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

[6-text p 580]

¶ The Tale.;|. And here bygynneþ þe manciple his tale [on leaf 268]

WHan Phebus dwelt here in þis erþe adoun Line 105 As olde bokes maken mencioun He was þe most lusty bachilere Of al þis world and eke þe best archere Line 108 He sclough Phiton þe serpent as he lay Scleping aȝeinst þe sonne vpon a day And mony a noþer worþi noble dede He wiþ his bowe wrouȝt as men may rede Line 112 Pleien he coude on euery mynstralcie And syngen þat it was a melodye To harken of his cleere voys þe soun Certes þe kynge of Thebes Amphioun Line 116 That wiþ hys syngging walled þat cite Coude neuere synge half so wel as he Therto he was þe semeliest man That is or was siþ þe world bygan. Line 120 What nedeþ it is fetures to discrive ffor in þis world was noon so faire alyue He was þer-with fulfilled of gentilnesse Of honure and of parfit worþinesse Line 124 This Phebus þat was flour of bachelerie As wel in fredom as in Chiualrie ffor disport and in signe eke of victorie Of Pheton so as telleþ vs þe storie Line 128 was wont to beren in his honde a bowe Now haþ þis Phebus in his hows a crowe [folio 268a] Which in a Cage he fostred mony a day And tauȝt it to speke as men doon a Iaye Line 132

[6-text p 581] Line 132 White was þis crowe as is a white swan Line 133 And countrefeted þe speche of euery man He cowde whan he shuld telle a tale Ther-wiþ in al þis londe þer nys no nyȝtyngale Line 136 That cowde by an hundred thousan dele Synge so mery and eke so wel Now had þis phebus in his hous a wif Which þat he loued more þan his owne lif Line 140 And nyght and day did euer diligence Her for to plese and done reuerence Sauf oonly ȝif I þe soþ shal sayn Ialous he was and wold haue kept hure fayn Line 144 ffor hym were loþe Iiaped forto be And so euery man wold in such degre But al for nauȝt for it availeþ noȝt A good wif þat is clene of werk and þoȝt Line 148 Shuld not be kepte in noon awaite certeyn And trewly þe labour is in veyn To kepe a schrewe for it wil not be This hold I for a verrey nycete Line 152 To spille labour forto kepe wyues Thus writen olde clerkes in her lyues But nowe to purpos as I first bygan · This worþi phebus dooþ al þat he can/ Line 156 To plesen hure wenyng by such plesaunce And for his manhode and his gouernaunce That no man shuld haue put hym from hir grace But god it wote þer may no man enbrace Line 160 As to destroie a þinge which þat nature Haþ naturelly sette in a creature Take eny bridde and put it in a cage And doo al þine entent and þi corage Line 164 To fostere it tenderly wiþ mete and drink Of alle deyntise þat þou canst by-þenk And kepe it also clenly as he may Al þouȝe his Cage of gold be neuer so gay [folio 269a] Line 168

[6-text p 582] Line 168 Ȝit haþ þis brid by twenty þousand fold Line 169 Leuer in a forest þat is wilde and cold Goon ete wormes and suche wrecchednesse ffor euer þis bridde wol doon his bysynes Line 172 To escape out of his cage if he may His liberte þe bridde desireþ ay Lat take a cat and fostre hym wel with mylk And tendere flesshe and make his couche of silk Line 176 And lat hym seen a mous goo by þe wall And anoon he wayueth mylk flessh and all And euery deynte þat is in þe hous Suche appetit haþ he to ete a mous Line 180 Lo here haþ lust his domynaciōn And appetit flemeþ discreciōn As þe wolf haþ also a vileyns kynde The lewdest wolf þat she may fynde Line 184 Or leest of reputacion þat wil she take In tyme whan hur lust to haue a make Alle þise ensamples speke I. by þise men That bene vntrewe and no þing by wommen Line 188 ffor men han euer a likerous appetit On lower þing to performe her delite Than on her wyues bene þei neuere so faire Ne neuere so trewe ne so debonaire Line 192 fflesshe is so newefongel wiþ meschaunce That we ne konne no þinge han plesaunce That sowneþ in vertue eny while This Phebus which þat þouȝt vpon no gile Line 196 Deceyued was for al his Iolite ffor vnder hym anoþer had she A man of litel reputaciōn Not worþ to phebus in comparison Line 200 The more harme is it happeþ oft soo Of whoch þer commeth mochel harme and woo And so byfelle whan phebus was absent His wif anoon haþ for her lemman sent Line 204

