The Canterbury tales and Faerie queene &c., &c., &c., ed. for popular perusal with current illustrations and explanatory notes, by D. Laing Purves.

126 71HE CANTERBURY TALES.
His breast was whole without1 for to seen, Unto his brother's bed he comen is,
But in his heart aye was the arrow keen, And such comf6rt he gave him, for to gon
And well ye know that of a sursanure1 To Orleans, that he upstart anon,
In surgery is perilous the cure, And on his way forth-ward then is he fare,15
But2 men might touch the arrow or come In hope for to be lissed16 of his care.
thereby. When they were come almost to that city,
His brother wept and wailed privily, But if it were 17 a two furlong or three,
Till at the last him fell in remembrance, A young clerk roaming by himself they met,
That while he was at Orleans3 in France,- Which that in Latin thriftily 8 them gret.19
As younge clerkis, that be likerous 4 And after that he said a wondrous thing;
To readen artis that be curious, "I know," quoth he, "the cause of your
Seeken in every halk and every hern 5 coming; "
Particular sciences for to learn,- And ere they farther any footS went,
He him remember'd, that upon a day He told them all that was in their intent.
At Orleans in study a book he say 6 The Breton clerk him asked of fellaws
Of magic natural, which his fellaw, The which he haddB known in oldi daws,20
That was that time a bachelor of law, And he answ6r'd him that they deade were,
All 7 were he there to learn another craft, For which he wept full often many a tear.
Had privily upon his desk y-laft; Down off his horse Aurelius light anon,
Which book spake much of operati6ns And forth with this magician is he gone
Touching the eight-and-twenty mansi6ns Home to his house, and made him well at ease;
That longe to the Moon, and such folly Them lacked no vitail that might them please.
As in our dayes is not worth a fly; So well-array'd a house as there was one,
For holy church's faith, in our believe, Aurelius in his life saw never none.
Us suff'reth none illusi6n to grieve. He shewed him, ere they went to suppere,
And when this book was in his remembrance, Forest's, parkes, full of wilde deer.
Anon for joy his heart began to dance, There saw he hartSs with their horns high,
And to himself he saide privily; The greatest that were ever seen with eye.
" My brother shall be warish'd 9 hastily: He saw of them an hundred slain with hounds,
For I am sicker l that there be sciences, And some with arrows bleed of bitter wounds.
By which men maki divers apparences, He saw, when voided 21 were the wilde deer,
Such as these subtle tregetoures 1 play. These falconers upon a fair rivere,
For oft at feastSs have I well heard say, That with their hawkis have the heron slain.
That tregetours, within a halli large, Then saw he knightes jousting in a plain.
Have made come in a water and a barge, And after this he did him such pleasance,
And in the halle rowen up and down. That he him shew'd his lady on a dance,
Sometimes hath seemed come a grim lioun, On which himselfi danced, as him thought.
And sometimes flowers spring as in a mead; And when this master, that this magic wrought,
Sometimes a vine, and grapes white and red; Saw it was time, he clapp'd his handes two,
Sometimes a castle all of lime and stone; And farewell, all the revel is y-go.22
And, when them liked, voided 12 it anon: And yet remov'd they never out of the house,
Thus seemed it to every manni's sight. While they saw all the sightes marvellois;
Now then conclude I thus; if that I might But in his study, where his bookes be,
At Orleans some olde fellow find, They sattB still, and no wight but they three.
That hath these Moone's mansions in mind, To him this master called his squi6r,
Or other magic natural above, And said him thus, "May we go to supper?
He should well make my brother have his love. Almost an hour it is, I undertake,
For with an appearfnce a clerk 13 may make, Since I you bade our supper for to make,
To manni's sight, that all the rockes blake When that these worthy men wente with me
Of Bretagne weri voided 12 every one, Into my study, where my bookes be."
And shippes by the brinki come and gon, " Sir," quoth this squier, "when it liketh you,
And in such form endure a day or two; It is all ready, though ye will right now."
Then were my brother warish'd 9 of his woe, "Go we then sup," quoth he, " as for the best;
Then must she needes holde her behest,l4 These amorous folk some tim8 must have rest."
Or ellis he shall shame her at the least." At after supper fell they in treaty
Why should I make a longer tale of this? What summB should this master's guerdon be,
out with the idea adopted by our poet in the lines -in "treget," deceit or imposture-from the French
that follow. "trebuchet," a military machine; since it is evident
1 A wound healed on the surface, but festering that much and elaborate machinery must have been
beneath. 2 Except. employed to produce the effects afterwards described.
3 Where was a celebrated and very famous univer- Another derivation is from the Low Latin, "tricator," a
sity, afterwards eclipsed by that of Paris. It was deceiver. 12 Vanished, removed.
founded by Philip le Bel in 1312. 13 Learned man.
4 Eager, curious. 14 Keep her promise. 15 Gone.
5 Every nook and corner. Anglo-Saxon, "healc," 16 Eased of, released from; another form of "less"
a nook; "hyrn," a corner. 6 Saw. 7 Though. or "lessen." 17 All but, 18 Civilly.
8 Belief, creed. 9 Cured. 10 Certain. 19 Greeted. 20 Days. 21 Gone, removed.
11 Tricksters, jugglers. The word isprobably derived 22 Passed away.