The works of our ancient, learned, & excellent English poet, Jeffrey Chaucer as they have lately been compar'd with the best manuscripts, and several things added, never before in print : to which is adjoyn'd The story of the siege of Thebes, by John Lidgate ... : together with The life of Chaucer, shewing his countrey, parentage, education, marriage, children, revenues, service, reward, friends, books, death : also a table, wherein the old and obscure words in Chaucer are explained, and such words ... that either are, by nature or derivation, Arabick, Greek, Latine, Italian, French, Dutch, or Saxon, mark'd with particular notes for the better understanding of their original.

¶The Freres Tale.

THE Sompner and the Devil meeting on the way, after conference, become sworn brethren, and to Hell they go together. A covert invective against the Bribery of the Spiritual Courts in those dayes.

WHylome there was dwelling in my countre An Archdeacon, a man of high degre, That boldly did execution In punishing of fornication, Of witchcraft, and eke of baudrie, Of defamation, and aduoutrie, Of church reues, and of testaments, Of contracts, and lacke of sacraments, Of vsurie, and of simonie also: But certes letcherours did he much wo, They shoulden sing, if they weren hent, And small tythers they were foule yshent, If any person would vpon hem plaine, There might assert hem no pecunial paine For small tithes, and small offering, He made the people pitously to sing: For ere the bishop caught hem with his hooke They were in the Archdeacons booke, And then had he (through his jurdiction) Power to done on hem correction. He had a Sompner ready to his hond, A s••ier boy was there none in Englond: For subtilly he had his espiaile, That taught him where he might auaile. He couth spare of letchours one or two, To teachen him to foure and twenty mo: For thogh this sompner wood were as an hare, To tell his harlottry I woll not spare, For we ben out of his correction, They have of vs no juridiction, Ne neuer shullen, tearme of all her liues. Peter so ben women of the stewes, (Qd. this Sompner) yput out of our cure. Peace with mischance & with misauenture Said our host, and let him tell his tale, Now telleth forth and let the Sompner gale, Ne spareth not mine owne maister dere. This false theef, this sompner (qd. the frere) Had alway bauds ready to his hond, As any hauke to lure in Englond, That telleth him all the secre they knew, For her acquaintance was not come anew, They weren his approvers priuely, He tooke himselfe a great profit thereby, His maister knew not alway what he wan: Without maundement, a leaud man He coud summon, on paine of Christs curse, And they were glad to fillen his purse, And maden him great feasts at the nale. * And right as Iudas had purses smale