[6-text p 583] Line 204 Here lemman certes þis is a knauyssh speche Line 205 fforȝeueþ it me and þat I ȝou biseche [folio 269b] The wise Plato seiþ as ȝe may [[first here rede]] rede þ^e Word mot nedes accorde wiþ þe dede Line 208 Ȝif men shal telle proprely a þinge The worde mot Cosyn be to þe workinge I am a boistous man riȝt þus say I Ther nys no difference trewly Line 212 Bitwix a wif þat is of hie degre Ȝif of her body dishonest she be And a poor wenche oþer þan þis Ȝif it so be þei wirk boþ amys Line 216 But þat þe gentile is in state aboue She shal be cleped his lady as in loue And for þat oþer is a poor womman She shal be cleped his wench and his lemman. Line 220 And god it woote myn owne der broþer Men sayn þat oon lith as lowe as doþ þat oþer Riȝt so bitwix a titles tyraunt And an houlaw [[or honlaw]] and a þeef erraunt Line 224 The same I say þer nys no difference To Alisaunder was tolde þat sentence That for þe tyraunt is of gretere myȝt By force of mayne for sclen doun riȝt Line 228 And brennen hous and home and make al playn Lo þerfore is cleped a Capitayn And for þe outlaw haþ but smal mayne And may not doon so grete an harme as he Line 232 Ne bringe a contre to so grete meschief Men clepen hym an outlay or a þeef But sor I am a man not text wel I wil not telle of Titus neuer a dele Line 236 I wil go to my tale as I byganne Whan phebus [wif] had sent for her lemman Anoon þei wrouȝten al her lust volage This white crowe þat henge ay in þe cage Line 240

[6-text p 584] Line 240 Bihelde her werk and saide neuer a word Line 241 And whan þat home was come Phebus þe lord þis crowe songe Cokkow. cokkow. Cukkowe What brid quod phebus what songe singest thowe [folio 270a] Ne were þou wonte so merely to synge That to myn hert it was a reioysinge To here þi vois allas what songe is þis By god quod he I synge nat a mys Line 248 Phebus quod he for al þi worþinesse ffor al þi bewte and þi gentilnesse ffor al þi songe and al þi mynstralcye ffor al þi waytinge blered is þine ye Line 252 Wiþ oon of litel reputaciōn Nouȝt worþ to þe as in comparison The mountaunce of a gnatte so mote I thryue ffor on þi bed þi wiff I segh hym swyve Line 256 What wil ȝe more þe crawe anoon hym tolde By sad tokens and by wordes bolde How þat his wif had doon her leccherie Hym to grete shame and to gret vilenye Line 260 And tolde hym oft he segh it wiþ his eyen This Phebus gan awaiward forto wryen./ Hym þouȝt his sorowful hert brast atwoo His bowe he bent and sette þer-Inne a floe Line 264 And in his Ire haþ he his wif sclayn This is þeffecte þer nys no more to sayn ffor sorowe of which he brak his mynstralcie Boþ harpe and lute. gitern · and sawtrie Line 268 And eke he brak his harowes and his bowe And after þat þus speke he to þe crowe Traitour quod he wiþ tunge of scorpion Thou hast/ me brouȝt to my confusion Line 272 Allas þat I was wrouȝt why ner I dede O dere wiff o. gemme of lustihede þat were to me so sad and eke so trewe Now liest þou dede wiþ face pale of hwe Line 276

