The Cambridge ms. Dd. 4. 24. of Chaucer's Canterbury tales, completed by the Egerton ms. 2726 (the Haistwell ms) Ed. by Frederick J. Furnivall ...

GROUP A. FRAGMENT I.

§ 1. GENERAL PROLOGUE.

CAMBRIDGE MS. Dd. 4. 24 (copied by Wytton), Completed by Egerton MS. 2726 (the Haistwell MS.) from which are Lines 1-252, 505-758, 920-1170, 1502-1931, 2927-3016, etc. Its tags to final d, f, g and k are not printed.

WHan that Aprill with his shoures soote [Eg. 2726 folio 1a] The draught of Marche hath pershed þe roote And bathed euery veyn in swhiche licour Of soche vertue engendred is þe floure Line 4 And ȝepherus eke with his swete breth Enspired hath in euery holt and heth The tendre croppes and the yonge son Hath in the Ram half his cours ron Line 8 And smale foules make melody That slepe all night with open Ie So prekketh hem nature in hir corage Than longeth yt folk to go on pilgremage Line 12 And Palmers for to seche straunge strondes To ferne halowes couthe in sondry londes And specially from euery shires ende Of Engelond to Caunterbury þei wende Line 16 The holy blisful martir for to seke That hem hath holp when they were seke

So byfyll yt þat seson on a day In southwerk at þe Tabard as I lay Line 20 Redy to wende on my pilgremage To Caunterbury with full deuou[t] [MS. rubd] corage That night was com[e] [MS. rubd] in to our hostry Wele xxix in a cumpany Line 24 Of diuers folk by auenture yfall In felyshipe and pilgrymes were they all And toward Caunterbury wold þei ryde

The chambres and stables weren wyde Line 28 And wele were we esed at the best And shortly when þe son went to rest So hade I spoke with hem euerychone That I was of her felyshippe anone Line 32 And made foreward erly to aryse To take our wey as I shall you deuise But neuertheless while I haue tyme and space Er þat I in þis tale ferther pace Line 36 Me thinketh yt accordyng were to reson To telle you all the condicon Of ecch of hem so as it semeth me And whiche they were and of what degre Line 40 And eke of what array þei were in [Eg. 2726 folio 1b] And at a knight þan woll I ferst begynne

A Knight þere was and þat a worthy man þat fro þe tyme þat he first began Line 44 To ryde out he loued chiualrye Trewth honour fredome and curtesye And there-to hade he ryden no man so ferre ffull worthy was he in his lordes werre Line 48 As wele in cristendome as in hethnesse And euer honour for his worthynesse At alisaundre he was / whan it was won ffull often tymes hade he / the boorde bygon Line 52 Aboue all nacions / in Spruce In lettow hade he be and in Ruce No cristen man so oft in his degre In Garnard eke at the sege hade he be Line 56 In Algaryse and rydyn in Belmary At Lyaies hade he be and at Sataly When they were wonne and in þe grete se At many a noble aryve hade he bee Line 60 At mortaill batailles hade he be xv And fought for our feith at Tramyssene Within þe lyestes iij· and ay sleyn his fo

This ilk worthy knight hade be also Line 64 Somtyme with the lord of Palacye Ageyns an other hethen in Turkye And euermore he hade a soueraigne pryse And though he were worthy he was wyse Line 68 And of his port as meke as a meide He neuer yit no velany seide In all his lyf vn-to no manere wyght He was a verrey perfite gentell knight Line 72 And for to telle you of his array his hors was gode but him self was nat gay Of fustyan he wered a gepon All besmotered with his habergeon Line 76 ffor he was late come fro his viage And went to do his pilgremage

With hym þere was his son a yong squyer A lovier and a lusty bacheler Line 80 With lokkes crull as they were leyde in presse [Eg. 2726 folio 2a] Of xx yere of age he was as I gesse Of his stature he was of even lengthe And wonderly deliuere and grete of strengthe Line 84 And he hade be somtyme in chiuache In flaundres Artoys and in pycarde And born hym wele as of his litell space In hope to stonde in his lady grace Line 88 Embrouded was he as yt were a mede All full of fressh floures white and rede Syngyng he was or floytyng all the day He was as fressh as ys the monthe of May Line 92 Short was his goun with sleves longe and wyde Wele coude he sit an hors and feire ride he coude eke songes make and wele endite Iuste and daunce portray and eke write Line 96 And so hote he loued þat by nyghtertale He slepe no more þan doth the nyghtyngale Curteys he was lowly and seruisable

He carf byfore his fadre at the table Line 100

Ayoman hade he and seruauntes nomo At þat tyme for hym lyst to ryde so And was all cladde in cote and hode of grene A sheef of pecok arowes bryght and shene Line 104 vndre his belt he bare full thriftyly Wele coude he dresse his takle and yomanly His arowes drouped nat with fedres lowe And in his hande he bare a myghty bowe Line 108 A not hede he hade with a broun visage Of wode craft wele koude he all þe vsage Vp-on his arme he bare a gay braccre And by his syde a swerde and a bokelere Line 112 And on þat other syde a gay daggere Harnest wele as sharpe as pointe of spere A christofre on his brest of silver shene An horn he bare · þe baudryk was of grene Line 116 A foster he was sothly as I gesse

There was also a nonne a prioresse That of hir smylyng was full symple and coy hir grettest othe was but by seint Loy Line 120 And she was cleped madame Eglentyne [Eg. 2726 folio 2b] ffull wele she song the seruice devyne Entuned in hir voyse full semely And frensh she spake feire and fetysly Line 124 After þe scole of Stratford at þe bowe ffor frensh of Parys was to hir vnknowe At þe mete wele taught was she with all She lete no morsell fro hir lyppes falle Line 128 Ne wet hir fyngers in hir sauce depe Wele koude she cary a morsell and wele kepe That no droppe ne fell vp on hir brest In curtesye was set full moche hir lest Line 132 Hir ouerlyppe wyped she so clene That in hir cuppe þere was no ferthing sene Of grece and whan she hade dronke hir draught

ffull semly after hir mete she raught Line 136 And sekerly she was of grete disport And full plesaunt and amiable of port And peined hir to countrefeit chere Of court for to be statelyche of manere Line 140 And for to be holde digne of reuerence And for to speke of hir conscience She was so charitable and pitous She wold wepe yf þat she saw a mous Line 144 Caught in a trap yf þat it were dede or bled Of smale houndes hade she þat she fedde With rosted flessh or mylk and wastell brede But sore wepte she yf ony of hem were dede Line 148 Or yf men smote it with yerde smerte And all was conscience and tendre herte ffull semely hir wymple pynched was Hir nose tretise hir yen grey as glas Line 152 Hir mouthe full small and þer-to softe and rede But sekerly she hade a feire forehede ffor hardely she was nat vndregrowe It was almost a span brede I trowe Line 156 ffull fetyse was hir cloke as I was ware Of small corall about hir arme she bare A peire of bedes gauded all with grene And þere-on hyng a broche of gold full shene Line 160 On which was first write a crowned A [Eg. 2726 folio 3a] And after amor vincit omnia An other nonne with hir hade she That was hir Chapelyn and prestes iij Line 164

A monke þere was a feire for þe maistry An outryder þat loued venery A manly man to be an Abbot able ffor many a deinty hors hade he in his stable Line 168 And whan he rode men myght his bridell here Gyngelyng in a whistelyng wynde as clere And eke as loude as doth þe Chapell bell

There as the lord was keper of þe sell Line 172 The rewle of seint Maure or of seint Benet By-cause it was olde and somdele streyt This ilk monke lete olde thinges passe And helde after þe newe world his space Line 176 He gaue nat at þat tixt a pulled hen That seith þat honnters be nat holy men Ne þat a monke whan he is recheles Ys lykned to a fyssh þat is waterles Line 180 This is to seyn a monke out of his cloystre But þat tixt helde I nought worth an oystre And I seide his oppenyon was gode What shold he stody and make hym self wode Line 184 Vp-on a boke in Cloystre all wey to pore Or swynke with his hondes and labore As Austyn bit ya how shall þe world be serued Lete Austyn haue his swynk to hym reserued Line 188 Þerfore he was a prykasour aryght Greyhoundes he hade as swyft as foule of flyght On prekyng and huntyng for the hare Was all his lust for no thing wold he spare Line 192 I sawe his sleves purfyled at þe hande With gryse and þat þe fynest of a londe And for to festyn his hode vndre his chyn He hade of gold wrought a full coryous pyn Line 196 A loue knot in þe gretter ende þere was His hede was balled þat shone as ony glas And eke his face as he hade ben anoynte He was a lord full fat and in good poynte Line 200 His yen stepe were and rollyng in his hede [Eg. 2726 folio 3b] That stemed as a fourneys of a lede His botes souple his hors in grete state Now certeinly he was a feire prelate Line 204 He was nought pale as a forpyned gost A fat swan loved he best of any rost His palfray was as broun as a bery

Afrere þere was a wanton and a mery Line 208 A lymytour and a full solempne man In þe orders iiij · ys non so wele þat can So moche of daliaunce and feire langage He hade made full many a feire mariage Line 212 Of yong wommen at his owen coste Vn-to his ordre he was a noble poste ffull wele beloved and famuler was he with fraunkleyns ouer all in his contre Line 216 And with worthy wommen of þe toun ffor he hadde power of confession . . . . . . . . . . [no gap in the MS.] Line 220 ffor swetely herde he confession And plesaunt was his absolucon he was an esy man to yeve penaunce There as he wist to haue a gode petaunce Line 224 ffor vn-to a poure ordre for to geve Ys syngne þat a man ys wele shreve ffor yf he gaf he durst make auaunt He wist þat a man was repentaunt Line 228 ffor many a man so herde ys of his hert He may nought wepe all þough hym sore smert Therfore in-stede of penaunce and prayers Men most yeve silver to þe poure freres Line 232 His typpet / was ay farsed full of knyves And pynnes for to yeve feire wyves And certeinly he hade a mery note Wele coude he syng and pley on a rote Line 236 Of yeddynges he bare outerly þe prys His nek was white as a floure delys Therto he was stronge as a champyon He knewe the tauernes wele in euery toun Line 240 And euery hostiller and tapstere Better þan a laser or a beggere ffor vn-to soch a worthy man as he

Accordeth noght as by his faculte [Eg. 2726 folio 4a] Line 244 To haue with seke lasers acqueyntaunce It is nought honest yt may nought auaunce ffor to dele with soch poraylle But all with ryche and sellers of vitaylle Line 248 And ouer all þere profit shold aryse Curteys he was and lowely of seruyce There was no man no where so vertuous He was þe best begger in his hous Line 252 . . . . . Line 252b . . . . . [no gap in the MS.] [[Eg. 2726 ends]] Line 252c ffor though a wydewe / had nouȝt a shoo [[Dd. 4. 24 begins, leaf 6; leaves 1-5 gone. The tags to d, f, g, k, r, t are disregarded.]] So plesant was his / In principio Ȝet wold he haue / a ferthyng or he went his purchas was wel betir / than his rent Line 256 And rage he coude / as it had be a whelp In louedayes / there coude he meche help ffor there he was / nat lyke a Cloisterere with a thredbare Cope / as is a pore scolere Line 260 But he was like a Maister / or a Pope Of double worstede / was his semy Cope Rounde / as any belle / ouȝt of the presse Somwhat he lisped / for his wantounesse Line 264 To make his englyssh / swete on his tonge And in his harpyng / whan that he songe hys eyen twynkeled / in his hede a-right As don the sterres / in a frosty nyght Line 268 This worthy lymytour / was cleped Huberd

A Marchaunnt þere was / with a forked berd [A Mar|chaunnt] In motlee / and heye on hors he satte And on his heued / a flaundryssh beuer hatte Line 272 His botes clasped / faire and fetisly His resons he spak / ful solempnely Sownyng alwey / the encres of his wynnyng He wold þe see were kepte / for any thyng Line 276 By-twene Midelburgh / and Orewelle

wel coude he / in eschaunges / sheldes selle This worthy man / ful wel / his wyt bysette There wyst no wyght / that he was in dette Line 280 So stedefastly dede he / of his gouernance with his bargeyns / and with his cheuysance ffor sothe he was / a worthy man with alle But sothe to seyn / I ne wot how men him calle Line 284

A Clerk ther was / of Oxenford also [¶ A Clerk] That vnto logyk / had longe I-go And lene was his hors / as it were a rake And he was nouȝt right fat / I vndertake Line 288 But loked holwe / and ther-to soberly fful thredbare was his ouerest Courteby ffor he had ȝet / geten him no benefice Ne was nouȝt wordly / to haue an Office Line 292 ffor him was leuer / haue / at his beddis hede Twenty bokes clad / in blak and in rede [folio 6b] Of Aristotle / and his philosophie Than riche robes / or fethil or sautrie Line 296 But al be it though / he were a Philosophre Ȝet had he but litel / gold in his coffre But al þat he / from his frendis hent On bokes and on lernyng / he it spent/ Line 300 And bisily gan / for the soules pray Of hem / þat ȝaf him / wherwith to scoley Of stody tok he / most eure and hede Nouȝt a word spak he / more than was nede Line 304 And þat was seide / in fourme and reuerence And short and quyk / & ful of heigh sentence Sownyng in moral vertue / was his speche And gladly wold he lerne / and gladly teche Line 308

A Sergeaunt of lawe / there was / war & wys [¶ A ser|geant of lawe] That ful often had ben / at Pardys That was ful riche / of excellence Discrete he was / and of gret reuerence Line 312 he semed swich / his wordes were so wyse

Justice had he be / ful often in assise Both by patent / and pleyn comissioun ffor his science / and his heigh renoun Line 316 Of fees and robes / had he many on So grete a purchasour / was nowher non Al was fee simple / to him in effect His purchasyng / myght nat ben / in suspect Line 320 Nowher so besy a man . as he there nas And ȝet he semed / besiere than he was In termes had he cas / and domes alle That fro þe tyme / of kyng will / weren falle Line 324 Ther-to he coude endyte / and make a thyng Ther coude no man pynche / at his writyng And euery statut / coude he / pleynly by rote He rod but homely / in a Medlee Cote Line 328 Girt with a seynt of silk / with barres smale Of his array / telle I / no lengere tale

Affrankeleyn þere was / in this compaignye [¶ A ffran|keleyn] whyt was his berd / as is the daysye Of his complexion / he was sangweyn Line 333 wel loued he by the morwe / a soppe in vyn To lyue in delyt / was euere his wōne ffor he was Epiours / owen sone [folio 7a] Line 336 That held opynyon / that pleyn delit was verray / felicite parfyt An housholdere / and þat a gret was he The grettest / of al his contre Line 340 his brede his ale / was alwey after one A betir wyned man / was nowher none with-oute bake mete / was neuere his hous Of fyssh and flesch / and þat so plenteuous Line 344 It sewed in his hous / of mete and drynke Of alle deyntes / þat eny man coude thynke After the sondry sesons / of the ȝere So chaunged he his mete / & his sopere Line 348 fful many a fat partrich / had he in mue

And many a breme / & many a luce in stue wo was his coke / but if his sauce were Poynaunt and sharp / and redy al his gere Line 352 his table durmaunt / in his hall alwey Stod redy couered / al the long day At the sessiones / there was he lord and sire fful often tyme / he was knyght of the shire Line 356 And an Anlaas / and a Gipciere al of silk Heng at his girdil / as whyt as morwe mylk A sherewe had he be / and a Countour was nowher swich / a worthy vauasour Line 360

An haberdassher / and a Carpenter [¶ An Haber|dassher] A webbere a dighere / and a tapicer [¶ A Carpenter] And they were clothed / alle in oo lyuere [¶ A webbere] Of a solempne / and gret fraternite [¶ A Dighere] fful fressh and newe / her gere pyked was [¶ A Tapicer] here knywes were nouȝt / chaped with bras But al with siluer / wrouȝt ful clene and wele here Girdeles / and here pouches / euerydele Line 368 wel semed ich of hem / a fair Burgeys To sitte in the ȝildehalle / vp-on þe heye deys Euerych for the wysdom / that he can was shaply to be / an Alderman Line 372 ffor catel hadden they I-nough and rent And eke here wyues / wold it wel assent / And ellis serteyn / they weren to blame It is ful feyr / to be cleped Madame Line 376 And go to the vigiles / al byfore And haue a Mantel / rially bore [folio 7b]

A Coke they had / with hem for þe nones [A Coke] To boyle the Chikenys / with the Maribones Line 380 And pouder Merchaunt / tart / and Galyngale wel coude he knowe / a draught of london ale he coude / roste / sethe / boille / and frye Make Mortrewes / and wel bake a pye Line 384 But gret harm was it / as thouȝt me

That on his shyne / a mormal had he And blanchemangere / mad he with the best

A Shipman there was / þat woned fer by west [¶ A Ship|man] ffor ought þat I wot / he was of Dertemouthe he rod vp-on a Rouncy / as wel as he coude In a gowne of faldyng / vn-to the knee A daggere hangyng / on a lace had he Line 392 A-boute his nekke / vndir his arme a-doun The hote somer / had mad his hew al broun And serteynly / he was a good felawe fful many a draught / of wyn / had he drawe Line 396 ffro Burdeusward / whiles the chapmen slepe Of nyce conscience / toke he no kepe If þat he faught / and had the heyer hand Be water he sent it home / fro euery lond Line 400 But to reken wel / of his craft the tydes The stremes and the strandes hym beside is his herberwe / his mone / and his lodes manage There was non swich / from hulle in-to cartage Line 404 Hardy he was / and wys / I vndertake with many a tempest / he had his berd shake He knew alle the hauenes / as they were ffro Gutlond / to the Cape de fenistre Line 408 And euery Cryke / fro Bretaigne in-to Spayne his Barge was called / the Magdaleyne

With vs there was / a Doctour of Phisik [A Doctour of phisyk] In al þis world / was non him lyk To speke of Phesik / and of surgerie Line 413 ffor he was grounded / in Astronomye he kept his pacience / a ful gret dele In houres by his / magyk / naturele Line 416 Wel coude he fortunen / the accident Of hise ymages / for be his pacient he knew the cause / of euery maladye wheiþer it were cold / hote / moist / or drye [folio 8a] Line 420 and wher-of it engendered / and of what humour

he was a verray parfyt/ practisour The cause he knew / and of his harm the rote A-non he ȝaf / the syke man his bote Line 424 fful redy had he / alle hise appoticaries To sende him draggges / and his lettuaries ffor eche of hem / mad other for to wynne her ffrenshipe / was nat newe / to bygynne Line 428 wel knew he / the old Esculapius And deiscorides / and eke Rusus Olde ypocras / and Galyen Serapyoun / Raȝis / and Auyȝen Line 432 Auuerrois / Dasmacien / and Costantyn Bernard / Gatisden / and Gilbertyn Of his diete / mesurable was he ffor he was / of no superfluite Line 436 But of gret norisshyng / and digestible his stody was but litel / in the bible In Sangweyn / and in pers / clad with-alle lyned with taffata / and sendalle Line 440 And ȝet he was but esy of dispence ffor he kept þat he wan / in the pestilence ffor gold in phisyk / is a ccordiall Therfore he loued gold / in especiall. Line 444

A good wyf þere was / of beside bathe [¶ the Wyf of Bathe] But she was somdel def / & þat was skathe Of cloth makyng / she had swich an haunt That she passed hem / of ypris & of gaunt Line 448 In all the paryssh / wyf was there non That to offryng / a-forn hire shuld gon And if there dide / serteyn so wroth was she That she was oute / of al charite Line 452 Hire kerches / were of fyn ground I durst swere / they weyed doun a pound That on the Sonday / were vp-on hire hede hire hosen were / of fyn skarlet rede Line 456 fful streite teyed / and shoon moist & newe

Bold was hire face / and feir & rede of hewe She was a worthy womman / al hire lyue housbondes at þe chirche dore / had she had fyue Line 460 With-outen other companye / in hire ȝouthe But ther-of nedeth nat / to speke of nouthe And thries had she ben / at Ierusalem [folio 8b] She had passed / many a straunge strem Line 464 At Rome had she be / and at Boloyne In Galice at Seynt Iameȝ / and at Coloyne She coude meche / of wandryng by the weye Gat-tothed was she / sothly to seye Line 468 Vp-on an aumblere / esily she sat Wel I-wympled / and on hire hed an hat As brod as is / a bokeler or a targe A fote mantel / aboute hire hepes large Line 472 And on hire fete / a peire of spores sharpe In felashippe / coude she / laughe & carpe The remedies of loue / she coude per chaunce ffor of þat art / she knew þe olde daunce Line 476

A Good man þere was / of religion [¶ A Person] That was a pore Person / of a toun But riche he was / of holy thouȝt and werke He was also / a lerned man / a clerke Line 480 That cristes gospel / trewely wold preche His parisshyns deuoutly / wold he teche Benygne he was / and wonder diligent And in aduersite / ful abidyng / and pacient Line 484 ffor which he was preued / often sithes fful lothe were him to curse / for his tithes But rather wold he ȝeuen / with-oute doute Vn-to his pore parisshyns / a-boute Line 488 Of his offryng / and eke of his substance he coude in litil / thyng / haue suffisance Wyde was his parissh / and houses fer a-sonder But he left nouȝt / for reyn ne for thonder Line 492 In sekenesse and in myschef / to visite

The ferthest / in his parissh / moche and lite Vp-on his feet / and in his hond a staf This noble ensaumple / to his shepe he ȝaf Line 496 That first he wrouȝt / and afterward he taught Ouȝt of þe gospel / he tho wordes caught And this figure / he added eke ther-to That if gold rust / what shuld Iren do Line 500 ffor if a preest be foul / on whom we trust no wonder is / a lewed man to rust And shame it is / if a preest take kepe Line 503 To se a sheton shepherde / & a clene shepe [[Dd. 4. 24 ends; leaves 9, 10, 11 gone]] Wele aught a prest ensaumple for to yeve [Egerton begins, on leaf 7] By his clennes how þat his shepe shold leve He set nought his benefice to hire And lete his shepe accombred in the mire Line 508 Ne renne to london to Seint Poules To seche hym a chauntry for soules Or be with a bretherhede withhold But dwelled at home and kept wele his fold Line 512 So þat þe wolf made þere no maistrye He was a shepard and not a mersonarye And though he holy were and vertuous He was nat with synfull men despitous Line 516 Ne of his speche daungerous ne digne But in his speche discrete and benigne To drawen folk to heven by feirenesse By gode ensaumple þis was his besynesse Line 520 But and he knewe ony person obstenate Whether he were hiegh or lowe astate Hym wold he snebbe for þe nones A better prest I trowe nowhere none ys [Eg. 2726 folio 7b] Line 524 He awayted after no pompe ne reuerence Ne made hym a spiced conscience But cristes lore and his Appostels xij He caught but furst he folowed it him selve Line 528 Wyth hym þere was a plowman was his brothere

That hade lad of dong many a fothere A trewe swynker and a gode was he Levyng in pees and perfite charite Line 532 God loued he best with all his hole hert At all tymes þough he gained or smert And þan his neighbour right as hym selue He wold thressh and þere-to dyke and delue Line 536 ffor cristes sake for euery poure wight without hire yf it lay in his might His tithes payde he full faire and wele Both of his propre swynk and of his catele Line 540 In a tabard he rode vp-on a mere There was also a Reve and a millere A sompnour and a pardoner also A maunciple and myself þere was no mo Line 544

The miller was a stout carle for þe nones ffull bigge he was of brawne and of bones That preueth wele for euer where he cam At the wrestellyng he wold haue þe ram Line 548 He was short sholdred brode and a thik gnarre There was no dore but he yt wold lyft of barre Or breke it with rennyng with his hede His berde as ony fox . was rede Line 552 And there-to brode as it were a spade Vp-on þe cop of his nose he hade A wert and þere-on stode a tuft of heirs Rede as the bristels of sow erys Line 556 His nosethrilles blak were and wyde A swerde and a bokeler bare he by his syde His mouthe was as grete as a fournesse he was a Iangeler and golyardes Line 560 And þat was most synne and harlottryes Wel coude he stele corne and tolle iij And yit he hade a thom of golde parde A white cote and a blewe hode wered he [Eg. 2726 folio 8a] Line 564 A bagpipe wele koude he blawe and sowne