And was a theefe, right such a theefe was he. His maister had but halfe his dutie, He was (if I shall yeue him his laud) A theefe, a sompner, and eke a baud. He had eke wenches of his retinue, That whether sir Robert or sir Hue, Or Iohn, or Rafe, or who so that it were That lay by hem, they told it in his eare. Thus were the wenches and he of one assent, And he would fetch a fained maundement, And summon hem to the chapiter both two, And pill the man, and let the wench go: Then would he say, friend I shall for thy sake Do striken thee out of our letters blake, Thou dare no more as in this case trauaile: I am thy friend there I may thee auaile. Certaine he knew of bribries mo, Than possible is to tell in yeares two: For in this world nis dog for the how, That can an hurt deere from an whole know, Bet than the Sompner knew a slie letchour, Or auouter, or els any paramour: For that was the fruit of all his rent, Therefore on it he set all his intent. And so befell, that once on a day This Sompner waiting euer on his pray, Rode to summon an old widdow a ribibe, Faining a cause, for he would haue a bribe, And happed that he saw beforne him ride A gay yeoman vnder a forrest side: A bow he bare, and arrows bright and shene, He had vpon him a courtpie of greene, An hat vpon his head with strings blacke. Sir (qd. this Sompner) haile & well itake. Welcome (qd. he) and euery good fellaw, Whider ridest thou vnder y^e green wood shaw Said this yeoman, wolt thou ferre to day? This Sompner him answerd, & said: nay, Here fast by (qd. he) is mine intent To riden for to reysen vp a rent That longeth vnto my lords dutie. Art thou then a baylie? Yea qd. he. He durst not then for very filth and shame Say that he was a Sompner for the name. Depardieur, qd. this yeoman lefe brother, Thou art a bayly, and I am another, I am vnknowne, as in this countre, Of thine acquaintance I woll pray thee, And eke of brotherhead, if that thou lift, I haue gold and siluer in my chist: If that ye hap to come in our shire, All shall be thine, right as thou wolt desire. Grant mercy (qd. this sompner) by my faith. Euerich in other his truth laith, For to be sworne brethren till they dey, And with y^t word they riden forth her wey, This sompner with y^t was as ful of iangles, As full of venome, as ben these wariangles, And euer requiring vpon euery thing. Brother qd. he, where is your dwelling, Another day if that I should you seech? This yeoman him answerd in soft speech: Brother qd. he, ferre in the North countre, Whereas I hope sometime I shall thee see, Or we depart I shall thee so well wisse, That of mine house thou shalt neuer misse. Now brother qd. the sompner, I you pray Teach me, while we riden by the way, (Sith that ye ben a bayly as am I) Some subteltie, tell me faithfully In mine office how I may most win, And spare not for conscience ne for sin, But as my brother, tell me how done ye, Now by my trouth brother deare said he, As I shall tellen thee a faithfull tale, My wages been full strait and full smale, My lord is hard to me and daungerous, And mine office full laborious: And therefore by extortion I leue Forsooth by all that men woll me yeue, Algate by sleight or by violence: From yeare to yeare I win all my dispence, I can no better tellen faithfully. Now certes (qd. the Sompner) so fare I, I spare not to taken God it wote: * But if it be too heauy or too hote, That I may getten in counsaile priuily, No manner conscience of that haue I, Nere mine extortion, I might not liuen, Of such yapes woll I not be shriuen: Stomacke ne conscience know I none, I shrew all these shrift fathers euerychone, Well be we met by God and sweet S. Iame, But leue brother, tell me thy name Qd. this Sompner: in this meane while This yeoman gan a little for to smile. Brother qd. he, wolt thou y^t I thee tell? I am a fiend, my dwelling is in hell, And here I ride about my purchasing, To wete where I may get any thing: My purchasing is theffect of all my rent, Looke how thou ridest for the same intent To win good, thou reckest neuer how, Right so fare I, for ride woll I now Vnto the worlds end for to pray. Ah (qd. this sompner) what do ye say, I wend ye were a yeoman truly, Ye haue a mans shape as well as I, Haue ye a figure then determinate In hell, there ye ben in your estate? Nay certainly (qd. he) there haue we none, But when vs liketh we can take vs one, Or els make to you seeme: we ben shape Sometime like a man, or like an ape, Or like an Angell can I ride or go: It is no wonder thing though it be so, A lousie iugler can deceiue thee, And parde can I more craft than hee. Why qd. y^e Sompner, ride ye then or gone In sundry shape, and not alway in one? For we (qd. he) woll vs such forme make, As most able is our preyes for to take. What maketh you to haue al his labour? Full many a cause lefe sir Sompnour Said this fiend, But all thing hath time, The day is short, and it is passed prime, And yet ne got I nothing in this day, I woll entend to winning, if I may, And not entend our wits to declare: For brother mine, thy wits ben all too bare To vnderstand all, though I would tell thee, But for thou askest why labouren we:

