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 ...

¶ Incipit prologus vxoris de Bathe [on leaf 67]

Experience / though noon auctoritee Were in this world / is right I-now for me To speken of woo / that is in mariage ffor lordynges / syn I twelue ȝer was of age Line 4 Thanked be god / that is eterne on lyue husbondes at the chirche doore / haue I had fyue If I so often myght / han wedded be And alle weren worthy men / in here degree Line 8 But me was told / nought longe agon is That sithen Crist / ne went neuere but oonys To weddyng / in the Cane of Galilee That by the same ensaumple / taught he me Line 12 That I ne wedded / shuld be but ones loo herkene which / a sharp word / for the nones Beside a welle / ihesus god and man Spak in repreue / of the Samaritan Line 16 Thow hast I-had / fyue husbondes quod he And that ilke man / which that now hath the Is nat thyn husbonde / thus seide he certeyn What that he ment ther-by / I can nought seyn Line 20 But that I aske why / that the fifte man Was noon husbonde / to the Samaritan how many myght she haue / in mariage Ȝet herd I neuere / tellen in myn age Line 24

Line 24 vp-on this noumbre / diffinicion Men may deuyne / and glosen vp and doun But wel I woot / expresse / with-outen lye God bad vs for to wexe / and multiplie Line 28 That gentil text / can I wel vnderstonde [folio 67b] Eke wel I woot he seide / þat myn husbonde Shuld leete fader and moder / and take to me But of no noumbre / mencione mad he Line 32 Of Bygamye / or of Octogamye Why shulde men thanne / speke of it velanye loo heere the wyse kyng / Salamon I trowe he hadde / wyues moo than oon Line 36 As wolde god / it leueful were to me To be refresshed / half so ofte as he Which a ȝift of god / had he for alle his wyues No man hath swich / þat now on lyue is Line 40 God wot this noble kyng / as to my wytte The first nyght / had many a mery fitte With ech of hem / so wel was him on lyue Blessed be god / that I haue wedded fyue Line 44 Of whiche / I haue pyked out the beste [[6 spurious lines]] Bothe of here nether purs / and of here cheste Diuerse scoles / maken parfyt [[over 'diuerse werkes' dotted out]] clerkes And diuerse practyk in many [[a dotted out]] sondry werkes Maken / the werkman parfyt [[man dotted out]] / sekirly Of fyue husbondes scoleiyng / am I Welcome the sixte / whan þat euere he shal Line 45 ffor syn I wol nat kepe me / chast in al Whan myn husbonde / is fro the world goon Sum cristene man / shal wedde me a-noon Line 48 ffor thanne the Apostle / seith þat I am free To wedde a goddes halue / where it liketh me he seith / that to be wedded / is no synne Bet is to be wedded / than brynne Line 52 What rekketh me / though folk sey vylenye Of shrewed lameth / and his bygamye I woot wel Abraham / was an holy man And Iacob eke / as fer as euer y can Line 56 And ich of hem had wyues / moo than twoo And many a-nother / holy man also Wheere can ye seen / in any maner age That heye god defended / mariage Line 60

Line 60 By expresse word / I prey ȝow telleth me Or where comaunded he / virginite I woot as wel as ȝe / it is no drede The Appostel whan he speketh / of maydenhede Line 64 he seide that precept / had he ther-of noon Men moun counseile / a womman to ben oon But counseillynge / is no comaundement He putte it / in oure owen Iugement / [folio 68a] Line 68 ffor had god comaunded / maydenheede Than had he dampned / weddyng with the dede And certes if there were / no seede I-sowe virginite than / wher-of shuld it growe Line 72 Poule durst nat comaunden / at the leste A thyng of which / his maister ȝaf noon heeste The dart is sette vp / for virginitee Cacche who so may / who renneth best lat se Line 76 But this word is nat take / of euery wyght But there as god wol ȝeue it / of his myght I wot wel that the Appostel / was a mayde But nathelees / though that he wroot or sayde Line 80 he wolde þat euery wyght / were swich as he Al nys but counseille / to virginitee And for to be a wyf / he ȝaf me leeue Of indulgence / so is noon repreeue Line 84 To wedde me / if that my make deye With·oute excepcione / of bygamye Al were it good / no womman for to touche he ment in his bed / or in his couche Line 88 ffor peril is / bothe tow and fyr / to assemble Ȝe knowe what this ensaumple / may resemble This is al and sum / he held virginitee More parfyt / than weddynge in freeletee Line 92 ffreeltee clepe I / but if that he and she Wold here lyues lede / al in chastitee I graunte it wel / I haue noon envye Though maydenhede / preferre bygamye Line 96

Line 96 It liketh hem to be clene / in body and goost Of myn estat / I wol nat maken boost ffor wel ȝe knowe / a lord in his houshold Ne hath nat euery vessel / al of gold Line 100 Summe ben of tree / and don here lord seruyse God clepeth folk / to hym in sundry wyse And euerich hath of god / a propre ȝifte Som this / som that / as þat him liketh shifte Line 104 virginite is / a gret perfeccion And continence eke / with deuocion But crist / that of perfeccion / is welle Ne bad nat euery wyght / he shuld selle Line 108 Al þat he had / and ȝeue it to the poore And in swich wyse / folwe him and his foore he spak to hem / that wold leue parfitly And lordynges be ȝoure leeue / that am not I Line 112 I wol bestowe / the flour of al myn age [folio 68b] In the actes / and in the fruyt of mariage Telle me also / in what conclusione Were membres made / of generacione Line 116 And of so parfyt wyse / a wyght I-wrought Trosteth right wel / they were nat made for nought Glose who so wele / and sey bothe vp and doun That they weren I-made / for purgacione Line 120 Of vryne / and oure bothe thynges smale Weren eke to knowe / a femele fro a male And for noon other cause / sey ȝe noo The experience wot wel / it is nat so Line 124 So that the Clerkes / be nat with me wroth I seye this / that they maked be / for bothe This is to seyn / bothe for office & for ease Of engendure / there we nat god displeese Line 128 Why shulde men ellis / in here bookes sette That men shal ȝelde / to his wyf hire dette Now wher-with shuld he make / his paiement If that he ne vsed / his seely Instrument Line 132

Line 132 Than were they made / vp-oon a creature To purge vryne / and eke for engendrure But I sey nought / that euery wyght is holde That hath swich harneys / as I to ȝow tolde Line 136 To gon and vsen hem / in engendrure Than shulde men take / of chastitee no cure Crist was a mayde / and shapen as a man And many a Seynt / sithe þat the world bygan Line 140 Ȝet lyued they euere / in parfyt chastitee I nyl envye / no virginitee Lat hem be breed / of pured whete seede And lat vs wyues / hote barly breede Line 144 And ȝet with barly breed / Mark telle can Oure lord ihesu / refresshed many a man In swich estat / as god hath cleped vs I wol perseuere / I nam nat precious Line 148 In wyfhode wyl I vse / myn Instrument As freely as my makere / hath it sent If I be daungerous / god ȝeue me sorwe Myn husbonde shal it haue / bothe eue & morwe Line 152 Whan that him liste / come forth & paie his dette An husbonde wol I haue / I wol nat lette Which shal be bothe / my dettour and my thral And haue his tribulacion / with-al Line 156 Vp-on his fleessh / while that I am his wyf [folio 69a] I haue the power / duryng al my lyf vp-on his propre body / and nat he Right thus the Apostel / told it vn-to me Line 160 And bad oure husbondes / for to loue vs wele Al this sentence / me liketh euerydele ¶ . vp sterte the Pardoner / and that a-noon Now dame quod he / by god & by Seynt Iohn Line 164 Ȝe ben a noble prechour / in this caas I was aboute to wedde a wyf / Allas What shulde I bye it / on my flessh so deere Ȝet had I leuere / wedde noon to ȝere Line 168

Line 168 A-byde quod she / my tale is nat bygonne Nay þou shalt drynken / of a-nother tonne Er that I go / shal sauer wers than Ale Whan that I haue told the / forth my tale Line 172 Of tribulacione / that is in mariage Of which I am expert / in al myn age This is to seyn / my self hath ben the whippe Than maist þou chese / whider þat thow wylt sippe Line 176 Of thilk Tonne / that I wyl a-broche By war of it / or þou to ny approche ffor I shal telle ensaumples / moo than ten Who so that nyl / be war / by othere men Line 180 By him shuln othere men / corrected be Theise same wordes / wryteth Protholomee [¶ Qui per alios non corigitur] Rede in his Almagest / and take it there [Alii per ipsum cori|gentur] Dame I wold preye ȝow / if ȝoure wyl were Seide this Pardoner / as ȝe bygan Line 185 Telleth forth ȝoure tale / & spareth for no man And techeth vs ȝonge men / of ȝoure practike Gladly quod she / syn that it may ȝow lyke Line 188 But that I praye / to alle this companye If that I speke / after my fantasye As taketh it nought a gref / of that I seye ffor myn entent is nat / but for to pleye Line 192 Now Sires than shal I / tellen ȝow forth my tale As euere mot I / drynken wyn or Ale I shal seye soth / the husbondes that I had As thre of hem weren goode / & twoo weren bad Line 196 The thre of hem weren goode / and riche & olde Vn-ethe myghten they / the statut holde In which that they were bounden / vn-to me Ȝe wot wel what I mene / of this pardee Line 200 As god helpe me / I laughe whan that I thynke [folio 69b] how pitously a nyght / I made hem swynke But be my fey / I tolde of it no store They had me ȝeuen / here lond and here tresore Line 204

Line 204 Me neded nat / do lengere diligence To wynne here loue / or do hem reuerence They loued me so wel / by god a-boue That I ne told / no deynte of here loue Line 208 A wys womman / wyl besy hire euere in oon To geten hire loue / there as she hath noon But syn I had hem / holly in myn hand And syn that they / had ȝeue me al here land Line 212 what shulde I take kepe / hem for to pleese But if it were for my profyt / and myn eese I sette hem so a werk / be my fey That many a nyght / they songen weylawey Line 216 The bacon was nat fet / for hem as I trowe That summe men han in Essex / at Donmowe I gouerned hem so wel / after my lawe That iche of hem / ful blisful was and fawe Line 220 To brynge me gay thynges / fro the feyre They were ful glad / when I spak to hem fayre ffor god it woot / I chidde hem spitously Now herkeneth how / I bar me proprely Line 224 Ȝe wyse wyues / that can vnderstonde Thus shuld ȝe speke / & bere hem wrong on honde ffor half so boldly / there can no man Sweren and lyen / as a womman can [¶ Verum est] Line 228 I sey nat this / be wyues that ben wyse But if it be / whan they hem mys a-vyse A wys wyf shal / if that she can hire good Bere him on honde / that the kow is wood Line 232 And take wytnesse / of hire owen mayde Of hire assent / but herkeneth how I sayde Sire olde kaynard / is this thyn array why is my neyghebores wyf / so gay Line 236 She is honoured / ouer alle there she goth I sitte at hom / I haue no thrifty cloth what dost thow / at my neyhebores hous Is she so fair / art thow so amerous Line 240

Line 240 what rovne ȝe with oure mayden / benedicite Sire olde lecchour / late thyne iapes be [An]d if that I haue / a gosship or a freende [wit]houten gilt / ȝe chiden as a fende Line 244 If that I walke or rome / vn-to hir hous [folio 70a] Thow comest hom / as dronken as a Mous And prechest on thy benche / with euele preef Thow seist to me / it is a gret myschief Line 248 To wedde a poore womman / for costage And if that she be riche / of heigh parage Than seist thow / that it is a turmentrie To suffre hire pride / and hire malacolie Line 252 And if that she be fair / thow verray knaue Thow seist that euery holour / wol hire haue She may no while / in chastite a-byde That is assayled / vp-on eche a syde Line 256 Thow seist somme folk / desiren vs for richesse Somme for oure shap / and somme for oure fairnesse And sum for she can / either synge or daunce And sum for gentilnesse / and daliaunce Line 260 Sum for hire hondes / and hire armes smale Thus goth al to the deuele / by thy tale Thow seist men moun nat kepe / a castel wal It may so longe / assailed ben / ouer al Line 264 And if that she be foul / thow seist that she Coueyteth euery man / that she may se ffor as a spaynel / she wol on him lepe Til that she fynde sum man / hire to chepe Line 268 Ne noon so grey goos / goth there in the lake As seist þou / wyl be with-outen a make And seist it is / an hard thyng for to welde A thyng þat no man wyl / his thankes helde Line 272 Thus seist þou lorel / whan thow gost to bedde And that no wyse man / nedeth for to wedde Ne no man that entendeth / vn-to heuen with wylde thundir dynt / and firy leuen Line 276