And therewith-all he brought vs out of towne

Agentyll Mansiple was there of a temple Of which al [[al later]] catours mighten take exemple Line 568 ffor to be wyse in bying of vitaill ffor whether he paide or toke by taill Alwey he wayted so in his acate That he was ay byforn and in gode state Line 572 Now is nat that of god a full feire grace That soch a lewde mans witte shall passe The wysdom of an hepe of lerned men That maistres haue hade mo than iij· ten Line 576 That of lawe were expert and curious Of which there were a dosen in þat hous Worthy to be stewardes of rent and londe Of ony lord that is in Ingelonde Line 580 To make hym leve by his propre gode In honour douteles but yf he were wode Or lyue as skarsly as hym lyst desire And able to helpen all a shire Line 584 In ony cas þat myght falle or happe And yit this manciple set her aller cappe

The reve was a sklendre coloryk man his berde was shave as nygh as euer he can Line 588 His here was by his eres full rounde shorn His top was dokked like a prest byforn ffull longe were his legges and full lene Like a staf there was no calf a-sene Line 592 Wele koude he kepe a gerner and a byn There was none auditour coude [[coude, overline]] on him wyn Wele wist he by the drought and by the reyn The yeldyng of his corn and of his greyn Line 596 His lordes shepe his nete his dayre His swyne his hors his stok and his pultrye Was holy in this reves gouernyng And by his couenaunt he yaf þe rekenyng Line 600 Sen þat his lord was xx· yere of age

There koude no man bryng him in arrerage The was no baillyf herde ne other hyne That he ne knewe her sleight and her couyne [Eg. 2726 folio 8b] Line 604 They were adradde of hym as of the dethe His wonyng was feire vp-on an hethe with grene trees shadewed was his place he koude better þan his lord purchace Line 608 ffull riche he was astored priuely his lorde he koude plese full subtelly To yeue and lene hym of his owen gode And haue a thank and yit a gowne and hode Line 612 This Reve satte vp-on a well gode stot All pomely grey and he hight scot lerned he hade in youth a gode meistere He was a gode wright a Carpentere Line 616 A long surcote of Pers vp-on he hade And by his syde he bare a lusty blade Of Norfolk was this Reve of which I telle Beside a toun men clepe Baldeswell Line 620 Tukked he was as ys a frere aboute And euer he rode þe hyndrest of þe route

Asompnour was þere with vs in þat place That hade a feire rede cherubyns face Line 624 ffull saussleem he was with yen narow As hote he was and licherous as a sparow With skalled browes blake and pyled berde Of his visage children were a-ferde Line 628 There was neyther lytarge quiksiluer ne bremstone Borage ceruce ne oyle of tartre none Ne oynement þat wolde clense and byte That hym might help of his whelkes white Line 632 Ne of þe knobbes sutyng [[or 'sittyng']] in his chekes Wele loued he garlyk oynons and lekes And for to drynke stronge wyne as rede as blode Than wold he speke and crye as he were wode Line 636 And whan þat he wele dronken hade the wyne

Than wold he speke no worde but latyn A fewe termes hade he ij· or iij· That he hade lerned out of som decre Line 640 No wonder ys he herde yt all the day And eke he knowe wele how þat a Iay Kan clepe wat as wele as kan þe pope But who so koude in other thinges hym grope [Eg. 2726 folio 9a] Line 644 Than hade he spent all his felosophie Ay questio quid Iuris wold he crye He was a gentill harlot and a kynde A better felaw shold men nowhere fynde Line 648 He wold suffre for a quart of wyne A gode felaw to haue his concubyne A twelmonth and excuse hym atte full ffull priuely eke a fynche koude he pulle Line 652 And yf he fonde owhere a gode felawe He wold tech hym to haue none awe In swich cas of þe Archedekenes curs But yf a mans soule heng in his purs Line 656 ffor his purs he shold pyned be purs is the Erchedekenes hell quod he But wele I wote he lyeth right in dede Of cursyng ought euery gilty man to drede Line 660 ffor curs will slee right as assoylyng saueth And also ware hym of a significaueth In daungere hade he at his owen gyse All the yong gerles of the diocyse Line 664 And knewe her counseill and was all her rede A gerlonde he hade set vp-on his hede As grete as yt were for an ale stake A bokeler hade he made hym of a cake Line 668

Wyth hym there rode a gentyll pardonere Of rouncyvale his felawe and his compere That streight was come fro the court of Rome ffull loude he song come hyder loue come Line 672 This sumpnour bare to hym a styf burdon

Was neuer trompe of half so grete a soun This pardoner hade here as yelowe as ony wex But smoth hang it as doth a stryke of flex Line 676 By ounces hyng his lokkes that he hade And therewith his sholdres it ouersprade But thynne yt lay by culpons one and one And hode for iolyte wered he none Line 680 ffor it was trussed vp in his walet hym thought he rode all of þe newe get Dyscheuele saue his cape he rode all bare With glaryng yen as hath an hare [Eg. 2726 folio 9b] Line 684 A vernicle hade he sewed on his cappe Hys walet ley byforn hym in his lappe ffret full of pardon come fro Rome all hote A voys he hade as small as hath a gote Line 688 No berde hade he ne neuer shold haue Als smoth yt was as yt were newe shaue I trowe he were a geldyng or a mare But of his craft fro Berewyk vn-to Ware Line 692 Ne was there soch a-nother pardonere ffor in his male he hade a pelough bere Which that he seid was our lady veill He seid he hade a gobet of the saill Line 696 That seint Petir hade when he went Vp-on þe see tyll Ihesu crist hym hent he hade a croos of laton full of stones And in a glas he hade pyggesbones Line 700 But which thise relikkes whan þat he fonde A poure person dwellyng vp-on londe Vp-on a day he gate hym more money Than þe person gate in monethes twey Line 704 And thus with his feyned flaterye and Iapes He made þe person and the peple his Apes But trewely to telle at the last He was in chirche a noble eccliast Line 708 Wele koude he rede a lesson or a story

But altherbest he song an affertory ffor wele he wist whan þat song was song He most preche and wele afile his tong Line 712 To wyn siluer as he wele koude Therfore he song so mery and so loude

Now how I tolde you sothely in a clause The state the array the nombre and the cause Why þat assembled was this company Line 717 In Suthwerk at this gentill Ostry That hight þe Tabard fast by the belle But now yt ys tyme to yow for to telle Line 720 How þat we bare vs þat ilk nyght When we were in þe ostry alight And after will I telle of our viage And all the remenaunt of our pilgrymage [Eg. 2726 folio 10a] Line 724 But first I pray yow of your curtesy That ye ne arrete nat my velany Though þat I pleinly speke in this matere To telle you her wordes and her chere Line 728 Ne though I speke her wordes proprely ffor this ye knowe as wele as I Who-so shall telle a tale after a man he most reherce as nygh as euer he can Line 732 Euery word yf yt be in his charge Speke he neuer so rewdely ne so large Or elles he mote telle his tale vntrewe Or feyn thing or fynde wordes newe Line 736 He may nought spare all-thogh yt were his brother He mote as wele sey o· worde as an other Crist spake hym self full brode in holy wryt And wele ye wote no velany ys yt Line 740 Eke plato seith who-so can hym rede The wordes most be cosyn to the dede Also I pray you to forgeve it me Thogh I haue nat set folk in her degre Line 744 Here in this tale as that they shold stond

My wit is short ye may wele vndrestond Grete chere made our host vs euerychone And to soper set we vs anone Line 748 He serued vs with vitailles at þe best Strong was the wyne and wele drynke vs lest A semely man our host was with-all ffor to ben a Marchall in an hall Line 752 A large man he was with yen stepe A feirer burgeys was there nought in chepe Bold of his speche and wyse and wele taght And of manhode lakked hym right naght Line 756 Eke he was therto a mery man And after soper pley he began [[Eg. 2726 ends]] And spak of mirthe / a-mong other thynges [Dd. 4. 24 begins, leaf 12] Whan þat he had mad / oure rekenynges Line 760 And seide / lo lordyngges trewely Ȝe ben to me / right welcome hertily ffor be my treuthe / if that I shal nat lye I sey nat þis ȝere / so merie a companye Line 764 At ones / in this herberwe / as is nowe ffayn wold I do ȝow myrthe / & I wist howe And of a mirthe / I am ryght now be-þouȝt To don ȝow ease / and it shal cost nouȝt Line 768 ¶ Ȝe gon to Caunterbury / god ȝow spede That blisful martir / quyte ȝow ȝoure mede And wel I wot / as ȝe gon by the weye ȝe shapen ȝow to talken / and to pleye Line 772 ffor trewely / comfort ne mirthe is non To ride by the weye / as dom as it were a ston And þerfore wyl I / maken ȝow disport As I seide erst / and do ȝow som comfort Line 776 And if ȝow like / alle be one assent To stonden / at my Iuggement And for to werken / as I shal ȝow sey To-morwe / whan ȝe riden by the wey Line 780 Now be my faders soule / þat is dede

But ȝe be merie / I wyl ȝeue ȝow myn hede holde vp ȝoure hondes / with-oute more speche Oure counseil was nouȝt / longe for to seche Line 784 Vs þouȝt it was nat worthy / to make it nyce And graunted him / with-oute more a-vyse And bad him sey / his verdyt as him lest Line 787 ¶ . lordyngges quod he / now herkeneth for the best But take it nouȝt / I prey ȝow in disdeyn This is þe poynt / to speke it short & pleyn That eche of ȝow / to short with ȝoure weye In this viage / shall telle tales tweye Line 792 To Caunterburyward / I mene it so And homward / he shal telle othere two Of auentures / that whilom / han byfalle And which of ȝow / bereth him best of alle Line 796 That is to seyn / that telleth in þis cas Tales / of most sentence and solas Shal haue a soper / at our alder cost Here in this place / sittyng by this post [folio 12b] Line 800 whan þat we comen a-geyn / fro Caunterbury And for to make ȝow / the more mery I wyl my self goodly / with ȝow ryde Right at myn owen cost / and be ȝoure guyde Line 804 And who so wyl / my Iuggement with-sey shal paie al that we spende / by the wey And if ȝe wouchesaue / þat it be so Telle me a-non / with-oute wordes mo Line 808 And I wyl erly / shape me therfore This þing was graunted / and oure othes swore with ful glad hert / and prayed him also That he wold vouchesaue / so to do Line 812 And that he wolde be / oure gouernour And of our tales / Iugge and reportour And sette a soper / at a certein prise And we wyl reuled be / at his deuyse Line 816 In heygh & lowe / and thus by one assent

we be acorded / to his Iuggement / And ther-vp-on / the wyn was fet anon we dronkyn & to rest / wenten ichon Line 820 with-outen eny lengere / tariyng ¶ . A morwe / whan þe day gan spryng Vp ros oure Ost / and was oure aller Cok And gadered vs to gedir / on a flok Line 824 And forth we redyn / a litel pas vn-to the wateryng / of seynt Thomas And there oure Ost / bygan his hors arest And seide lordes / herkeneth if ȝow list Line 828 Ȝe wete oure forward / if ȝe it record If euesong / and morwesong accord late se now / who shall telle þe first tale As euere mote I drynke / wyn or ale Line 832 who so be rebel / to my Iuggement Shal paie for al þat is / by the weye I-spent Now draweth cutte / er we ferthere twynne ffor he þat hath the shortest / shal begynne Line 836 ¶ . Sire Knyght quod he / my maister & my lord Now draweth Cutte / for this is myn accord Cometh nere quod he / my lady Prioresse And ȝe sire clerk / late be ȝoure shamefastnesse Line 840 Ne studieth nought / ley hand to euery man [folio 13a] A-non to drawe / euery wyght bygan And shortly to telle / as it was were it by auenture / or sort / or cas Line 844 The soth is this / the kut fel on the knyght Of which ful glad / was euery wyght And telle he must his tale / as it was reson By forward / and by composicion Line 848 As ȝe han herd / what nedeth wordes mo And whan þis good man / saugh þat it was so As he þat wys was / and obedient To kepe his forward / by his free assent Line 852 And seide / sithe / I shal begynne þe game

welcome be the cutte / in goddes name Now late vs ride / and herkeneth what I sey And with þat word / we redyn forth oure wey Line 856 And he bygan / with right a mery chere This tale a-non / and seide on þis manere

¶ Heere bigynneth the knyghtes tale [[Lines 920-1170, 1582-1931, 2927-3016 from Egerton 2726.]]

¶ Iamque domos patrias scithice post aspera gentis / prelia laurigero &c.

Whilom there was / as olde stories tellen vs, A Duke / a worthy man that hight Theseus Of Athenes / he was lord and gouernour Line 861 And in his tyme / swiche a conquerour That grettere was ther non / vnder the sonne fful many a riche contre / had he wonne Line 864 what with his wysdom / and Chyualrie He conquered al the regne / of femenye That whilom cleped was / Scithia And wedded the fressh quene / ypolita Line 868 And brouȝt hire hom with him / to his contre with meche glorie / and grete solempnyte And eke hire ȝonge suster / Emelye And thus with blisse / & with victorie Line 872 Lete I this noble Duke / to Athenes ride And al his Ost / in armes / by his side And certes if it ne were / to longe to here I wold haue told fully / the manere Line 876 How wonne was the regne / of ffemonye By Theseus / and by his cheualrie [folio 13b] And of the grete bataille / for the nones Bytwene the Athenes / and Amasones Line 880 And how assegid was / Ipolita The fair hardy Quene / of Scithia And of the fest þat was / at hire weddyng And of the temple / at hire hom commyng Line 884 But al this thyng / I mot as now forbere I haue god wote / a large felde to ere And weyke be the Oxen / in my plow The remenaunt of my tale / is long I-now Line 888 I wil nouȝt letten eke / non of þis route

Lete euery felawe / tellen his tale a-boute And lat se now / who shal the soper wynne And there as I left / I wyl a-ȝein begynne Line 892 This Duke / of which I made mencion whan he was come / almost to the toun In al his wele / and in his most pride He was ware / and cast his eye a-side Line 896 where that there kneled / in the heye weye A companye of ladies / tweye and tweye Eche after other / clothed in clothes blake But swich a cry / and swich a woo they make Line 900 That in þis world / is no creature leuyng That euere herd swich a-noþer / weymentyng And of this cry / they wold neuere stynt / Til they the Reyne / of his bridel hent / Line 904 what folk be ȝe / that at myn hom comyng Perturbeth so my folk / with criyng Quod Theseus / haue ȝe so gret enuye Of myn honour / þat ȝe þus compleyne and crye Line 908 Or who hath ȝow mysboden / or offended Do / telle me / if þat it may be amended And why ȝe be thus clothed al in blak The eldest lady of hem alle / þanne spak Line 912 whan she had swowned / with a dedly chere That it was reuthe / for to sene and here And seide lord / to whom fortune / hath I-ȝeuen Victorie / and as a conquerour to leuen Line 916 Nouȝt greueth vs ȝoure glorie / ne Honour But we be-seke ȝow / of mercy and socour Haue mercy on oure woo / and oure distresse [[Dd. ends; leaves 14-16 gone]] Some drope of pyte þurgh þy gentillesse [Eg. 2726 begins, leaf 12] Vp-on vs wrecched wommen lete þou falle [Eg. 2726 folio 12b] ffor certes lord þere is none of vs all That we haue be a duchesse or a quene Now be we caytyfs as it is wele sene Line 924 Thanked be fortune and hir fals whele

That none astate assureth to be wele And certes lord to abide your presence Here in this temple of goddes clemence Line 928 We haue be wayting all þis fourtenyght Now helpe vs lord setth it is in thy might I wrecch which þat wepe and wayll þus Whilom was wyf to kyng Capaneus Line 932 That starf at Thebes cursed be the day And all we þat ben in this array And make all this lamentacion We lost all our housbondes at þat toun Line 936 While þat þe sege there aboute lay And yit now the olde creon weleaway That lord is now of Thebes þe Citee ffulfilled of ire and iniquitee Line 940 he for despyte and tyrannye To done the dede bodyes velanye Of all our lordes which þat ben slawe He hath all bodies on an hepe drawe Line 944 And will nat suffre by none assent Neyther to be buried ne ybrent But make houndes ete hem in despite And with þat worde without more respite Line 948 They fell grovelyng and cried pitously haue on vs wrecched wommen som mercy And lete our sorow synk in thyne hert This gentyll duk from his corsour stert Line 952 With hert pitous whan he herde hem speke hym thoght þat his hert wold breke When he saw hem so pitous and so mate That somtyme were of so grete astate Line 956 And in his armes he hem all hent And hem comforted in full gode entent And swore his oth as he was trewe knight he wold done so ferforth his might Line 960 Vp-on this Tiraunt Creon hem to wreke [Eg. 2726 folio 13a]

That all þe peple of grece there-of shold speke how Creon was of Thebes serued As he þat hade full wele his deth deserued Line 964 And right anone with-out more abode His baner he desplayeth and forth rode To Thebes ward and all his ost beside Ne nere Athenes wold he go ne ride Line 968 Ne take his ese fully half a day But onward on his way that nyght he lay And sent anone to ypolita þe quene And Emely hir yonge suster shene Line 972 Vn-to Athenes þere for to dwell And forthe he rode there is no more to telle

The rede statute of Mars with spere and targe So shineth in his white baner large Line 976 That all the feldes gliteren vp and doun And by his baner born was his penoun Of gold full riche in which there was ybete The manatour which þat he wan in Crete Line 980 Thus rideth this duk this noble conquerour And in his ost of chiualrye þe flour Till þat he came to Thebes and alight ffeir in a felde there as he thought to fight Line 984 But shortly for to speke of this thing With Creon which was of Thebes kyng He faught and slewe him manly as a knight In plein batell and put his folk to flight Line 988 And by assent he wan þe Cite after And rent adoun spar wall and rafter And to the ladies he restored hath ageyn The bones of her housbondes þat were sleyn Line 992 To do obsequies as was tho the gyse But it were all to long for to deuyse The grete clamour and þe grete weymentyng That the ladies made at the brennyng Line 996 Of the bodies and the grete honour

That Theseus this noble conquerour doth to thise ladies when they fro him went But shortly to telle is myn entent Line 1000 Whan þat þis worthy duk this Theseus [Eg. 2726 folio 13b] hath Creon sleine and wonne Thebes thus Stille in þat felde he toke all night his rest And did with all þe contre as hym lest Line 1004 To ransake in the taas of þe bodyes dede Hym for to strype of harneys and of wede The pilours didden her besynesse and cure After the bataill and the discomfiture Line 1008 And so befill þat in the taas they founde Thurgh gurt with many a greuous wounde Two yong knightes liggyng by and by Both in one armes wroght full richely Line 1012 Of which two Arcita was þat one And þat other knight hight Palamone Noght fully quyk ne fully dede they were But by her cotearmes and by her gere Line 1016 The heraudes knew hem best of all As they that weren of þe blode riall Of Thebes and of two susters born Out of the taas the pilours haue hem born Line 1020 And han hem caried soft vn-to the tent Of theseus and full sone he hem hent And sent to Athenes to dwell in prison perpetuelly with-outen raunson Line 1024 And whan this worthy duk hath þus done He toke his ost and home he ryt anone with lauriell crowned as a conquerour And there he leved in ioy and honour Line 1028 Terme of his lyf what nedeth wordes mo And in a tourne of angwyssh and of wo Dwellen thise palamon and his felawe arcite ffor euermore there may no gold hem quite Line 1032 This passeth yere by yere and day by day

Till it befell ones in a morow of May That Emely that feirer was to sene Then is the lilly vp-on þe stalk so grene Line 1036 And fressher þan þe May with floures new ffor with þe rose stroue hir hewe I note which was þe feirer of hem two Er it were day as was hir wont to do Line 1040 She was aresen and all redy dight [Eg. 2726 folio 14a] ffor May woll haue no slogardrye a night That seson prykketh euery gentell hert And maketh hym out of his slepe to stert Line 1044 And seith arise and do thine obseruance This meyde Emelye to haue remembrance To don honour to May and for to ryse Clothed was she fressh for to deuyse Line 1048 Her yelow heres browded were in o tresse Behinde hir bak a yerde longe as I gesse And to the gardyn at the sonne vprest She walketh vp and doun and as hir lest Line 1052 She gadred floures party white and rede To make a sotell garlond for hir hede And as an Angell hevenlich she songe The toure þat was so thik and so stronge Line 1056 Which of þe castell was þe chief dongeon There as thise knightes were in prison Of which I told you and telle shall Was even ioynyng to þe gardyn wall Line 1060 There as this Emely hade hir pleying Bright was the son and clere þe mornyng And palamon þis wofull prisoner As was his wone by leve of his gayler Line 1064 Was risen and romed in the chambre on high In the which he all the noble Citee sigh And eke þe gardyn full of braunches grene There as this fressh Emelye the shene Line 1068 And was hir walke and romed vp and doun

This wofull prisoner þis palamon Goth in the chambre to and fro And to him self compleynyng of his wo Line 1072 That he was born full oft cried he allas And so befill þat by auenture or cas That thurgh þe wyndowe thik of many a barre Of Iren grete and square as ony sparre Line 1076 He cast his yee vp-on Emelya And there-with-all he blent and cried A As thogh he stongen were vn-to the hert And with þat crie Arcite anone vp stert Line 1080 And seide Cosyn myn what eyleth the [Eg. 2726 folio 14b] That art so pale and dedely for to see Why cridest thow who hath the don offence ffor goddes sake take it in pacience Line 1084 Our prison for it may none other be ffortune hath yeve vs this aduersite Som wikked aspect or disposicioun Of Saturne by som constillacioun Line 1088 hath yeve vs this althogh we hade sworn So stode the heven whan that we were born We most endure this is the short and plein This palamon answerd and seide agein Line 1092 Cosyn forsoth of þis opinion Thow hast a veyn ymaginacon This prison caused me not for to cryee But I was hurt right now þurgh myn yee Line 1096 In-to myn hert þat yt will my bane be The feirenes of þat lady that I se Yonder in the gardyn romyng to and fro Is cause of all my crying and my wo Line 1100 I ne wote whether she be a womman or a goddes But Venus I trow it be as I gesse And there-with-all on knees he fill And seid Venus yf it be thy will Line 1104 Now in þis gardyn thus þe to transfigure

Byfore me sorowfull wrecched creature Out of this prison helpe þat we may skape And yf so be our desteny be shape Line 1108 By eterne worde to dey in prison Of our linage haue som compassion That is so lowe brought by tyrannye And with that worde Arcite gan aspie Line 1112 Where as this lady romed to and fro And with þat sight hir beaute hurt him so That yf þat palamon was wounded sore Arcite is hurt as moch or more Line 1116 And with þat sight he seide pitously Thy fressh beaute sleth me sodeinly Of hir þat rometh þere in yondre place And but yf I haue hir mercy and hir grace Line 1120 That I may seyn hir at the lest wey [Eg. 2726 folio 15a] I am but dede there is no more to sey This palamon whan he thise wordes herd Dispitously he loked and answerd Line 1124 Whether seist thow this in ernest or in play Nay quod Arcite in ernest by my fay God helpe me so me lust yuell to pley This palamon gan to knytte his browes twey Line 1128 Yt were to the quod he no grete honour ffor to be fals and for to be a traytour To me that am þy Cosyn and þy brother Isworn full depe and ecch of vs to other Line 1132 That neuer for to dey in peyne Till þat the deth depart shall vs tweyne Neyther of vs in loue to hynder other Ne in none other caas my leve brother Line 1136 But that þou sholdest trewly forther me In euery caas as I shall forther the This was thine· othe· and myn certeyn I wote right wele þou darst it nat withseyn Line 1140 Thus art þou of my counseill out of dout

