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

[6-text p 397]

1. END OF THE SUMMONER'S TALE.

[And fet his felawe / ther that lay his store He loked as he were a wilde bore And grynt with the teth / so was he wroth Line 2161 A sturdy pas / doun to the court he goth Wher that ther woned / a man of grete honour To whom that he / was alway confessour Line 2164 This worthy man / was lorde of that vyllage This ffrere cam / as he were in a rage Sompnour [Addit. 5140 folio 124a] Wher as the lorde / sat etyng at his borde Vneth myht the frere / speke a worde Line 2168

[6-text p 398] Line 2168 Til at last / he seid god you see This lorde gan look / and sayd benedicite What ffrere Iohn / what maner worlde is this I see weel / that som thing is a-mys Line 2172 Ye looke / as the woode wer ful of thevys Sit doun a-noon / and telle me what you grevis And it shall ben amendid / yf y may I haue quod he / had a foul despyt this day Line 2176 God yelde it you / a-doun in your village That in this worlde / ther nys so pore a pape That he nolde haue / abhomynacioun Of that y haue / receyved / in the toun Line 2180 And yit ne grevith it me also sore As that the olde chirle / with lokkis hoore Blasfemed hath / our holy covent eek Nowe maister quod this lorde / y you beseeche Line 2184 No maister quod he / but a servitour Thouh y haue had in scole / that honour God lyketh nat / that raby men vs calle Nothir in Markat / ne in your large halle Line 2188 No force quod he / but telle me all your greeff Sir quod this ffrere / an odious myschieff This day betid is / myn ordre and me And so par consequens / in eche degre Line 2192 Of holy chirch / god amende it sone Sir quod the lorde / ye wot what is to done Distempir you nat / ye be my confessour Ye be salt of the erth / and the souour Line 2196 ffor goddis love / your pacient now holde [Addit. MS 5140 folio 124b] Tell me your greef / and a-non he him tolde As ye haue herd beforne / ye wot well what The lady of the hous / ay still sat Line 2200 Tyl she hadde harde / all what the ffrere said By goddis modir quod she / the blisful mayd Is ther auht ellis / telle me feithfully Madame quod he / how thinke ye herby Line 2204

[6-text p 399] Line 2204 How that me thenkyth quod she / so god me spede I sey a cherl / hath don a cherlis dede What sholde y sey / god lat him nevir the His sike hed / is ful of vanyte Line 2208 I holde him / in a maneer ffrenesie Madame quod he / bi god y shall not lye But yf y / be any weyes may be wreke I shall diffame him / ovirall wher y speke Line 2212 The fals blasphemour / that chargid me To depart / that wol not departed be To euerych man / alych with myschaunce The lord sat styll / as he wore in a traunce Line 2216 And in his hert / he rolleth vp and doun How that this cherle / had ymaginacioun To shewe such a probleme / to the ffrere Nevir e[r]st er nowe / her y of such matere Line 2220 I trow the devill / put it in his mynde In ars / shall no man / metryk fynde Byforn this day / of such a questioun Who sholde make / a demonstracioun Line 2224 That euery man / shulde haue lyk his part As of soun / or of savour / of a fart O nyce prowde chirll / y shrew his face Loo sirs quod the lorde / what harde grace Line 2228 To euery man lyk / telle me howe Sompnour [Addit. MS 5140 folio 125a] That a fart / sholde be departed nowe It is an Impossible / it may nat be Ey nyce cherl / god lat him nevir the Line 2232 The romblyng / of a fart / and euery soun Nys but of heyr / reuerberacioun And ther it wasteth / lytel and lytel a-wey Ther is no man / can deme bi my fey Line 2236 Yf that it were / departed equally What lo my cherle / lo howe shrewdely Vnto my confessour / to day he spak I holde him certayn / a demonyak Line 2240

