The Canterbury tales

Part I

With this chanoun I dwelt have seven yeer, Line 720 And of his science am I never the neer. Line 721 Al that I hadde I have lost therby, Line 722 And, God woot, so hath many mo than I. Line 723 Ther I was wont to be right fressh and gay Line 724 Of clothyng and of oother good array, Line 725 Now may I were an hose upon myn heed; Line 726 And wher my colour was bothe fressh and reed Line 727 Now is it wan and of a leden hewe -- Line 728 Whoso it useth, soore shal he rewe! -- Line 729 And of my swynk yet blered is myn ye. Line 730 Lo! which avantage is to multiplie! Line 731 That slidynge science hath me maad so bare Line 732 That I have no good, wher that evere I fare; Line 733 And yet I am endetted so therby, Line 734 Of gold that I have borwed, trewely, Line 735 That whil I lyve I shal it quite nevere. Line 736 Lat every man be war by me for evere! Line 737 What maner man that casteth hym therto, Line 738 If he continue, I holde his thrift ydo. Line 739 For so helpe me god, therby shal he nat wynne, Line 740 But empte his purs, and make his wittes thynne. Line 741 And whan he, thurgh his madnesse and folye, Line 742 Hath lost his owene good thurgh jupartye, Line 743 Thanne he exciteth oother folk therto, Line 744 To lesen hir good, as he hymself hath do. Line 745 For unto shrewes joye it is and ese Line 746 To have hir felawes in peyne and disese. Line 747 Thus was I ones lerned of a clerk. Line 748 Of that no charge, I wol speke of oure werk. Line 749 Whan we been there as we shul exercise Line 750 Oure elvysshe craft, we semen wonder wise, Line 751 Oure termes been so clerigal and so queynte. Line 752 I blowe the fir til that myn herte feynte. Line 753 What sholde I tellen ech proporcion Line 754 Of thynges whiche that we werche upon Line 755 As on fyve or sixe ounces, may wel be, Line 756 Of silver, or som oother quantitee -- Line 757 And bisye me to telle yow the names Line 758