And now þou woldest falsly bene about To loue my lady whom I loue and serue And euere shall tyll þat my hert sterue Line 1144 Nay certes fals Arcite thow shalt nat so I loued hir first and told the my wo As to my counseill and to my brother sworn To forther me as I haue told byforn Line 1148 ffor which þou art bounde as a knight To help me yf it lay in thy myght Or elles art þou fals I dare wele seyn This Arcite proudely spake ageyn Line 1152 Thow shalt quod he be rather fals þan I And þou art fals I telle the witterly ffor parauenture I loued hir first or thow What will þou sey þou wost it now Line 1156 Whether she be a womman or a goddesse Thyn is the affeccon of holynesse And myn is love as to a creature ffor which I telle the myn auenture Line 1160 As to my Cosyn and my brother swore [Eg. 2726 folio 15b] I purpose þat þou lovedest hir byfore Wost þou nat wele þat olde clerkes sawe That who shall yeve lovers ony lawe Line 1164 Love is a gretter lawe by my pan Than be yeven may to ony erthly man And therfore posityf lawe and swich decre Is broken all day for love in ecch degre Line 1168 A man most love nedys maugre in his hede He may noght fle yt though he shold be dede [[Eg. 2726 ends]] Al be she / Mayde / wydewe / or ellis wyff/ [Dd. begins, leaf 17] And eke it is nouȝt likly / al thy lif/ Line 1172 To stonde in hire grace / no more shal I ffor wel þou wost / thy seluen verayly That þou and I / be dampned to prison Perpetuelly / vs geyneth no raunson Line 1176 We striue / as dide þe houndes / for þe bon

That faught al day / and ȝet here part was non There cam a kyte / whyle þei were so wrothe And bar a-wey þe bon / bytwen hem bothe Line 1180 And þerfore / at þe kynges court / my brother Eche for him self / there is non other ¶ loue if þou list / for I loue and ay shal And sothly leue brother / this is al Line 1184 Here in prison / mote we endure And ech of vs / take his aventure ¶ . Gret was þe strif / and longe bytwen hem twey If þat I had leyser / for to sey Line 1188 But to the effect / it happed on a day To telle it ȝow / as shortly as I may A worthy Duke / that hight Parotheus That felawe was / to þis Duke theseus Line 1192 Syn thilk day / þat þei were children lyte was come to Athenes / his felawe to visite ffor to pley / as he was wont to do ffor in the world / he loued no man so Line 1196 And he loued him / as tenderly a-geyn So wele they loued / as olde bokes seyn That whanne þat on was ded / soth to telle his felawe went / & sought him doun in helle Line 1200 But of that story / list ne nat to wryte Duke Parotheus / loued wel Arcite And had him knowe / at Thebes ȝere by ȝere And finally at the request / and prayere Line 1204 Of Parotheus / with-oute ony raunsom Duke Theseus / lete him ouȝt of prison ffreely to go / where as him list ouer alle In swich a gyse / as I ȝow telle shalle Line 1208 This was the forward / pleynly to endite By-twene Theseus / and this Arcite That if so were / þat Arcite were founde Euere in his lyue / by day or nyght o stounde [folio 17b] In ony contre / of this Theseus Line 1213

Line 1213 And he were caught / it was a-corded thus That with a swerd / he shulde lese hise hede There was non oþer remedy / ne rede Line 1216 But taketh his leue / and homward he him spedde Lat him be ware / his nekke lith to wedde So gret a sorwe / suffreth now Arcite The deth he feleth / þurugh his hert smyte Line 1220 he wepeth and wayleth / he crieth pytously To sle him self / he wayteth preuyly He seide allas / the day þat he was born Now is my prison wers / than biforn Line 1224 Now is me shape / eternely to dwelle Nought in purgatorie / but in helle Allas þat euere I knew / Parotheus ffor elles had I dwelled / with Duke Theseus Line 1228 ffetered in his prison / for euere mo Than had I ben in blisse / & nouȝt in woo Only the sight of hire / whom þat I serue Though þat I neuere / hire grace may deserue Line 1232 wold haue suffised / right I-now to me O. dere Cosyn / Palamon / quod he Thyn is the victorie / of this auenture fful blisfully in prison / maist þou endure Line 1236 In prison / nay certes / but in Paradys wel hath fortune / turned the the dys Thou hast the sight / of hire / & I the absence ffor possible it is / sith þou hast hire presence Line 1240 And art a knyght / a worthy & an able That be som cas / sithe fortune is chaungeable Thow maist to thy desyre / som tyme atteyne But I þat am exiled / and barayne Line 1244 Of alle grace / and in so gret dispeyre That there nys no water / ffyr / ne Eyre Ne creature / that of hem maked Is That may me hele / or do comfort in this Line 1248 wel ought I sterue / in wanhope & distresse

ffare wel my lyf / my lust / and my gladnesse ¶ . Allas why pleyne so folk / in comune Of purueance of god / or of fortune Line 1252 That ȝeueth hem ful oft / in many gyse [folio 18a] wel beter / þanne þei can / hem self deuyse Somme men desire / for to haue richesse That cause is of here mordre / or gret seknes Line 1256 And somme man wold / out of prison fayn That in his hous / is of his meyne slayn Infenyt harmes / ben in this matere we wot neuere / what we preisen here Line 1260 we faren as he / þat dronken is as a mous A dronke man wot wel / he hath an hous But he ne wot which is / þe right weye theder And to a dronke man / the weye is slyder Line 1264 And certes in þis world / so fare we we seke fast after / felicite But we gon wrong / ful ofte trewely Thus may we seyn alle / and namely I Line 1268 That wende / and had / a gret opinyon That if I myght escape / from prison Than had I ben / in ioye & parfyt hele That now am exiled / fro my wele Line 1272 Syn I may nouȝt se ȝow / Emelye I am but ded / þere is non oþer remedye ¶ . Vp-on þat oþer side / Palamon whan þat he wist / þat Arcite was gon Line 1276 Swich sorwe he maketh / þat the grete Tour Resouned of his Ianglyng / and clamour The pure feteres / on his shynes grete were of his bittere / salt teres / wete Line 1280 Allas quod he / Arcite Cosyn myn Of al oure strif / god wot þe fruyt is thyn Thow walkest now / in Thebes at thy large And of my woo / þou ȝeuest litel charge Line 1284 Thow maist / sithe þou hast / wysdom & manhode

Assemble alle the folk / of oure kynrede And make a werre so sharp / on this Citee That be som auenture / or tretee Line 1288 Thow maist haue hire / to lady & to wyf ffor whom I must nedes / lese my lyf ffor as be weye / of possibilitee sithe þou art at þe large / of prison free Line 1292 And art a lord / gret is þin auauntage More þan myn / þat sterueth here in a cage [folio 18b] ffor I mote wepe / and wayle while I leue with al the woo / þat prison may me ȝeue Line 1296 And eke with peyne / that loue me ȝeueth also That doubleth al my turment / and my woo ¶ . Ther-with / the fyr of ielousie vp stirte with-Inne his brest / & hent him by the herte Line 1300 So wodly / þat he lyke was / to be-hold To Box tree / or to asshen / dede and cold ¶ . Thanne seide he / O cruel goddes þat gouerne This world with byndyng / of ȝoure word eterne Line 1304 And wryte in the table / of Athamante Ȝoure parlament / and ȝoure eterne graunte what is man-kynde more / vn-to ȝow hold Than is a shepe / that rukketh in the fold Line 1308 ffor slayn is man / right as an other best And dwelleth eke / in prison / and arrest And hath seknes / and gret aduersitee And often tymes / giltlees parde Line 1312 what gouernance is / in this prescience That giltles / turmentist Innocence And ȝet encreseth this / al my penaunce That man is bounde / to his obseruance Line 1316 ffor goddes sake / to letten of his wylle There as a best may / al his lust fulfille And when a best is ded / he hath no peyne But after his deth / a man mote wepe & pleyne Line 1320 Though in þis world / he haue care and woo

with-oute doute / it may stonde so The answere of þis / lete I to deuynes But wel I wot / in þis world gret peyne is Line 1324 ¶ . Allas / I se a serpent or a thef That many a trewe man / hath do myschef Gon at his large / & where him list may turne But I mot be in prison / thurugh saturne Line 1328 And eke þurugh Iuno Ielous / and eke wode That hath wel ny destroyed / al the blode Of Thebes / with his wast walles wyde And Venus sleth me / on þat other syde Line 1332 ffor ielousye / and feer of þis Arcite Now wyl I stynt / of Palamon a lyte And lete him in this prison stille dwelle [folio 19a] And of Arcite / forth I wyl ȝow telle Line 1336 ¶ . The somer passeth / & the nyghtes longe Encresynge double wyse / the peynes stronge Bothe of the louere / and of the prisoner I ne wot which hath / the sorwefullest myster Line 1340 ffor shortly to seyn / this Palamon Perpetuelly / is dampned to prison In cheynes and in feteres / to be ded And Arcite is exiled / vp-on his hed Line 1344 ffor euere more / ouȝt of þat contre Ne neuere more / he shal his lady se Now louyers I ask ȝow / this question Who hath the werse / Arcite or Palamon Line 1348 That on may se his lady / day by day But in prison / mote he dwellen ay That other where him list / may ride or go But sen his lady / shal he neuere mo Line 1352 Now demeth as ȝow list / ȝe þat can ffor I wyl telle ȝow forth / as I began

[Part II. No gap in the MS.]

¶ . Whan þat Arcite / to Thebes come was fful ofte a day / he swelte & seide allas Line 1356 ffor sen my lady / shal I neuere mo And shortly to concluden / al his woo So meche sorwe / had neuere creature That is or shal / while þe world may dure Line 1360 his slepe his mete & drynk / is him byraft That lene he wex & drye / as is a shaft His eyen holwe / and grysely to be-holde his hewe falwe / and pale / as asshen colde Line 1364 And solitarie he was / and euere allone And walkyng al þe nyght / makyng his mone And if he herd song / or Instrument Than wold he wepe / he myght nat stynt Line 1368 So feble eke were hise spirites / and so lowe And chaunged so / þat noman koude him knowe His speche ne his vois / though men yt herde And in his gere / for al the world he ferde Line 1372 Nouȝt only lyke / the louyers maladye Of hereos / but rather lyke Manye [¶ mania] Engendred / of humour / malicolyk [folio 19b] Byforn his owen / Celle fantasyk Line 1376 And shortly turned / was al vp so doun Bothe habit / and eke disposicioun Of hym / this wooful louyer Arcite what shuld I al day / of hys woo endite Line 1380 whan he endured had / a ȝere or two Thys cruel turment / & thys peyne & woo At Thebes in his contre / as I seyde Vp-on a nyght in slepe / as he him leyde Line 1384 him þouȝt how þat / the wynged god Mercurie Byforn him stod / & bad him to be merie his slepy yerde / in honde he bar vp-right An hatte he wered / vp-on his heris bright Line 1388

Line 1388 Arrayed was þis god / as I tok kepe As he was / whan Argus / toke his slepe And seide him thus / to Athenes shalt þou wende There is the shapen / of thy woo an ende Line 1392 ¶ . And with that word / Arcite woke and stirt Now trewely / how sore þat me smert Quod he / to Athenes / right now wyl I fare Ne for the drede of deth / I wyl nat spare Line 1396 To se my lady / whom þat I loue and serue In hire presence / I rekke nouȝt / though I sterue And with þat word / he caught a gret Myrour And saw / þat chaunged was al his colour Line 1400 And saw his visage / al in an oþer kynde And right a-non / it ran him in his mynde That sithe his face / was so disfigured Of maladye / that he had endured Line 1404 He myght wele ȝeue / that he bare hym lowe Lyue in Athenes / eueremore vnknowe And sen his lady / wel ny day by day And right a-non / he chaunged his array Line 1408 And clad him / as a pore laborere And al a-lone / saue oonly a squyere That knew his preuyte / and al his cas which was disgysed / porely as he was Line 1412 To a Athenes is he gon / the next wey And to the court / he com on a dey And at the gate / he profred his seruyse To drugge and drawe / what men wold deuyse [folio 20a] Line 1416 And shortly of this matere / for to seyn He fel in office / with a Chaumberleyn The which þat dwellyng was / with Emelye ffor he was wys / and coude sone espie Line 1420 Of euery seruaunt / which þat serueth hire wel coude he hewe / wode / and water bere ffor he was ȝong & myghty / for þe nones And ther-to he was long / and bygge of bones Line 1424

Line 1424 To don þat ony wyght / can him deuyse A ȝere or two / he was in this seruyse Page of the chaumbre / of Emelye the bryght And Philostrate he seide / that he hight Line 1428 But half so wel byloued a man / as he Ne was þere neuere in courte / of his degre he was so gentil / of condicioun That þorugh-ouȝt al þe court / was his renoun Line 1432 They seiden þat it were / a charite That Theseus wold / enhaunce his degre And putten him / in worshipful seruyse There as he myght / his vertue exercise Line 1436 And thus with-Inne a while / his name is spronge Both of his dedes / and his goode tonge That Theseus hath taken him / so nere That of his chaumbre / he mad him a squyere Line 1440 And ȝaf him gold / to meyntene his degree And eke men brouȝt him / ouȝt of his contre ffrom ȝere to ȝere / ful preuyly his rent But honestly & slily / he it spent Line 1444 That no man wondrede / how þat he it hadde And thre ȝere in this wyse / his lyf he ladde And bar him so in pees / and eke in werre There was no man / þat Theseus hath derre Line 1448 ¶ . And in this blisse / lete I now Arcite And speke I wyl of Palamon / a lyte In derknesse and orrible / and strong prison This seuene ȝer / hath seten Palamon Line 1452 ffor-pyned / what for woo / and for distresse who feleth double soor / and heuynesse But Palamon / þat loue distreyneth so That wod ouȝt of his wytte / he goth for woo Line 1456 And eke ther-to / he is a prisonere Perpetuelly / nought oonly for a ȝere ¶ . who coude ryme / in englyssh proprely [folio 20b] hys martirdom / by god it am nat I Line 1460

Line 1460 Therfore I passe / as lightly as I may It fel / that in the / vij / ȝere / in May The thridde nyght / as olde bokes seyn That al this storie / tellen more pleyn Line 1464 were it by auenture / or destyne As whan a þing is shapen / it shal be [¶ verum est] That sone after the mydnyght / Palamon Be helpyng of a frende / brake his prison Line 1468 And fleeth the Citee / as fast as he may go ffor he had ȝeue / his Iayler drynke so Of Clarry / mad of a certeyn wyne Line 1471 with Nerkotikes and opye / of Thebes fyne [¶ Opium The|banum] That al þat nyght / þough þat men wold him shake The Iayler slep so / he myght nouȝt wake ¶ . And thus he fleeth / as fast as euere he may The nyght was short / and fast by the day Line 1476 That nedes cost / he must him seluen hyde And to a groue / fast there besyde with dredful fote / than walketh Palamon ffor shortly / this was his oppinyon Line 1480 That in þat groue / he wold him hyde al day And in the nyght / þan wold he take his wey To Thebes ward / his frendes for to pray On Theseus to helpen him / to werrey Line 1484 And shortly / eiþer he wold lese hise lyf On wynnen Emelye / vn-to his wyf This is þe effect / and his entent pleyn ¶ . Now wyl I turne / to Arcite a-geyn Line 1488 That litel wyst / how ny þat was his care Til þat fortune / had brought him in þe snare The besy larke / the messanger of day Saleweth in hir song / the morwe gray Line 1492 And verray Phebus / riseth vp so bryght That al þe orient / laugheth of þe light And with hise stremes / drieth in the greues The siluer dropes / hangyng on the leues Line 1496

Line 1496 And Arcite þat is / in the court rial with Theseus / the squyer principal ys rysen and loketh / on the mery day And for to don / his obseruaunce to May Line 1500 Remembryng on þe poynt / of his desyre [[Dd. ends; leaves 21|25 gone]] He on a courser stertlyng as the fire [Eg. 2726 begins, leaf 19, back] Is ryden in-to the feldes hym to pley Out of þe court were it a myle or twey Line 1504 And to the groue of which that I you told By auenture his wey he gan hold To maken him a gerlond of þe greues Were it of wodebynd or hathorn leues Line 1508 And lowde he song ayein the son shene May with all thy floures and þy grene Welcome be þow feire fressh May In hope that I som grene gete may Line 1512 And from his courser with a lusty hert In-to the grove full hastely he stert And in a path he rometh vp and doun There as by auenture this palamon Line 1516 Was in a bussh þat no man might him se ffor sore aferde of his deth than was he No thing knewe he þat it was Arcite God wote he wold haue trowed it full lyte [Eg. 2726 folio 20a] Line 1520 But soth is seide gone seth ys many yeres That felde hath yen and wode hath eres It is full feire a man to bere hym even ffor all day meteth men at vnset steven Line 1524 ffull litell wote Arcite of his felawe That was so ny to herken all his sawe ffor in this bussh he sitteth now full stylle Whan þat Arcite hade romed all his fylle Line 1528 And songen all the roundell lustely In-to a stody he felle so sodeinly As done thise louers in her queint geres Now in the crop now in the breres Line 1532

Line 1532 Now vp now doun as boket in a well Right as þe friday sothly for to tell Now yt shineth now it reyneth fast Right so caan gery venus ouer-cast Line 1536 The hertes of hir folk right as hir day Is geer-full right so chaungeth she array Selde is the friday all the woke lyke Whan that Arcite hade songe he gan to syke Line 1540 And set him doun with-outen ony more Allas quod he that day þat I was bore How longe Iuno thurgh thy cruelte Wyll þou weren Thebes the Cite Line 1544 Allas ybrought is to confusion The blode ryall of Cadme and amphion Of Cadmus which that was the first man That Thebes bylde or first the toun began Line 1548 And of þe Cite first was crowned Kyng Of his lynage am I and his of-spring By verray lyne as of the stok roiall And now I am so kaytyfd and so thrall Line 1552 That he that is my mortall enemy I serue him as his squier pourely And yit doth Iuno me wel more shame I dare nat byknow myn owen name Line 1556 But there as I was wont to hight Arcite Now hight I philostrate nat worth a mite Allas þow fell mars allas Iuno Thus hath your Ire all our lynage for-do [Eg. 2726 folio 20b] Line 1560 Saue only me and wrecched Palamon That Theseus martireth in his prison And ouer all this to sle me outerly Loue hath his verry dart so brennyngly Line 1564 Isteked thurgh my trewe carefull hert That shapen was my dethe erst er my shert Ye sle me with your yeen Emelye Ye been the cause wherfore that I dye Line 1568

Line 1568 Of all þe remenaunt of myn other care Ne set I nat the mountance of a tare So that I koude do ought to your plesance And with that word he felle doun in a trance Line 1572 A long tyme and afterward he vp sterte This palamon that thoght that thurgh his hert He felt a cold swerd sodeinly glyde ffor Ire he quoke no lenger wold he byde Line 1576 And whan that he hade herde Arcites tale As he were wode with face dede and pale He stert hym vp out of the buskes thykke And seide Arcite fals traytour wykke Line 1580 Now art þou hent þow louest my lady so ffor whom that I haue all this peyn and wo And art my blode and to my counseill sworn As I full oft haue told the here byforn Line 1584 And hast beiaped here duk theseus And falsly chaunged hast þow þy name thus I woll be dede or elles þow shalt dye Thow shalt nat loue my lady Emelye Line 1588 But I woll loue hir onely and no mo ffor I am palamon thy mortall fo And þough þat I no wepen haue in this place But out of prison am stert by grace Line 1592 I drede nat that other þow shalt dye Or þou ne shalt nat loven Emelye Chese which þou wolt or þou shalt nat sterte This Arcite with full dispitous hert Line 1596 Whan he hym knewe and hade his tale herde As fers as a lyon pulled out his swerde And seide thus by god that sitteth aboue Nere it that þou art seke and wode for loue [Eg. 2726 folio 21a] Line 1600 And eke that thow no wepen hast in this place Thow shuldest neuere out of this greue pace That thow ne sholdest dyen of my honde ffor I desire the seurtee and the bonde Line 1604

Line 1604 Which þat þou seist þat I haue made to the What verray fole thinke wele that loue is fre And I woll loue hir maugre all thy might But for as moch as thow art a knight Line 1608 And wilnest to darreyn hir by bataill Haue here my treuthe to-morowe I wyll nat fayll With-out wetyng of ony other wight That here I woll be founde as a knight Line 1612 And bryngen harneys righ ynough for the And chese the best and leue the werst for me And mete and drynke this night woll I bryng Ynogh for the and clothes for thy beddyng Line 1616 And yf so be that þow my lady wynne And sle me in the wode there I am Inne Thow maist wele haue thy lady as for me This palamon answerd and seide I graunte yt the Line 1620 And thus they ben departed tyll a morowe Whan ech of hem hade leyde his feythe to borowe

Ocupide out of all charite O reigne þat wilt no felawe haue with the Line 1624 ffull soth is seide that loue ne lordship Will nat hir thankes haue no felawship Wele fynden that Arcite and palamon Arcite is ryden anone vn-to the toun Line 1628 And on þe morow er yt were dayes light ffull priuely ij. harneys hathe he dight Buth suffisant and mete to darreyne The bataill in the feld bitwex hem tweyne Line 1632 And on his hors alone as he was born he carieth all this harneys him byforn And in the grove at tyme and place yset This Arcite and palamon ben met Line 1636 They gan to chaunge colour in her face Right as the hunters in the reigne of trace That stonden at the gap with a spere Whan hunted is the lyon or the bere [Eg. 2726 folio 21b] Line 1640

Line 1640 And hereth hym come russhing in the greves And breketh both bowes and the leves A thinketh here comth my mortall enemy withouten fayle he mote be dede or I Line 1644 ffor outher I mote sle hym at the gap Or he mot sle me yf that me myshap So ferden they in chaungyng of her hewe As fer us euerych of hem other knewe Line 1648 There was no gode day ne no saluyng But streight without worde or rehersyng Euerych of hem helpe to armen other As frendely as he were his owen brother Line 1652 And after that with sharpe speres strong They foynen ecch at other wonder long Thow myghtest wene that this palamon In his fightyng were a wode lyon Line 1656 And as a cruell tygre was Arcite As wylde bores gan they smyte That frothen white as fome for ire wode Vp to the Ancles fyght they in her blode Line 1660 And in this wyse I lete hem fightyng dwell And forthe of theseus I will you tell The desteny ministre generall That executeth in the world ouer all Line 1664 The purueaunce that god hath seyn byforn So stronge it is that though þe werld hade sworn The contrary of a thing by yee and nay Yit somtyme yt shall fallen on a day Line 1668 That falleth nat est within a M^l yere ffor certeinly our appetites here Be it of werre or pees or hate or loue All is this rewled by the sight aboue Line 1672 This meyne I now by mighty Theseus That for to hunten ys so desirous And namely at the grete hert in May That in his bed þere daweth hym no day Line 1676

Line 1676 That he nys cladde / and redy for to ride with hunt and horn and houndes him besyde ffor in his huntyng hath he soch delite That yt is all his ioy and appetit [Eg. 2726 folio 22a] Line 1680 To ben him self the grete hertes bane And after Mars he serueth now diane Clere was the day as I haue tolde or this And Theseus with all ioy and blis Line 1684 With his ypolita the feir quene And Emely clothed all in grene On huntyng be they riden rially And to the groue that stode full fast by Line 1688 In which there was an hert as men him told Duk Theseus streight the wey hath hold And to the launde he rideth hym full right ffor theder was the hert wont haue his flight Line 1692 And ouer a broke and so forth on his way This duk woll haue a cours at hym or twey with soch as that hym lyst comaunde And whan this duk was com vn-to the launde Line 1696 Vnder the sonne he lokketh and anon He was ware of Arcite and palamon That foughten breme as it were bores two The bright swerdes wenten to and fro Line 1700 So hidously that with the lest stroke yt semed as yt wold felle an oke But what they were no thing he ne wote This duk his courser with the spores smote Line 1704 And at a stert he was bitwex hem two And pulled out a swerde and cried ho Nomore vp-on peyne of lesyng of your hede By mighty Mars he shall anone be dede Line 1708 That smyteth ony stroke þat I may seen But telleth me what mister men ye been That ben so hardy for to fighten here with-outen Iuge or other officere Line 1712