Line 276 Mote thy welked nekke / be to-broke Thow seist that droppyng houses / & eke smoke And chidyng wyues / maken men to flee Out of hire owen houses / a benedicite Line 280 what eilith swich an olde man / to chide Thow seist we wyues / wyln oure vices hide Til we be fast / and thanne we wol hem shewe wel may this be / a prouerbe of a shrewe Line 284 Thow seist that Oxen / Assen / Hors and houndes They ben assayed / at diuerse stoundes Basyns / lauours / or that men hem bye Spones stoles / and al swiche husbondrye [folio 70b] Line 288 And so ben pottes / clothes and array But men of wommen / maken noon assay Til they ben wedded / olde doted shrewe And thanne seist þou / we wol oure vices shewe Line 292 Thow seist also / that it displeseth me But if þat þou wylt preyse / my beaute And but thow poure / alwey vp-on my face And clepe me fair dame / in euery place Line 296 And but thow make a feest / on thilke day That I was born / and make me fressh and gay And but thow do / to my norice honour And to my chaumberer / with-Inne my boure Line 300 And to my fadres folk / and hise allies Thus seist þou olde barel / ful of lyes And ȝet of oure Apprentys / Iankyn ffor his crispe heer shynynge / as gold fyn Line 304 And for he squyereth me / vp and doun Ȝet hast þou caught / a fals suspecion I wol him nought / though þou were ded to-morwe But telle me þis / why / hidest thow with sorwe Line 308 The keyes of thy chest / a-wey fro me It is my good / as wel as thyn / parde what wenest thow / to make an Idiote of oure dame Now by that lord / that cleped is Seynt Iame Line 312

Line 312 Thow shalt nat bothe / though þat þou were wood Be maistre of my body / and of my good That oon þou shalt for-gon / maugre thyne eyen what nedeth the of me / to enqueren & spyen Line 316 I trowe þou woldest lokke me / in thy cheste Thow shuldest seye good wyf / go where the liste Taketh ȝoure disport / I wol nat leue no tales I knowe ȝow for a trewe wyf / dame Alys Line 320 we loue no man / thak taketh kep on charge where þat we goo / we wol be at oure large Of alle men / I-blessed mot he be The wyse Astrologien / Dan Protholomee Line 324 That seith this prouerbe / in his almagest Of alle men / his wysdom is heyest That rekketh nat / who hath the world in honde By this prouerbe / þou shalt vnderstonde Line 328 haue thow I-now / what thar the rekke or care how merily / that othere folkes fare ffor certes olde dotard / be ȝour leue Ȝe shuln haue queynte right I-now / at eeue [folio 71a] Line 332 He is to gret a nygard / that wol werne A man to light a candele / at his lanterne he shal haue / neuere the lasse light / pardee haue thow I-now / the thar nat pleyne thee Line 336 Thow seist also / if that we make vs gay with clothynge / or with precious array That it is perile / of oure chastitee And ȝet with sorwe / þou must enforce the Line 340 And seyn theise wordes / in the Aposteles name In habyt mad / with chastite and shame Ȝe wommen / shulde apparaille ȝow quod he And nat in tressed heer / and riche perre Line 344 Ns [[? for Ne]] peerles ne gold / ne clothes riche After thy text / ne after thy rubriche I wol nat werche / as meche as doth a gnat Thow seist als / I walke out lyke a kat Line 348

Line 348 ffor who so wolde senge / the Cattes skyn Than wold the kat / dwellen in his In And if the kattes skyn / be slyke and gay She wol nat dwelle / in house half a day Line 352 But forth she wol / or any day be dawed To shewe hire skyn / & go on Caterwawed This is to seyn / if I be gay sire shrewe I wol renne out / my borel for to shewe Line 356 Sire olde foole / what helpeth the to aspyen Though thow preye Argus / with his hundred eyen To be my wardecors / as he can best In feith he shal nat kepe me / but me list Line 360 Ȝet coude I make his berd / also mote I thee Thow seidest eke / þat there ben thynges three The whiche thynges / troublen al this erthe And that no wyght / may endure the ferthe Line 364 O leue sire shrewe / Ihesus short thy lyf Ȝet precest þou and seist / an hateful wyf I-rekened is / for oon of theise meschaunces Beth there noone othere / resemblaunces Line 368 That ȝe may likne / ȝoure Parables to But if a seely wyf / be on of thoo Thow likenest eke / wommanes loue to helle To bareyn lond / there water may nat dwelle Line 372 Thow likenest it also / to wylde fyre The more it brenneth / the more it hath desire To consume euery thyng / that wol brent be Thow seist right as wormes / shenden a tree [folio 71b] Line 376 Right so a wyf / destroyeth hire husbonde This knowen they / that ben to wyues bonde

Lordynges / right thus / as ȝe han vnderstonde Bar I stifly / myn olde husbondes on honde Line 380 That thus they seiden / in here dronkenesse And al was fals / but that I tok wytnesse On Iankyn / and on my nece also O lord the peyne / I did hem and the woo Line 384

Line 384 fful giltlees / by goddes swete pyne ffor as an hors / I coude byte and whyne I coude pleyne / and I was in the gilt Or elles often tyme / I had ben spilt Line 388 who so that first cometh to the Mylle / first he grynt I pleyned first / so was oure werre I-stynt They weren ful glad / to excuse hem ful blife Of thyng / of whiche / they gilten neuere in here lyue Line 392 Of wenches / wold I beren hem on honde whan that for seke / they myght vnethes stonde Ȝet tikeled I his hert / for that he wende / that I of him had / so gret chierte Line 396 I swor that al my walkyng / out be nyght was for to aspien / wenches that he dight vnder that colour / had I many a myrthe ffor al swich wyt / is ȝeuen vs in oure birthe Line 400 Disceite / wepyng / spynnyng / god hath ȝeuen To womman kyndely / while that they moun lyuen And thus of on thyng / I auaunt me At the ende / I had the beter / in ich degree Line 404 Be sleight or force / or sum maner thyng As by contenuel murmur / and grucchyng Namely a bedde / there had they myschaunce There wold I chide / and do hem no plesaunce Line 408 I wold no lengere / in the bed a-byde If that I felt / his arme al ouer my syde Til that he had mad / his raunson vn-to me Than wold I suffren him / to doon his nycete Line 412 And þerfore to euery man / this tale I telle Wynne who so may / for all is for to selle with empty hond / men moun noone haukes lure ffor wynnynge wold I / al his lust endure Line 416 And make me / a feyned appetit And ȝet in bacoun / had I neuere delit That made me / þat euere I wold hem chide ffor though the pope / had siten hem beside [folio 72a] Line 420

Line 420 I wold nat spare hem / at here owen bord ffor be my trouthe / I quyt hem word for word As help me verray god / omnipotent Though I right now / shulde make my testament Line 424 I owe hem nat a word / that it nys quytte I brought it so a-boute / be my wytte That they must ȝeue it vp / for the best Or elles had we neuere / ben in rest Line 428 ffor though he loked / as a wod lyon Ȝet shulde he faile / of his conclusion Than wold I sey / good lef take kepe how mekely loketh / wylkyn oure shepe Line 432 Come neer my spouse / lat me ba thy cheke Ȝe schulden be / al pacient and meke And han a swete / spiced conscience Sithe ȝe so preche / of Iobes pacience Line 436 Suffreth al-wey / syn ȝe so wel can preche And but ȝe do / certeyn we shuln ȝow teche That it is fair / to han a wyf in pees Oon of vs two / must bowen doutelees Line 440 And sithe a man / is more resonable Than womman is / ȝe must ben suffrable what eyleth ȝow / to grucche thus and grone It is for ȝe wolde / han my queynte allone Line 444 we take it al / lo haue it euerydele Petir I shrewe ȝow / but ȝe loue it wele ffor if I wolde selle / my beal chose I coude walke / as fressh as any Rose Line 448 But I wol kepe it / for ȝoure owen toth Ȝe be to blame / by god I seye ȝow soth Swiche maner wordes / had we on honde Now wol I speke / of my first husbonde Line 452 ¶ My first husbonde / was a reuelour That is to seyn / he had a paramour And I was ȝong / and ful of ragerie Stiburne and strong / and ioly as a Pye Line 456

Line 456 Tho coude I daunce / to an harp smale And synge I-wysse / as any nytynggale whan I had dronke / a draught of swete wyn Metellius the foul cherl / the swyn Line 460 That with a staf / byreft his wyf hir lif ffor she drank wyn / though I had ben his wyf he shulde nat han daunted / me fro drynke And after wyn / on venus must I thynke Line 464 ffor also siker / as cold engendereth hail A likerous mouth / must han a likerous tail [folio 72b] In womman vynolent / is no diffence This knowen lecchours / be experience Line 468 But lord crist / whan that it remembreth me Vp-on my ȝouthe / and on my Iolyte It tikeleth me / a-boute myn hert rote Vn-to this day / it dooth myn hert bote Line 472 That I haue had my world / as in my tyme But age allas / that al wyl envenyme hath me byraft / my beaute and my pith late go fare wel / the deuele goo there-with Line 476 The flour is goon / there is no more to telle The bren as I beest can / now mot I selle But ȝet to be right merye / wol I fonde ¶ . Now forth to telle of my secund husbonde Line 480 I sey I had / in hert greet despit That he of any other / had delit But he was quyt / be god and be Seynt Ioce I mad him of the same wode / a Croce Line 484 Nat of my body / in no foule manere But certeynly / I made folk swich chere That in his owen grees / I mad him frie ffor anger / and for verrey Ielusie Line 488 By god / in erthe / I was his purgatorie ffor whiche I hope / his soule be in glorie ffor god it woot / he sat ful ofte and songe whan that his shoo / ful bitterly him wronge Line 492

Line 492 ffor there was no wyght / saue god and he þat wyst In manye wyses / how sore I him twist he deyed whan I come / fro Ierusalem And lith in graue / vnder the roode Bem Line 496 Al is his toumbe / nought so curious As was the sepulcre / of him Darius whiche that Appollus / wrought so sotelly It nys but waast / to bery him preciously Line 500 lat him fare wel / god ȝeue his soule good reest he is now in his graue / and ded in his chest ¶ Now of my thridde husbonde / wol I telle God lat his soule / neuere come in helle Line 504 And ȝet was he to me / the moost shrewe That fele I now on my ribbes / al by rewe And euere shal / vn-to myn endyng day But in oure bed / he was ful fressh and gay Line 508 And there-with also / wel coude he me gloose [¶ Nota] whan that he wolde / han my beal chose That though he had / me bete on euery bon [folio 73a] he coude wynne / my loue a-geyn a-noon Line 512 I trowe I loued him best / for that he was of his loue / daungerous vn-to me we wommen han / if that I shal nat lye In this mater / a queynt fantasie Line 516 Wayte what thyng / we may nat lightly haue Ther-after wyl we crye al day / and craue fforbede vs thyng / and that desiren we [¶ Nota] Presse on vs fast / and than wol we flee Line 520 with daunger outer we / al oure chaffare Greet prees at market / maketh dere ware And to gret chep / is holden at litel pris This knoweth euery womman / that is wys Line 524 ¶ . My ferthe husbonde / god his soule blisse which that I took / for loue & no richesse he somtyme was / a clerk of Oxenforde And had left scole / and went at hom to borde Line 528

Line 528 with my gossyp / dwellynge in oure toun God haue hire soule / hire name was Alison She knew myn hert / and al my preuytee Bet than oure parissh preest / so mot I the Line 532 To hire be-wreyed I / my counseil al ffor had myn husbonde / pissed on a wal Or don a thyng / that shuld han cost his lif To hire / and to a-nother worthy wyf Line 536 And to my Nece / whiche that I loued wel I wold han told / his counseil euerydel And so I dide ful often / god it woot That mad his face / ful often red and hoot Line 540 ffor verray shame / and blamed him-self for he had told to me / so gret a preuytee And so byfel / that ones in a lente So often tymes / I to my gossip wente Line 544 ffor euere ȝet / I loued to be gay And for to walke / in March / Aprill & May ffro hous to hous / to here sondry tales That Iankyn Clerk / & my gossip dame Ales Line 548 And I my selue / in-to the feeldes went Myn husbonde was at london / al that lent I had the betir leiser / for to pleye And for to se / and eke for to be seye Line 552 Of lusty folk / what wyst I / where my grace was shapen for to be / or in what place Therfore made I / my visitasions [folio 73b] To vigiles / and to processions Line 556 To prechynge eke / and to theise pilgrimages To pleyes of miracles / and of mariages And wered vp-on / my gay skarlet gytes Theise wormes / ne theise mothes / ne theise mytes Line 560 vp-on my paraille / frette hem neuere a del And wost þou why / for they were vsed wel ¶ . Now wol I telle forth / what happed me I seye that in the feldes / walked we Line 564