Line 758 Of orpyment, brent bones, iren squames, Line 759 That into poudre grounden been ful smal; Line 760 And in an erthen pot how put is al, Line 761 And salt yput in, and also papeer, Line 762 Biforn thise poudres that I speke of heer; Line 763 And wel ycovered with a lampe of glas; Line 764 And of muche oother thyng which that ther was; Line 765 And of the pot and glasses enlutyng, Line 766 That of the eyr myghte passe out nothyng; Line 767 And of the esy fir, and smart also, Line 768 Which that was maad, and of the care and wo Line 769 That we hadde in oure matires sublymyng, Line 770 And in amalgamyng and calcenyng Line 771 Of quyksilver, yclept mercurie crude? Line 772 For alle oure sleightes we kan nat conclude. Line 773 Oure orpyment and sublymed mercurie, Line 774 Oure grounden litarge eek on the porfurie, Line 775 Of ech of thise of ounces a certeyn -- Line 776 Noght helpeth us, oure labour is in veyn. Line 777 Ne eek oure spirites ascencioun, Line 778 Ne oure materes that lyen al fix adoun, Line 779 Mowe in oure werkyng no thyng us availle, Line 780 For lost is al oure labour and travaille; Line 781 And al the cost, a twenty devel waye, Line 782 Is lost also, which we upon it laye. Line 783 Ther is also ful many another thyng Line 784 That is unto oure craft apertenyng. Line 785 Though I by ordre hem nat reherce kan, Line 786 By cause that I am a lewed man, Line 787 Yet wol I telle hem as they come to mynde, Line 788 Thogh I ne kan nat sette hem in hir kynde: Line 789 As boole armonyak, verdegrees, boras, Line 790 And sondry vessels maad of erthe and glas, Line 791 Oure urynales and oure descensories, Line 792 Violes, crosletz, and sublymatories, Line 793 Cucurbites and alambikes eek, Line 794 And othere swiche, deere ynough a leek. Line 795 Nat nedeth it for to reherce hem alle, -- Line 796 Watres rubifyng, and boles galle, Line 797 Arsenyk, sal armonyak and brymstoon; Line 798 And herbes koude I telle eek many oon, Line 799 As egremoyne, valerian, and lunarie, Line 800 And othere swiche, if that me liste tarie; Line 801 Oure lampes brennyng bothe nyght and day, Line 802 To brynge aboute oure purpos, if we may; Line 803 Oure fourneys eek of calcinacioun, Line 804 And of watres albificacioun; Line 805 Unslekked lym,chalk, and gleyre of an ey, Line 806 Poudres diverse, asshes, donge, pisse, and cley, Line 807 Cered pokkets, sal peter, vitriole, Line 808 And diverse fires maad of wode and cole; Line 809 Sal tartre, alkaly, and sal preparat, Line 810 And combust materes and coagulat; Line 811 Cley maad with hors of mannes heer, and oille Line 812 Of tartre, alum glas, berme, wort, and argoille, Line 813 Resalgar, and oure materes enbibyng, Line 814 And eek of oure materes encorporyng, Line 815 And of oure silver citrinacioun, Line 816 Oure cementyng and fermentacioun, Line 817 Oure yngottes, testes, and many mo. Line 818 I wol yow telle, as was me taught also, Line 819 The foure spirites and the bodies sevene, Line 820 By ordre, as ofte I herde my lord hem nevene. Line 821 The firste spirit quyksilver called is, Line 822 The seconde orpyment, the thridde, ywis, Line 823 Sal armonyak, and the ferthe brymstoon. Line 824 The bodyes sevene eek, lo! hem heere anoon: Line 825 Sol gold is, and luna silver we threpe, Line 826 Mars ire, mercurie quyksilver we clepe, Line 827 Saturnus leed, and juppiter is tyn, Line 828 And venus coper, by my fader kyn! Line 829 This cursed craft whoso wole excercise, Line 830 He shal no good han that hym may suffise; Line 831 For al the good he spendeth theraboute Line 832 He lese shal; therof have I no doute. Line 833 Whoso that listeth outen his folie, Line 834 Lat hym come forth and lerne multiplie; Line 835 And every man that oght hath in his cofre, Line 836 Lat hym appiere, and wexe a philosophre. Line 837 Ascaunce that craft is so light to leere? Line 838 Nay, nay, God woot, al be he monk or frere, Line 839 Preest or chanoun, or any oother wyght, Line 840 Though he sitte at his book bothe day and nyght Line 841 In lernyng of this elvysshe nyce loore, Line 842 Al is in veyn, and parde! muchel moore. Line 843 To lerne a lewed man this subtiltee -- Line 844 Fy! spek nat therof, for it wol nat bee; Line 845 And konne he letterure, or konne he noon, Line 846 As in effect, he shal fynde it al oon. Line 847 For bothe two, by my savacioun, Line 848 Concluden in multiplicacioun Line 849 Ylike wel, whan they han al ydo; Line 850 This is to seyn, they faillen bothe two. Line 851 Yet forgat I to maken rehersaille Line 852 Of watres corosif, and of lymaille, Line 853 And of bodies mollificacioun, Line 854 And also of hire induracioun; Line 855 Oilles, ablucions, and metal fusible, -- Line 856 To tellen al wolde passen any bible Line 857 That owher is; wherfore, as for beste, Line 858 Of alle thise names now wol I me reste. Line 859 For, as I trowe, I have yow toold ynowe Line 860 To reyse a feend, al looke he never so rowe. Line 861 A!nay! lat be; the philosophres stoon, Line 862 Elixer clept, we sechen faste echoon; Line 863 For hadde we hym, thanne were we siker ynow. Line 864