Line 1712 As it were in a listes roially This palamon answerd hastely And seide sire what nedeth wordes mo We han deserued the deth both two Line 1716 Two wofull wrecches ben we and caytyfes That ben encombred of our owen lyfes And as þou art a rightfull lord and iuge Ne yeve vs nother mercy ne refuge [Eg. 2726 folio 22b] Line 1720 But sle me first for seint charitee But sle my felawe eke as wele as me Or sle hym first for thogh þou know it lyte This is thy mortall fo this is Arcite Line 1724 That fro thy lond is banesshed on his hede ffor which he hath deserued to be dede ffor this is he that came vn-to thy yate And seide that he hight philostrate Line 1728 Thus hath he iaped þe full many a yere And þou hast maked hym thy chief squiere And this is he that loueth Emely ffor seth the day is come that I shall dey Line 1732 I make pleinly my confession That I am thyk wofull palamon That hath thy prison broken wykkedly I am thy mortall fo and yit am I· Line 1736 That loueth so hote Emelye the bright That I will dien presens in hir sight Wherfore I ax deth and my iuwyse But sle my felawe in the same wyse Line 1740 ffor both haue we deserued to be sleyn This worthy duk answerd anone ayein And seide this is a short conclusyon your owen mouthe by your confessyon Line 1744 Hath dampned yow and I woll it recorde Yt nedeth nought to pyne you with the corde Ye shall be dede by mighty Mars the rede The quene anone for verry wommanhede Line 1748

Line 1748 Gan for to wepe and so did Emelye And all the ladyes in the cumpanye Grete pite was yt as yt thoght hem all That euer soch a chaunce shold fall Line 1752 ffor gentell men they were of grete astate And no thing but for loue was this debate And saugh her blody woundes wyde and sore And all cryden both las and more Line 1756 Haue mercy lord vpon vs [[vs overline]] wemen all And on her bare knees adoun they fall And wold haue kist his fete there as he stode Till at the last aslaked was his mode [Eg. 2726 folio 23a] Line 1760 ffor pitee renneth sone in gentell herte And þough he first for Ire quoke and sterte He hath considred shortly in a clause The trespas of hem both and eke the cause Line 1764 And all though that his Ire her gilt accused yit in his reason he hem both excused As thus he thought wele that euery man woll help hym self in loue yf that he can Line 1768 And deliuere hym self out of prison And eke his hert hade compassion Of wommen for they wepen euery in one And in his gentle hert he þought anone [[line by corrector]] And softe vn-to hym self he seide fye Line 1773 Vp-on a lord that woll haue no mercy But ben a lyon both in worde and dede To hem that ben in repentaunce and drede Line 1776 As wele as to a proude dispitous man That woll maintene that he first bygan That lord hath litell of discrecion That in soch cas can no deuysion Line 1780 But weyeth pride and humbles after one And shortly whan his Ire ys thus agone He gan to loken vp with yeen light And spak thise same wordes all on hight Line 1784

Line 1784 The god of loue a benedicite How mighty and how grete a lord is he Ayeinst his might there geyneth none obstacles He may be cleped a god for his miracles Line 1788 ffor he kan maken at his owen gyse Of eueryche hert as that him lust deuyse Lo here this Arcite and this palamon That quikly were out of my preson Line 1792 And might haue leved in Thebes roially And weten þat I am her mortall enemy And that her deth lieth in my might also And yit hath loue maugre her yen two Line 1796 Brought hem hider both for to dye Now loketh is nat that an hie folye Who may ben a fole but yf he loue Byhold for goddes sake that sitteth aboue Line 1800 See how they blede be they nat wele arayed [Eg. 2726 folio 23b] Thus hath her lord the god of loue payed Her wages and her fees for her seruice And yit they wenen for to been full wyse Line 1804 That seruen loue for ought that may fall But this ys yit the best game of all That she for whom they han this iolyte Line 1807 Konne hem þerfore [[þerfore overline]] as moche thanke as me She wote na more of all this hote fare By god than wote a Cokkow or an hare But all mote ben assayed hote and colde A man mote be a fole outher yong or olde Line 1812 I wote yt by my self full yore agone ffor in my tyme a seruaunt was I one And therfore sen I know of loves peyne And wote how sore he kan a man destreyne Line 1816 As he that hath be caught oft in his laas I yow foryeve all holy this trespaas At request of the quene that kneleth here And eke of Emely my suster dere Line 1820

Line 1820 And ye shall both anone vn-to me swere That neuer mo ye shall my cuntrey dere Ne make werre vp on me night ne day But be my frendes in all that ye may Line 1824 I you foryeve this trespase euerydele And they hym sworen his askyng feire and wele And hym of lordship and mercy preyde And hem graunteth grace and than he seyde Line 1828 To speke of royall lynage and richesse Though that she were a quene or a princesse Ecch of you both is worthy doutles To wedden whan tyme is but natheles Line 1832 I speke as for my suster Emelye ffor whom ye haue this stryfe and ielousye Ye wote your self she may nat wedden two At ones though ye fighten euermo Line 1836 That one of you all be hym loth or leef He mot go pype in an Ivy leef [[line in margin, by corrector]] This is to seyn she may nat now haue both All be you neuer so ielous ne so wrothe Line 1840 And for-thy I you put in this degree That ecch of you shall haue his destenye [Eg. 2726 folio 24a] As hym is shape and herkeneth in what wyse lo here your ende of that I shall devyse Line 1844 My will is this for plat conclusyon With-out ony replicacyon Yf that you liketh take it for the best That euerych of you shall gone where hym lest Line 1848 ffrely with-outen raunsoun or daunger And this day .L. wekes fer ne ner Euerych of you shall bryng an C. knightes Armed for lystes vp at all rightes Line 1852 All redy to darreyne her bataill And this byhote I you withouten fayle Vp-on my trewth and as I am a knight That whether of you both that hath might Line 1856

Line 1856 This is to seyn that whether he or thow May with his .C. as I spake of now Sleen his contrarye or out of lystes dryve Than shall I yeve Emelye to wyve Line 1860 To whom that fortune yeveth so feire a grace The lystes shall I maken in this place And god so wysly on my soule rewe As I shall even Iuge been and trewe Line 1864 Ye shall none other ende with me maken Þat that one of you ne shall be dede or taken And you think that this be wele ysayde Seith your avys and holdeth yow apayde Line 1868 This is your ende and your conclusyon Who loketh lightly now but palamon Who spryngeth for ioy but Arcite Who kouth telle or who kouth it endite Line 1872 The ioy that is maked in the place Whan Theseus hath done so feire a grace But doun on knees went euery maner wight And thonked him with all her hert and might Line 1876 And namely the Thebans oft sythe And thus with gode hope and hert blythe They take her leve and homeward gon they ryde To Thebes with his olde walles wyde Line 1880

[PART III. No gap in the MS.]

i trowe men wolde deme yt necgligence Yf I foryete to tellen the dispence [Eg. 2726 folio 24b] Of Theseus that gothe so besely That maken vp the lystes roially Line 1884 That soch a noble teatre as yt was I dare wele seyn in this world there nas The circuite a myle was aboute Walled of stone and dyched all with-oute Line 1888 Rounde was the shap in manere of a compaas

ffull of degrees the height of .lx. paas That whan a man was set on o degree He letted nat his felaw for to see Line 1892 Estward there stode a gate of marbyll white Westward right soch an other in the opposyte And shortly to concluden soch a place Was none in erthe as in so litell a space Line 1896 ffor in the londe there was no crafty man That geometrye or ars metryk can Ne portreyour ne kerver of ymages That Theseus ne yaf mete and wages Line 1900 The teatre for to maken and devyse And for to done his right and sacrifise He Estward hath vp on the gate aboue In worshippe of venus goddes of loue Line 1904 Done made an Awter and an oratorye And westward in memorie Of Mars he hath maked soch an other That cost largely of gold a fother Line 1908 And Northward in a Toret on the wall Of Alabastre white and rede corall An oratorye riche for to see In worshippe of Dyane the chastitee Line 1912 Hath Theseus done wrought in a noble wyse But yit hade I forgeten to deuyse The noble kervyng and the purtratures The shape the countenance and the figures Line 1916 That weren in thise oratories thre ffirst in the temple of venus maist þou se wroght on the wall full pitous to be-holde The broken slepes and the sighes colde Line 1920 The sacred teres and the weymentyng The verey strokes of the desiryng [Eg. 2726 folio 25a] That loue seruauntes in this lyf enduren The othes that her couenauntes assuren Line 1924 Plesaunce and hope desire full hardynes

Beaute youth bawdrye and riches Charmes and force lesynges flaterie Dispence besynes and ielousye Line 1928 That wered of yelow gooldes a garland And a cukkow sittyng on hir hand ffeestes instrumentes caroles daunces [[Eg. ends.]] Line 1931 Lust and array / and alle the circumstaunces [Dd. begins, lf 26] Of loue / which þat I rekened / and reken shalle Be ordre weren peynted / on the walle And moo than I can make of / mencion ffor sothly / al the Mount of Sytheron Line 1936 There venus hath / hire principal dwellyng was shewed on the wal / in portraiyng with al the gardeyn / and the lustynesse Nat was for-ȝeten / the porter Idelnesse Line 1940 Ne Narsisus / the faire / of ȝore a-gon Ne ȝet the folie / of kyng Salamon Ne ȝet the gret strengthe / of Hercules The enchauntement / of Medea and Circes Line 1944 Ne of Turnus / with the hardy fiers corage The riche Cresus / kaytif in seruage ¶ . Thus may ȝe sen / þat wysdom ne richesse Beaute ne sleight / strengthe hardynesse Line 1948 Ne may with venus / maken champertye ffor as hire lust / þe world þanne may she gye loo all þeise folk / so caught were in hire laas Til they for woo / ful often seid allas Line 1952 ¶ . Suffisith here / ensamples on or two And ȝet I koude reken / a M^l / mo The statute of venus / glorious for to se was naked / fletyng in the large see Line 1956 And fro the nauyl doun / al couered was with waughes grene / & bright as eny glas A Citole / in hire right hand / had she And on hire hede / ful semely for to se Line 1960 A Rose garlond / fressh & wel smellyng

A-bouen hire hede / hire dowes flekeryng Biforn hire stod / hir sone Cupido Vp-on hise shuldres / wynges had he two Line 1964 And blynd he was / as it is oft sene A bowe he bar / and arwes bright & kene ¶ . why shuld I nat eke / as wel telle ȝow all The portrature / þat was vp-on the wall Line 1968 with-Inne the temple / of myghty Mars the rede Al peynted was the wal / in lengthe & brede lyke to the Estres / of the grisly place That hight the gret temple of Mars in Trace Line 1972 In thilk cold frosty / region There as Mars / hath his souereigne mansion [folio 26b] ffirst on the wal / was peynted a forest In which there dwelleth / neiþer man ne best Line 1976 with knotty knarry / barreyne trees olde Of stubbes sharpe / and hedous to byholde In which there ran / a rombel in a swough As though a storme / shulde bresten euery bough Line 1980 And dounward from an hille / vnder a bent There stode a temple / of Mars Armypotent wrought al of borned stele / of which the entree was long and streyt / and gastly for to se Line 1984 ¶ And þere-ouȝt cam a rage / and swich a veȝe [¶ id est impetus] That it mad al the gate / for to rese The northern light / in at the dores shone ffor wyndowe on the wal / ne was þere none Line 1988 Thorugh which men myghten / eny light discerne The dore was al / of Athamant eterne I-clenched ouerthwert / and endlong with Iren tough / and for to make it strong Line 1992 Euery piller / the temple to sustene was tonne gret of Iren / bright & shene ¶ . There saw I first / the derk ymagenynge Of felonye / and al the compassynge Line 1996 The cruel / Ire / red as eny glede

The pyke purs / and eke the pale drede The smylere with þe knyf / vnder the cloke The shippen brennyng / with the blak smoke Line 2000 The treson of the morderynge / in the bedde The open werre / with woundes al be-bledde Conteke with blody knyf / and sharp manace Al ful of chidyng / was this sory place Line 2004 The sleere of him self / ȝet saugh I there his hert blode / hath bathed al his heere The nail I-dreuen / in the shode a-nyght The colde deth / with mouth gapyng vp-right Line 2008 ¶ . A myddes of the temple / sat myschaunce with discomfort / & sory countenaunce Ȝet saugh I woodnes / laughyng in his rage Armed / compleynt / ouȝt-hees / & fiers outrage Line 2012 The careyne in þe bussh / with throte koruen A / M^l / sleyn / and nouȝt of qualme I-storuen The teraunt with the pray / by force I-raft The Toun destroied / þere was no þing I-laft Line 2016 Ȝet saugh I brent / the shippes hoppesteres The honte strangelid / with the wylde beres The Sowe freetyng the child / right in the Cradel [folio 27a] The koke I-skaldede / for al his longe ladel Line 2020 Nouȝt was for-ȝeten / by þe infortune of Marte The Cartere ouer-ryden / with his carte Vnder the whele / ful lowe he lay a-doun There were also / of Martes deuysion Line 2024 The Barbour / and the Bocher / and the Smyth That forgeth sharpe swerdes / on the styth ¶ . And al aboue / depeynted in a Tour Saugh I conquest / sittyng in gret honour Line 2028 with the sharp swerde / ouer his hede hangyng / by a sotel. twyned threde Depeynted was the slauȝter / of Iulius Of gret Nero / and of Anthonius Line 2032 Alle-be þat thilke tyme / they were vnborn

Ȝet was here deth / depeynted þere biforn By manassyng of Mars / right be figure So was it shewed / in that portrature Line 2036 As is depeynted / in the sertres a-boue who shal be slayn / or elles ded for loue Suffiseth on ensaumple / in stories olde I may nat rekken hem alle / though I wolde Line 2040 ¶ . The statute of Mars / vp on a carte stode Armed and loked grym / as he were wode And ouer his hed / þere shynen two figures Of stories / þat ben cleped / in scriptures Line 2044 That on Puella / that other Rubeus This god of armes / was a-rayed thus A wolf þere stode / biforn him at his fete with eyen rede / and of a man he ete Line 2048 with sotil pencelles / was depeynted þis storie In redoutyng of Mars / & of his glorie ¶ . Now to the Temple / of Diane the chaste As shortly as I can / I wyl me haste Line 2052 To tellen ȝow / of the discripcion Depeynted by the walles / vp and doun Of huntyng / and of shamefast chastite There saugh I / how wooful Calistope Line 2056 whan þat Diane / a-greued was with hire was turned fro a womman / to a Beere and aftir was she mad / þe lode sterre [¶ vrsa maior] Thus was it peynted / I can sey ȝow no ferre Line 2060 Hire sone is eke / a sterre as men may se There saugh I Dane / turned to a tre I mene nat / the goddes Diane But Penneus doughter / which þat hight Dane [folio 27b] There saugh I Atheon / an hert I-maked Line 2065 ffor vengeaunce þat he saugh / Diane al naked I saw how þat hise houndes / han him caught And fretyn him / for þat þei knew him naught Line 2068 Ȝet peynted was / a litel forthermore

how Atthalaunce / honted the wylde bore And Meleagre / and many an other moo ffor which / Diane / wrouȝt hem care and woo Line 2072 There saw I many a noþer / wonder story The which me list nat drawe / to memory This goddesse on an hert / ful heye sette with smale houndes / al a-boute hire fete Line 2076 And vndirnethe hire feet / she had a Mone waxyng it was / & shulde vanysshe sone In gaude grene / hire stature clothed was with bow in hond / and arwes in a cas Line 2080 hire eyen cast she / ful lowe a-doun There Pluto hath / his derke region A womman trauaillyng / was hire biforn But for hire child / so longe was vn-born Line 2084 fful pytously Lucyna / gan she calle And seide help / for þou maist best of alle wel coude he peynt lifly / that it wrought with many a floreyn / he the hewes bought Line 2088 ¶ . Now ben theise lystes mad / and Theseus That at his gret cost / arrayed thus The temples / and the teatre euery dele Whan it was don / him liked wonder wele Line 2092 But stynte I wyl / of Theseus a lyte And speke of Palamon / and of Arcite ¶ . The day approcheth / of here returnynge That euerych shulde / an / C / knyghtis brynge Line 2096 The bataylle to darreyne / as I ȝow told And to Athenes / here couenaunt for to hold hath euerych of hem / brought an / C / knyghtes wel armed for the werre / at alle rightes Line 2100 And sekerly / there trowed many a man That neuere sithen / þat the world bygan As for to speke / of knyghthod of here hond As fer as god hath maked / see and lond Line 2104 Nas of so fewe / so noble a companye

ffor euerych wyght / þat loued cheualrye And wold his thankes / han a passaunt name Hath preyed þat he myght / ben of that game [folio 28a] Line 2108 And wel was him / that ther-to chosen was ffor if there fel / to-morwen swich a kaas Ȝe knowen wele / that euery lusty knyght That loueth paramours / and hath his myght Line 2112 Were it in Engelond / or elles where They wolde here thankes / wyllen to be there To fighten for a lady / benedicite It were a lusty sight / for to se Line 2116 ¶ . And right so ferden they / with Palamon with him there went / knyghtes many on Some wold ben armed / in haberioun And in a breestplate / and a light Iepoun Line 2120 And some wold haue / a peyre plates large And some wold haue / a spruce sheld & targe And some wold ben armed / on hise legges wele And haue an Ax / & some a mace of stele Line 2124 There nys no newe gyse / þat it nas old Armed were they / as I haue ȝow told Euerych after / hise opynion ¶ . There maist þou se / comyng with Palamon Line 2128 lygurge him self / the grete kyng of Trace Blak was his berd / and manly was his face The sercles of hise eyen / in his hede They gloweden / betwix ȝelwe & rede Line 2132 And like a griffon / loked he a-boute with kempe heeres / on hise browes stoute hys lymes grete / hise braunes hard & strong his shuldres brode / his armes grete & long Line 2136 And as the gyse was / in his contre fful heye / vp on a chayer of gold / stod he with foure white Boles / in the trays In stede of Cotearmure / ouer his harneys Line 2140 with nayles ȝelwe / and bright as eny gold

he had a beres skyn / cole blak for old his long her / was kembed behynde his bak As ony rauenes fether / it shone for blak Line 2144 A wrethe of gold / arme gret / of huge weyght Vp on his hede / and ful of stones bryght Of fyne Rubies / and Diamauntes Abouten his chaier / there went white alauntes Line 2148 Twenty and mo / as grete as ony stere To honten at the lyon / or the deere And folwed him / with mosellis faste I-bounde Colered of gold / and torettes fyled rounde Line 2152 An C. lordes / had he in his route [folio 28b] Armed ful wele / with wertes sterne & stoute ¶ . with Arcita / in stories as men fynde The grete Emytrius / the kyng of Inde Line 2156 vp-on a steede Bay / trapped in stel Couered with a cloth of gold / dyapred wel Cam ridyng lyke the god / of armes Mars His Cotearmure / was of cloth of Tars Line 2160 Couched with perles / white rounde & grete his sadel was of brent gold / newe I-bete A mantelet / vp-on his shulder hangyng Bret ful of Rubies / rede as fir sparkelyng Line 2164 his crispe heer / lyke rynges was I-ronne And that was ȝelwe / and gletered as the sonne His nose was hey / his eyen bright Citryn His lippes rounde / his colour was sangwyn Line 2168 A fewe fraknes / in his face I-spreynt Betwixen ȝelwe / and somdel blak I-meynt And as a lyon / he his lokyng caste Of xxv^ti ȝere / his age I caste Line 2172 His berd was wel bygonne / for to springe his throte was as a trompe / thonderynge Vp-on his hede / he wered a loirrer grene ffressh and lusty / ffor to sene Line 2176 Vp-on his hand he bar / for his deduyt

An Egle tame / as ony lilly whyt An C / lordes / had he with him there Alle armed saue here hedes / in al here gere Line 2180 fful richely / in alle manere thynges ffor trosteth wele / that Dukes Erles kynges were gadred / in this noble companye ffor loue & for encres / of chyualrye Line 2184 A-boute this kyng / þere ran on euery part fful many a tame lyon / and leopart ¶ . And in this wyse / þeise lordes alle and Some Ben on the Sonday / to the Cite come Line 2188 A-boute prime / and in the Toun a-light This Theseus þis Duke / this worthy knyght whan he had brouȝt hem / in-to his Citee And Inned euerych of hem / at his degree Line 2192 He festeth hem / and doth so gret labour To esen hem / and don hem all honour That ȝet man wenen / þat no mannys wytte Of none astate / ne coude amenden ytte Line 2196 ¶ . The mynstralsie / the seruyse at the feest The grete ȝiftes / to the most and lest [folio 29a] The riche a-ray / of Theseus paleys Ne who sat first ne last / vp on the deys Line 2200 what ladies fairest ben / and best daunsynge Or which of hem / kan best daunce or synge Ne who most feynyngly / speketh of loue what haukes seten / on the perches a-boue Line 2204 what houndes liggen / on the flore a-doune Of al this / make I no mencion But al þe effect / that thynketh me the best Now cometh the poynt / herkeneth if ȝow lest Line 2208 ¶ . The Sonday nyght / or day bygan to springe whan Palamon / the lark herde synge al though it nere nat day / by houres two Ȝet song the lark / and Palamon right tho Line 2212 with holy hert / and hey corage

He rod to wenden / on his pilgrimage Vn-to the blisseful / Sitheria benigne I mene venus / honurable and digne Line 2216 And in hire houre / he walketh forth a paas Vn-to the lystes / there hire temple was And doun he kneleth / and with humble chere And herte soor / he seide as ȝe shuln here Line 2220

Fairest of fair / O lady myn / venus Doughter to Ioue / and spouse to vulcanus Thow glader / of þe mounte of Scitheron ffor thilke loue / þou haddest / to Adoon Line 2224 Haue pyte / of my bytter teres smerte And take myn humble preyer / at thyn herte Allas I ne haue / no langage to telle The effect / and the turmentȝ of myn helle Line 2228 Myn hert may nat / myn harmes bywrye I am so sorweful / that I can nat seye But mercy lady bright / that knowest wele My thought / and seest what harmes þat I fele Line 2232 Considre al this / and rewe vp-on my sore As wysly / as I shal for euere more Perfourmyng be my myght / thy trewe seruaunt to be And holden werre alwey / with chastite Line 2236 That make I myn a-vow / so ȝe me helpe I kepe nat of armes / for to ȝelpe Ne I ne ask nouȝt to-morwe / to han victorie Ne renon in this caas / ne veyn glorie Line 2240 Of prys of armes / blowen vp and doun But I wold haue fully / possession [¶ nota bene] Of Emelie / and dye in thy seruyse [folio 29b] ffynde þou the maner / & in what wyse Line 2244 I recche nat / but it may better be Than victorie / of hem / or they of me So that I haue my lady / in myne armes ffor though so be / that Mars is god of armes Line 2248 Ȝoure vertu is so gret / in heuene a-boue

That if ȝow list / I shal wel haue my loue Thy temple wol I worshipe / euere mo And on thyn auter / where I ride or go Line 2252 I wyl don sacrifise / and fires bete And if ȝe wyl nat so / my lady swete Than preye I the / to-morwe with a spere That Arcita me / thorugh þe hert bere Line 2256 Than rekke I nought / whan I haue lost my lif Though þat Arcita / wynne hire to his wyf This is the effect / and ende of my preyere Ȝeue me my lyf / þou blisseful lady dere Line 2260 ¶ . whan þat the orison / was don of Palamon His sacrifise he dide / and that a-non fful pitously / with alle the circumstaunceȝ Alle telle i nat / as now / his obseruaunceȝ Line 2264 But at the laste / the stature of venus shoke And made a signe / wher-by þat he toke That his prayer / accepted was that day ffor though the signe / shewed a delay Line 2268 Ȝet wist he wele / that graunted was his bone And with glad herte / he went him hom ful sone

THe thridde houre / in-equall þat Palamon Began to venus temple / for to gon Line 2272 vp ros the sonne / and vp ros Emelye And to the temple of Diane / gan hye Hire maydenes / þat she thidder with hire ladde fful redily with hem / the fyr they hadde Line 2276 The encence / the clothes / and the remenaunt alle That to the sacrefice / longen shalle The hornes ful of mede / as was the gyse There lakked nouȝt / to don hire sacrefise Line 2280 Smokyng the temple / ful of clothes faire This Emelye / with herte debonaire hir body vessh / with water of a welle But how she dide / hir rite / I dar nat telle Line 2284 But it be ony thyng / in general