Line 564 Til trewely we had / swich daliaunce This clerk and I / that of my purueaunce I spak to him / and seide how that he If I were wydewe / he shulde wedde me Line 568 ffor certeynly I seye / for no bobaunce Ȝet was I neuere / with-outen purueaunce Of mariage / ne of othere thynges eke I hold a mouses hert / nat worth a leke Line 572 That hath but on hole / for to stirte to And if that fayle / than is al I-do I bar him on honde / he had enchaunted me My dame taught me / that sotilte Line 576 And eke I seide / I mette of him al nyght he wolde han slayn me / as I lay vp right And al my bed / was ful of verray blod But ȝet I hope / that ȝe shuln do me good Line 580 ffor blod bytokeneth gold / as me was taught And al was fals / I dremed of it right nought But as I folwed ay / my dames loore As wel of that / as of othere thynges more Line 584 But now sire late me sen / what I shuld seyn A ha by god / I haue my tale a-geyn ¶ . Whan that my fierthe husbonde / was on beere I wep algate / and mad sory chere Line 588 As wyues moton / for it is the vsage And with my kercheue / I couered my visage But for that I was purueiede / of a make I wepte but smale / and that I vndertake Line 592 To chirche was myn husbonde / born a-morwe with neyghebores / that for him maden sorwe And Iankyn oure clerk / was oon of thoo As helpe me god / whan that I saw him goo Line 596 After the beere / me thought he had a peire Of legges and of feet / so clene and so feire That al myn hert / I ȝaf vn-to his holde I trowe he was / a twenty wynter olde Line 600

Line 600 And I was fourty / if I shal sey the sothe [folio 74a] But ȝet I had alwey / a coltyssh tothe Gat-tothed I was / and that be-cam me wele I had the prente / of seynt venus seele Line 604 As help me god / I was a lusty oon And fair and riche / and ȝonge / and wel bygon And trewely / as myne husbondes tolde me I had the best quoniam / that myght be [¶ Nota] Line 608 ffor certes I am / al venerien In feelyng / and myn hert is Marcien Venus me ȝaf my lust / my likerousnesse And Mars ȝaf me / my sturdy hardynesse Line 612 Myn ascendent was Taur / and Mars þere-Inne Allas allas / that euere loue was synne I folwed alwey / myn inclynacione By vertue / of myn Constellacione Line 616 That made me / I coude nat with-drawe My chaumbre of venus / fro a good felawe Ȝet haue I Mars merk / vp-on my face And also / in a-nother pryue place Line 620 ffor god so wysely / be my sauacion I loued neuere / by no discrecion But euere folwed / myn appetit Al were he short / long blak or whiȝt Line 624 I toke no kepe / so that he liked me how poore he was / ne eke of what degree ¶ . what shulde I seye / but at the monthes ende This ioly Clerk / Iankyn þat was so hende Line 628 hath wedded me / with greet solempnytee And to him ȝaf I / al the lond and fee That euere was me ȝeuen / there-byfore But afterward / me repented ful sore Line 632 he nolde suffre / no thyng of my list By god he smot me / oonys with his fist On the cheke / for þat I rent / out of his book a leef That of the stroke / myn ere wex al deef Line 636

Line 636 Stiburne I was / as is a leonesse And of my tonge / a veray Iangeleresse And walke I wold / as I had don byforn ffrom hous to hous / al-though he had it sworn Line 640 ffor whiche / he often tymes wold preche And me of olde Romayne gestes / teche how he / simplicius Gallus / laft his wyf And hire forsoke / for terme of al his lyf Line 644 nought but for openheded / he hire say Lokyng out at his dore / vp-on a day [folio 74b] A-nother Romayne / told he me by name That for his wyf / was at a Someres game Line 648 with-outen his wetyng / he forsoke hire eke And than wold he / vp-on his bible seke That ilke prouerbe / of ecclesiaste where he comaundeth / & forbedeth faste Line 652 Man shal nat suffre his wyf / go royle a-boute Than wold he sey right thus / withoute doute who-so that bildeth his hous / al of salwes [¶ Nota] And priketh his blynd hors / ouer the falwes Line 656 And suffreth his wyf / to seken halwes Is worthy to ben hanged / on the galwes But al for nought / I sette nought an hawe Of hise prouerbes / ne of his olde lawe Line 660 Ne I wold nat of him / corrected be I hate him / that my vices telleth me And so don moo of vs / god wot / than I This mad him with me wood / al vtterly Line 664 I wold nat forbere him / in no cas Now wyl I sey ȝow soth / by Seynt Thomas why that I rent out / of his book a leef ffor whiche he smot me so / that I was deef Line 668 he had a bok / that gladly nyght and day ffor his desport / he wold it rede alway he cleped it valerie / and Theofaste At which book / he lough alwey ful fast Line 672

Line 672 And eke there was somtyme / a Clerk at Rome A Cardynale that hight / Seynt Ierome That mad a book / a-geyn Iovynyan In whiche book eke / there was Terculan Line 676 Crisippus / Tortula / and Helowys That was Abbesse / nat fer fro Parys And eke the parobles / of Salamon Ouydes art / and bookes many oon Line 680 And alle theise were bounden / in o volume And euery nyght & day / was his custume Whan he had leiser / and vacacione ffrom other worldly / occupacione Line 684 To redyn in this book / of wykked wyues he knew of hem / moo legendes & lyues Than ben of goode wyues / in the bible ffor trosteth wel / it is an inpossible Line 688 That any Clerk / wyl speke good of wyues But if it be / of holy Seyntes lyues Ne of noone othere wommen / neuere the moo Who peynted the lyon / telle me who [folio 75a] Line 692 By god if a womman / had wryten stories As Clerkes han / with-Inne here oratories They wold han wretyn of men / more wykkednesse Than al the mark of Adam / may redresse Line 696 The children of Mercurie / and of Venus Ben in here werkyng / ful contrarious Mercurie loueth wysdom / and science And venus loueth riot / and despence Line 700 And for here dyuers / disposicion Eche fayleth / in others exaltacion As thus / god woot / Mercurie is desolate In pisses / whan venus is exaltate Line 704 And venus falleth / there Mercurie is reised Therfore no womman / of no Clerk is preysed The Clerk whan he is old / & may nat do Of venus werkes / worth his olde shoo Line 708

Line 708 Than syt he doun / and wryteth in his dotage That wommen conne nout kepen / here mariage But now to purpos / why I tolde the That I was beten / for a book parde Line 712 Vp-on a nyght / Iankyn that was oure Sire Red on his book / as he sat by the fyre Of Eue first / that for hire wykkednesse Was al mankynde brought / to wrechednesse Line 716 ffor which that ihesu crist / him self was slayn That bought vs / with his hert blod a-gayn loo heere expres of wommen / may ȝe fynde That womman was the losse / of al mankynde Line 720 Tho redde he me / how Sampson loost hise heeres Slepynge his lemman / kytte hem with hire sheres Thurgh which treson / lost he bothe hise eyen Tho redde he me / if that I shal nat lyen Line 724 Of Hercules / and of Dyanyre That caused him / to sette him self a-fyre Nothyng for-gat he / the care and the woo¹ That Socrates had / with hise wyues twoo Line 728 how Exantipa / cast pisse vp-on hise bed This sely man sat stille / as he were ded he wypte his hed / no more durst he seyn But er that the thonder stynt / cometh reyn Line 732 Of Phasipha / that was the Quene of Creete ffor shrewednesse him thought / the tale swete ffy speke no more / it is a grisly thyng Of hire horrible lust / & hire lykyng Line 736 Of Clithermystra / for hire lecherie That falsly mad hire husbonde / for to deye He red it / with ful good deuocion [folio 75b] he told me eke / for what occasion Line 740 Amphiorax at Thebes / lost his lyf Myn husbond had a legend / of his wyf Exiphilem / that for an ouche of gold hath preuyly / vn-to the grekes I-told Line 744

Line 744 Where that hire husbonde / hid him in a place ffor which he had / at Thebes sory grace Of lyma told he me / and of lucye They bothe maden / here husbondes for to deye Line 748 That on for loue / that other was for hate lyma / hire husbonde / vp-on an euen late Enpoysoned hath / for that she was his foo lucya lykerous / loued hire husbond so Line 752 That for he shuld alwey / vp-on hire thynke She ȝaf him swich / a maner loue drynke That he was ded / er it were by the morwe And thus algates / husbondes han sorwe Line 756 Than told he me / how on lathimyus Compleyned / vn-to his felawe / Arryus That in his gardeyn / growed swich a tree On which he seide / how that hise wyues three Line 760 honged hem self / for hertes dispetous O lef brother / quod this Arryus Ȝeue me a plante / of thilk blissed tre And in myn gardeyn / planted shal it be Line 764 Of lattere date / of wyues hath he red That some han slayn / here husbondes in here bed And let hire lecchour / dight hire al the nyght While that the cors / lay in the floor vp-right Line 768 And some han dreuyn nayles / in here brayne While that they slep / & thus they han hem slayne Some han ȝeuen hem poyson / in here drynke he spak more harm / than hert may be-thynke Line 772 And ther-with-al / he knew of moo prouerbes Than is this world / groweth gras or Erbes Bet is quod he / thyn habitacion Be with a lyon / or a foul dragon Line 776 Than with a womman / vsyng for to chide Bet is quod he / hie in the roof a-byde Than with an angry womman / doun in the hous They ben so wykked / and so contrarious [¶ Nota] Line 780

Line 780 They haten / that here husbondes louen ay he seide a womman / kast hire shame a-way Whan she cast of hire smok / and forthere-moo A fair womman / but she be chast also Line 784 Is lyke a gold ryng / in a sowes nose Who wold wene / or who wold suppose [folio 76a] The woo that in myn hert was / & the pyne And whan I saw / he wolde neuere fyne Line 788 To reden on this cursed book / al nyght Al sodeynly / three leeues haue I plight Out of his booke / right as he radde / & eke I with my fist / so toke him on the cheke Line 792 That in our fyr / he fel bakward a-doun And he vp stirt / as doth a wood lyon And with his fist / he smot me on the hede That in the floor / I lay as I were dede Line 796 And whan he saw / how stille that I lay he was a-gast / and wold han fled a-way Til at the last / out of my swough I brayde O hast þou slayn me / fals theef I sayde Line 800 And for my lond / thus hast þou mordred me Or I be ded / ȝet wole I kysse the And ner he com / and kneled faire a-doun And seide deere Suster / Alisoun Line 804 As helpe me god / I shal the neuere smyte That I haue doon / it is thy self to wyte fforȝeue it me / and that I the byseke And ȝet eftsones / I hitte him on the cheke Line 808 And seide thef / thus meche am I a-wreke Now wol I dye / I may no lengere speke But at the last / with mechil kare & woo We fel accorded / be oure seluen twoo Line 812 he ȝaf me al the brydel / in myn honde To han the gouernaunce / of hous & londe And of his tonge / and of his hond also And mad him brenne his book / a-noon right thoo Line 816

Line 816 And whanne that I had getyn vn-to me Be maistrye / al the Soueraynte And that he seide / myn owen trewe wyf Do as the list / the terme of al thy lyf Line 820 Kepe thyn honour / & kepe eke myn estate And after that day / we hadden neuere debate God help me so / I was to him as kynde As any wyf / fro Denmark vn-to Inde Line 824 And also trewe / and so was he to me I preye to god / that sitteth in mageste So blisse his soule / for his mercy deere Now wol I seyn my tale / if ȝe wyln heere Line 828

¶ Heere maketh the ffrere an interempcion of the wyues tale [[in margin]]

¶ . The ffrere lough / whan he had herd al this Now dame quod he / so haue I ioye or blys This is a long preamble / of a tale And whan the sompnour / herd the ffrere gale [¶ The Sompnour speketh to þe ffrere] loo quod the sompnour / for goddes armes two A ffrere wyl entermente him / euere moo [folio 76b] loo goodmen / a flye and eke a ffrere Wol falle in euery dissh / and eke matere Line 836 What spekest thow / of preambulacion What aumble or trotte / or pes / or go sitte doun Thow lettest oure disport / in this manere ¶ Ȝe wilt þou so Sompnour / quod the ffrere Line 840 Now be my feith / I shal er that I goo Telle of Sompnoures / swich a tale or twoo That alle folk / shuln laughen / in this place Now elles ffrere / I be-shrewe thyn face Line 844 Quod the Sompnour / and I be-shrewe me But if I telle tales / two or three Of ffreres / or þat I come to Sydyngburne That I shal make / thyn hert for to morne Line 848

Line 848 ffor wel I wot / thy pacience is a-gon ¶ Oure host cried pees / and that a-noon And seide / late the womman telle hire tale Ȝe fare as folk / that dronken ben of Ale Line 852 Do dame / telle forth ȝoure tale / & that is best Al redy sire quod she / right as ȝow list If I haue lycence / of this worthy ffrere Ȝis dame quod he / tell forth / & I wyl here Line 856

¶ Hic desinit prologus /

et incipit fabula Vxoris de Bathe [on leaf 76, back]

In the olde dayes / of kyng Arthour Of which that Bretons speken / gret honour Al was this lond / fulfilled of fairie The Elf Quene / with hire ioly companye Line 860 Daunced ful ofte / in many a grene mede This was the olde oppynyon / as I rede I speke of manye / hundred ȝeres a-go But now can no man / se noone Elues moo Line 864 ffor now the gret charite / and preyeres Of lymytours / and other holy ffreres That serchen euery lond / and euery streme As thikke as motes / in the Sonne beme Line 868 Blissyng Halles / chaumbres / kychenes / boures Citees / Burghes / Castelles / heye Toures Thropes / Bernes / Shepenes / Deyries This maketh that there ben / no fayeries Line 872 ffor there as wont / to walken was an Elf There walketh now / the lymytour him-self In vndermeles / and in morwenynges [folio 77a] And seith hise matynes / & his holy thynges Line 876 As he goth / in his lymytacion wommen moun go now / safly vp & doun In euery bussh / and vnder euery tree There is noon other / Incubus but he Line 880 And he ne wyl do hem / but dishonour ¶ And so byfel / that this kyng Arthour had in his hous / a lusty bacheler That on a day / cam ridyng fro ryuer Line 884