[6-text p 400] Line 2240 Now ete your mete / and lat the chirle go play Lat him go hang him self / a devylway Now stood the lordis Sqwyer / atte boorde That karf his mete / and herd woorde bi woorde Line 2244 Of all thing / whiche y haue said My lorde quod he / be ye nat evill a-payde I cowde telle / for a gowne cloth To you sir frere / so ye be nat wroth Line 2248 How that a ffart / shall evene delt be A-mong your covent / yif it lyke the Tell quod the lorde / and thou shalt haue a-non A gowne cloth / bi god and bi seint Iohn Line 2252 My lord quod he / whan that the wedir is fair Ryht her bifore you / sitting in a chayr Lat bryng a cart wheel / her in-to this hall But loke that it haue / his spokys holis all Line 2256 xij. spokys / hath a cart wheel comonly And bryng me xij. ffrerys / wyte ye why ffor xiij^ne. is a covent as y gesse / Your confessour heer / for his worthynesse Line 2260 Shall parforme vp the noumbre of his covent [Addit. MS 5140 folio 125b] Thanne shall ye knele adoun / bi oon assent And to euery spokis ende / in this maneer ffull sadly ley in his nose / shall a ffrere Line 2264 your noble confessour / god him save Shall holde his nose vpriht / vndir the nave Thanne shall this chirl / with bely styf and touht As any tabur / hidir be brouht Line 2268 And set him on the wheel / ryht of this carte Vpon the nave / and make him let a fart And ye shall seyn / vp pereil of my lyf By preeff / whiche is demonstratyf Line 2272

[6-text p 401] Line 2272 That equally / the soun of it wol wende And eek the stynk / vnto the spokys eende Sauf that this worthi man your confessour Bicause he is a man / of gret honour Line 2276 Shal haue the first frute / as resoun is The noble vsage of ffreris / it is this The worthiest man of hem al / shall ferst be served And certeynly / he hath it wel deserued Line 2280 He hath to day tauht vs / so moch good Wyth preching in the pulpet / ther he stood That y may vouchesauf / y say for me He hadde the first smell / of ffartis thre Line 2284 And so woll all thys covent hardely He berith him so fair / and so hoolyly The lord / the lady / and ech man sauf the ffrere Said that Iaynkyn / spake in his mateere Line 2288 As well as Euclido / or Partholome Touchyng the Cherlis / thei seiden / subtilte And bi witt / made him speke as he spake He is no fool ./ nor no domynyak Sompnour [Addit. MS 5140 folio 126a] And Iaynkyn / hath wonne a new gowne Line 2293 My tale is don / we be almost at towne

Explicit fabula Apparitoris]

[6-text p 442]

2. [Addit. MS, Brit. Mus., 5140,leaf 148.]

WEpyng and weylyng / care and othir sorwe I knowe Inouh / on evyn and on morwe Quod the marchaunt / and so don othir mo That weddid be / I trowe that it be so Line 1216 fful wel y wot / it farith so by me I haue a wyf / wors may non be ffor thouh the feende / to hir coplid were She wolde him ouyr macche / I dar wel swere Line 1220 What shulde y reherce / in specialle Hir hih malice / she is a shrewe wyth alle Ther is a long / and a large difference Betwene Grisildes / grete pacience Line 1224 And of my wyf / the passing cruelte wer y on-bounde / also mot y the I wolde neuir eft / com in the snare we weddid men / lyve in sorwe and care Line 1228 Assay who wyll / and he shall fynde That y sey soth / be seynt Thomas of ynde As for the more partye / y sey nat alle God shelde / that it sholde so be-falle Line 1232 A good sire ost / y haue wedded be Thes monethes too / and moo nat parde And yit y trowe / that he that all his lyf wyfles hath ben / thouh that men wolde him ryffe Line 1236 Vnto the hert / ne cowde he in no maneer Tellen vs so moche sorwe / as I nowe heer Cowde telle of my wyfys / cursidnesse Nowe quod our ost / marchaunt so god you blisse Line 1240 Sith so mychil / knowe ye of that arte fful hertely y pray / telle vs a parte Gladly quod he / but of myn owne sore ffor sory hert / y telle may no more Line 1244

Explicit prologus Mercatoris]

Notes

• Addit. 5140, Brit. Mus., on leaf 123,back.
• [Looks like chuche in the MS]
• [The Solution of the "Probleme" by the Lord's Squire. No break in the MS.]
• [altered from stinch]
• [d written over st]
• [Addit. MS 5140 extract stops]
• Marchaunt
• [? MS oft]
• [Addit. MS 5140 extract ends]