And ȝete it were / a game / to heren al [folio 30a] To him þat meneth wel / it were no charge But it is good / a man ben at his large Line 2288 hire bright heer was kembed / vn-tressed all A corone of a grene Oke / seriall Vp-on hire hed was set / ful fair and mete Two fires vp-on the auter / gan she bete Line 2292 And dide hire thynges / as men may byholde In stace of Thebes / and othere bokes olde whan kynled was the fyr / with pytous chere Vn-to Diane she spak / as ȝe may here Line 2296

O chast goddesse / of the wodes grene To whom / bothe heuen / erthe / and see / ys sene Quene of the regne of Pluto / Derk and lowe Goddesse of Maydenes / that myn hert hast knowe Line 2300 fful many a ȝere / and wost what I desire As kepe me fro thy vengeaunce / & thyn Ire That Antheon / a-bought cruelly Chaste goddesse / wel wost thow that I Line 2304 Desire to be a Mayden / al my lif Ne neuere wyl I be / no loue / ne wyf I am þou wost ȝet / of thy companye A Maide / and loue huntyng and venerie Line 2308 And for to walken / in the wodes wyld And nat to ben a wyf / & be with child Nought wol I knowe / companye of man Now help lady / sith ȝe may and kan Line 2312 ffor tho thre formes / that þou hast in the And Palamon / that hath swich loue to me And eke Arcite / that loueth me so sore This grace I preye the / with-oute more Line 2316 As send loue and pes / betwix hem two And fro me turne a-wey / here hertes so That al here hot loue / and here desire And alle here besy turmenteȝ / and here fire Line 2320 Be quenched / and turned / in a-nother place

And if so be / þou wylt nat do me grace Of if my destenye / be I-shape so That I shal nedes haue / on of hem two Line 2324 As send me him / that most desireth me Byhold goddesse / of clene chastite The bitter teres / that on my chekys falle Syn þou art Mayde / and kepere of vs alle Line 2328 My maydenhode þou kepe / and wel conserue And while I lyue / a Mayde I wol the serue [folio 30b] ¶ . The fires brennen / vp-on the auter clere while Emelye / was thus / in hire preyere Line 2332 But sodeynly she sey / a sight queynte ffor right a-non / on of the fires queynte And quyked a-geyn / and after that a-non That other fir was queynt / and al a-gon Line 2336 And as it queynt / it made a whistelyng As don theise wete brondes / in here brennyng And at the brondes ende / ouȝt ran a-non As it were blody dropes / many on Line 2340 ffor which so sore a-gast / was Emelye That she was wol ny mad / and gan to crye ffor she ne wyst / what it signified But only for the feer / thus hath she cried Line 2344 And wepte / þat it was pite for to here ¶ . And ther-withal / Diane gan a-pere with bowe in hond / right as an huntresse And seide doughter / stynt thyn heuynesse Line 2348 Among the goddes hie / it is a-fermed And by eterne word / wryten and confermed Thow shalt ben wedded / vn-to on of tho That han for the / so meche care and woo Line 2352 But vn-to which of hem / I may nat telle ffare wel / I may no lengere dwelle The fires which / that on myn auter brenne Shuln the declaren / er that þow go henne Line 2356 Thyn auenture of loue / as in this caas

And with þat word / the arwes in the caas Of the goddesse / clateren faste and rynge And forth she went / and mad a vanasshynge Line 2360 ffor which this Emelye / astoyned was And seide / what amountith this / allas I putte me / in thyn proteccion Diane / and in thyn disposicion Line 2364 And hom she goth a-non / the next wey This is the effect / there is no more to sey ¶ . The next houre / of Mars / folwyng this Arcite / vn-to the temple / walked is Line 2368 Of fiers Mars / to don his sacrefice with alle the rightes / of his payen wyse with pitous hert / and hie deuocion

O Ryght thus to Mars / he seid his orison Line 2372 Strong god / that in the regnes cold Of Trace / honoured art / and god I-hold And hast in euery regne / and euery lond [folio 31a] Of armes / alle the brydeles in þin hond Line 2376 And hem fortunest / as the list deuyse Accepte of me / my pitous sacrifise If so be / that my ȝouthe / may deserue And þat my myght / be worthy for to serue Line 2380 Thyn godhed / that I may be on of thyne Than preye I the / to rewe vp-on my pyne ffor thilk pyne / and thilk hote fyre In which / þou whilom / brendest for desire Line 2384 whan that þou vsedest / the beaute Of fair ȝong and fressh / Venus fre And haddest hire in armes / at thy wylle Al-though the ones / on a tyme mys-felle Line 2388 whan Vulcanus / had caught the in his laas And fond the liggynge / by his wyf / Allas ffor thilk sorwe / that was tho in thyn hert Haue reuthe as wel / vp-on my peynes smert Line 2392 I am ȝong / and vnkonyng / as þou wost

And as I trowe / with loue offended most That euere was ony / lyues creature ffor she þat doth me / al this woo endure Line 2396 Ne reccheth neuere / wheiþer I synke or flete And wel I wot / or she me mercy hete I mot with strengthe / wynne hire in the place And wel I wot / with-outen help & grace Line 2400 Of the / ne may my strengthe / nat a-vaille Than help me lord / to-morwe in my bataille ffor thilk fire / that whilom brent the As wele as thilk fire / now brenneth me Line 2404 And do þat I to-morwe / may han victorie Myn be the trauaylle / & thyn be the glorie Thy souereygne temple / wyl I most honoure Of ony place / and alwey most laboure Line 2408 In thy plesaunce / and in thy craftes strong And in thy temple / I wol my baner hong And alle the armes / of my companye And euere mo / vn-to that day I dye Line 2412 Eterne fyre / I wyl byfore the fynde And eke to this a-vow / I wyl me bynde My berd myn her / þat hangeth long a-doun That neuere ȝet felte / nor offension Line 2416 Of Rasour ne of shere / I wyl the ȝeue And ben thyn trewe seruaunt / whyl I lyue Now lord haue reuthe / vp-on my sorwes sore [folio 31b] Ȝeue me the victorie / I aske the no more Line 2420 ¶ . The prayer stynt / of Arcita the strong The rynges of the temple dore / þat hong And eke the dores / clateren ful faste Of which Arcita / som-what him a-gaste Line 2424 The fires brent / vp-on the auter bryght That it gan / al the temple for to light A swete smel / a-non / þe ground vp ȝaue And Arcita a-non / his hand vp haue Line 2428 And more encens / in-to the fyr he cast

with othere riȝtes mo / and at the last ¶ . The statute of Mars / bygan his hauberk rynge And with þat soun / he herd a murmurynge Line 2432 fful lowe and dym / and seide thus / victorie ffor which / he ȝaf to Mars / honour and glorie ¶ . And thus with ioye / and hope wel to fare Arcite a-non / vn-to his In is fare Line 2436 As fayn as foul / is of the bryght sonne And right a-non / swich a strif / þere is bygonne ffor thilke grauntyng / in þe heuene a-boue Betwix venus / the goddesse of loue Line 2440 And Mars / the sterne god armypotent That Iubiter was besy / it to stent Til þat the pale / Saturnus / the colde That knew so manye / of auentures olde Line 2444 ffond in his old experience / and art That the ful sone / hath plesed euery part As soth is seid / elde hath gret auauntage [¶ Nota] In elde is bothe wysdom / and vsage Line 2448 Men may the olde at renne / and nat at rede Saturne a-non / to stynten stryf and drede Al be it / þat it is / a-geyn his kynde Of al this strif / he can remedye fynde Line 2452 ¶ . My dere doughter Venus / quod Saturne My cours / that hath so wyde / for to turne Hath more powere / than wot ony man Myn is the drenchyng / in the see so wan Line 2456 Myn is the pryson / in the derke Cote Myn is the strangelyng / & hangyng by the throte The murmur / and the cherles rebellyng The groynyng / and the pryue enpoysenyng Line 2460 I do vengeaunce / and pleyn correccion While I dwelle in þe signe / of the lyon Myn is the ruyne / of the heye halles The fallyng of the Toures / and of the walles [folio 32a] Line 2464 Vp-on the Mynour / or the Carpentere

I slow Sampson / shakyng the pylere And myne ben / the maladyes colde The derk treson / and the castes olde Line 2468 My lokyng is / the fader of pestilence Now wepe no more / I shal don diligence That Palamon / þat is thyn owen knyght Shal haue his lady / as þou hast him hight Line 2472 This Mars / shal helpe his knyght ȝet / natheles Be-twix ȝow / there mot / be som tyme pees Al be ȝe nat / of oo compleccion That causeth al day swich deuysion Line 2476 I am thyn al redy / at thy wylle wepe now no more / I wol thy lust fulfille Now wol I stynt / of the goddes a-boue Of Mars and of Venus / goddesse of loue Line 2480 And tellen ȝow / as pleynly as I can The grete effect / for which þat I bygan

[Part IV. No gap in the MS.]

Gret was the fest / at Athenes that day And eke the lusty seson / of that May Line 2484 Made euery wyght / to ben in swich plesance That al that Monday / Iusten they and daunce And spenden it / in venus hey seruyse And by the cause / that they shulden ryse Line 2488 Erly for to sen / the grete sight vn-to here reest / went they at nyght And on þe morwe / whan the day gan spryng Of hors and harneys / noyse and clateryng Line 2492 There was / in hostryes al a-boute And to the Paleys / rod þere many a route Of lordes / vp-on stedes and palfreyes ¶ . There maist þou sen / deuysyng of harneys Line 2496 So vnkouth / and so riche / and wrouȝt so wele Of goldsmythrie / of browdyng and of stele

The sheldes bright / testres and trappures Gold hewen helmes / hauberkes Cotearmures Line 2500 Lordes in parmentis / or here courseres knyghtes of retenue / and eke squyeres Naylyng the speres / and helmes bokelyng Gynggynge of sheldes / with layneres lassyng Line 2504 There as nede is / they were no thyng Idel The fomy steedes / on the goldene brydel Gnawyng / and faste the armures also with fyle and hamer / prykyng to and fro Line 2508 Ȝemen on fote / and comunes many on [folio 32b] with shorte staues / thikke as they may gon Pipes / trompes / Nakeres Clariones That in the bataill / blowen blody sownes Line 2512 The paleys ful of peeple / vp and doun here thre / there /x/ holdyng here question Diuynyng of theise Thebans / knyghtes two Somme seyden thus / som seyden it shal be so Line 2516 Somme heldyn with him / with the blak berde Some with the balled / some with the thikke herede Somme seide he loked grym / and he wold fyght he hath a sparthe / of twenty pound of wyght Line 2520 Thus was the halle / ful of dyuynyng longe after the sonne / gan vp spryng ¶ . The grete Theseus / of his slep a-waked with mynstralsie / and noise þat was maked Line 2524 he held ȝet the chaumbres / of his paleys riche Til þat the Thebans knyghtes / bothe I-liche Houndred / weren in-to the paleys fet Duke Theseus / is at the wyndowe set Line 2528 Arrayed / right as he were / a god in trone The peeple preseth / thederward ful sone Hym for to sen / and don hey reuerence And eke to herken / his hest / and his sentence Line 2532 ¶ . An heraud on a skaffold / made an oo Til al the noyse of the peeple / was I-do

And whan he saw / the peeple of noyse al stille Thus shewed he / the myghty Dukes wylle Line 2536 ¶ . The lord hath / of heye discrecion Considered / that it were destruccion To gentil blode / to fighten in the gyse Of mortal bataille / now in this emprise Line 2540 wherfore to shapen / that they shal nat deye he wol his ffirst purpos / modifie ¶ . No man þerfore / vp peyne of losse of lyf No maner shote / ne pollax / ne short knyf Line 2544 In-to the lystes sende / or theder bryng No short swerd for to steke / with poynt bityng Ne noman ne drawe / ne bere it by his syde Ne noman shal / vn-to his felawe ryde Line 2548 But oo cours / with a sharp I-grounde spere ffoyne if him list / on fote him self to were And he þat is at myschef / shal be take And nouȝt slayn / but be brouȝt vn-to þe stake Line 2552 That shal ben ordeyned / on eyther syde And thidder he shal by force / and there a-byde [folio 33a] And if so falle / that the cheuenteyn be take On either syde / or elles sle his make Line 2556 No lengere shal / the turnayng laste God spede ȝow go forth / and ley on faste with long swerd and with mace / fighteth ȝoure fille Go now ȝoure wey / this is the lordes wylle Line 2560 ¶ . The voys of þe peeple / toucheth the heuene So loude crieden they / with mery steuene God saue swich a lord / þat is so good he ne wyl / no destruccion of blod Line 2564 ¶ Vp gon the trumpes / and the melodye [Nota] And to the lystes / riȝt the cumpanye By ordinaunce / þorugh-ouȝt the Citee large Honged with cloth of gold / and nat with sarge Line 2568 fful lyke a lord / this noble Duke gan ryde Theise two Thebans / vp-on either side

And after rod the Quene / and Emelye And after that / a-nother companye Line 2572 Of on and other / after here degree And thus they passen / thorugh-ouȝt the Citee And to the lystes / come they be tyme It nas nouȝt of the day / ȝet fully pryme Line 2576 ¶ . Whan set was Theseus / ful riche and heye ypolita the Quene / and Emelye And other ladies / in degrees a-boute Vn-to the setes / preseth euery route Line 2580 And westward / þorugh the gates / vnder Marte Arcite / and eke the C / of his parte with baner red / is entred right a-non ¶ . And in þat selue moment / Palamon Line 2584 Is vnder venus / estward in the place with baner whit / & hardy chere and face In al the world / to seken vp and doun So euene / with-oute variacion Line 2588 There ne is / swich companyes twey ffor there was non / so wys þat koude sey That any had / of other auauntage Of worthynesse / ne of estate ne Age Line 2592 So euen were they / chosen for to gesse And in two renges / faire they hem dresse whan þat here names / red were euerychon That in here noumbre / gyle were þere non Line 2596 Tho were the gates shette / and cried was loude Do now ȝoure deuer / ȝonge knyghtes proude ¶ . The heraudes left here prekyng / vp and doun Now ryngen trompes loude / and Clarioun Line 2600 There nys nomore to sey / but west and Est [folio 33b] [¶ Nota] In gon the speres / ful sadly in the rest In goth the sharp spore / in-to the syde Þere se men who can Iuste / and who can ryde Line 2604 They sheueren shaftes / vp-on sheldes thikke he feleth þorugh the hert spone / the prikke

Vp springen speres / xx^ti fote on height Ouȝt gon the swerdes / as the siluer bright Line 2608 The helmes they to-hewen / and to-shrede Ouȝt brest the blod / with sterne stremes rede with myghty maces / to bons they / to-brest he þorugh the thikkest / of the throng gan threst Line 2612 There stomblen steedes strong / & doun goth al He rolleth vnder fote / as doth a bal He foyneth on his fet / with his tronchon And he him hurteth / with his hors a-doun Line 2616 he thurgh the body is hurt / and sithen take Maugre his hede / and brouȝt vn-to the stake As forward was / and þere he must a-byde A-nother lad is / on þat other syde Line 2620 And som tyme / doth Theseus / to reste hem / to refresshe / & drynken if hem liste ¶ . fful ofte a day / han theise Thebans two To-geder mette / and wrouȝt his felawe woo Line 2624 Vnhorsed hath ech other / of hem tweye There nas no Tygre / in the vale of Galgopheye whan þat hire whelp were stole / whan it is lite So cruel on the hunte / as is Arcite Line 2628 ffor ielous hert / vp-on this Palamon Ne in belmarie / there nys no fel lyon That hunted is / or for his honger wood Ne of his pray / desireth so the blod Line 2632 As Palamon / to slen his foo Arcite The ielous strokes / on here helmes byte Ouȝt ronneth blod / on both here sides rede ¶ . Somtyme an ende þere is / of euery dede Line 2636 ffor er the sonne / vn-to the rest went The strong kyng / Emetrius / gan hent This Palamon / as he faught with Arcite And mad his swerd depe / in his flessh to byte Line 2640 And by the force of xx^ti / is he take vnȝolden / and I-drawen / vn-to the stake

And in the rescuys / of þis Palamon The strong kyng lygurge / is born a-doun Line 2644 And kyng Emetrius / for al his strengthe Is born ouȝt of his sadel / a swerd lengthe [folio 34a] So hit him Palamon / er he were take But al for nought / he was brouȝt to þe stake Line 2648 his hardy hert / myght him help right nought he must abide / whan that he was caught By force / and eke by composicion ¶ . who sorweth now / but wooful Palamon Line 2652 That mot no more / gon a-geyn to fight And whan that Theseus / had seyn þis sight Vn-to the folk / that foughten thus echon He cried hoo no more / for it is don Line 2656 I wol be trewe Iugge / and no partie Arcite of Thebes / shal haue Emelie That by his fortune / hath hire faire I-wonne A-non there is a noyse / of peeple bygonne Line 2660 ffor ioye of this / so loude and hye with-alle It semed that the listes / shulde falle ¶ . what can now / fayr venus don a-boue what seith she now / what doth this Quene of loue Line 2664 But wepeth so / wantyng of hire wylle Til that hire teres / in the listes felle She seide / I am a-shamed douteles ¶ . Saturnus seide / doughter hold þin pes Line 2668 Mars hath his wylle / his knyght hath al his bone And be myn hede / þou shalt ben eesed sone The trompoures / with the loude Mynstralsye The heraudes / that ful loude / ȝelle and crye Line 2672 Ben in here wele / for Ioye of Daun Arcite But herkeneth now / and stynteth noyse a lite which a miracle / there fel a-non This fiers Arcite / hath of his helm don Line 2676 And on a Courser / for to shewe his face he preketh endlong / the large place

lokyng vp-ward / vp-on this Emelye And she ageyn him cast / a frendly eye Line 2680 [For wommen as speketh the comune [Eg. 2726 folio 34b] [[Left out of Dd.]] They folowe all þe fauour of fortune [Eg. 2726 folio 34b] ] And she was al his cher / as in his herte Ouȝt of the ground / a fire infernel sterte Line 2684 ffro Pluto sent / at the request of Saturne ffor which / his hors for fer / gan to turne And lepte a-side / and foundred as he lepe And er that Arcite / may taken kepe Line 2688 he pyght him on the pomel / of his hede That in the place / he lay as he were ded his brest to-brosten / with his sadel bowe As blak he was / as ony cole or crowe [folio 34b] Line 2692 So was the blode / I-ronnen in his face ¶ . A-non he was born / ouȝt of the place With hert sore / to Theseus paleys Tho was he coruen / ouȝt of his harneys Line 2696 And in a bed I-brought / ful fair and blyue ffor he was ȝet / in memorie and lyue And alwey criyng / after Emelye Duke Theseus / with al his companye Line 2700 Is comen hom / to Athenes his Citee With all blisse / and gret solempnyte Al be it / that this auenture was falle He nolde nat / discomforten hem alle Line 2704 Men seide eke / Arcite shal nat deye he shal ben heled / of his maladye And of a-noþer thyng / they were as fayn That of hem alle / was non I-slayn Line 2708 Alle were they sore I-hurt / and namely on That with a spere was thirled / þorugh þe brest bon To oþere woundes / and to broken armes Somme hadden salue / & somme hadden charmes Line 2712 ffermacies of herbes / and eke saue They dronken / for þei wold here lyues haue

ffor which this noble Duke / as he wel can Comforteth / and honoureth / euery man Line 2716 And mad reuel / al the longe nyght Vn-to the straunge lordes / as was right ¶ . Ne there was holden / non discomfityng But as a Iustes / or a turneyeng Line 2720 ffor sothly there was / no disconfiture ffor fallyng nys nat / but an auenture Ne to ben had by force / vn-to the stake Vnȝolden / and with / xx^ti / knyghtes take Line 2724 O persone a-lone / with-outen mo And haried forth / by arm foot and too And eke his steede / dreuen forth with staues With fotmen / bothe ȝemen & eke knaues Line 2728 It nas aretted him / no velanye There may no man / clepe it cowardie ¶ . ffor which a-non / Duke Theseus let crie To stynten al rancour / and Envie Line 2732 The gree as wele / of o side as of other And either side elyke / as others brother And ȝaf hem ȝiftes / after here degree And fully held a fest / dayes thre Line 2736 And conueyed the kyngis / worthily Ouȝt of his toun / a iourne largely [folio 35a] And hom went euery man / the right wey There was no more / but fare wel haue good day Line 2740 Of this bataille / I wol no more endyte But speke of Palamon / and of Arcite

Swelleth the brest of Arcite / and the sore Encreseth / at his hert / more and more Line 2744 The clotered blod / for ony lechecraft Corupteth / and is in his bouke I-laft That neither veyn blod / ne ventusyng Ne drynk of herbes / may ben his helpyng Line 2748 The vertue of explyf / or Animall ffor thilk vertue / cleped naturall

Ne may the venym voide / ne expelle The pipes of his longen / gonen swelle Line 2752 And euery lacerte / in his brest a-doun [Is shent with venym and corrupcoun Him gayneth nought to gete his lyf Vomyt vpward ne donward laxatyf Line 2756 All is brosten þat regioun [Eg. 2726 folio 35a] [[ Left out of Dd.]] ] Nature hath now / no dominacion And certeynly / there nature wyl nat werche ffare wel Phisyk / go bere þe man to cherche [¶ verum est] This is al and som / that Arcite mot deye Line 2761 ffor which he sendeth / after Emelye And Palamon / that was his Cosyn dere Than seide he thus / as ȝe shuln after here Line 2764 ¶ . Nat may the wooful spirit / in myn hert Declare a poynt / of alle my sorwes smert To ȝow my lady / that I loue most But I quethe / the / seruyse of my gost Line 2768 To ȝow / a-bouen euery creature Sen that my lif / may no lengere dure Allas the woo / allas the peynes stronge [¶ Nota bene] That I for ȝow haue / suffred / and so longe Line 2772 Allas the deth / allas myn Emelye Allas departyng / of oure companye Allas myn hertes Quene / allas my wyf Myn hertes lady / endere of my lif Line 2776 What is this world / what asken men to haue Now with his loue / now in his cold graue [Allone with-out ony cumpany Farewele my swete farewele myn Emely Line 2780 And soft take me in your armes twey For the loue of god and herkeneth what I sey [Eg. 2726 folio 35b] [[ Left out of Dd.]] ] ¶ . I haue here with my Cosyn / Palamon had strif and rancour / many a day a-gon Line 2784 ffor loue of ȝow / and for my Ielousie And Iubiter / so wysly / my soule gye

To speken of a seruaunt / proprely with circumstaunceȝ / all trewely Line 2788 That is to seyn / trewþe / honour / knyȝthede Wysdom humblesse / estate / and heigh kynrede ffreedom / and al that longeth / to that art [folio 35b] So Iubiter haue / of my soule part Line 2792 As in this world right now / ne knowe I non So worthy to ben loued / as Palamon That serueth ȝow / and wel don al his lyf And if þat euere / ȝe schuln ben a wyf Line 2796 fforȝete nat Palamon / the gentil man ¶ . And with that word / his speche faile began ffor fro his fete / vp to his brest was come The colde of deth / that had him ouercome Line 2800 And ȝet more-ouer / for in his armes two The vitayll strengthe / is lost and al a-go Oonly the intellect / with-outen more That dwelleth / in his hert / seke and sore Line 2804 Gan faylen / whan the hert feleth deth Dusked ys hise eyen two / and faileth breth But on his lady / ȝet cast he his eye His last word / was mercy Emelye Line 2808 his spirit chaunged hens / & went there As I cam neuere / I kan nat tellen where Therfore I stynt / I am no diuinistre Of soules fynde I nouȝt / in this registre Line 2812 Ne me ne list / thilke opinions to telle Of hem / though þat þei wryten / where they dwelle Arcite is cold / there Mars his soule gye Now wol I speken forth / of Emelye Line 2816 ¶ . Shryghte / Emelye / and howleth Palamon And Theseus his Suster / tok a-non Swoughnyng / & bar hire / fro the corps a-way What helpeth it / to tarien forth the day Line 2820 To tellen how she wepte / both eue and morwe ffor in swich cas / wommen han swich sorwe