Line 884 And happed that allone / as he was born he saw a mayde / walkyng him byforn Of whyche mayde / a-noon maugre hire hede By verray force / byraft hire maydenhede Line 888 ffor which oppression / was swich clamour And swich pursute / vn-to the kyng Arthour That dampned was this knyght / for to be deed By cours of lawe / and shuld han loost his heed Line 892 Parauenture / swich was the statute thoo But that the Quene / and othere ladies moo So longe preyeden / the kyng of grace Til he his lyf / him graunted in the place Line 896 And ȝaf him to the Quene / al at hire wylle To chese wheither she wolde / him saue or spille The Quene thanketh the kyng / with al hire myght And aftir this / thus spak she to the knyght Line 900 Whan that she saw hire tyme / vp-on a day Thow stondest ȝet quod she / in swich array That of thy lif / ȝet hast þou non seurte I graunte the lif / if thow canst telle me Line 904 what thyng is it / that wommen most desiren Be war / & kepe thyn nekke bon / from Iren And if þou canst nat / telle it me a-noon Ȝet wol I ȝeue the / leue for to goon Line 908 A twelwemoneth & a day / to seche & leere An answere sufficeant / in this matere And seurte wol I haue / er that thow pace Thy body for to ȝelden / in this place Line 912 Wo was this knyght / and sorwefully he syketh But what / he may nat do / al as him liketh And at the last / he ches him for to wende And come a-geyn / right at the ȝeres ende Line 916 with swich answere / as god him wold purueye And taketh his leue / and wendeth forth his weye he seketh euery hous / and euery place where as he hopeth / for to fynden grace [folio 77b] Line 920

Line 920 To lerne what thyng / wommen louen moost But he ne coude / aryuen in no coost where as he myght fynde / in this matere Two creatures / accordynge in fere Line 924 Some seyden / wommen louen best richesse Some seiden honour / some seyden Iolynesse Some seiden riche aray / some seiden lust a-bedde And ofte tymes to be wydewe / and wedde Line 928 Some seiden that oure hert / is most eased whan that we ben / I-flatered / and I-plesed he goth ful ny the sothe / I wol nat lye A man shal wynne vs best / with flaterie Line 932 And with attendaunce / and besynesse Ben we I-lymed / bothe more & lesse And some seyn / that we louen best ffor to be free / & do right as vs list Line 936 And that no man / repreeue vs / of oure vice But seye / þat we ben wyse / & no thyng nyce ffor trewely / there is noon of vs alle If ony wyght / wyl clawe vs on the galle Line 940 That we nyl kyke / for he seith vs soth Assay / and he shal fynde it / þat so doth ffor be we neuere / so vicious with-Inne we wol be holden / wys / and clene of synne Line 944 And some seiden / that gret delyt han we ffor to be holden stable / and eke secree And on a purpos / stedfastly to dwelle And nought be-wreye thyng / that men vs telle Line 948 But that tale is nought worth / a rake stele Parde / we wommen / conne no thyng hele wytnesse on Myda / wol ȝe here the tale Ouyde a-monges / othere thynges smale Line 952 Seide / Myda had / vnder his longe heeres Growyng vp-on his hed / two asses eres The which vice he hid / as he best myght fful sotilly / fro euery mannes sight Line 956

Line 956 That saw his wyf / there wyst of it no moo he loued hire most / and trosted hire also he preyede hire / that to no creature She shulde tellen / of his disfigure Line 960 She swor him nay / for al this world to wynne She nolde do / that velanye or synne To make hire husbonde / han so foul a name She nolde nat telle it / for hire owen shame Line 964 But natheles / hire thought right that he deyed That she so longe / shulde a counseil hide Hire thought it swal / so sore a-boute hire hert [folio 78a] That nedely som word / hire must a-stert Line 968 And sithe she durst nat / telle it to no man Doun to a Mareys / fast by / she ran [¶ Nota bene] Til she come there / hire hert was a-fyre And as a bytore / bumbleth in the myre Line 972 She leid her mouth / vn-to the water doun Bewreye me nat / thow water with thy soun Quod she / to the I telle it and no moo Myn husbonde hath long / asses Eres twoo Line 976 Now is myn hert al hol / now is it oute I myght no lengere kepe it / out of doute here may ȝe se / though we a tyme a-byde Line 979 Ȝet out it must / we conne no counseil hide [¶ Verum est] The remenaunt of the tale / if ȝe wol here Redeth Ouyde / and there ȝe may it lere ¶ This knyght of whiche / my tale is specially whan that he saw / he myght nought come therby Line 984 This is to seyn / what wommen louen most with-Inne his breest / ful sorweful was the goost But hom he goth / he myght nat soiourne The day was comen / þat homward must he turne Line 988 And in his wey / as happed him to ride In al his care / vnder a fforest side Where-as he sey / vp-on a daunce goo Of ladyes foure and twenty / and ȝet moo Line 992

Line 992 Toward the which daunce / he drow ful ȝerne In hope that he / sum wysdom shulde lerne But certeynly / er he cam fully there I-vanysshed was this daunce / he nyst where Line 996 No creature saw he / that bar lyf Saue oon the grene / he saw sittyng a wyf A foulere wyght / there may no man deuyse A-geyn the knyght / this olde wyf gan aryse Line 1000 And seide / sire knyght / here forth ne lith no wey Telle me / what that ȝe seken / be ȝoure fey Parauenture / it may the bettir be Theise olde folk / conne mechil thyng [[thyng over good dotted out]] quod she Line 1004 My leue Moder / quod this knyght certeyn I nam but ded / but if that I can seyn what thyng it is / that womman most desire Coude ȝe me wysse / I wolde wel quyte ȝour hire Line 1008 Plyght me thy trouthe / here in myn hond quod she The nexte thyng / that I requere the Thow shalt it do / if it be in thy myght And I wyl telle it ȝow / er it be nyght Line 1012 Haue here my trouthe / quod the knyght I graunte [folio 78b] Than quod she / I dar me wel a-vaunte Thy lif is saf / for I wol stonde ther-by Vp-on my lif / the Quene wol seye as I Line 1016 lat se / which is the pruddest / of hem alle That wereth on / a kerchef or a calle That dar say nay / of that I shal the teche lat vs go forth / with-outen lengere speche Line 1020 Tho rovned she / a pistel in his eere And bad him to be glad / & haue no fere ¶ Whan they ben comen / to the court / this knyght Seyde / he had hold his day / as he had hight Line 1024 And redy was his answere / as he seide fful many a noble wyf / & many a mayde And many a wydewe / for that they ben wyse The Quene hire self / sittynge as Iustise Line 1028

Line 1028 Assembled been / his answere for to here And afterward / this knyght was bode appere To euery wyght / comaunded was silence And that the knyght / shulde telle in audience Line 1032 What thyng / that worldly wommen / louen best This knyght ne stod nat stille / as doth a best But to this question / a-noon answerede with manly voys / that al the courte it herde Line 1036 My liege lady / generally quod he wommen desiren / to han soueraignete As wel ouer hire husbonde / as hire loue And for to ben / in maistrie him a-boue Line 1040 This is ȝoure most desire / though ȝe me kille Doth as ȝow list / I am here at ȝoure wylle ¶ In al the courte / ne was there wyf ne mayde Ne wydewe / that contraried that he sayde Line 1044 But seiden he was worthy / to haue his lyf And with that word / vp stirt this olde wyf which that the knyght saw / sittyng on the grene Mercy quod she / my souereyne lady Quene Line 1048 Er that ȝoure courte departe / do me right I taught this answere / vn-to the knyght ffor which he plight me / his trouthe there The first thyng / that I wolde him requere Line 1052 he wolde it do / if it lay in his myght Byfore this courte / than preye I the sire knyght Quod she / that þou me take vn-to thy wyf ffor wel thow wost / that I haue kept thy lif Line 1056 If I sey fals / sey nay vp-on thy fey ¶ This knyght answered / allas and weilawey I wot right wel / þat swich was myn byheste ffor goddes loue / as chese a newe requeste [folio 79a] Line 1060 Take al my good / and late my body goo Nay thanne quod she / I shrewe vs bothe twoo ffor though that I be foul / old and pore I nold for al the metal / ne for ore Line 1064

Line 1064 That vnder erthe is graue / or lith a-boue But if thy wyf I were / and eke thy loue ¶ My loue quod he / nay my dampnacione Allas that ony / of my nacione Line 1068 Shulde euere so foule / desparaged be But al for nought / the end is this / that he Constreyned was / he nedes must hire wedde And taketh this old wyf / & goth to bedde Line 1072 Now wolde somme men seyn / parauenture That for my negligence / I do no cure To telle ȝow the ioye / and al the array That at the fest was / that ilke day Line 1076 To which thyng / shortly answeren I shal I seye there was no feest / ne ioye at al There nas but heuynesse / and mechel sorwe ffor preuyly he wedded hire / on the morwe Line 1080 And al day after / hid him as an Owle So woo was him / his wyf loked so foule Gret was the woo / the knyght had in his thought whan he was with his wyf / abedde I-brought Line 1084 he walueth / and he turneth to and froo This olde wyf / lay smylyng euere moo And seide / o dere husbonde benedicite ffareth euery knyght thus / with his wyf as ȝe Line 1088 Is this the lawe / of kyng Arthoures hous Is euery knyght of his / thus daungerous I am ȝoure owen loue / & eke ȝoure wyf I am she / which þat saued hath ȝoure lyf Line 1092 And certes / ȝet ne dide I ȝow / neuere vnright Why fare ȝe thus with me / this first nyght Ȝe faren like a man / had lost his wytte what is my gilt / for goddes loue telle itte Line 1096 And it shal ben amended / if I may Amendid / quod this knyght / allas nay nay It wol not ben amended / neuere moo Thow art so lothly / and so old also Line 1100

Line 1100 And ther-to comen / of so lowe a kynde That lytel wonder is / though I walwe & wynde So wolde god / myn hert wold brest Is this quod she / the cause of ȝoure vnrest Line 1104 Ȝee certeynly quod he / no wonder is Nowe sire quod she / I coude amende al this [folio 79b] If that me list / er it were dayes three So wel ȝe myght bere ȝow / vn-to me Line 1108 ¶ But for ȝe speken / of swich gentilnesse [¶ Nota causas generositatis] As is descendid / out of olde richesse That therfore ȝe shulden / ben gentilmen Line 1111 Swich arrogance / is nat worth an hen [¶ arrogance is pride] loke who that is most / vertuous al-wey Preue and apert / and most entendeth ay To do the gentil dedis / that he can [¶ Nota verissimam causam generosi|tatis] Take him for the grettist / gentil man Crist wol we clayme of him / our gentilnesse Line 1117 Nought of our eldres / for here old richesse ffor though they ȝeue vs / al here heritage ffor which we cleyme / to be of hey parage Line 1120 Ȝet may they nat be-quethe / for no thyng To noon of vs / here vertuous leuyng That mad hem gentil men / called to be And bad vs folwen hem / in swich degree Line 1124 wel can the wys Poete / of fflorence That hight Dant / speken of this sentence lo in swych maner ryme / is Dantes tale fful seld vp riseth / by his braunches smale Line 1128 Prowesse of man / for god of his goodnes wol / that of him we clayme / oure gentilnes ffor of oure auncestres / mow we no thyng clayme But temporal thyng / that man may hurt & mayme Line 1132 Euery wyght wot this / as wel as I If gentilnesse were plaunted / naturelly vn-to a certeyn lynage / doun the lyne Pryue and apert / than wold they neuere fyne Line 1136

Line 1136 To don of gentilnesse / the fair office They myght do / no velanye or vice Tak fir & bere it / in the derkest hous Line 1139 Betwix this / and the Mount of Caukasous [¶ Exemplum] And lete men shette the dores / & go thenne Ȝet wol the fyr / as faire lye and brenne As twenty thousand men / myght it byholde his office naturel / ay wol it holde Line 1144 vp peril of my lif / til that it deye here may ȝe se wel / how that gentrie Is nat annexed / to possessione Sith folk ne doon / here operacione Line 1148 Alwey as doth the fir / lo in his kynde ffor god it wot / men moun wel often fynde A lordes sone do shame / and velanye And he that wol han / prys of his gentrye Line 1152 ffor he was born / of a gentil hous And had hise auncestres / noble and vertuous And nyl him seluen / do no gentil dedes [folio 80a] Ne folwe his gentil auncetrye / that ded is Line 1156 he is nat gentil / be he Duke or Erl ffor vyleyns synful dedes / maken a Cherl ffor gentilnesse / nys but renounee Of thyn Auncestres / for here heye bounte Line 1160 which is a straunge thyng / to thy persone Thy gentilnesse cometh / fro god allone Thanne cometh oonly / our gentilnesse of grace It was no thyng be-quethed vs / with oure place Line 1164 Thynketh how noble / as seith valerius was thilke Tullius / hostilius That out of pouerte roos / to heygh noblesse Redeth Senek / and redeth eke Boece Line 1168 There shul ȝe sen expresse / that no dred is That he is gentil / that doth gentil dedis [¶ Nota bene] And therfore leue husbonde / I thus conclude Al were it / that myne Auncestres weren rude Line 1172