[6-text p 585] Line 276 fful giltles þat durst I swere ywis Line 277 O Rakel hounde to doon so foule amys O trouble witte .o. yre rechelees That vnavised smytest giltlees Line 280 O wan-trest ful of fals suspeciōn Wher was þi witt and þi discrecion [folio 270b] O euery man be war of rechelesnesse Ne trow no þinge wiþ-out strong witnesse Line 284 Smyte not to sone er þow wit why And be avised wel and soberly Er ȝe doon eny executiōn Vppon ȝoure Ire for suspeciōn Line 288 Allas an Ml. folk han rakel yre ffully fordoon or brouȝt hem in þe myre Allas for sorowe I wil my self scle And to þe Crawe o· fals þeef saide he Line 292 I wil þe qwite anoon þi fals tale Thow songe whilom like a nyȝtyngale Now shalt þou fals þeef þi songe forgone Eke þi white fetheres euerechone Line 296 Ne neuer in al þi lif shalt þou speke Thus shal men on a traitour ben ywreke Thowe and þine ospringe euer shul be blake Ne neuer swete noys shul ȝe make Line 300 But euer crie aȝeinst tempest and reyne In tokenynge þat þorgh þe my wif is scleyn And to þe crowe he stert and þat anone And pulled his white feþeres euerechone Line 304 And made hym blak and raft hym al his songe And eke his speche and out atte dore hym sclonge Vnto þe deuel to whoom I hym bitake And for þis caus bene al[le] crowes blake Line 308 Lordyngges by þis ensample I ȝou preie ¶ Beþ war and takeþ kepe what þat ȝe seie Ne telleþ neuer no man ȝoure liff How þat anoþer man haþ diȝt þi wiff Line 312

[6-text p 586] Line 312 He wil ȝou hate mortelly certayn Line 313 Dann salomon as wise clerkes sayn Techeþ a man to kepe his tunge wel But as I seide I am not text wel Line 316 But naþelees þus tauȝt me my dame My sone þenk on þe crowe a goddys name My sone kepe wel þi tunge and kepe þi frende A wicked tunge is wors þan a feende [folio 271a] Line 320 My sone from a feende men may hem blisse My sone god of hise endelees goodnesse Walled a tunge wiþ teeþ and lippes eke ffor man shuld hym avise what he speke Line 324 My sone ful oft for to mochel speche Haþ mony a man be spilt as clerkes teche But for litel speche avisely Is no man shent to speke generally Line 328 My sone þi tunge shuldest þou restreyn Att al tyme but whan þou dost þi peyn To speke of god in honure and preiere The furst vertue sone ȝif þou wilt lere Line 332 Is to restreyne and kepe wel þi tonge Thus lernen children whan þei bene ȝonge My sone of moche speking euel avised Ther lasse speking had ynow suffised Line 336 Comeþ moche harme þus was me told and tauȝt In mochel speche synne wanteþ nauȝt Woost þou wherof a Rakel tunge serueþ Riȝt as a swerd forkutteþ and for-kerueth Line 340 An arme a twoo my dere sone riȝt soo A tonge kitteþ frendship al a twoo A Ianglere is to god abhomynable Rede Salomon so wise and honurable Line 344 Rede Dauid and his Psalmes. rede Senek My sone speke not but with þi hede þou bek Dissimule as þou were deef if þat þou here A Iangelere speke of parilous matere Line 348

[6-text p 587] Line 348 þe fflemyng seiþ and lerne it ȝif þe list Line 349 That litel Iangelinge causeþ mochl ryst My sone ȝif þou no wikked word hast seide The ther not drede forto be bywreiede Line 352 But he þat haþ myssaide I dar wel sayn He may by no way clepe his word agayn þing þat is saide. is saide and forþ it goþ þouȝe hym repent or be he neuer so looþ Line 356 He is his þral to whom þat he haþ saide A taile of which he is nowe euel a-payde [folio 271b] My sone be war and be not autour newe Of tydingges whedere þei be fals or trewe Line 360 Where so þou come amonges hie or lowe Kepe wel þi tunge and þenk vpon þe crowe Line 362

¶ þus endeþ þe prologe of þe manciple.