For sometime be we Gods instruments And meanes to done his commaundments What that him lust, on his creatures, In diuers art and in diuers figures: Withouten him we haue no might certaine, If that him list to stonden there againe, And sometime at our praier haue we leue, Only the body, and not the soule to greue: Witnesse of Iob, whom we deden wo. And sometime haue we might of both two, This is to saine, of body and soule eke, And sometime we ben suffered for to seeke Vpon a man, and done his soule vnrest, And not his body, and all is for the best When he withstandeth our temptation, It is a cause of his saluation, Albeit that it was not our intent He should be safe, but that we wold him hent, And sometime be we seruaunts vnto man, As to the archbishop saint Dunstan And to the Apostle eke seruaunt was I. Yet tell me (qd. this Sompner) faithfully, Make ye you new bodies thus alway Of elements? the fiend answered nay: Sometime we faine, and sometime we arise With dead bodies, and that in sundry wise, And speake as renably, faire, and well, As the Phitonesse did to Samuell: And yet would some men say it was not he. I do not force of your diuinite, But a thing I warne thee, I woll not yape, Thou wolt algates wete how we be shape: Thou shalt hereafterward (my brother dere) Come, where thee needeth not of me to lere, For thou shalt by thine owne experience Conne in the chare the rede of this sentence Bet than Virgill, while he was on liue, Or Daunt also. Now let vs ride bliue, For I woll hold company with thee, Till it be so that thou forsake mee. Nay (qd. this Sompner) y^t shall not betide, I am a yeoman knowen full wide: My trouth wol I hold to thee, as in this caas For though thou were the deuill Sathanas, My trouth woll I hold to my brother As I am sworne, and ech of vs to other, For to be true brother in this caas, And brother, we gone to our purchaas. Take thou thy part, that men woll y^e yeue, And I shal mine, and thus shall we both leue. And if that any of vs haue more than other, Let him be true, and part it with his brother. I graunt (qd. the deuill) by my fay, And with that word they riden forth her way, And right at them ring of the tounes end (To which y^e sompner shope him for to wend) They saw a cart that charged was with hay, Which that a carter droue forth on his way, Deepe was the way, for which the cart stood: This carter smote, & striued as he were wood, Heit scot, heit brok, w^t spare ye for y^e stones, The fiend (qd. he) you fetch body & bones, As ferforth as euer ye were yfoled, So much wo as I haue for you tholed, The deuill haue all, both hors, cart, and hay. Qd. this Sompner here shal we haue a pray And nere y^• fiend he drew, as nought ne were Full priuily, and rouned in his eare: Hearken brother, hearken by thy faith Hearest not thou what the carter saith? Hent it anon, for he hath yeue it thee, Both hay and cart, and eke his caples three, Nay (qd. the deuill) God wot neuer a dele, It is not his intent trust me wele, Aske him thy selfe, if thou trowest not mee, Or els stint a while and thou shalt see. This carter thacked his hors on the croupe, And they begun to draw and to stoupe. Heit now (qd. he) y^t Iesus Christ you blesse, And all his hondy werke, both more and lesse: That was well it wight mine own liard boy, I pray God saue thee and saint Loy, Now is my cart out of the slow parde. Lo brother (qd. the fiend) what told I thee, Here may ye seene mine owne deare brother * The carle spake o thing but he thought ano∣ther Let vs goe forth about our voyage, Here win we nothing vpon cariage. When they comen somwhat out of the toun, This Sompner to his brother gan to roune: Brother, qd. he, here wonneth an old rebecke, That had almost as lefe to lese her necke, As for to yeue a penny of her good, I woll haue xii. d. tho that she were wood, Or I woll sompne her to our office, And yet God wot of her I know no vice: But for thou canst not, as in this countre Win thy cost, take here ensample of me. This Sompner clappeth at y^e widdows gate, Come out he saied thou old veritrate: I trow thou hast some frere or priest withthee. Who clappeth there said this wife, benedicite, God saue you sir, what is your sweet will? I haue (qd. he) in summons of thee a bill, Vp paine of cursing, looke that thou bee To morrow before our Archdeacons knee, To answere to the court, of certaine things. Now lord (qd. she) Iesu king of kings So wisely helpe me, as I ne may, I haue ben sicke, and that full many a day. I may not goe so ferre (qd. she) ne ride, But I be dead, so pricketh it my side, May I not aske a libell sir Sompnour, And answere there by my proctour To such thing as men would apposen me. Yea qd. this Sompner, pay anon let see Twelue pence to me, and I will thee acquite, I shall no profit haue hereof but lite. My maister hath the profit and not I, Come of, and let me ridden hastily: Giue me xii. pence, I may no lenger tary. Twelue pence qd. she, lady saint Mary, So wisely helpe me out of care and sin, This wide world though I should it win, Ne haue I not xii. d. within my ho••d: Ye know well that I am poore and old, Kith your almesse on me poore wretch, Nay then qd. he, the foule fiend me fetch, If I thee excuse, thogh thou shouldest be spilt. Alas qd. she, God wot I haue no guilt, Pay me qd. he, or by sweet saint Anne I woll streight beare away the new panne

For debt, which thou owest me of old, When thou madest thy husbond cokold, I paied at home for thy correction. Thou liest (qd. she) by my saluation, Ne was I neuer ere now, widdow ne wife, Sompned vnto your court in all my life: Ne neuer I nas but of body trew, Vnto the deuill blacke and rough of hew Yeue I thy body and my panne also. And when the deuill heard her curse so Vpon her knees, he said in this manere: Now Mably, mine owne mother dere Is this your will in earnest that ye sey? The deuill (qd. she) fet him ere he dey, And panne and all, but he woll him repent. Nay old stotte, that is not mine intent, Qd. this Sompner, for to repent mee For any thing that I haue had of thee, I would I had thy smocke and euery cloth. Now brother (qd. the deuill) be not wroth: Thy body and thy pan is mine by right, Thou shalt with me to hell yet to night, Where thou shalt knowen of our priuitie More than a maister of diuinitie. And with that word y^e foule fiend him hent Body and soule, he with the deuill went, Where y^t Sompners haue their heritage, And God that made after his image Mankind, saue and guide vs all and some, And leaue y^e Sompner good man to become. Lordings I coud haue told you (qd. this frere) Had I had leisure, of this Sompner here, After the text of Christ, Poule, and Ihon And of other doctours many one, Such paines, as your hearts might agrise, Albeit so, that no tongue may deuise, Though that I might a thousand winter tell The paines of that cursed hous of hell, But for to keepe vs from that cursed place, Wake we, and pray Iesu of his grace, So keepe he us from the temper Sathanas Hearkneth this word, beware as in this caas * The Lion sitteth in await alway To slea the innocent, if that he may. Disposeth aye your hearts to withstond The fiend, that you would make thral & bond. * He may not tempt you ouer your might, For Christ woll be your champion & knight, And prayeth, that the Sompner him repent Of his misdeed ere that the fiend him hent.