Line 1172 Ȝet may the heye god / and so hope I Graunte me grace / to lyuen vertuously Than am I gentil / whan that I begynne To lyuen vertuously / and weyven synne Line 1176 ¶ And there as ȝe / of pouerte me repreeue [¶ Nota de pau|pertate] The heye god / on whom that we byleue In wylful pouert / ches to leue his lyf And certes euery man / Mayden or wyf Line 1180 May vnderstonde / that Ihesus heuene kyng Ne wold nat chese / a vicious lyuyng Glad pouerte / is an honest thyng certeyn This wol Senek / and othere clerkes seyn Line 1184 who-so that halt him paid / of his pouerte I holde him riche / al had he nought a shert he that coueyteth / is a pore wyght ffor he wold han / that is nought in his myght Line 1188 But he that nought hath / ne coueyteth to haue Is riche / al-though ȝe hold him but a knaue verray synne pouerte / is proprely Iuuenal speketh / of pouerte merily Line 1192 The pore man / whan he goth by the wey Byfore the theues / he may synge & pley Pouerte is hateful good / and as I gesse A ful greet bryngere / out of besynesse Line 1196 A gret amendere eke / of sapience To him that taketh it / in pacience Pouerte is this / al-though it seme alenge Possession / that no wyght wol chalenge Line 1200 Pouerte ful often / whan a man is lowe [¶ Nota bene] Maketh his god / and eke him self to knowe [folio 80b] Pouerte / a spectakil is / as thynketh me Thurgh which he may / his verray frendes se Line 1204 And þerfore sire / syn that I nouȝt ȝow greue Of my pouerte / no more ȝe me repreeue Now sire / of elde ȝe repreeue me And certes sire / though non auctorite Line 1208

Line 1208 were in no book / ȝe gentiles of honour Seyn / þat men shulde / an olde wyght do fauour And clepe him fader / for ȝoure gentilnesse And auctoures shal I fynden / as I gesse Line 1212 Now there as ȝe seyn / þat I am foul and old Than drede ȝow nought / to ben a Cokewold ffor filthe and elde / also mot I the Ben grete wardeyns / vp-on chastite Line 1216 But neueretheles / syn I knowe ȝoure delite I shal fulfille / ȝoure worldly appetite Chese now quod she / on of theise thynges twey To han me foul and old / til that I dey Line 1220 And be to ȝow / a trewe humble wyf And neuere ȝow displese / in al my lyf Or ellis ȝe wyl han me / ȝong and faire And take ȝoure auenture / of the repaire Line 1224 That shal be to ȝoure hous / by-cause of me Or in som other place / it may wel be Now chese ȝoure self / wheiþer that ȝow liketh This knyght auyseth him / & sore syketh Line 1228 But at the last / he seide in this manere My lady & my loue / and wyf so dere I putte me / in ȝoure wyse gouernaunce Cheseth ȝoure self / which may be most plesaunce Line 1232 And most honour / to ȝow and me also I do no force / wheither of the two ffor as ȝow liketh / it suffiseth me Then haue I get of ȝow / the maistrye quod she Line 1236 Syn I may chese / and gouerne as me list Ȝe certes wyf quod he / I holde it the best Kisse me quod she / we be no lengere wrothe ffor be my trouthe / I shal be to ȝow bothe Line 1240 This is to seyn / ȝe bothe fair and good I preye to god / that I mot steruen wood But I to ȝow / be also good and trewe As euere was wyf / sithe þat the world was newe Line 1244

Line 1244 And but I be to-morwe / as fair to sene As any lady / Emperesse or Quene That is be-twix the Est / & eke the west Do with my lif and deth / right as ȝow list Line 1248 Cast vp the curtyn / loke how that it is [folio 81a] And whan þat the knyght / saw verreyly al this That she so fair was / & so ȝong ther-to ffor ioye he hent hire / in hise armes two Line 1252 his hert bathed / in a bath of blisse A thousand tymes a rowe / he gan hire kysse And she obeyed him / in euery thyng That myght don him plesaunce or likyng Line 1256 And thus they leue / vn-to here lyues ende In parfyt ioye / and ihesu crist vs sende husbondes meke / ȝonge and fressh abedde And grace to ouer-byde hem / that we wedde Line 1260 And eke I preye ihesu / shorte here lyues That nought wyl be gouerned / by here wyues And olde and angry / nygardes of despence God sende hem sone / verray pestilence Line 1264

¶ Hic desinit fabula Vxoris de Bathe

Et incipit prologus fratris [on leaf 81]

THis worthy Lymytour / this noble frere he make alwey / a maner louryng chere vp-on this Sompnour / but for honeste No vyleyns word / to him as ȝet spak he Line 1268 But at the laste / he seide vn-to the wyf Dame quod he / god ȝeue ȝow right good lyf Ȝe han here touched / also mot I the In scole mater / a greet difficultee Line 1272 Ȝe han seide meche thyng / right wel I seye But Dame / here as we riden / by the weye vs nedeth nought to speken / but of game Ane lete auctorites be / a goddes name Line 1276 To prechynge and to scole / of clergie And if it like / vn-to this compaignye I wyl ȝow of a Sompnour / telle a game Parde ȝe may wel knowen / by the name Line 1280 That of a Sompnour / may no good be seide I preye that noon of ȝow / be euele a-payde A Sompnour is a rennere / vp and doun With maundementeȝ / for ffornicacion Line 1284 And is I-bete / at euery tounes ende ¶ Oure host tho spak / a sire ȝe shuld ben hende And curteys / as a man of ȝoure estat In compaignye / we wyln haue noon debat Line 1288 Telleth ȝoure tale / and late the Sompnour be [folio 81b] Nay quod the Sompnour / late him sey to me What so him list / whan it cometh to my lot By god I shal him quyten / euery grot Line 1292 I shal him telle / which a gret honour It is to be / a flateryng lymytour And eke / of ful many a-nother crime Which nedeth nat / to rehercen at this tyme Line 1296 And his office / I shal him telle I-wys ¶ Oure host answered / pees nomore of this And after this / he seide vn-to the ffrere Telleth forth ȝoure tale / myn owen maister dere Line 1300

¶ Incipit fabula fratris [on leaf 81, back]

WHilom there was dwellyng / in my contree An Archedekene / a man of hey degree That boldely / dede / execucion In punysshyng / of fornicacion Line 1304 Of wychecraft / and eke of baudrye Of diffamacion / and aduoutrye Of chirche Reues / and of testamentes Of Contractes / and of lak of Sacramentes Line 1308 Of Vsurie / and of Symonye also But certis lecchours / dide he grettest woo They shulden synge / if that they were hent And smale titheres / weren foule I-shent Line 1312 If ony Persone / wold vp-on hem pleyne There myght a-stert him / no pecunyal peyne ffor smale tithes / and for smale offrynge he mad the peeple / pytously to synge Line 1316 ffor er the Busshop / caught hem with his hoke They weren / in the Archedekenes boke And than had he / thurgh his Iurisdiccion Power / to don on hem correccion Line 1320 he had a sompnour / redy to his hond A Slier boy / was noon in Engelond ffor sotilly he had / his espialle That taught him wele / where it myght availle Line 1324 he coude spere / of lecchoures oon or twoo To techen him / to foure and twenty moo ffor though this sompnour / wod were as an hare To telle hise harlotrie / I wyl nat spare Line 1328

Line 1328 ffor we ben out / of here correccion They han of vs / no Iurisdiccion Ne neuere shuln / terme of al here lyues [folio 82a] Peter so ben the wommen / of the styues Line 1332 Quod the sompnour / I put out of our cure Pees with myschaunce / and with mysauenture Thus seide oure host / and late him telle his tale Now telleth forth / and lat the Sompnour gale Line 1336 Ne spareth nought / myn owen maister deere This fals thef / this Sompnour / quod the frere had alwey / Baudes / redy to his hond As ony hauke / to lure in Engelond Line 1340 That told him al the secree / that they knewe ffor hire acqueyntaunce / was nat comen of newe They weren hise approwoures / preuyly he tok him self / a gret profyt ther-by Line 1344 his maister knew nat alwey / what he wan With-outen maundement / a lewed man he coude sompne / vp peyne of cristes curs And they were Inly glad / for to fille his purs Line 1348 And make him greete festis / at the nale And right as Iudas / had purses smale And was a thef / right swich a thef was he his maister had but half / his duete Line 1352 he was / if I shal ȝeuen him his lavde A thef / and eke a sompnour / and a baude he had eke wenchis / at his retynew That wheither sire Robert / or sire Heughe Line 1356 Or Iohn or Raf / or who-so that it were That lay by hem / they told it in his eere Thus was the wenche / and he of oon assent And he wold fecche / a feyned maundement Line 1360 And sompne hem to chapetle / bothe two And pille the man / and late the wenche go Than wold he sey frend / I shal for thy sake Do strike the out / of oure lettres blake Line 1364

Line 1364 The thar no more / as in this cas trauaille I am thy frend / there I may the auaille Certeyn he knew / of bryboures moo Than possible is / to telle in ȝeres twoo Line 1368 ffor in this world / nys dogge for the bowe That can an hurt deer / from an hol bet knowe Than that this Sompnour / knew a sly lechour Or on aduouter / or a Paramour Line 1372 And for that was the fruyt / of al his rente Therefore on it he sette / al his entente And so byfel / that ones vp-on a day This sompnour euere / waytyng on his pray Line 1376 Rod for to sompne / an old wyf orrible [folio 82b] ffeynyng a cause / for he wold hire brydle And happed that he saw / byforn him ryde A gay ȝoman / vnder a forest syde Line 1380 A bowe he bar / and arwes bryght and kene he had vp-on / a courteby of Grene An hat vp-on his hed / with frenges blake Sire quod this sompnour / heyl and wel a-take Line 1384 Welcome quod he / and euery good felawe Whider ridest þou / vnder this grene wode shawe Seide this ȝoman / wylt þou fer to-day This sompnour answered / and seide nay Line 1388 heere fast by quod he / is myn entent To riden / for to reysen vp / a rent That longeth to my lordes / duete A / art thow thanne a bayly / ȝe quod he Line 1392 he durst nat for verray velanye / and shame Sey that he was a sompnour / for the name Depardeux quod this ȝoman / dere brother Thow art a Bailly / and I am a-nother Line 1396 I am vnknowen / as in this contree Of thyn acqueyntaunce / I wold preye the And eke of brotherhede / if that thow list I haue gold and siluer / in my chest Line 1400

Line 1400 If that the happed / to come in-to our shire Al shal be thyn / right as thow wolt desire Graunt mercy quod this Sompnour / be my feith Euerych in otheres hand / his trouthe leith Line 1404 ffor to be sworn bretheren / til that they deye In daliaunce they reden forth / and pleye This sompnour which þat was / as ful of Iangles As ful of venym ben / theise wariangles Line 1408 And euere enqueryng / vp-on euery thyng Brother quod he / where is now / ȝoure dwellyng Another day / if that I shuld ȝow seche This ȝeman him answered / in softe speche Line 1412 Brother quod he / fer in the North contree Where as I hope / somtyme I shal the se Er we departe / I shal the so wel wysse That of myn hous / ne shalt þou neuere mysse Line 1416 Now Brother quod this Sompnour / I ȝow preye Teche me / whil we riden by the weye Syn that ȝe ben / a Bailly / as am I Som sotiltee / and telle me feithfully Line 1420 In myn office / how that I may most wynne And spareth nat / for conscience or for synne But as my brother / tell me how do ȝe [folio 83a] Now be my trouthe / dere brother seyde he Line 1424 As I shal tellen the / a feithful tale My wages ben ful streyte / and eke ful smale My lord is hard to me / and daungerous And myn office / is ful laborious Line 1428 And therefore / by extorcions I lyue ffor-sothe I tak / al that men wol me ȝeue Algate by sleighte / or by violence ffro ȝere to ȝere / I wynne al my dispence Line 1432 I can no betir tellen / feithfully ¶ Now certis quod this Sompnour / so fare I I spare nat to take / god it wot But if it be to heuy / or to hot Line 1436