Line 864 But unto God of hevene I make avow, Line 865 For al oure craft, whan we han al ydo, Line 866 And al oure sleighte, he wol nat come us to. Line 867 He hath ymaad us spenden muchel good, Line 868 For sorwe of which almoost we wexen wood, Line 869 But that good hope crepeth in oure herte, Line 870 Supposynge evere, though we sore smerte, Line 871 To be releeved by hym afterward. Line 872 Swich supposyng and hope is sharp and hard; Line 873 I warne yow wel, it is to seken evere. Line 874 That futur temps hath maad men to dissevere, Line 875 In trust therof, from al that evere they hadde. Line 876 Yet of that art they kan nat wexen sadde, Line 877 For unto hem it is a bitter sweete, -- Line 878 So semeth it, -- for nadde they but a sheete, Line 879 Which that they myghte wrappe hem inne a-nyght, Line 880 And a brat to walken inne by daylyght, Line 881 They wolde hem selle and spenden on this craft. Line 882 They kan nat stynte til no thyng be laft. Line 883 And everemoore, where that evere they goon Line 884 Men may hem knowe by smel of brymstoon. Line 885 For al the world they stynken as a goot; Line 886 Hir savour is so rammyssh and so hoot Line 887 That though a man from hem a mile be, Line 888 The savour wole infecte hym, trusteth me. Line 889 And thus by smel, and by threedbare array, Line 890 If that men liste, this folk they knowe may. Line 891 And if a man wole aske hem pryvely Line 892 Why they been clothed so unthriftily, Line 893 They right anon wol rownen is his ere, Line 894 And seyn that if that they espied were, Line 895 Men wolde hem slee by cause of hir science. Line 896 Lo, thus this folk bitrayen innocence! Line 897 Passe over this; if go my tale unto. Line 898 Er that the pot be on the fir ydo, Line 899 Of metals with a certeyn quantitee, Line 900 My lord hem tempreth, and no man be he -- Line 901 Now he is goon, I dar seyn boldely -- Line 902 For, as men seyn, he kan doon craftily. Line 903 Algate I woot wel he hath swich a name, Line 904 And yet ful ofte he renneth in a blame. Line 905 And wite ye how? ful ofte it happeth so, Line 906 The pot tobreketh, and farewel, al is go! Line 907 Thise metals been of so greet violence, Line 908 Oure walles mowe nat make hem resistence, Line 909 But if they weren wroght of lym and stoon; Line 910 They percen so, and thurgh the wal they goon. Line 911 And somme of hem synken into the ground -- Line 912 Thus han we lost by tymes many a pound -- Line 913 And somme are scatered al the floor aboute; Line 914 Somme lepe into the roof. Withouten doute, Line 915 Though that the feend noght in oure sighte hym shewe, Line 916 I trowe he with us be, that ilke shrewe! Line 917 In helle, where that he lord is and sire, Line 918 Nis ther moore wo, ne moore rancour ne ire. Line 919 Whan that oure pot is broke, as I have sayd, Line 920 Every man chit, and halt hym yvele apayd. Line 921 Somme seyde it was long on the fir makyng; Line 922 Somme seyde nay, it was on the blowyng, -- Line 923 Thanne was I fered, for that was myn office. Line 924 Straw! quod the thridde, ye been lewed and nyce. Line 925 It was nat tempred as it oghte be. Line 926 Nay, quod the fourthe, stynt and herkne me. Line 927 By cause oure fir ne was nat maad of beech, Line 928 That is the cause, and oother noon, so theech! Line 929 I kan nat telle wheron it was long, Line 930 But wel I woot greet strif is us among. Line 931 What, quod my lord, ther is namoore to doone; Line 932 Of thise perils I wol be war eftsoone. Line 933 I am right siker that the pot was crased. Line 934 Be as be may, be ye no thyng amased; Line 935 As usage is, lat swepe the floor as swithe, Line 936 Plukke up youre hertes, and beeth glad and blithe. Line 937 The mullok on an heep ysweped was, Line 938 And on the floor ycast a canevas, Line 939 And al this mullok in a syve ythrowe, Line 940 And sifted, and ypiked mayn a throwe. Line 941 Pardee, quod oon, somwhat of oure metal Line 942 Yet is ther heere, though that we han nat al. Line 943 Although this thyng myshapped have as now, Line 944 Another tyme it may be well ynow. Line 945 Us moste putte oure good in aventure. Line 946 A marchant, pardee, may nat ay endure, Line 947 Trusteth me wel, in his prosperitee. Line 948 Somtyme his good is drowned in the see, Line 949 And somtyme comth it sauf unto the londe. Line 950 Pees! quod my lord, the nexte tyme I wol fonde Line 951 To bryngen oure craft al in another plite, Line 952 And but I do, sires, lat me han the wite. Line 953 Ther was defaute in somwhat, wel I woot, Line 954 Another seyde the fir was over-hoot, -- Line 955 But, be it hoot or coold, I dar seye this, Line 956 That we concluden everemoore amys. Line 957 We faille of that which that we wolden have, Line 958 And in oure madnesse everemoore we rave. Line 959 And whan we been togidres everichoon, Line 960 Every man semeth a salomon. Line 961 But al thyng which that shineth as the gold Line 962 Nis nat gold, as that I have herd it told; Line 963 Ne every appul that is fair at eye Line 964

Line 964 Ne is nat good, what so men clappe or crye. Line 965 Right so, lo, fareth it amonges us: Line 966 He that semeth the wiseste, by jhesus! Line 967 Is moost fool, whan it cometh to the preef; Line 968 And he that semeth trewest is the theef. Line 969 That shul ye knowe, er that I fro yow wende, Line 970 By that I of my tale have maad an ende. Line 971 Explicit prima pars.