Whan þat here husbondes / ben fro hem a-go That for the more part / they sorwen so Line 2824 Or ellis fallen / in swich a maladie That at the last / certeynly they deye ¶ . Infinite ben the sorwes / and the teeres Of olde folk / and folk of tendre ȝeres Line 2828 In al the Toun / for the deth / of this Theban ffor him þere wepeth / bothe child & man So gret a wepyng / was þere non certeyn Whan Ector was brought / al fressh I-slayn Line 2832 To Troye / allas the pyte that was there Cracchyng of chekes / rendyng eke of here Why woldest þou be ded / theise wommen crye And haddest gold I-now / and Emelye [folio 36a] Line 2836 ¶ . No man myght gladen / Theseus Sauyng his old fader / Egeus That knew this worldlis / transmutacion As he had seyn it chaunge / boþe vp & doun Line 2840 Ioye after woo / and woo after gladnes And shewed him ensample / and lyknes Right as there deyed neuere man / quod he [¶ Nota] [¶ Argumentum] That he ne loued in erthe / in som degre Right so þere lyued neuere man / he seide Line 2845 In al this world / þat somtyme he ne deyede This world nys but a thurgh-feire / ful of woo And we ben pilgrimes / passyng to and froo Line 2848 Deth is an ende / of euery worldly sore And ouer al this / ȝet seide he meche more To this effect / ful wysly to enhorte The peeple / þat they shuld him / recomforte Line 2852 ¶ . Duke Theseus / with al his bysy cure Oast [[for Cast]] now where / that the sepulture Of goode Arcite / may best I-maked be And eke most honourable / in his degre Line 2856 And at the last / he tok conclusion That there as first / Arcite & Palamon

hadden for loue / the bataylle hem bytwene That in the selue Groue / swete & grene Line 2860 There as he had / his amorous desires Hys compleynt / and for loue his hote fires he wold make a fir / in which the office ffunerall / he myght al accomplice Line 2864 And lete a-non comaunde / to hakke and hewe The Okes olde / and leyn hem on a rewe In culpons / wel arayed for to brenne ¶ . His officers / with swift fet they renne Line 2868 And ride a-non / at his comaundement And after this / Theseus hath I-sent After a Bere / and it al ouer-spredde with clothes of gold / the richest þat he hadde Line 2872 And of þe same seute / he clad Arcite vp-on his handes / his glowys whyte Eke on his hede / a corone of laurere grene And in his hand / a swerd ful bright and kene Line 2876 He leid him bare / the visage / on the bere Ther-with he wepte / that pite was to here And for the peeple / shuld sen him alle Whan it was day / he brouȝt him to þe halle Line 2880 That roreth of the criyng and the soun Tho cam this wooful Theaban / Palamon [folio 36b] With flotry berd / and ruggy asshy heres In clothes blake / I-dropped al with teres Line 2884 And passyng othere / of wepyng / Emelye The reufullest / of al the cumpanye And in as meche / as the seruyse shuld be The more noble / and riche in his degree Line 2888 Duke Theseus / let forth the steedes bryng That trapped weren / in stele al gleteryng And couered with the Armes / of daun Arcite vp-on the steedes / grete and whyte Line 2892 There seten folk / of which on bar his shelde Another his spere / vp-on his hondes helde

They bar with him / his bowe Turkeys Of brend gold was the caas / & eke the harneys Line 2896 And riden forth a paas / with sorweful chere Toward the Groue / as ȝe schuln after here The noblest of the Grekys / that there were Vp-on here shuldres / carieden the bere Line 2900 with slakke paas / and eyen rede and wete Thorugh-ouȝt the Citee / by the maister strete That spred was al with blak / and wonder hye Ryght of the same / is the strete I-wrye Line 2904 ¶ . Vp-on the right hand / went old Egeus And on that other side / Duke Theseus With vesseles in here handes / of gold ful fyne Al ful of hony / melk / Blod / and wyne Line 2908 Eke Palamon / with ful gret companye And after þat cam / wooful Emelye With fir in hand / as was þat tyme the gyse To do the offise / of ffunerall seruyce Line 2912 ¶ . Heigh labour / and gret apparaillyng Was at the seruice / and the fir makyng That with his grene top / the heuene laught And xx^ti / fadome of brede / the armes straught Line 2916 This is to seyn / the bowes were so brode Of stree first / there was leid mony a lode ¶ . But how the fire / was maked vp on height Ne eke the names / how the trees hight Line 2920 As Oke fir / Birche / Aspe / Alder / holm / Popler Arbores Wylew / Elm / Plane / Assh / Box / Chesteyn / lynde / laurer Mapul / Thorn / Beche / Hasel / Ew / Whippeltre How they were feld / shal nat be told for me Line 2924 ¶ . Ne how the goddes / ronnen vp and doun Disherited / of here habitacion [[Dd. ends; leaf 37 gone]] In which they woneden in rest and pees [Eg. begins, leaf 37 back] nymphes fawnes and madrides Line 2928 Ne how the bestes and the briddes all ffledden for ferde whan whan the wode was fall

Ne how the grounde agast was of the light That was nat wonte to seen the sonne bright Line 2932 Ne how the fire was chaunged first with stre And then dry stykkes cloven in iij· And than with grene wode and spicery And than with cloth of golde and with perry Line 2936 And garlandes hangyng full of many a flour The mirre Theceus with all the grete sauour Ne how Arcite lay amonge all this Ne what ricches aboute his body ys Line 2940 Ne how that Emelye as was the gyse put in the fire of funerall seruice Ne how the swowned whan men made the fire ne what she spake ne what was hir desire Line 2944 ne what Iewels men in the fire cast Whan that the fire was grete and brent faste Ne how som her sheldes and som her spere And of her vestimentes which that they were Line 2948 And cuppes full of mylke and wyne and blode In-to the fire than brent as yt were wode And how the grekes with an houge route Thries ryden the fire aboute Line 2952 Vp-on the left hande with a loude showtyng And thries with her speres clateryng And thries how the ladies gonnen crye And how that lad was homward Emelye Line 2956 Ne how Arcite ys brent to asshen colde Ne how þat light wake was yholde All that night ne how the grekes pleye The wake pleys ne kepe I nat to seye Line 2960 Who wrastelleth best naked with oyle enoynt Ne who that bare hym best in no disioynt [Eg. 2726 folio 38a] I woll nat tellen all how they gon Hom to Athenes whan the pleye ys don Line 2964 But shortly to the poynte than woll I wende And maken of my longe tale an ende

By processe and by length of certein yeres All stynt is the mournyng and the teres Line 2968 Of grekes by one generall assent Than semed me there was a parlement Among the which pointes spoken was Line 2972 At Athenes vp-on certein poyntes and caas Line 2971 To haue with certein encres aliaunce And haue fully of Thebans obeisaunce ffor which this noble Theseus anon leten sende after gentell Palamon Line 2976 Vnwyst of hym what was the cause and why But in his blake clothes sorowfully he cam at his comaundement in hie Tho sent Theseus for Emelye Line 2980 Whan they were set and hussh was all the place And Theseus abyden hath a space Er ony worde cam from his wyse brest His yeen set he there as was his list Line 2984 And with a sad visage he sighed styll And after þat right thus he seide his will

The first mouer of the cause aboue whan he first made þe feir cheine of loue Line 2988 Grete was theffect and hie was his entent Wele wist he why and what there-of he ment ffor with þat feir chein of loue he bonde The fire the eyer the water and the londe Line 2992 In certein bondes that they may nat fle That same prince and þat mover quod he hath stabliced in this wrecched world adoun Certein dayes and duracioun Line 2996 To all that gendred is in this place Ouer the which day they may nat pace All mow they yit tho dayes a-brigge There nedeth none auctorite to alegge Line 3000 ffor yt ys preued by experience / But þat me list declaren my sentence [Eg. 2726 folio 38b]

Then men may wele by this ordre discerne That thilke mover stable ys and eterne Line 3004 Wele may men knowe but it be a fole That euery part is dareined from his hole ffor nature hath nat taken his begynnyng Of no party or of cantell or of a thing Line 3008 But of a thing that parfite is and stable Descendyng so tyll it be corumpable And therfore for his wyse purveyaunce He hath so wele byset his ordinaunce Line 3012 That spices of thinges and progressions Sholden enduren by successions And noght eterne withouten ony lye This maist þou vndrestonde and seyn at eye [[Eg. ends]] Line 3016 Lo the Oke / that hath / so longe a norisshyng [Dd. begins, leaf 38] ffro the tyme / þat it first / bygynneth to spryng [¶ Nota bene] And hath so longe a lyf / as ȝe may se Ȝet at the last / wasted is the tree Line 3020 Considereth eke / how that the harde ston Vnder oure fote / on which we ride and gon It wasteth / as it lith / by the weye The brode ryuer / somtyme waxeth drye Line 3024 The grete townes / se we wane and wend Than se ȝe / þat al this thyng / hath an end Of man and womman / se we wel also That nedes in on / of þeise termes two Line 3028 This is to seyn / in ȝouthe or ellis in age he mot be ded / the kyng / as shal a page Som in his bed / som in the depe see Som in the large feld / as ȝe moun se Line 3032 There helpeth nouȝt / alle gon þat ilke wey Than may I seyn / that al this thyng mot dey ¶ . What makith this / but Iubiter the kyng That is prince and cause / of alle thyng Line 3036 Conuertyng alle / vn-to his propre wylle ffrom which it is derreyned / soth to telle

And here a-geyns / no creature on lyue Of no degree / auayleth nat for to stryue Line 3040 ¶ . Than is it wysdom / as it thynketh me To maken vertue / of necessite And take it wele / þat we may nat escheue And namelich / þat to vs alle / is due Line 3044 And who-so gruccheth ouȝt / he doth folie That rebel is to hym / þat al may gye And certeynly / a man hath most honour To dyen / in his excellence and flour Line 3048 Whan he is syker / of his good name Than hath he don / his frend ne him no shame And gladdere ought his frend / ben of his deth Whan þat with honour / ȝolden is his breth Line 3052 Than whan his name / appalled is for age ffor al forgetyn / is his vassillage Than is it best / as for a worthy fame To dyen / whan he is best of name Line 3056 The contrary of al this / is wylfulnesse Why grucchen we / why haue we heuynesse That good Arcite / of Chyualrie the flour Departed ys / with duete and honour Line 3060 Ouȝt of this foul prison / of this lyf Why grucchen heere / his Cosyn and his wyff [folio 38b] Of his welfare / that louen him so wele Can he hem thank / nay god wot / neuere a dele Line 3064 That bothe his soule / and eke hem self offend And ȝet they moun / here lustes nat a-mend ¶ . What may I concluden / of this long serie But after woo / I rede vs alle be merye Line 3068 And thanken Iubiter / of al his grace And er we departen / from this place I rede we make / of sorwes two O parfyt Ioye / lastyng euere moo Line 3072 And loketh now / where most sorwe is here-Inne There wyl I first amenden / and bygynne

¶ . Suster quod he / this is my ful assent with alle the lordes here / of my parlement Line 3076 Tat Ientil Palamon / ȝoure owen knyght That serueth ȝow / with wyl hert & myght And euere hath don / syn first ȝe him knewe That ȝe schuln of ȝour grace / vp-on him rewe Line 3080 And taken him for husbonde / and for lord lene me ȝoure hand / for þis is oure acord lat se now / of ȝoure wommanly pitee he is a kyngis brotheres sone / parde Line 3084 And though he were / a pore bachelere Syn he hath serued ȝow / so many a ȝere And had for ȝow / so gret aduersitee It must ben considered / leueth me Line 3088 ffor gentil mercy / ouȝt to passen right ¶ . Than seide he thus / to Palamon the knyght I trowe there nedeth / litel sermonyng To maken ȝow assenten / to this thyng Line 3092 Come nere / & taketh ȝoure lady / by the hond Bytwixen hem / was mad a-non the bond That hight matrimon / or mariage By al the counseil / and the baronage Line 3096 ¶ . And thus with al blisse / and melodye hath Palamon I-wedded / Emelye And god þat al this world / hath wrought Sende him his loue / þat hath it dere a-bought Line 3100 ffor now is Palamon / in all wele leuyng in blisse / in richesse and in hele And Emelye / him loueth so tenderly And he hire serueth / so gentilly Line 3104 That þere was / no word / hem bytwene Of ielousie / or ony other tene [folio 39a] Thus endeth Palamon / and Emelye Line 3107 And god saue al / this fair companye.

¶ Amen quod Wytton;

¶ The prologe of the Millere

WHan that the knyght / had thus his tale I-told In al the companye / ne was þere ȝong ne old That he ne seide / it was a noble storie And worthy for to drawen / to memorie Line 3112 And namely the gentiles / euerychon ¶ . Oure Host lough / and swor as mot I gon This goth a-right / vnbocled is the male Lat se now / who shal telle / a-nother tale Line 3116 ffor trewely / þis game is wel bygonne Now telleth ȝe sire Monke / if þat ȝe cone Som what / to quyte with / þe knyghtes tale ¶ . The Millere / þat for-dronken was / of Ale [al pale] Line 3120 So þat vn-ethe vp-on his hors he sat he nolde a-valen / neither hod ne hat Ne a-byden no man / for his curteysie But in pilates vois / he gan to crye Line 3124 And swor by armes / and by blod & bones I can a noble tale / for the nones With which I wol now / quyte þe knyghtes tale Oure host saw / that he was dronke of ale Line 3128 And seide abyde / Robyn leue brother Som betir man / shal telle vs first a-nother A-byde / and late vs werkyn / thriftily By goddes soule quod he / that wol nat I Line 3132 ffor I wol speke / or elles go my wey Oure host answered / telle on a dewel wey Thow art a fool / thy wyt is ouercome ¶ . Now herkeneth quod the Millere / alle & some Line 3136 But first I make / a protestacion That I am dronke / I knowe it be my soun And þerfore / if that I / mysspeke or sey Wyteth it the Ale / of Southwerk / I prey Line 3140

Line 3140 ffor I wol telle / a legend / or a lyf Bothe of a Carpenter / and of his wyf How þat a Clerk / hath set the wryghtes cap ¶ . The Reve answered / and seide stynt thy clap [folio 39b] late be thyn lewed / dronken Harlotrie Line 3145 It is a synne / and eke a gret folie To a-peyren any man / of his defame And eke to brynge wyues / in swich name Line 3148 Thow maist I-now / of othere thynges seyn ¶ . This dronken Millere / spak ful sone a-geyn And seide / leue brother Oswold Who hath no wyf / he is no Cokewold Line 3152 But I seye nat þerfore / that þou art on There ben ful goode wyues / many on . . . . . [[not in Eg. 2726]] . . . . . [no gap in the MS.] Line 3156 Why art þou angry / with my tale now I haue a wyf parde / as wel as thow Ȝet nolde I / for the Oxen in my plough Taken vp-on me / more than I-nough Line 3160 As demen on my self / þat I were one I wol byleue wel / þat I am none An husbonde / shal nat ben inquesitif [¶ Nota bene] Of goddes preuyte / ne of his wyf Line 3164 So he may fynden / goddes foyson there Of the remenaunt / nedeth nat enquere ¶ . What shulde I more seyn / but þis Millere he nolde hise wordes / for no man for-bere Line 3168 But told his Cherles tale / in his manere Me a-thynketh / þat I shal / reherce it here And therfore / euery gentil wyght I pray Demeth nat / for goddes loue / that I say Line 3172 Of euele entent / but for I mot reherce here tales alle / al be they bet / or werce Or elles falsen / som of my matere And þerfore / wo-so list it nat / to here Line 3176

Line 3176 Turne ouer the lef / and chese a-noþer tale ffor he shal fynde I-nowe / grete & smale Of storial thyng / that toucheth gentilnesse And eke moralite / and holynesse Line 3180 Blameth nat me / if þat ȝe chese a-mys The Millere is a charl / ȝe knowe wel this So was the Reve eke / and othere moo And Harlotrie they tolden / bothe two Line 3184 A-vyseth ȝow / and put me ouȝt of blame And eke / men shuln nat make / ernest of game

¶ Heere bygynneth the Millers tale; [folio 40a]

WHilom there was dwellyng / in Oxenford A riche gnof / that gestes held to bord Line 3188 And of his craft / he was a Carpentere with him þere was dwellyng / a poore scolere Had lerned art / but al his fantasye was turned / for to lerne / Astrologye Line 3192 And koude a serteyn / of conclusions To demen / by interrogacions If þat men asked him / in certeyn houres What þat men shuld haue / drought or elles shoures Line 3196 Or if men asked him / what shulde by-falle Of euery thyng / I may nat rekken hem alle ¶ . This Clerk was cleped / hende Nicholas Of derne loue he coude / and of solas Line 3200 And ther-to he was sly / and ful preue And like a Maide / meke for to se A Chaumbre had he / in that hostelrye A-lone / with-outen ony companye Line 3204 fful fetisly dight / with herbes swote And he him self / as swete as is the rote Of licoris / or ony Setuale his Almageste / and bokes grete and smale Line 3208 his Astralabie / longyng for his art His Augryme stones / loyn faire a-pert On shelues / kouched / at his beddis hede His presse couered / with a faldyng rede Line 3212 And al a-boue / there lay a gay Sautrye On whiche he mad / on nyghtis melodye So swetely / þat al the chaumber rong And Angelus ad virginem / he song Line 3216 And after that / he song the kynges note fful often blissed / was his mery throte

And thus this swete Clerk / his tyme spent After his frendis fyndyng / and his rent Line 3220 ¶ . This Carpenter had wedded / newe a wyf which þat he loued / more than his lyf Of xviij ȝere / she was of age Ielous he was / & held hire narwe in kage Line 3224 ffor she was wylde / & ȝong / and he was old And demed him self / to ben like a Cokewold he knew nat Caton / for his wyt was rude That bad men shulde wedde / here similitude Line 3228 Men shulde wedden / after here astate ffor ȝouthe and age / is often at debate But sithe þat he / was fallen in the snare [folio 40b] he must enduren / as other folk / his care Line 3232 ¶ . ffair was this ȝong wyf / and there-with-alle [Nota] As ony wesyl / hir body gent and smalle A Seynt she wered barred / al of sylke A barmclothe as whyte / as morwe mylke Line 3236 vp-on hire lendes / ful of many a goore white was hire smokke / and browded al byfore And eke behynd / on hire coler a-boute Of cole blak sylk / with-Inne & eke with-oute Line 3240 The tapes / of hire white volupere Were of þe same seute / of hire colere hire filet brod of sylk / and set ful hye And sekirly she hadde / a lykerous eye Line 3244 fful smale I-pulled / were hire browes two And tho were bent / & blake as is a slo She was ful more blisful / on to se Than is the newe / Pere-Ionet tre Line 3248 And softer þanne the wolle is / of a weder And by hire girdel heng / a purs of lether Tasseled with silk / and perled with latoun In al this world / to seken vp and doun Line 3252 There nys no man / so wys / þat coude thenche So gay a popelot / or swiche a wenche

fful brightere was the shynyng / of hire hewe Than in the Tour / the noble I-forged newe Line 3256 But of hire song / it was as loude / and ȝerne As ony swalwe / sittyng on a berne Ther-to she coude skyp / and make game As ony kydde or calf / folwyng his dame Line 3260 Hire mouth was swete / as braket or the meth Or hoord of apples / leyd in hey or heth Wynsyng she was / as is a ioly colt long as a mast / and vp-right as a bolt Line 3264 A broche she bar / vp-on hire lowe coler As brod / as is the boos / of a bokeler hire shoes were laced / on hire legges heye She was a prymerole / a Pyggesnye Line 3268 ffor any lord / to leggen in his bedde Or ȝet / for ony good ȝemman / to wedde ¶ . Now sire and eft sire / so byfel the cas That on a day / þis hende Nicholas Line 3272 ffel with þis ȝong wyf / to rage and pleye While that hire husbond / was at Osneye As clerkis ben ful sotil / and ful queynt And preuyly / he caught hire / by the queynt [folio 41a] Line 3276 And seide I-wysse / but ich haue my wylle ffor derne loue / of the lemman / I spille And held hire harde / by the haunche bones And seide lemman / loue me al at ones Line 3280 Or I wol deyen / also god me saue And she sprong / as a colt doth in a traue And with hire hed / she wryed fast a-wey She seyde / I wol nat kysse the / be my fey Line 3284 We lat be quod ich / lat be Nicholas Or I wol crie / ouȝt herrowe / and allas Do wey ȝoure handes / for ȝoure curteisie ¶ . This Nicholas / gan mercy for to crye Line 3288 And spak so faire / and profred him so faste That she hire loue / hym graunted at the laste

And swor hire oth / by seynt Thomas of Kent That she wolde ben / at his comaundement Line 3292 whan þat she may / hire leiser wel a-spie Myn husbond is / so ful of Ielusye That but ȝe wayte wel / and be preue I wot right wel / I nam but ded quod she Line 3296 Ȝe must be ful derne / as in this cas ¶ . Nay ther-of care the nought / quod Nicholas A Clerk had litherly / byset his whyle But if he coude / a Carpenter begyle Line 3300 And thus they ben / acorded / and I-sworn To wayte a tyme / as I haue told byforn ¶ whan Nicholas had don this / euery dele [Nota bene] And thakkede hire / a-boute the lendes wele Line 3304 he kisseth hire swete / and taketh his sautrie And pleyeth faste / and maketh melodye ¶ . Thanne fel it thus / þat to the Parissh Chirche Cristes owen werk / for to werche Line 3308 This good wyf went / on an haliday hire forhede shon / as bright as ony day So was it wasshen / whan she lete hir werk ¶ . Now was there of þat chirche / a parissh clerk Line 3312 The which / þat was I-cleped / Absolon Crool was his heer / & as the gold it shon And strotted as a fanne / large and brode fful streyt and euene / lay his ioly shode Line 3316 his rode was rede / his eyen grey as goos with Poules wyndowes / coruen on hise shoos In Hosen rede / he went ful fetislye [folio 41b] I-clad he was / ful smal and proprelye Line 3320 Al in a kirtil / of a light vaget fful fair & thikke / ben the poyntis set And ther-vp-on / he had a gay surplice As white as is / the blosme on the rice Line 3324 A mery child he was / so god me saue wel coude he laten blod / & clippe and shaue

And make a charter of lond / or acquietance In xx^ti maners / coude he tryppe and daunce Line 3328 After the scole / of Oxenford tho And with hise leggis / casten to and fro And pleyen song / on a smal ribible Ther-to he song som tyme / a loude quynyble Line 3332 And as wel coude he pley / on a geterne In al the Toun nas there / brewhous ne Tauerne That he ne vesited / with his solace There ony gaylard / tapstere was Line 3336 But sothe to seyn / he was somdele squeymous Of fartyng / and of speche daungerous This Absolon / that ioly was and gay Goth with a Censer / on the haliday Line 3340 Sensyng the wyues / of the Parissh fast And many a louely loke / on hem he cast And namely / on this Carpenteres wyf To loke on hire / him þought a mery lif Line 3344 She was so propre / and swete / and likerous I dar wel seyn / if she had ben a Mous And he a kat / he wold hire hent a-non This parissh Clerk / this ioly Absolon Line 3348 hath in his hert / swich a loue longyng That of no wyf / toke he non offryng ffor curteisie he seide / he wold non The Mone / whan it was nyght / ful bright shon Line 3352 And Absolon / his gytterne / hath I-take ffor paramours he þought / for to wake And forth he goth / Iolyf and amerous Til he cam / to the Carpenters hous Line 3356 A litel after Cokkes / had I-crowe And dressed him vp / by a shot wyndowe That was vp-on / the Carpenteres wal he syngeth in his voys / gentil and smal Line 3360 Now dere lady / if thy wyl be I pray ȝow / þat ȝe wol / rewe on me

fful wel accordyng / to his gitternyng ¶ . This Carpenter a-woke / and herd him syng [folio 42a] And spak vn-to his wyf / and seide a-non Line 3635 What Alison / herest þou nat Absolon That chaunteth thus / vnder oure boures walle And she answered hire husbond / there-with-alle Line 3368 Ȝis god wot Iohn / I here it euery dele This passeth forth / what wyl ȝe bet than wele ffro day to day / this Ioly Absolon So wougheth hire / that him is woo-bygon Line 3372 he waketh al the nyght / and al the day he kembeth hise lokkes brode / & mad him gay he wougheth hire by menes / and brocage And swor he wolde ben / hire owen page Line 3376 he syngeth brokkyng / as a Nyghtyngale And sent hire pyment / Meth & spiced ale And waferes pypyng hote / ouȝt of the glede And for she was of Toune / he profred mede Line 3380 ffor somme folk / wol be wonnen for richesse And somme for strokes / and somme for gentilnesse [¶ Vnde Ouidius/ Ictibus Agrestis &c] Somtyme to shewen / his lightnesse and maistrye he pleyeth heraudes / vp-on a skaffold heye Line 3384 ¶ . But what-availleth him / as in this cas She loueth so / this hende Nicholas That Absolon may blowe / the bukkes horn he ne had for his labour / but a skorn Line 3388 And thus she maketh / Absolon hire Ape And al his ernest / turneth to a Iape fful soth is this prouerbe / it is no lye Men sayn right thus / alwey the nye slye Line 3392 Maketh the fer leef / to be loth ffor though þat Absolon / be wood or wroth By-cause þat he fer wes / from hire sight This nye Nicholas / stod in his light Line 3396 ¶ . Now bere the wel / thow hende Nicholas ffor Absolon may waylle / and synge allas