Line 1436 What I may gete / in counseil preuyly No manere conscience / of that haue I Ner myn extercion / I might nat lyuen Ne of swich Iapes / wol I nat be shreuen Line 1440 Stomak ne conscience / knowe I noon I shrewe theise shriftefaderes / euerychon Wel be we mette / by god & by Seynt Iame But leue brother / telle me thy name Line 1444 Quod this Sompnour / right in this mene while This ȝeman gan / a litel for to smyle Brother quod he / wylt þou that I the telle I am a fende / my dwellyng is in helle Line 1448 And here I ryde / a-boute my purchasyng To wete / where men wold me ȝeue / ony thyng My purchas is the effect / of al my rent loke how thow ridest / for the same entent Line 1452 To wynne good / thow rekkest neuere how Ryght so fare I / for ride wold I now Vn-to the worlddes ende / for a preye ¶ A quod this Sompnour / benedicite what ȝe seye Line 1456 I wende ȝe were / a ȝeman trewely Ȝe han a mannes shap / as wel as I han ȝe thanne a figure / determinate In helle there ȝe ben / in ȝoure estate Line 1460 Nay certeynly quod he / there han we noone But whan vs liketh / we can take vs one Or ellis make ȝow seme / we ben shape Somtyme lyke a man / or lyke an Ape Line 1464 Or lyke an Aungel / can I ride or go It is no wonder thyng / though it be so A lousy Iogelour / can disceyue the And parde ȝet can I / moore craft than he Line 1468 Why quod this Sompnour / ride ȝe than or gon [folio 83b] In sondry shap / and nat alwey in oon ffor we quod he / wyln vs swich formes make As most able is / our preyes for to take Line 1472

Line 1472 What maketh ȝow / to han al this labour fful many a cause / leue sire Sompnour Seide this fende / but al thyng hath tyme The day is short / and it is passed pryme Line 1476 And ȝet ne wan I / no thyng in this day I wol entende / to wynnyng if I may And nat entende / oure wyttes to declare ffor brother myn / thy wyt is al to bare Line 1480 To vnderstonde / al-though I told hem thee But for thow axest / why laboren we ffor somtyme we ben / goddis Instrumentis And meenes to do / his comaundementis Line 1484 Whan that him list / vp-on his creaturis In diuerse actes / and in dyuers fyguris With-outen him / we han no myght certayne If that him list / to stonden there a-gayne Line 1488 And somtyme at oure preyer / han we leue Oonly the body / and nat the soule greue Wytnesse on Iob / whom that we dedyn woo And somtyme han we myght / of bothe twoo Line 1492 This is to seyn / of soule and body eke And somtyme be we / suffred for to seke Vp-on a man / and do his soule vnrest And nat his body / and al is for the best Line 1496 Whan he withstondeth / our temptacion It is the cause of his / saluacion Al be it / that it was / nat oure entente he shulde be saf / but that we wold him hente Line 1500 And somtyme be we / seruaunt vn-to man As to the Erchebusshop / seynt Dunstan And to the Apostles / seruaunt eke was I ¶ Ȝet telle me quod the sompnour feithfully Line 1504 Make ȝe ȝow newe bodyes / thus alwey Of Elementis / the fend answered nay Sumtyme we feyne / and sumtyme we aryse With dede bodyes / in ful sondry wyse Line 1508

Line 1508 And speke as renably / and faire and wel As to Phitonissa / dide Samuel And ȝet wyl somme men seyn / it was nat he I do no force / of ȝoure dyuynyte Line 1512 But of o thyng I warne the / I wol nat Iape Thow wolt algates wete / how we be shape Thow shalt here afterward / my brother deere Come there / the nedeth nat of me to lere [folio 84a] Line 1516 ffor þou shalt / be thyn owen experience Come in a chayer / rede al this sentence Bette than virgile / while he was on lyue Or Dant also / nowe late vs ride blyue Line 1520 ffor I wyl holde / companye with the Til it be so / that thow forsake me ¶ Nay quod this sompnour / that shal nat betide [¶ Sompnour] I am a ȝeman / that knowen is ful wyde Line 1524 My trouthe wol I holde / as in this caas ffor though thow were / the deuele Sathanas My trouthe wyl I holde / to the my brother As I haue sworn / and ech of vs to other Line 1528 ffor to be trewe bretheren / as in this cas And bothe we gon / a-bouten oure purchas Take thow thy part / what þat men wol the ȝeue And I shal myn / thus may we bothe leue Line 1532 And if that any of vs / haue more than other Lat him be trewe / and part it with his brother ¶ I graunte quod the Deuele / be my fey And with that word / they ryden forth here wey Line 1536 And right at the entryng / of the tounes ende To which this sompnour / shop him for to wende They saw a cart / that charged was with hey Which that a Cartere / drof forth in his wey Line 1540 Depe was the weye / for which the cart stode This Cartere smot / and cried as he were wode hayt Brok hayt Skot / what spare ȝe for the stones The fend quod he / ȝow fecche body and bones Line 1544

Line 1544 As ferforth / as euere were ȝe foled So mechil woo / as I haue with ȝow tholed The deuele haue al / bothe hors Cart and hey ¶ This sompnour seide / here shuln we han a pley Line 1548 And nere the fend he drow / as nought ne were fful pryuely / and rovned in his Eere herkene my brother / herken be thyn feith herest thow nat how / that the Cartere seith Line 1552 hent it a-noon / for he hath ȝeue it the Bothe hey and cart / and eke hise caples three Nay quod the deuele / god wot neuere a dele It is nat his entent / trost me wele Line 1556 Aske him thy selue / if þou nat trowest me Or ellys stynt a while / and þou shalt se This Cartere takkith his hors / on the croupe And they bygonne / to drawen & to stoupe Line 1560 hayt now quod he / there ihesu crist ȝow blisse And al his handwerk / bothe more & lesse That was wel twyt / my owen lyard boy I preye to god saue thy body and Seynt Loy [folio 84b] Now is my Cart / out of the slow parde Line 1565 loo brother quod the fend / what told I the here may ȝe se / myn owen dere brother The charl spak oo thyng / but he thouȝt a-nother Line 1568 late vs go forth / a-bouten oure vyage heere wynne I no-thyng / vp-on this cariage Whan that they comen / som-what out of toune This Sompnour to his brother / gan to roune Line 1572 Brother quod he / here woneth an olde rebekke That had almost / as lef to lese hire nekke As for to ȝeue / a peny of hire good I wol haue twelue pans / though þat she be wood Line 1576 Or I wyl somoune hire / vn-to oure office And ȝet god wot / of hire knowe I no vice But for þou canst not / as in this contree Wynne thy cost / take here ensaumple of me Line 1580

Line 1580 This sompnour clappeth / at the wydewes gate Come out quod he / thow old / very trate I trowe þou hast / some ffrere or prest with the Who clappeth there / seith this wyf / benedicite Line 1584 God saue ȝow sire / what is ȝoure swete wylle I haue quod he / of somouns here a bille vp peyne of cursynge / loke that thow be To morwe byfore / the Archedekenes kne Line 1588 To answere vn-to the courte / of certeyne thynges Now lord quod she / crist ihesu / kyng of kynges So wysly help me / as I ne may I haue ben seeke / and that ful many a day Line 1592 I may nat go quod she / so fer / ne ryde But I be ded / so pryketh it in my syde May I nat aske / a libel sire sompnour And answere there / be my procuratour Line 1596 To swiche thyng / as men wold appose me Ȝis quod this sompnour / paye a-noon lat se Twelue pens to me / and I wol the acquyte I shal no profyt han ther-by / but lyte Line 1600 My Maister hath the profyt / and nat I Come of / and late me ryden / hastily Ȝeue me twelue pans / I may no lengere tarye Twelue pens quod she / now lady Seynt Marye Line 1604 So wysly help me / out of care and synne This wyde world / though þat I shuld it wynne Ne haue I nat twelue pans / with-Inne myn holde Ȝe knowen wel / that I am pore and olde Line 1608 Kythe ȝoure almesse / on me pore wrecche Nay thanne quod he / the foule fend me fecche If I the excuse / though thow shuldest be spilt [folio 85a] Allas quod she / god wot I haue no gilt Line 1612 Paie me quod he / or by the swete Seynt Anne As I wol bere a-wey / thy newe panne ffor dette / which þou owest me of olde Whan þou madest thyn husbonde / Cokewolde Line 1616

Line 1616 I paid at hom / for thyn correccion ¶ Thow lixt quod she / be myn saluacion Ne was I neuere or now / wydewe ne wyf Somound vn-to ȝoure court / in al my lyf Line 1620 Ne neuere I nas / but of my body trewe vn-to the deuele blak / & row of hewe Ȝeue I thy body / and my panne also And whanne the deuele / herd hire cursen so Line 1624 Vp-on hire knees / he seide in this manere Now Mabily / myn owen moder deere Is this ȝoure wylle in ernest / that ȝe seye The deuele quod she / so fecche him or he deye Line 1628 And panne and al / but he wol him repente Nay olde stot / that is nat myn entente Quod this sompnour / for to repente me ffor ony thyng / that I haue had of the Line 1632 I wold I had thy smok / and euery cloth Now brother quod the deuele / be nat wroth Thy body and this panne / ben myn be right Thow shalt to helle / with me / ȝet to-nyght Line 1636 There thow shalt knowen / of oure pryuete More than a Maister / of dyuynyte And with that word / this foul fend him hente Body and soule / he with the deuele wente Line 1640 Where as theise Sompnoures / han here heritages And god that made / aftir his Image Man-kynde saue / and gyde / vs alle and some And leue this sompnour / good man to bycome Line 1644 ¶ lordynggis I coude haue told ȝow / quod this ffrere had I had lesyer / for this sompnour heere After the tixt of crist / Poule and Iohn And of oure othere doctoures / many oon Line 1648 Swiche peynes / that ȝoure hertes myght a-gryse Al be it so / no tonge may it deuyse Though that I myght / a thousand wynter telle The peynes of that cursed hous / in helle Line 1652

Line 1652 But for to kepe vs / fro that cursed place Waketh and preyeth / ihesu for his grace So kepe vs / fro the temptour Sathanas herkeneth this word / by-war as in this cas Line 1656 The lyon sitteth / in his wayte alwey To slee the Innocent / if that he may Disposeth ay ȝoure hertis / to withstonde [folio 85b] The fend / that ȝow wol make / thral & bonde Line 1660 he may nat tempten ȝow / ouer ȝoure myght ffor crist wol be ȝoure champion / & ȝoure knyght And preyeth that theise Sompnours / hem repent Of here misdedis / or that the fend hem hent Line 1664

¶ Hic desinit fabula fratris /

Et incipit prologus Summonitoris [on leaf 84, back]

This Sompnour / in hise stiropes heye stode Vp-on this frere / his hert was so wode That like an Aspen lef / he quok for ire lordynggis quod he / but o thyng I desire Line 1668 I ȝow byseche / that of ȝoure curteisye Syn ȝe han herd / this fals frere lye As suffreth me / I may my tale telle This frere bosteth / that he knoweth helle Line 1672 And god it woot / that is but litel wonder ffreres and fendes / ben but lite asonder ffor parde / ȝe han ofte tyme herd telle how that a frere / rauysshed was to helle Line 1676 In spirit oones / by a vysion And as an Aungel / led him vp and doun To shewen him / the peynes that there were In al that place / saw he nat a frere Line 1680 Of othere folk / he saw I-nowe in woo vn-to this Aungel / spak this frere thoo ¶ Now sire quod he / han freres swich a grace That noone of hem / shal comen in this place Line 1684 Ȝis quod this Aungel / many a mylioun And vn-to Sathanas / he led him doun And now hath Sathanas / seith he / a tayle Braddere than of a Caryk / is the sayle Line 1688 hold vp thy tayl / thow sathanas quod he Shewe forth thyn Ars / and late the frere se Where is the nest / of freres in this place And er that half a furlong weye / of space Line 1692

Line 1692 Right so as Bees / out swarmen of an hyue Out of the Deueles Ars / they gonne dryue Twenty thousand freres / on a route And thurgh-out helle / they swarmed al a-boute Line 1696 And comen a-geyn / as fast as they moun gon And in his Ars / they crepten euerychon he clapte his tayl a-geyn / & lay full stille This frere / whan he loked had / his fille Line 1700 vp-on the turmentes / of this sory place His spirit / god restored / of his grace [folio 86a] vn-to his body a-ȝein / and he a-woke But natheles / for feer / ȝet he quoke Line 1704 So was the deueles ars / ay in his mynde That is hise Eritage / of verrey kynde God saue ȝow alle / saue this cursed ffrere My prolog wol I ende / in this manere Line 1708

¶ Hic desinit prologus /

Et incipit fabula [on leaf 85]

Lordyngges there is / in ȝorkshire as I gesse A mersshy contre / called Holdernesse In which there wente / a lymytour a-boute To preche and eke to begge / it is no doute Line 1712 And so byfel / that on a day this frere Had preched at a chirche / in his manere And specially / a-bouen euery thynge Excited he the peeple / in his prechynge Line 1716 To trentales / and to ȝeuen for goddis sake Where-with men myght / holy houses make There as diuine seruyse / is honoured Nat there as it is wasted / and deuoured Line 1720 Ne there it nedeth nat / for to be ȝeue As to possessioneres / that moun lyue Thanked be god / in wele and habundaunce Trentals quod he / delyueren fro penaunce Line 1724 here frendes soules / as wel old as ȝonge Ȝa / whan that they ben / hastily I-songe Nat for to holden a prest / Ioly and gay he syngeth nat / but oo masse on a day Line 1728 Delyuereth out a-non quod he / the soules fful hard it is / with flesshoke / or with owles To ben I-clawed / or to brenne or bake Now spede ȝow hastily / for cristes sake Line 1732 And whan this frere / had seid al his entente With Qui cum patre / forth his weye he wente ¶ Whanne folk in chirche / had ȝeuen him what hem list he went his wey / no lengere wold he rest Line 1736

