þilke wikked ensample of Canace That loued hir owen broþer synfully On whiche corsed stories I seye fy Line 80 Or elles of Tyro appoloneus how þat þe cursed kyng Anteochus Byreft his doughter of hir maydenhede That is so horrible a tale as man may reede Line 84 whan he hir þrew vpon þe pament And þerfore he of ful auysement wolde neuer wryte in non of his sermouns Of such vnkynde abhominaciouns Line 88 Ne I wol non reherse if þat I may But of my tale how schal I do þis day Me were loth to be lykned douteles / To muses þat men clepen Pyerides Line 92 Methamorphoseos wot what I mene But naþeles I recche nat a bene They I come after him with hawe-bake / I speke in prose [Was Melibe first meant for the Man of Law?] and let him rymes make Line 96 And wiþ þat word he wiþ a sobre cheere Bygan his tale as ȝe schal after heere

¶ Explicit prologus [[No break in the MS.]]