And so byfel it / that on a Saterday This Carpenter / was gone to Osney Line 3400 And hende Nicholas / and Alison Accorded ben / to this conclusion That Nicholas / shal shapen hem a wyle The sely Ielous husbonde / to begyle Line 3404 And if so be / the game went a-right

She shulde slepe / in his arme al nyght [folio 42b] ffor this was hire desir / and his also And right a-non / with-oute wordes moo Line 3408 This Nicholas / no lengere wold tarie But doth ful softe / vn-to his chaumbre carie Bothe mete and drynk / for a day or twey And to hire husbonde / bad hire for to sey Line 3412 If that he axed / after Nicholas She shulde seye / she nyst where he was Of al that day / she sey him nat with eye She trowed þat he was / in sum maladye Line 3416 ffor · for no cry / hire mayde koude him calle [¶ quia · pro ·] he nolde answere / for thyng þat myght falle This passeth forth / al thilk Satirday That Nicholas stille / in his chaumbre lay Line 3420 And ete and slepe / or dede what him list Til Sonday / that þe sonne goth to rest ¶ . This sely Carpenter / hath gret merueylle Of Nicholas / or what thyng myght him eylle Line 3424 And seide / I am a-drad / by seynt Thomas It stondeth nat a right / with Nicholas God shilde / þat he deyed sodeynly This world is now / ful tekil sekerly Line 3428 I saw to-day / a cors I-born to chirche That now on monday last / I saw him werche Go vp quod he / vn-to his knaue a-non Clepe at the dore / and knokke with a ston Line 3432 loke how it is / and telle me boldely ¶ . This knaue goth him vp / ful sturdily

And at the chaumbre dore / while þat he stode he cryed and knokked / as he were wode Line 3436 what how / what do ȝe / Maister Nicholay how may ȝe slepen / al the long day But al for nouȝt / he seide nat a worde An hole he fond / ful lowe vp-on the borde Line 3440 There as the Cat / was wont / In / for to crepe And at that hole / he loked In / ful depe And at the last / he had of him a sight This Nicholas sat euere / gapyng vp-right Line 3444 As he had loked / on the newe Mone A-doun he goth / and telleth his maister sone In what array / he saugh this ilke man ¶ . This Carpenter / to blissen him / bygan Line 3448 And seide / helpe vs / seynt ffredeswyde A man wot litel / what hym shal betyde [folio 43a] This man is fallen / with his Astronomye In som woodnesse / or in som Agonye Line 3452 I thought ay wele / how that it shulde be Men shuld nat knowe / of goddis preuyte Ȝa blissed be alwey / a lewed man That nought but only / his byleue can Line 3456 So ferde a-nother clerk / with his Astronomye he walked in the feldes / for to prye Vp-on the sterres / what there shuld byfalle Til þat he / in a marle pyt / was falle Line 3460 he saw nat that / but ȝet be Seynt Thomas Me reweth sore / of hende Nicholas he shal be ratid / of his studiyng If þat I may / be Ihesus heuene kyng Line 3464 Get me a staf / that I may vnder pore while þat þow Robyn / heuest of the dore he shal ouȝt of his studiyng / as I gesse And to the chaumbre dore / he gan him dresse Line 3468 his knaue was a strong Carl / for the nones And by the haspe / he haf it of at ones

In to the flore / the dore fel a-non This Nicholas sat ay as stille / as ony ston Line 3472 And euere he gaped vpward / in-to the Eyre This Carpentere wende / he were in dispeyre And hent him / by the shuldres / myghtyly And shoke him harde / and cried spetously Line 3476 what Nicholay / what how / loke a-doun A-wake / and thynk on cristes passion I crouche the from Elues / and fro wyghtes There-with the nyght spel / seide he a-non rightes Line 3480 On foure halues / of the hous a-boute And on the thressewold / at the dore withoute Ihesu crist / and seynt Benedyght Blisse this hous / fro euery euyl wyght Line 3484 ffor the nyghtesmare / the whyȝt Pater noster Where wonest thow / seynt Petres suster ¶ . And at the last / this hende Nicholas Gan for to sighe sore / and seide allas Line 3488 Shal al the world / be lost eftsones now This Carpenter answered / what seist þou what thynk on god / as we don men þat swynke ¶ . This Nicholas answered / fecche me a drynke Line 3492 And after wol I speke / in preuyte Of thyng þat toucheth / the and me I wyl telle it non other man / certeyn [folio 43b] This Carpenter goth doun / and cometh a-geyn Line 3496 And brought of myghty ale / a large quart And whanne þat ech of hem / had dronken his part This Nicholas / his dore faste shette And doun the Carpenter / by him he sette Line 3500 And seide Iohn myn host / lef and dere Thow shalt vp-on thy treuthe / swere me heere That to no wyght / þou shalt my counseil wreye ffor it is cristes counseil / þat I seye Line 3504 And if þou telle ony man / þou art for-lore ffor this vengeaunce / thow shalt haue þerfore

That if þou wreye me / thow shalt be wode Nay / criste for-bede it / for his holy blode Line 3508 Quod tho this sely man / I am non labbe Ne though I sey it / I nam nat lief to gabbe Sey what þou wyle / I shal it neuere telle To child ne wyf / by him þat harwed helle Line 3512 ¶ . Now Iohn quod this Nicholas / I wol nat lye I haue founden / in myn Astrologye As I haue loked / in the Mone bright That now on monday next / at quarter nyght Line 3516 Shall fallen a reyn / and that so wylde & wood That half so gret / was neuere Noes flod This world he seide / in lesse than an houre Shal be dreynt / so hydous is the shoure Line 3520 Thus shal mankynde / drenche / & lese here lif This Carpenter answered / allas my wyf And shal she drenche / allas myn Alisoun ffor sorwe of this / he fel almost a-doun Line 3524 And seide / is there no remedye in this cas We ȝis for gode / quod hende Nicholas If þou wilt werken / after lore and rede Thow maist nat werken / after þin owen hede Line 3528 ffor thus seith Salamon / þat was ful trewe werk al by counseyl / and þow shalt nat rewe And if thow werken wolt / by good counsaylle I vndertake / with-outen mast or saylle Line 3532 Ȝet shal I saue hire / and the and me hast þou nat herd / how saued was Noe whanne þat oure lord / had warned him biforn That al the world / with water shuld be lorn Line 3536 ¶ . Ȝis quod this Carpentere / ful ȝore a-go hast þou nat herd / quod Nicholas also The sorwe of Noe / with his felaweshipe Er that he myght gete / his wyf to shipe [folio 44a] Line 3540 hym had be leuere / I dar wel vndertake At thilk tyme / than alle hise wetheres blake

That she had had / a ship hire-self a-lone And þerfore wost þou what / is best to done Line 3544 This asketh hast / and of an hasty thyng Men moun nat preche / and maken tariyng A-non go gete vs fattes / in-to this Inne A knedyng trow / or ellis a kamelyne Line 3548 ffor ech of vs / but loke þat they be large In whiche we moun swymme / as in a barge And haue þere-Inne / vetaille sufficient But for o day / fy on the remenaunt Line 3552 The water shal a-slake / and gon a-wey A-boute pryme / vp-on the next day But Robyn may nat wyte of this / thy knaue Ne eke thy mayde Gille / I may nat saue Line 3556 Aske nat why / for though þou axe me I wol nat telle / goddis preuyte Suffiseth the / but if thyne wyttes madde To han as gret a grace / as Noe hadde Line 3560 Thy wyf shal I wel sauen / ouȝt of doute Go now thy wey / and spede the here a-boute But when þou hast / for hire and the and me I-geten vs / theise knedyng tubbes thre Line 3564 Thanne shalt þou hangen hem / in the roof ful heye That noman / of oure purueance / espie And whan þow hast don / as I haue seid And hast oure vetaille / faire in hem leyd Line 3568 And eke an ax / to smyte the cord a-two Whan þat the water cometh / þat we may go And breke an hole an hey / vp-on the gable Vn-to the gardeyn ward / ouer the stable Line 3572 That we moun freely passen / forth oure wey whanne þat the grete shour / is gon a-wey Thanne shalt þou swymme / as mery I vndertake As doth the white doke / after hire drake Line 3576 Than wyl I clepe / how Alison / how Iohn Be mery / for the flode / shal passe a-non

And þou wolt seyn / heyl Maister Nicholay Good morwe / I se the wele / for it is day Line 3580 And þanne shuln we / be lordes all oure lyf Of al the world / as Noe and his wyf But of o thyng / I warne the ful right [folio 44b] Be we a-vysed / on that ilke nyght Line 3584 That we ben entred / in-to shippes bord That non of vs / speke nat a word Ne clepe ne crie / but ben in his prayere ffor it is / goddis / owen heste dere Line 3588 Thy wyf and thow / mot hange fer a-twynne ffor that betwixe ȝow / shal be no synne No more in lokyng / than there shal in dede This ordynance is seid / so god the spede Line 3592 To-morwe at nyght / when men ben alle a-slepe In-to our kneding tubbes / wol we crepe And sitten there / a-bidyng goddis grace Go now thy wey / I haue no lengere space Line 3596 To maken of this / no lengere sermonynge Men seyn thus / sende the wyse / & sey no thynge [¶ Mitte sa|pientem &c] Thou art so wys / it nedeth the nought to teche Line 3599 Go saue oure lyf / and that I the byseche ¶ . This sely Carpenter / goth forth his wey fful ofte he seide / allas and wellawey And to his wyf / he told his preuyte And she was war / and knewe it bet than he Line 3604 what al þis queynt cas / was for to sey But natheles / she ferd as she wold dey And seide allas / go forth thy weye a-non help vs to skape / or we ben ded ichon Line 3608 I am thy trewe / verray wedded wyf Go dere spouse / and help to saue oure lyf lo whiche a gret thyng / is affeccion [¶ Auctor] Men moun deyen / of ymaginacion Line 3612 So depe / may impression be take This sely Carpenter / begynneth quake

hym thynketh verraylich / that he may se Noes flode / come walwyng as the see Line 3616 To drenchen Alison / his hony dere he wepeth wailleth / and maketh sory chere he sigheth / with ful many a sory swough And goth & getith him / a knedyng trow Line 3620 And after a tubbe / and a kemelyn And preuyly he sent hem / to his In And heng hem in the roof / in preuytee his owen hand / he made laddres thre Line 3624 To clymben by the roumes / and the stalkes Vn-to the Tubbes / hanggyng in the balkes And hem vetailled / bothe kemelyn trow and Tubbe Line 3627 With bred and chese / and good ale in a Iubbe [folio 45a] Suffisyng right I-now / as for a day But er that he / had mad al this array he sent his knaue / and eke his wenche also vp-on his nede / to london for to go Line 3632 And on the monday / whan it drow to nyght he shette his dore / with-outen candel light And dressyd al thyng / as it shulde be And shortly vp they clymben alle thre Line 3636 They setyn stille / wel a forlong wey Now pater noster / clum seide Nicholay And clum quod Iohn / and clum seide Alison This Carpenter / seide his deuocion Line 3640 And stille he syt / and biddeth his prayere A-waytyng on the reyn / if he it here The dede slepe / for verrey besynesse ffel on this Carpenter / right as I gesse Line 3644 A-boute curfewe tyme / or litel more ffor trauaille of his gest / he groneth sore And eft he routeth / for his hede myslay Down on the laddre / stalketh Nicholay Line 3648 And Alison ful soft / adoun she spedde With-oute wordes mo / they gon to bedde

There as this Carpenter / is wont to lye There was the reuel / and the melodye Line 3652 And thus lyn Alison / and Nicholas In besynesse of myrthe / and in solas Til that the belle / of laudes gan to rynge And freres in the chaunsel / gon synge Line 3656 ¶ . This parissh Clerk / this amerous Absolon That is for loue / alwey so woo-bygon vp-on the monday / was at Osneye with companye / him to disporte and pleye Line 3660 And axed vp-on cas / a cloisterere fful preuyly / after Iohn the Carpentere And he drough him a-pert / ouȝt of the chirche And seide I not / I saugh him here nat werche Line 3664 Sithe Satirday / I trow þat he be went ffor tymber / there oure Abbot hath him sent ffor he is wont / for tymber for to go And dwellyn at the Graunge / a day or two Line 3668 Or ellis he is / at his hous certeyn where that he be / I kan nat sothely seyn ¶ . This Absolon / ful Ioly was and light And thouȝt now is tyme / to wake al nyght Line 3672 And sekirly / I saugh him nat steryng [folio 45b] Aboute his dore / sen day began to spring So mot I thryue / I shal at Cokkes crowe fful preuly knokken / at his wyndowe Line 3676 That stant ful lowe / vp-on his boures walle To Alison now / wol I tellen alle My loue longyng for ȝet / I shal nat mysse That at the leste weye / I shal hire kysse Line 3680 Som maner comfort / shal I haue parfay My mouth hath yched / al this long day This is a signe / of kyssyng at the lest Al nyght me mette eke / þat I was at a fest Line 3684 Therfore I wyl go slepe / an houre or twey And al the nyght þanne / wol I wake & pley

¶ . Whan that the first kok / hath crow a-non Vp risith this Ioly louyere / Absolon Line 3688 And him arrayeth gay / at poynt deuys But first he cheweth / Greynes & lycoris To smellen swete / er he had kembed his heer Vnder his tonge / a treweloue he ber [¶ Nota] Line 3692 ffor ther-by wend he / to be gracious he rometh / to the Carpenteres hous And stille he stant / vnder the shot wyndowe Vn-to his brest it raught / it was so lowe Line 3696 And softe he koughed / with a semy soun What do ȝe honycombe / swete Alison My fair brede / my swete Cinamome A-waketh lemman myn / and speketh to me Line 3700 Wol litel thenke ȝe / vp-on my woo That for ȝoure loue / I swete there I go No wonder is / though þat I swelt and swete I morne as doth a lambe / after the tete Line 3704 I-wysse lemman / I haue swich loue longyng That like a Turtill trewe / is my murnyng I may nat ete / no more than a mayde ¶ . Go fro the wyndowe / Iakke fool she seyde Line 3708 As help me god / it wol nat be compame I loue a-nother / and ellis I were to blame wel bet than the / by Ihesu Absolon Go forth thy wey / or I wol cast a ston Line 3712 And lete me slepe / a twenty deuel wey Allas quod Absolon / and weyllawey That trewloue was / euere / so yuel bysette Than kisse me / sithe it may be no bette Line 3716 ffor Ihesus loue / and for the loue of me Wylt thow thanne go thy wey / ther-with quod she [folio 46a] Ȝa certis lemman / quod this Absolon Than make the redy quod she / I come a-non Line 3720 . . . . . . . . . . [no gap in the MS.] This Absolon doun sette him / on his knees

And seyde / I am a lord / at alle degrees Line 3724 ffor after this / I hope there cometh more Lemman thy grace / and swete brede thyn ore The wyndowe she vn-doth / and that in hast Haue I-don quod she / come of & spede the fast Line 3728 leste that oure neyghebores / the espie This Alison gan wype / his mouth ful drye Derke was the nyght / as pych or as the cole And at the wyndowe / ouȝt she put hire hole Line 3732 And Absolon him fel / neither bet ne wers But with his mouth / he kiste hire naked ers [¶ Nota quid malum] fful sauerly / er he were war of this A-bak he stirte / and þouȝt it was a-mys Line 3736 ffor wele he wyst / a womman had no berd he felt a thyng al row / and longe I-hered And seide fy allas / what haue I do ¶ . Te he quod she / and clapped the wyndowe to Line 3740 And Absolon goth forth / a sory pace A berd a berd / seide hende Nicholas By goddes corpus / this goth fair & wele This sely Absolon / herd euerydele Line 3744 And on his lyppe / for anger he gan to byte And to him self he seide / I shal the quyte ¶ . Who rubbeth now / who froteth now hise lippes With dust/ with sond/ with strawe/ with cloth/ with chippes But Absolon that seith / ful ofte allas Line 3749 My soule be-take I / vn-to Satanas But me were leuere / than al this toun quod he Of this dispyt / a-wreken for to be Line 3752 Allas quod he / allas I ne hadde I-blent his hote loue was cold / and al I-queynt ffor fro þat tyme / that he had kist hire ers Of paramours / ne rought he nat a kers Line 3756 ffor he was heled / of his maladye fful ofte paramours / he gan defye And wepe / as doth a child / þat is I-bete A soft pas he went him / ouer the strete Line 3760

Line 3760 Vn-to a smyth / men callen daun Gerueys That in his forge / smethed plough harneys he sharpeth shaare / and cultur besily This Absolon / knokketh / al esily Line 3764 And seide / vn-do Gerueys / and that a-non [folio 46b] What who art þow / it am I Absolon What Absolon / what cristes swete tre Why ryse ȝe so rathe / ey benedicite Line 3768 What eyleth ȝow / some gay gerle god it wote hath brought ȝow thus / vp-on the veritote By seynt Note / ȝe wot wel what I mene This Absolon / ne rought nat a bene Line 3772 Of al his pley / no word a-geyn he ȝaf he had more thought / on his distaf Than Gerueys knew / and seide frend so dere That hote culter / in the chemyny here Line 3776 As lene it me / I haue there-with to done I wol bryng it the / a-geyn / ful sone Gerueys answered / certes were it gold Or in a poke / nobles al vn-told Line 3780 Thow shuldest haue / as I am trewe smyth Ey cristes foo / what wol ȝe do ther-wyth There-of quod Absolon / be as be may I shal wel telle it the / a-nother day Line 3784 And cauth the cultur / by the hote stele fful softe ouȝt at the dore / he gan to stele And went vn-to / the Carpenteres wal he kougheth first / & knokketh ther-with-al Line 3788 vp-on the wyndowe / right as he dede ere This Alison answered / who is there That knokketh so / I warant it is a thefe Nay nay quod he / god wot my swete lefe Line 3792 I am thyn Absolon / thy derlyng Of gold quod he / I haue the brouȝt a ryng My moder ȝaf it me / so god me saue fful ffyne it is / and ther-to wel I-graue Line 3796

Line 3796 This wol I ȝeue the / if thow me kysse ¶ . This Nicholas / was risen vp / to pysse He thought he wolde amende / al the Iape he shulde kysse hise ars / er that he skape Line 3800 And vp the wyndowe / he dide hastily And ouȝt his ers / he putteth preuyly Ouer the buttok / to the haunche bon And ther-with spak this Clerk / this Absolon Line 3804 Speke swete brede / I not where thow art ¶ . This Nicholas a-non / let flee a fart As gret as it had ben / a thonder dynt That with the stroke / he was almost I-blynt Line 3808 And he was redy / with his Iren hote [folio 47a] And Nicholas / in the ars he smote Of goth the skyn / an hanbrede a-boute The hote cultur / brent so his toute Line 3812 That for the smert / he wend for to dye As he were wode / for woo he gan to crye help / water water / help for goddes hert ¶ . This Carpenter / ouȝt of his slomer stert/ Line 3816 And herd on crye water / as he were wode And seide allas / now cometh Noes fflode he sette him vp / with-oute wordes moo And with his ax / he smote the corde a-two Line 3820 And doun goth al / he fond neither to selle Brede ne Ale / tyl he cam to the Celle vp-on the flor / and there a swouȝne he lay Vp stirt hire Alison / and Nicholay Line 3824 And crieden ouȝt / and herrowe / in the strete The neyghebores / bothe smale and grete In ronnen / for to gawren / on this man That in swownyng lay / bothe pale and wan Line 3828 ffor with the fal / he broken had his arme But stonde he must / vn-to his owen harme ffor whan he spak / he was a-non born doun With hende Nicholas / and Alisoun Line 3832

Line 3832 They tolden euery man / that he was wode he was so a-gast / of Noes flode Thorugh fantasye / that of his vanyte he had brought him / knedynge tubbes thre Line 3836 And had hem hanged / in the rof a-boue And that he preyed hem / for goddes loue To sitten in the rof / par companye The folk gonne laughen / at his fantasye Line 3840 In-to the rof / they kekyn and they gape And turned al his harm / vn-to a Iape ffor what so / þat this Carpenter / answered It was for nought / no man his reson hered Line 3844 with othes grete / he was so sworn a-doun That he was holden wod / in al the toun ffor euery clerk / a-non right / held with other And seiden / the man was wod / my lef brother Line 3848 And euery wyght gan laughen / of this striffe Thus swyued was / the Carpenteres wyffe ffor al his kepyng / and his Ielousye And Absolon / hath kyssed / hire nether eye Line 3852 And Nicholas is skalded / in the toute This tale is don / and god saue al the routh; quod Wytton; [folio 47b]

Thus endeth the Millers tale / [[No break in the MS.]]