Line 1736 With skrippe and tipped staf / I-tukked heye In euery hous / he gan to poore and prye And begged mele and chese / or ellis corn his felawe had a staf / typped with horn Line 1740 A peyre of tables / al of yuory And a poyntel / polysshed fetisly And wrot the names alwey / as he stode Of alle folk / that ȝaf hem any good Line 1744 A-scaunce that he wold / for hem preye Ȝeue vs a busshel whete / malt or reye A goddis kechel / or a tryp of chese [folio 86b] Or ellis what ȝow list / we moun nat chese Line 1748 A goddis halpeny / or a masse peny Or ȝeue vs of ȝoure brawne / if ȝe haue eny A dagon of ȝoure blanket / lef dame loo deere suster / heere wryte I ȝoure name Line 1752 Bacon or Beef / or swich thyng as ȝe fynde ¶ A sturdy harlot / went hem ay behynde That was here hostis man / and bar a sak And that men ȝaf hem / leide it on his bak Line 1756 And whan that he was / out at the dore / a-noon he planed a-wey / the names euerychon That he byforn had wretyn / in his tables he serued hem with nyfles / and with fables Line 1760 ¶ Nay there thow lixt / thow Sompnour quod the frere Pees quod oure host / for cristes moder deere Telle forth thy tale / and spare it nat at al So thryue I quod this sompnour / so I shal Line 1764 So longe he went / fro hous to hous / til he Cam to an hous / there he was wont to be Refresshed moore / than in an hundred places Seke lay the bonde man / whos the place is Line 1768 Bedred vp-on a couche / lowe he lay Deus hic quod he / O Thomas frend good day Seide this frere / curteisly and softe Thomas quod he / god ȝelde ȝow / ful ofte Line 1772

Line 1772 haue I vp-on this benche / faren ful wele heere haue I eten / ful many a mery mele And fro the benche / he drof a-wey the cat And leide a-doun his potent / and his hat Line 1776 And eke his skrippe / and sette him softe a-doune his felawe was gon / walked in to toune fforth-with his knaue / in-to that hostelrye Where as he shop him / thilke nyght to lye Line 1780 O deere maister / quod this syke man how han ȝe faren / syn that Marche bygan I saw ȝow nat / this fourtene nyght or more God wot quod he / laboured haue I sore Line 1784 And specially / for thy saluacione haue I seid / many a precious orisone And for oure oþere frendis / god hem blisse I haue to-day ben / at ȝoure chirche at messe Line 1788 And seid a sermoun / to my symple wytte Nat al after the text / of holy wrytte ffor it is hard to ȝow / as I suppose And therfore wol I telle ȝow / al the glose Line 1792 Glosyng / is a ful glorious thyng / certeyn ffor lettre sleeth / so as we clerkes seyn [folio 87a] There haue I taught hem / to be charitable And spende here good / there it is resonable Line 1796 And there I saw oure dame / a where is she Ȝonder in the ȝerd / I trowe that she be Seyde this man / and she wyl come a-noon ¶ Ey Maister welcome be ȝe / be Seynt Iohn Line 1800 Seide this wyf / how fare ȝe hertily The frere a-riseth vp / ful curteisly And hire embraceth / in his armes narwe And kist hire swete / and chirketh as a sparwe Line 1804 With hise lippes / dame quod he right wel As he that is ȝoure seruaunt / euerydel Thanked be god / þat ȝow ȝaf soule and lyf Ȝet saw I nat this day / so fair a wyf Line 1808

Line 1808 In al the chirche / god so saue me Ȝe god amende defautes / sire quod she Algates wolcome be ȝe / be my fay Graunt mercy dame / this haue I founde alway Line 1812 But of ȝoure greet goodnesse / be ȝoure leeue I wolde preye ȝow / that ȝe nat ȝow greeue I wol with Thomas / speke a litel throwe Theise curatours / ben so negligent / and slowe Line 1816 To gropen tenderly / a conscience In shrift / in prechynge / is my diligence And studye / in Petres wordes / and in Poules I walke and fisshe / mennes soules Line 1820 To ȝelden ihesu crist / his propre rent To sprede his word / is sette al myn entent ¶ Now be ȝoure leue / deere sire quod she Chideth him wele / for seynt charite Line 1824 he is as angry / as a Pissemyre Though that he haue / al that he can desire Though I him wrye a nyght / & make him warme And ouer him leye / my legge and eke myn arme Line 1828 he groneth lyke oure Boor / lith in oure sty Other disport of him / right noon haue I I may nat pleese him / in no maner caas O Thomas ieo vous dye / Thomas Thomas Line 1832 This maketh the fend / this must ben amended Ire is a thyng / that heye god defended And ther-of wol I speke / a word or twoo Now maister quod the wyf / or that I goo Line 1836 What wol ȝe dyne / I wol go ther-aboute Now dame quod he / now ieo vous die saunȝ doute haue I nat of a Capone / but the lyuere And of ȝoure white bred / no but a shyuere Line 1840 And after that / a rosted pygges hede [folio 87b] But that I nolde for me / no beest were dede Than had I with ȝow / homly sufficeaunce I am a man / of litel sustenaunce Line 1844

Line 1844 My spirit hath his fostrynge / in the bible My body is ay so redy / & so penyble To wake / that my stomak is destroyed I preye ȝow dame / that ȝe be nat a-noyed Line 1848 Though I so frendly / ȝow my counseil shewe By god I nold han told it / but a fewe ¶ Now sire quod she / but a word or I goo My child is deed / with-inne theise wekes twoo Line 1852 Sone after that ȝe went / out of this Toun ¶ his deth saw I / by reuelacion Seide this ffrere / at hom in oure dortour I dar wel seyn / that or half an houre Line 1856 Aftir his deeth / I saw him born to blisse In myn auysione / so god me wysse So dide oure sexteyn / and oure ffermerer That han ben trewe freres / fifty ȝere Line 1860 They moun now / god by thanked of his loue Maken here Iubilee / and walken allone And vp I roos / and al our couent eke With many a teer / trillynge on my cheke Line 1864 With-outen noyse / and clateryng of belles Te Deum / was oure song / & nothyng elles Saue that to Crist / I bad an orison Thankynge him / of my reuelacion Line 1868 ffor sire and dame / trosteth me right wele Oure orisons ben more / effectuele And more we sen / of Cristes secree thynges Than borel folk / al-though that they ben kynges Line 1872 We lyue in pouert / and in abstinence And borel folk / in rychesse and in despence Of mete and drynk / and in here foule delyt We han this worldlis list / al in despyt Line 1876 Laȝar and Dyues / lyueden dyuersly And dyuers guerdoun / hadden ther-by Who so wol preye / he must fast and be clene And fatte his soule / and make his body leene Line 1880

Line 1880 We fare as seith the Appostel / cloth and food Suffiseth vs / though they be nat ful good The clennesse and the fastynge / of vs ffreres Maketh that Crist / accepteth oure preyeres Line 1884 loo Moyses / fourty dayes and fourty nyght ffasted / er that god ful of myght Spak with him / in the mounte of Synay [folio 88a] With empty wombe / of fastynge many a day Line 1888 Receyued he the lawe / that was wryten With goddes fynger / and Ely wel ȝe wyten In Monte Oreb / or he had any speche With heye god / that is oure lyues leche Line 1892 he fasted longe / and was in contemplaunce Aron that had / the temple in gouernaunce And eke the othere prestis / euerychone In-to the temple / whan they shuld gone Line 1896 To preyen for the peeple / and do seruyse They nolde drynken / in no maner wyse No drynk / which that myght hem dronken make But there in abstinence / preye and wake Line 1900 leest that they dedyn take hede / what I seye But they be sobre / that for the peeple preye War that / I sey no more / for it suffiseth Oure lord ihesu / as holy wryt deuyseth Line 1904 Ȝaf vs ensaumple / of fastynge and preyeres Therfore we mendyuauntȝ / we sely freres Ben wedded to pouert / and to contynence To charite humblesse / and Abstinence Line 1908 To persecucione / for rightwysnesse To wepynge / misericorde / and clennesse And therfore moun ȝe se / that oure preyeres I speke of vs / we mendyuauntȝ / we freres Line 1912 Ben to the heye god / more acceptable Than ȝoures / with ȝoure feestes / at the table ffro Paradys first / if I shal nat lye Was man out chased / for his glotonye Line 1916

Line 1916 And chast was man / in paradys certeyne But herkene now Thomas / that I shal seyne I haue no text of it / as I suppose But I shal fynde / in a maner glose Line 1920 That specially / oure swete lord Ihesus Spak this by freres / whan he seide thus Blissed be they / that poere in spirit bene And so forth / al the gospel / may ȝe sene Line 1924 Wheither it be lykere / oure professione Or heres / that swymmen / in possessione ffy on hire pompe / and on here glotonye And of here lewednesse / I hem diffye Line 1928 Me thynketh they ben lyke / to Iouynyan ffat as a whale / and walken as a swan Al vynolent / as a botle in the spence here preyere is / ful greet reuerence Line 1932 Whan they for soules / seyn the psalme of Dauyd [folio 88b] loo buf they seyn / Cor meum eructauit Who folweth Cristes gospel / and here fore But we that humble ben / and chaast and poore Line 1936 Werkers of goddis word / nat auditours Therfore right as an hauke / vp-on a sours vp spryngeth in-to the Eyr / right so preyeres Of charitable and chaast / bisy freres Line 1940 Maken here sours / to goddis Eres twoo Thomas Thomas / so mot I ride or goo And be that lord / that cleped is seynt Iue Nere thow oure brother / shuldest þou neuere thryue Line 1944 In oure chapitre / preye we day and nyght To Crist / that he sende the / hele and myght Thy body / for to welden hastily God wot quod he / no thyng ther-of fele I Line 1948 As helpe me god / as I in fewe ȝeres haue spended / vp-on many dyuers freres fful many a pound / ȝet fare I neuere the bette Certeyn my good / haue I almost bysette Line 1952

Line 1952 ffarewel my gold / for it is al a-go The frere answered / o Thomas dost þou so What nedeth the / dyuerse freres seche What nedeth him / that hath a parfyt leche Line 1956 To sechen othere leches / in tovne Ȝoure inconstaunce / is ȝoure confusione holde ȝe thanne me / and eke al oure couent To preye for ȝow / be insufficient Line 1960 Thomas that iape / is nat worth a myte Ȝoure maladye is / for we han to lyte A / ȝeue that Couent foure and twenty grotes A / ȝeue that Couent / half a quarter Otes Line 1964 A / ȝeue that ffrere / a peny and lat him goo Nay nay Thomas / it may no thyng be soo What is a ferthyng / worth / parted on twelue Loo / ech thyng that is oned / in him selue Line 1968 Is more strong / than whan it is I-skatered Thomas of me / thow shalt nat ben I-flatered Thow woldest han oure labour / half for nought The heye god / that al this world hath wrought Line 1972 Seith that the werkman / is worth his hyre Thomas nat of ȝoure tresore / I desire As for my selue / but that al oure Couent To preye for ȝow / ben ay so diligent Line 1976 And for to holden / Cristes owen chirche Thomas if ȝe wyln lerne / for to werche Of beldynge / vp-on chirches / may ȝe fynde If it be good / in Thomas lyf of Ynde [folio 89a] Line 1980 Ȝe lyn here ful of anger / and of Ire With which the deuele / setteth ȝoure hert a-fyre And chiden heere / the sely Innocent Ȝoure wyf / that is so meke and pacient Line 1984 And therfore Thomas / trowe me if þou lest Ne stryue nat with thy wyf / as for the best And bere this word a-wey / now be thy feyth Touchyng swich thyng / lo what the wyseman seith Line 1988

Line 1988 With-Inne thyn hous / ne be þou no lyon To thyne suggettȝ / do non oppression Ne make thyn acqueyntaunce / nat to flee And Thomas / ȝet eftsones charge I the Line 1992 Be war from hire / that in thy bosom slepeth War froo the serpent / that so slyly crepeth vnder the gras / and styngeth sotilly Be war my sone / and herkene paciently Line 1996 That twenty thousand men / han lost here lyues ffor stryuyng with here lemmans / and here wyues Now syn ȝe han / so holy meeke a wyf What nedeth ȝow / Thomas to maken strif Line 2000 Ther nys I-wysse / no serpent so cruelle Whan a man tret vp-on his tail / ne half so felle As womman is / whan she hath caught an Ire vengeaunce is thanne / al that they desire Line 2004 Ire is a synne on [[on, of, overline, later.]] / of the greete of [[on, of, overline, later.]] seuene Abhominable / to the god of heuene And to him self / it is destruccione This euery lewed vyker / or Persone Line 2008 Gan seyn / how Ire / engendreth homycide Ire is in soth / executour of pryde I coude of Ire / seyn so mechil sorwe My tale shuld laste / til to-morwe Line 2012 And þerfore preye I god / bothe day & nyght An Irous man / god sende him litel myght It is gret harm / and certes greet pitee To sette an Irous man / in heye degree Line 2016 ¶ Whilom there was / an Irous potestate As seith Senek / that duryng his estate vp-on a day / out redyn knyghtes twoo And as fortune wolde / that it was so Line 2020 That oon of hem cam hom / that othir nought A-noon the knyght / byfore the Iuge is brought That seide thus / thow hast thy felawe slayne ffor which I deme the / to the deth certayne Line 2024

Line 2024 And to a-nother knyght / comaunded he Go lede him to the deth / I charge the [folio 89b] And happed as they wenten / by the weye Toward the place / there he shuld deye Line 2028 The knyght cam / which þat men wenden / had ben ded Than thoughten they / it were the best red To lede hem bothe / to the Iuge a-geyne They seiden lord / the knyght ne hath nat slayne Line 2032 his felawe / heere he stant / hool a-lyue ¶ Ȝe shuln be deede quod he / so mote I thryue This is to seyn / bothe on two and three And to the first knyght / right thus spak he Line 2036 I dampned the / thow must algate be deed And thow also / must nedes lese thyn hed ffor thow art cause / why thy felawe dyeth And to the thridde knyght / right thus he seith Line 2040 Thow hast nat do / that I comaunded the And thus he dide / do slee hem alle three ¶ Irrous Cambises / was thus eke dronkelewe And ay delited him / to ben a shrewe Line 2044 And so byfel / a lord of his meyne That loued vertuous / moralite Seide on a day / betwix hem two right thus A lord is lost / if he be vicious Line 2048 And dronkenesse eke / is a foul recorde Of any man / and namely in a lorde There is ful many an eye / & many an ere A-waytynge on a man / he wot nat where Line 2052 ffor goddis loue / drynketh more attemprely Wyn maketh a man / to leese wrecchedly hys mynde / & eke hise lymes euerychone ¶ The reuers shalt thow se / quod he a-none Line 2056 And preeue it / be thyn owen experience That wyn ne doth to folk no swich offence There is no wyn / byreueth me my myght Of hond ne foot / ne of myn eyen sight Line 2060

Line 2060 And for despyt / he drank ful mechel more An hundred part / than he had don byfore And right anon / this Irrous cursed wrecche This knyghtis sone / let byfore him fecche Line 2064 Comaundynge him / he shulde byfore him stonde And sodeynly / he tok his bowe in honde And vp the stryng / he pulleth to his Ere And with an arwe / he slow the child right there Line 2068 Now wheither haue I / a syker hand or noone Quod he / is al my myght / and mynde a-gone hath wyn byreued me / myn eyen sight What shulde I telle / the answere of the knyght [folio 90a] His sone was slayn / there nys no more to seye Line 2073 By war therfore / with lordes how ȝe pleye Syngeth Placebo / and I shal if I can But if it be / vn-to a pore man Line 2076 To a pore man / men shulde hise vices telle But nat to a lord / though he shulde go to helle ¶ loo / Irrous Cirus / thilk percien How destroyed he / the ryuer of Gysen Line 2080 ffor that an hors of his / was dreynt there-Inne Whan that he went / Babylon to wynne he made that the Ryuer / was so smal That wommen myght / wade it oueral Line 2084 lo / what seide he / that so wel teche can Ne be no felawe / to non Irous man Ne with no wood man / walke by the weye lest the repente / I wol no forthere seye Line 2088 Now Thomas leue brother / leeue thyn Ire Thow shalt me fynde / as Iust as is a squire holde nat the deuelis knyf / ay at thyn herte Thyn anger doth the / al to sore smerte Line 2092 But shewe to me / al thyn confessione Nay quod this seke man / be seynt Symon I haue ben shreue this day / at myn curat I haue him told / holly al myn estat Line 2096

Line 2096 It nedeth no more / to speke of it seith he But if me liste / of myn humylitee ¶ Ȝeue me thanne of thy good / to make oure cloistre Quod he / for many a muscle and many an Oistre Line 2100 Whan other men / han ben ful wel at eese hath ben oure fode / our cloistre for to reise And ȝet god woot / vnethe the fundament Parfourmed is / ne of oure pauement Line 2104 Is nat a tyle ȝet / with-Inne oure wones By god we owen / fourty pound for stones Now help Thomas / for him þat harwed helle Or elles mote we / oure bookes selle Line 2108 And if þou lakke / oure predicacion Than goth the world / al to destruccion ffor who so fro this world / wold vs byreue So god me saue Thomas / be ȝoure leeue Line 2112 he wold byreue / out of this world the Sonne ffor who can teche and worken / as we conne And that is nat / of lytel tyme quod he But sithe Ely was / and Helysee Line 2116 han freres ben / that fynde I of recorde In charitee / I-thanked be oure lorde Now Thomas help / for seynt charitee [folio 90b] And doun a-noon / he sette him on his knee Line 2120 ¶ This syke man / wex ny wood / for Ire he wolde that the frere / had ben a-fire With his fals / dissimulacione Swich thyng as is / in myn possessione Line 2124 Quod he / that may I ȝeue ȝow & noon other Ȝe seye me thus / how that I am ȝoure brother ¶ Ȝa certes quod the frere / trosteth wel I toke oure dame / the lettre of oure seal Line 2128 ¶ Now wel quod he / & sumwhat shal I ȝeue vn-to ȝoure Holy Couent / whil I lyue And in thyn hand / þou shalt it han a-noone On this condicione / and other noone Line 2132

Line 2132 That þou departe it / so / my dere brother That euery frere / haue as meche as other Thus shalt þou swere / on thy professione With-outen fraude / or cauellacione Line 2136 ¶ I swere it quod the frere / vp-on my feith And ther-with-al / his hond in his he leith loo heere my feith / in me shal be no lak ¶ Thanne put thyn hand / adoun right be my bak Line 2140 Seide this man / and grope wel behynde By-nethe my buttok / there shalt þou fynde A thyng that I haue / hid / in preuytee ¶ A thought this frere / that shal go with me Line 2144 And doun his hand / he launched to the clift In hope / for to fynde there / a ȝift ¶ And whan this syke man / felt this frere Aboute his towel / gropen heere and there Line 2148 Amydde his hand / he leet the frere a fart There is no capel / drawyng in a cart That myght han leet a fart / of swich a soun ¶ The frere vp stirt / as doth a wood lyon Line 2152 A fals cherl quod he / for goddis bones This hast þou for despyt / don for the nones Thow shalt a-bye / this fart if I may his meyne / which / þat herden swich a fray Line 2156 Comen lepyng In / and chased out the frere And forth he goth / with a ful angry chere And fette his felawe / there as lay his stoor he loked as he were / a wylde Boor Line 2160 And grynt with the teth / so was he wroth A sturdy paas / doun to the courte he goth Where as there woned / a man of gret honour To whom that he was / alwey confessour Line 2164 This worthy man / was lord of that village [folio 91a] This frere cam / as he were in a rage Where as this lord / sat etyng at his bord vnethe myght the frere / speke a word Line 2168

Line 2168 Til at the laste / he seide god ȝow se This lord gan loke / and seide benedicite What frere Iohn / what maner world is this I se wel that sum thyng / there is amys Line 2172 Ȝe loken as the wode / were ful of theues Sitte doun a-noon / and telle me / what ȝoure gref is And it shal ben amended / if I may I haue quod he had / a despyt to-day Line 2176 God ȝelde it ȝow / a-doun in ȝoure village That in this world / there nys so poere a page That he nold han / abhominacion Of that I haue resseyued / in the toun Line 2180 And ȝet ne greueth it me / half so sore As that the olde charl / with lokkes hore Blasfemed hath / oure holy couent eke ¶ Now Maister quod this lord / I ȝow byseke Line 2184 No Maister sire quod he / but seruytour Though I haue had / in scole that Honour God lyketh nat / that Raby men vs calle Neither in market / ne in ȝoure large halle Line 2188 No fors quod he / but telle me al ȝoure greef Sire quod this frere / an odious meschef This day be-tid is / myn order and me And so par consquens / in ich degree Line 2192 Of holy chirche / god amende it sone Sire quod the lord / ȝe wot what is to done Distempre ȝow nat / ȝe be my confessour Ȝe be the salt of the erthe / and the sauour Line 2196 ffor goddes loue / ȝour pacience now holde Telle me ȝoure greef / and he a-noon him tolde As ȝe han herd byforn / ȝe wot wel what The lady of the hous / ay stille sat Line 2200 Til she had herd / what the frere seide Ey goddis moder quod she / blisseful mayde Is there ought elles / telle me feithfully Madame quod he / how thynketh ȝow ther-by Line 2204

Line 2204 how þat me thynketh quod she / so god me spede I seye a cherl / hath doon a cherles dede What shulde I sey / god late him neuere thee his syke hede / is ful of vanytee Line 2208 I holde him / in a maner fransye Madame quod he / by god I shal nat lye But I on other wyse / may be wreke [folio 91b] I shal deffame him / ouer al where I speke Line 2212 The fals blasfemour / that charged me To parte / that wyl nat / departed be To euery man I-liche / with meschaunce The lord sat stille / as he were in a traunce Line 2216 And in his herte / he rolleth vp and doun how that this cherl had / ymaginacioun To shewe swich a probleme / to the frere Neuere erst er now / ne herd I swich matere Line 2220 I trowe the deuele / put it in his mynde In ars metryk / shal there no man fynde By-forn this day / of swich a question Who shulde make / a demonstracion Line 2224 That euery man / shuld han lyke his part As of a soun / or of a sauour of a fart O nyce proud cherl / I shrewe his face lo sires quod the lord / with harde grace Line 2228 Who euere herde / of swich a thyng or now [[in another hand.]] To euery man I-lyke / telleth me how It is an impossible / it may nat be Ey nyce cherl / god late him neuere the Line 2232 The rumblynge of a fart / and euery soune Nis but of eyre / reuerberacione And there it wasteth / litel and litel a-wey There nys no man / can deme be my fey Line 2236 If that it were / departed equally What lo my cherl / lo ȝet how shrewedly vn-to my confessour / to-day he spak I holde him certeyn / a demonyak Line 2240

Line 2240 Now ete ȝoure mete / and late the cherl go pleye lat him go hange him self / a deuel weye [[The Solution of the "Probleme" by the Lord's Squire. No break in the MS.]] ¶ Now stod the lordes squyer / at his bord That carf his mete / and herd word by word Line 2244 Of al this thyng / of which I haue ȝow seyde My lord quod he / be ȝe nat euele a-paide I coude telle / for a gowne cloth To ȝow sire frere / so ȝe be nat wroth Line 2248 how that this fart / shulde euene deled be Amonge ȝoure Couent / if it lyked me Telle quod the lord / & thow shalt haue a-noon A govne cloth / by god and by Seynt Iohn Line 2252 My lord quod he / whan that the wedir is fayre With-outyn wynd / or pertourbyng of eyre [[in another hand.]] lat brynge a Carte whel / heere in-to this halle But loke that it haue / his spokes alle Line 2256 Twelue spokes hath a cart whel / comounly And brynge me þanne twelue freres / wete ȝe why [folio 92a] ffor threttene / is a couent / as I gesse Ȝoure confessoure heere / for his worthynesse Line 2260 Shal perfourme vp / the noumbre of this Couent Than shuln they knele a-doun / by oon assent And to euery spokes ende / in this manere fful sadly leyn his nose / shal a frere Line 2264 Ȝoure noble confessour / there god him saue Shal holde his nose vp-right / vnder the naue Than shal this cherl / with bely stif and tought As any tabour / hedir ben I-brought Line 2268 And sette him on the whel / right of this cart vp-on the naue / and make him late a fart And ȝe shuln sen / vp perill of my lif By preeue / which that is / demonstratif Line 2272

Line 2272 That equally / the sovne of it / wyl wende Ad eke the stynk / vn-to the spokes ende Saue that this worthy man / ȝoure confessour Bycause he is a man / of gret Honour Line 2276 Shal han the first fruyt / as reson is The noble vsage of freres / ȝet is this The worthy men of hem / shuln first be serued And certeynly / he hath it wel deserued Line 2280 he hath to-day taught vs / so mechil good With prechynge in the pulpyt / there he stod That I may vouche-saf / I seye for me he had the first smel / of fartes three Line 2284 And so wold al his Couent / hardily he bereth him so fayre / and so holily ¶ The lord the lady / and eche man saue the frere Seyden that Iankyn / spak in this matere Line 2288 As wel as Euclide / or protholome Towchynge the cherles / they seyden sotiltee An hey wyt / made him speke / as he spak he nys no fool / ne noo demonyak Line 2292 And Iankyn hath I-wonne / a newe Govne My Tale is doon / we ben almost at Tovne [¶ quod Wyttoñ]

¶ Hic finitur fabula Summonitoris /