[on leaf 47, back] & bygynneth the prologe of the Reve

WHanne folk han laughen / at þis nyce cas Of Absolon / and hende Nicholas Line 3856 Dyuerse folk / diuersly they seyde But for the more part / they loughe & pleyde Ne at this tale / I saw no man him greue But it were oonly / Oswold the Reue Line 3860 By-cause he was / of Carpenteres craft A litel Ire / is / in his hert laft he gan to grocche / and blamed it a lyte So thike quod he / ful wel coude I the quyte Line 3864 with bleryng / of a proude Milleres eye If þat me list / to speke of rybaudye But ik am old / me list nat pleye for age Gras tyme is don / my foder is now forage Line 3868 This white top / wryteth myne olde ȝeres Myn hert is also / mouled / as myne heeres But if I fare / as doth an open ars That ilke fruyt / is euere lengere the wers Line 3872 Til it be roten / in mullok or in stree We olde men / I drede / so fare we Til we be roten / kan we nat be rype We hope alwey / while þat the world wol pipe Line 3876 ffor in oure wyl / there steketh euere a nayl To han an hore heer / and a grene tayl As hath a leek / for though oure myght be gon Oure wyl / desireth folye / euere in on Line 3880 ffor whanne we moun nat don / than wol we speke Ȝet in our asshen old / ys fire I-reke ffoure gledes han we / which I shal deuyse Auauntyng / lying / Angyr / Coueytise [¶ Nota bene] Line 3884 Theise foure sparcles / longen vn-to elde Our olde lymes / moun wel ben vn-welde

But wyl ne shal faylen / that is soth And ȝet haue ik alwey / a coltyssh toth Line 3888 As many a ȝere / as it is passed henne Sithe that my tappe / of lyf / bygan to renne ffor sekirly / whan yk was born / a-non Deth drough the tapp of lyf / and let it gon Line 3892 And euere sithe / hathe so / the tappe I-ronne Til that almost / al empty is the tonne The streme of lyf / now droppeth on the chyme The sely tonge / may wel rynge & chymbe Line 3896 Of wrecchednesse / that passed is ful ȝore With olde folk / saue / dotage is na more ¶ . Whan þat our host / had herd this sermonyng he gan to speke / as lordly as a kynge Line 3900 And seide what amounteth al this wyt [folio 48a] Why shuln we al day / speke of holy wryt The deuele mad a Reue / for to preche Or a Soutere / a shipman / or a leche Line 3904 Sey forth thy tale / and tary nat the tyme lo Depforde / and it is half weye pryme lo Grenewyche / there many a shrewe is Inne It were al tyme / thy tale to bygynne Line 3908 Now Sires / quod this Oswold the Reue I prey ȝow alle / that ȝe nat ȝow greue Though I answere / and somdel sette his howe ffor leueful is / with force / force of showe Line 3912 This dronken Millere / hath told vs here how that begyled was / a Carpentere Parauenture in skorne / for I am one And by ȝoure leue / I shal him quyte anone Line 3916 Ryght in his cherles termes / wol I speke I preye to god / his nekke mot to-breke he can wel in myn eye / sen a stalke But in his owen / he can nat sen a balke Line 3920

¶ Heere bigynneth the Reues Tale;

At Trompyngton / nat fer fro Caumbrygge There goth a broke / and ouer that a brygge vp-on the whiche broke / there stant a Mille And this is verray soth / that I ȝow telle Line 3924 A Millere was there / dwellyng many a day As any Pecok / he was proud and gay Pipe he coude and fisshe / and nettes bete And turne cuppes / & wel wrestel and shete Line 3928 Ay by his belt / he bar a long panade And of a sword / ful trenchaunt was the blade A Ioly poppere bar he / in his pouche There was no man for paril durst him touche Line 3932 A Shefeld whitel / bar he in his hose Round was his face / & kamuse was his nose As pilled as an Ape / was his skulle he was a markete betere / at the fulle Line 3936 There durst no wyght / hand vp-on him legge That he ne swor / he shulde a-non a-begge A thef he was / forsothe / of corn & mele And that a slye / and vsand for to stele Line 3940 his name was hoten / deignous Symkyn A wyf he hadde / comyn of noble kyn The parson of the toun / hire fader was With hire he ȝaf / ful many a panne of bras [folio 48b] Line 3944 ffor that Symkyn / shulde in his blod a-lye She was I-fostred / in a Nonnerye ffor Symkyn nolde no wyf / as he said But she were wel norisshed / and a mayd Line 3948 To sauen his estate / of ȝemanrye And she was proud / and pert as a pye A ful fair sight / was it vp-on hem two On halidayes biforn hire / wold he go Line 3952

Line 3952 with his typet wounde / a-boute his hede And she cam after / in a gyte of rede And Symkyn had hosen / of the same There durst no wyght / clepen hire but dame Line 3956 was no so hardy / that went by the weye That with hire durst rage / or ellis pleye But if he wolde be slayn / of Symkyn with panade / or with knyf / or boydekyn Line 3960 ffor ielous folk / ben perilous euere mo Algate they wold / here wyues wend so And eke for she was / somdel smoterlich She was as deigne / as water in a dich Line 3964 So ful of hoker / and of bysmare Hire þouȝt that a lady / shuld hire spare what for hire kynrede / and hire norturye That she had lerned / in the Nonnerye Line 3968 ¶ . A doughter had they / bytwix hem two Of twenty ȝere / with-outen ony mo Sauyng a child / þat was of half ȝere age In cradel it lay / and was a propre page Line 3972 This wenche thikke / & wel I-growen was with camuse nose / and eyen greye as glas with bottokes brode / and brestes rounde & heye But right fair was hire her / I wol nat lye Line 3976 ¶ . The Parson of the toun / for she was fair In purpose was / to maken hire his eyr Bothe of his catel / and his mesuage And straunge he mad it / of hire mariage Line 3980 his purpos was / for to bystowen hire heye In-to som worthy blode / of Auncetrye ffor holy chirche good / mot ben dispended On holy chirche blod / that is descended Line 3984 Therfore he wolde / his holy blod honoure Though þat he / holy chirche / shuld deuoure ¶ . Gret soken had this Millere / out of doute with whete / and malt / of al the lond a-boute Line 3988

Line 3988 And namelich there was / a gret College [folio 49a] Men clepen the Soler halle / of Caumbrygge There was here whete / & eke here malt I-grounde ¶ . And on a day / it happed in a stounde Line 3992 Seke lay the Maunciple / on a maladie Men wenden wysly / that he shulde deye ffor which this Millere / stal bothe mele & corn An hondred tymes more / than byforn Line 3996 ffor there biforn / he stale but curteisly But now he was a thef / outrageously ffor which the wardeyn chide / & made fare But þerof sette the Millere / nought a tare Line 4000 he craketh bost / and swor it was nat so ¶ . Thanne were there ȝonge / pore scoleres two That dwelleden in the halle / of which I sey Testyf they were / and lusty for to pley Line 4004 And only for here myrthe / and reuelrye vp-on on the wardeyn / besily they crye To ȝeue hem leue / but a litel stounde To go to Mille / and sen here corn I-grounde Line 4008 And hardily / they durst leyn here nekke The Millere shuld nat stelen hem / half a pekke Of corn / by sleight / ne by force hem reue And at the last / the wardeyn ȝaf hem leue Line 4012 Iohn hight þat one / & Aleyn hyght that other Of on toun were they born / that hight Strother ffer in the North / I can nat telle where This Aleyn maketh redy / al his gere Line 4016 And on an hors / the sakke he cast a-non fforth goth Aleyn the Clerk / & also Iohn with good swerde & bokeler / by here syde Iohn knew the weye / hem nedeth no gyde Line 4020 And at the last / the sakke doun he layth Aleyn spak first / al hayl Symond in fayth how fares thy fair doughter / and thy wyf ¶ . Aleyn welcome quod Symkyn / be my lyf Line 4024

Line 4024 And Iohn also / how now what do ȝe here By god quod Iohn / nede must / nede hath no pere hym byhoues to serue him self / þat has na swayn Or ellis he is a fool / as clerkes sayn Line 4028 Oure Maunciple I hope / he wol be dede Swa werkes ay / the wanges in his hede And forthy is I come / & eke Alayn To grynde oure corn / and carye mele a-gayn Line 4032 I pray ȝow spede vs hethen / what ȝe may ¶ . It shal be do quod Symkyn / be my fay What wyl ȝe don / while þat it is in hand [folio 49b] By god / right by the hoper / wyl I stand Line 4036 Quod Iohn / and se how the corn gas In Ȝet saw I neuere / be my fader kyn how that the hoper / wagges tyl and fra Aleyn answered / Iohn wylt thow swa Line 4040 Than wyl I be by-nethe / be my croun And se how that the mele / falles doun In-tyl the trow / that shal be myn disport ffor Iohn in faith / I may be of ȝoure sort Line 4044 I is as ille a Myllere / as ar ȝe ¶ . This Millere smyleth / at here nycete And thought / al this nys / but for a wyle They wene þat no man / may hem begyle Line 4048 But be my thrift / ȝet shal I blere here eye ffor al the sleight / in here philosophie The more queynt crekes / that they make The more wol I stele / whan I take Line 4052 In stede of flour / ȝet wol I ȝeue hem bren The grettest Clerkes / be nat the wysest men As whilom to the wolf / thus spak the Mare Of al here art / counte I nat a tare Line 4056 Ouȝt at the dore / he goth ful preuyly whan þat he sawgh his tyme / softly he loketh vp and doun / til he had found The Clerkes horse / there as it stod I-bound Line 4060

Line 4060 Behynde the Mylle / vnder a lefselle And to the hors / he goth him faire & wele And strepeth of the brydel / right a-non And whan the hors was loos / he begynneth to gon Line 4064 Toward the fen / there wylde Mares renne And forth with we he / thorugh thikke & thenne ¶ . This Millere goth a-geyn / no word he seid But doth his note / & with the Clerkes pleyd Line 4068 Til that here corn / was faire & wel I-grounde And whan the Mele is sakked / & I-bounde This Iohn goth ouȝt / and fynt his hors a-wey And gan to crye herrowe / and weylawey Line 4072 Oure hors is lost / Aleyn / for goddes banes Step on thy fete / come of man al at anes Allas oure wardeyn / has his palfrey lorn This Aleyn / al forgat / bothe Mele and corn Line 4076 Al was oute of his mynde / his husbondrye what whilk weye is he gan / he gan crye The wyf cam lepyng inward / with a renne [folio 50a] She seide allas / ȝoure hors goth to the fenne Line 4080 with wylde Mares / as fast as he may go Vnthank come on his hand / þat bond him so And he þat betir / shuld han knyt the reyne Allas quod Iohn / Aleyn for cristes peyne Line 4084 lay doun thy swerd / and I wyl myn alswa I is ful wyght / god wayt as is a raa By goddes hert / he shal nat skape vs bathe Why ne had thow put / the capul in the lathe Line 4088 Il hayl / by god Aleyn / thow is a fonne ¶ . Theise sely Clerkes / han ful fast I-ronne Toward the fen / bothe Aleyn & Iohn And whanne the Millere saw / þat they weren gon Line 4092 he half a busshel / of here flour hath take And bad his wyf / go knede it in a kake he seide I trowe / the Clerkes ben a-ferd Ȝet can a Millere / make a Clerkes berd Line 4096

Line 4096 ffor al his art / ȝa lat hem gon here wey lo where they go / ȝe late the children pley They get him nat / so lightly / be my croun Theise sely Clerkes / rennen vp and doun Line 4100 with kepe kepe / stand stand / Iossa warderere Ga / whistel thow / and I shal kepe him here But shortly / til it was verray nyght They coude nat / though they dede al here myght Line 4104 here capel cacche / he ran alwey so fast Til in a diche / they cached him at the last Wery and wete / as beest is in the reyn Cometh sely Iohn / & with him cometh Aleyn Line 4108 ¶ . Allas quod Iohn / that day that I was born Now are we dreuyn til hethyng / and to skorn Oure corn is stole / men wyl vs fonnes calle Bothe the wardeyn / and our felawes alle Line 4112 And namely the Millere / weylawey Thus playneth Iohn / as he goth by the wey Toward the Mille / and bayard in his hond The Millere sittyng by the fyr / he fond Line 4116 ffor it was nyght / and ferthere myght þei nought But for the loue of god / they him bysought Of herberwe & of ease / as for here peny ¶ . The Millere seide a-geyn / if here be eny Line 4120 Swich as it is / ȝet shuln ȝe han ȝoure part Myn hous is streyt / but ȝe han lerned art Ȝe conne by argumenteȝ / maken a place A myle brod / of twenty fote of space [folio 50b] Line 4124 late se now / if this place may suffice Or make it roume / with speche / as is ȝoure gyse ¶ . Now Symond seide this Iohn / by Seynt Cutberd Ay is thow mery / and þat is feir answerd Line 4128 I haue herd sey / men sal ta / of twa thynges Slike as he fyndes / or ta slike as he brynges But specialy / I pray the Host dere Gar vs haue mete and drynk / & make vs chere Line 4132

Line 4132 And we sal paie trewely / at the fulle With empty hand / men moun na haukes tulle lo here oure siluer / redy for to spende ¶ . This Millere / to the toun / his doughter sende Line 4136 ffor ale and brede / and rosted hem a goos And bond here hors / it shulde no more go loos And in his owen chaumbre / hem mad a bed With shetes / and with chalons / faire I-spred Line 4140 Nat fro his owen bed / ten fote or twelue His doughter had a bed / al by hire selue Right in þe same chaumbre / by and by It myght be no bet / and cause why Line 4144 There was no roumere herberwe / in the place They soupen / and they speken of solace And drynken euere strong ale / at the best Aboute mydnyght / went they to rest Line 4148 ¶ . Wel hath this Millere / vernysshed his hede fful pale he was / for-dronke / and nat rede he ȝesketh / and he speketh thorugh the nose As he were on the quak / or on the pose Line 4152 To bedde he goth / & with him goth his wyf As ony Iay / she light was and iolyf So was hire ioly whistel / wel I-wette The cradel at hire beddes fete / is shette Line 4156 To rokken / and to ȝeue the child souke And whan þat dronken al was / in the crouke To bedde went the doughter / right a-non To bedde goth Aleyn / and also Iohn Line 4160 There was nomore / hem nedeth no dwale This Millere hath so wysely / bybed ale That as an hors / he snorteth in his slepe Ne of his tayl behynde / he toke no kepe Line 4164 His wyf bar him a burdon / a ful strong Men myght here routyng heren / a furlong The wenche routed eke / par compaignye ¶ . Aleyn the Clerk / that herd this melodye Line 4168

Line 4168 He poked Iohn / and seide slepes thow Herd thow euere slike a sang / or now Lo slike a complyng / is ymell hem alle [folio 51a] A wylde fyr / on theire bodies falle Line 4172 Wha herd euere / slike a ferly thyng Ȝe they sal haue / the flour of euele endyng This lang nyght / ne tydes me na rest But ȝet na force / al sal be for the best Line 4176 ffor Iohn seide he / as euere mot I thryue If þat I may / ȝone lasse wol I swyue Som easement / has lawe shapen vs ffor Iohn there is a lawe / that seith thus Line 4180 That gyf a man / in a poynt be greued That in a-nother / he shal be releued Oure corn is stolen / sothly it is na nay And we han had / an ylle fyt this day Line 4184 And syn I sal haue / nan amendement Agayn my losse / I wyl haue an easement By goddes saule / it sal nan other be ¶ . This Iohn answered / Aleyn a-vyse the Line 4188 The Millere is a parlious man / he seide And gyf that he / ouȝt of his slepe breyde he myght do vs bathe / a velanye Aleyn answered / I counte him nat a flye Line 4192 vp he rist / and by the wenche he crepte This wenche lay vp-right / & faste slepte Til he so ny was / er she myght a-spye That it had ben to late / for to crye Line 4196 And shortly for to seyn / they were at on Now pley Aleyn / for I wyl speke of Iohn ¶ . This Iohn lith stille / a forlong wey or two And to him self / he maketh reuthe and woo Line 4200 Allas quod he / this is / a wykked Iape Now may I sey / that I is but an Ape Ȝet has my felawe / somwhat for his harm he has the Milleres doughter / in his arm Line 4204

Line 4204 he auntred him / and has his nedes spedde And I ly as a drafsakke / in my bedde And whan this iape / is tald another day I sal be halden a daffe / a Cokenay Line 4208 I wyl aryse / and auntre it be my feith vnhardy / is vnsely / thus men seith And vp he roos / and softly he went Vn-to the cradel / and in his hand it hent Line 4212 And bar it softe / vn-to his beddes fete ¶ . Sone after this / the wyf hire routyng lete And gan a-wake / and went hire ouȝt to pisse And cam a-geyn / and gan hire cradel mysse Line 4216 And groped here and there / and she fond non [folio 51b] Allas quod she / I had almost mysgon I had almost gon / to the Clerkes bedde Ey benedicite / than had I foule spedde Line 4220 And forth she goth / til she the cradil fonde She gropeth alwey / ferthere with hire honde And fond the bed / and þouȝt nat but good By-cause that the cradil / by it stod Line 4224 And nyst where she was / for it was derke And faire & wele / she crepte in by the clerke And lith ful stille / and wold han caught a slepe with-Inne a while / this Iohn the Clerk vp lepe Line 4228 And on this goode wyf / he leyd on sore So mery a fit / ne had she nat ful ȝore he pryketh hard / and depe / as he were mad This ioly lyf / han theise two Clerkes lad Line 4232 Til þat the .iij. Cok / bygan to synge ¶ . Aleyn wex wery / in the morwenynge ffor he had swonken / al the longe nyght And seide / fare wel Malkyn / swete wyght Line 4236 The day is come / I may no lengere byde But euere more / where so I go or ryde I is thyn owen Clerk / so haue I seele ¶ . Now dere lemman quod she / go fare wele Line 4240

Line 4240 But er thow go / o thyng I wyl the telle Whan that þou wendest homward / by the Mille Right at the entre / of the dore behynde Thow shalt a cake / of a busshel fynde Line 4244 That was I-maked / of thyn owen Mele which þat I halpe / my sire for to stele And good lemman / god the saue & kepe And with that word / almost he gan to wepe Line 4248 ¶ . Aleyn vp ryst / and thought er þat it dawe I wyl go crepe in / be my felawe And fond the cradil / at his hand a-non By god quod he / al wrang I had mysgon Line 4252 Myn hed is toty / of my swynk to-nyght That makes me / that I go nat aright I wat wel by the Cradel / I haue mysgaa he lyes the Millere / and his wyf alswa Line 4256 ¶ . And forth he goth / a twenty deuele way Vn-to the bedde / þere as the Millere lay he wend han cropen / by his felawe Iohn And by the Millere / In he crepe a-non Line 4260 And caught him by þe nekke / and softe he spake He seide thow Iohn / þow swyneshede a-wake [folio 52a] ffor cristes soule / and here a noble game ffor by that lord / that called is Seynt Jame Line 4264 As I haue thries / in this short nyght Swyued the Milleres doughter / bolt vp-right While thow hast / as a coward / ben a-gast ¶ . Ȝe fals harlot / quod the Millere hast Line 4268 A fals traytour / fals Clerk quod he Thow shalt be ded / by goddis dignyte Who durst be so bold / to disparage My doughter / þat is come / of swich lynage Line 4272 And by the throte bolle / he caught Aleyn And he hent him / dispetously a-geyn And on the nose / he smot him with his fist Doun ran the blody strem / vp-on his brest Line 4276

Line 4276 And in the flore / with nose & mouth to-broke They walwen / as don / tweyne pygges in a poke And vp they gon / and doun a-geyn a-non Til þat the Millere / spurned at a ston Line 4280 And doun he fel bakward / vp-on his wyf That wyst no thyng / of this nyce stryf ffor she was falle a-slepe / a litel wyght with Iohn the Clerk / that waked had al nyght Line 4284 And with the fal / out of hire slepe she breyde help holy croys of Bromholme / she seide In manus tuas / lord to the I calle A-wake Symkyn / the fend is on me falle Line 4288 Myn hert is broken / help I nam but dede There lith vp-on my wombe / & on myn hede help Symkyn / for the fals Clerkes fight ¶ . This Iohn stirt vp / als fast as euere he myght Line 4292 And gropeth by the walles / to and fro To fynde a staf / and she stert vp also And knew the estres / bet þanne dide this Iohn And by the wal / a staf she fond a-non Line 4296 And saw a litel slemeryng / of a light ffor at an hole / in shon the Mone bright And by þat light / she saw hem bothe two But sekerly she nyst / who was who Line 4300 But as she saw / a whit þing in hire eye And whan she gan / this white þing aspie She wende the Clerk / had wered a volupere And with the staf / she drow ay nere & nere Line 4304 And wend han hit / this Aleyn at the fulle And smot the Millere / on the pyled skulle That doun he goth / and cried Harrow I dye [folio 52b] Theise Clerkes / bete hym wele / and lete him lye Line 4308 And ordeyned hem / and toke here hors a-non And eke here mele / and on here weye they gon And at the Mille / ȝet they toke here cake Of half a busshel flour / ful wel I-bake Line 4312

Line 4312 ¶ . Thus is the proud Millere / wel I-bete And hath I-lost / the gryndyng of the whete And paid for þe sopere / euerydele Of Aleyn and of Iohn / þat beten him wele Line 4316 his wyf is swyued / and his doughter als lo / swich it is / a Millere to be fals And þerfore / this prouerbe / is seid ful soth hym thar nat wene wel / that euele doth Line 4320 A gylour / shal him-self / begyled be And got þat sitteth heye / in mageste Saue al this companye / grete and smale Line 4323 Thus haue I quyt the Millere / in my tale [¶ quod the Reve]

¶ Thus endeth the Reues Tale / [[No break in the MS.]]

& bigynneth the prologe of the Cook

The Cok of london / while the Reve spak ffor ioye him þought / he clawed him on the bak A ha quod he / for cristes passion This Millere hadde / a sharp conclusion Line 4328 Vp-on this argument / of herberwegage wel seide Salamon / in his langage Ne bryng nat euery man / in-to thyn hous ffor herberwyng by nyght / is parlyous Line 4332 Wel ought a man / avysed for to be Whom that he brought / in-to his preuyte I preye to god / so ȝeue me sorwe and care If euere sithe / I hight hogge of ware Line 4336 Herde I a Millere / bettir sette a-werke He hedde a iape of Malice / in the derke But god forbede / that we stynten here And therfore / if ȝe wouchensaf to here Line 4340 A tale of me / that am a pore man I wol ȝow telle / as wel as euere I can A litel iape / that fel in oure Citee Line 4343 ¶ . Oure host answered / and seide / I graunte it the Now telle on Roger / and loke þat it be good ffor many a paste / hast thow laten blod And many a Iakke of Dover / hast thow sold That hath ben twyes hot / & twyes cold Line 4348 Of many a pilgrym / hast thow cristes curs [folio 53a] ffor of thy parselee / ȝet they fare the wers That they han eten / in thy stobel goos ffor in thy shoppe / is many a flye loos Line 4352 Now telle on gentil Roger / be thy name But ȝet I preye the / be nat wroth for game And man may sey ful soth / in game and pleye ¶ . Thow seist ful soth / quod Roger / be my feye Line 4356

Line 4356 But swhich pley / quade pley / as the fflemmyng seith And þerfore herry Bailly / be thy feith Be thow nat wroth / er we departe heere Though that my tale / be of an hostelere Line 4360 But natheles / I wol nat telle it ȝet But er we parte / I-wysse þou shalt be quyt And ther-with-alle / he lough & made chere And seide his tale / as ȝe shuln after here [[No break in the MS.]] Line 4364

¶ The Cookes Tale

A Prentys whilom / dwelled in oure Citee Of a craft / of vetayleres was he And Gaillard was he / as a Goldffynch in þe shawe Broun as a Bery / a propre short felawe Line 4368 With lokkes blake / kembed ful fetisly Daunce he koude / so wel and iolyly That he was cleped / Perkyn reuelour he was as ful of loue / and paramour Line 4372 As is the hyue / ful of hony swete Wel was the wenche / with him myght mete At euery brydale / wold he synge and hoppe He loued bet the tauerne / þan the shoppe Line 4376 ffor whan there ony ridyng was in Chepe Out of the shoppe / thider wold he lepe Til þat he had / al the sight I-seyn And daunced wele / he nolde nat come ageyn Line 4380 And gadred him a meyne / of his sort To hoppe & synge / and make swich disport And there they setten steuene / for to mete To play at the dys / in swich a strete Line 4384 ffor in the Toun / nas there no Prentys That fairere coude kast / a peyre of Dys Than Perkyn coude / and ther-to he was free Of hys dispence / in place of preuyte Line 4388 That fond his Maister wel / in his chaffare ffor oft tyme he fond / his box ful bare [folio 53b] ffor sothly / a Prentys a Reuelour That haunteth Dys / riot / & Paramour Line 4392 his maister shal it / in his shoppe a-bye Al haue he no part / of the Mynstralsye ffor theft and riot / they ben conuertible Al can he pleye / on gyterne or ribible Line 4396

Line 4396 Reuel and trouthe / as in a lowe degre They ben ful wrothe / al day / as men may se ¶ . This ioly Prentis / with his maister stode Til he was ny / out of his Prentyshode Line 4400 Al were he snybbed / bothe erly and late And somtyme lad / with reuel to Newgate But at the last / his Maister him bythought Vp-on a day / whan he his paper sought Line 4404 Of a prouerbe / that seith this same word Wel bet is roten Appel / out of hord Than that he rote / al the remenaunt So fareth it / by a riotous seruaunt Line 4408 It is ful lasse harm / to late him passe Than he shende alle / the seruauntes in the place Therfore his Maister / ȝaf him acquietance And bad him go / with sorwe / & with meschaunce Line 4412 And thus this ioly Prentys / had his leue Now late him riote / al the nyght / or leue And for there nys no thef / with-oute a louke That helpeth him / to wasten and to souke Line 4416 Of that he bribe can / or borwe may A-non he sent his bed / and his array Vn-to a Compere / of his owen sorte That loued Dys / ryot and desporte Line 4420 And had a wyf / þat held for countenaunce A shoppe / and swyued for hire sustenaunce [[Rest of page blank.]] [folio 54a]

¶ Sic desinit fabula Coci /